nJnn  inMAma.ii.Mmf....  i.   ni 


OUSMD 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

AT    LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

H.   E.   Miller 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


•   II  m  d'ye  do,  Gammon  !  early,  eh  ?"    commenced  Titmouse  without  Btirring, 
and  with  infinite  composure  and  nonchalat 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


BY 

SAMUEL   WARREN.   D.  C.  L. 


Fortuna  savo  tate  negotio,  et 
Ludum  insolentem  ludere  pertinnx, 
Transmutat  incertos  honores, 

Nunc  mihi,  nunc  alii  benigna. 
Laudo  manentem.     Si  celeres  quatit 
Pennas,  resigno  qute  dedit,  et  mea 
Yirtute  me  involvo,  probamque 

Pauperiera  sine  dote  qusero- — Horace. 

Fortune,  that  with  malicious  joy 

Does  man,  her  slave,  oppress, 
Proud  of  her  office  to  destroy, 

Is  seldom  pleased  to  bless  ; 
Still  various,  and  unconstant  still, 
But  with  an  inclination  to  be  ill, 
Promotes,  degrades,  delights  in  strife, 
And  makes  a  lottery  of  life. 
I  can  enjoy  her  while  she's  kind  ; 
— But  when  she  dances  in  the  wind, 
And  shakes  the  wings,  and  will  not  stay, 
I  puff  the  prostitute  away  : 
The  little  or  the  much  she  gave,  is  quietly  resigned; 
Content  with  poverty  my  soul  I  arm, 
And  virtue,  though  in  rags,  will  keep  me  warm. 

Horace— by  Drydeh. 

1 


'  ,      '     J  * 


NEW  YORK 

GEORGE    ROUTLEDGE    AND    SONS 

9  Lafayette  Place 


Pi 


... 


*    *    I  * 


. 


- 

TO 

EMILY, 

A   LITTLE    BLUE-EYED    LAUGHING    IMAGE   OF   PURITY  AND   HAPPINESS, 

THIS    VOLUME    IS    INCCHIBED, 

AS   A   SLIGHT    MEMORIAL    OF   A    FATHER'S    AFFECTION   FOB 

AN    ONLY   DAUGHTER. 


October,  184L 


PREFACE. 


The  Author  of  this  "Work  begs  gratefully  to  express  his  con- 
viction that  no  small  share  of  any  success  which  it  may  have  met 
with,  is  attributable  to  the  circumstance  of  its  having  had  the 
advantage  of  an  introduction  to  the  public  through  the  medium  of 
Blackwood's  Magazine — a  distinguished  periodical,  to  which  he 
feels  it  an  honour  to  have  been,  for  a  time,  a  contributor. 

One  word,  only,  he  ventures  to  offer,  with  reference  to  the 
general  character  and  tendency  of  "  Ten  Thousand  a-Year."  He 
has  occasionally  observed  it  spoken  of  as  merely  a  "  comic,"  "  an 
amusing  and  laughable"  story  ;  but  he  cannot  help  thinking  that 
no  one  will  so  characterize  it,  who  may  take  the  trouble  of  reading 
it  throughout,  and  be  capable  of  comprehending  its  scope  and 
object.  "Whatever  may  be  its  defects  of  execution,  it  has  been 
written  in  a  grave  and  earnest  spirit ;  with  no  attempt  whatever  to 
render  it  acceptable  to  mere  novel-readers ;  but  with  a  steadfast 
view  to  that  development  and  illustration,  whether  humorously  or 
otherwise,  of  principles,  of  character,  and  of  conduct,  which  the 
author  had  proposed  to  himself  from  the  first,  in  the  hope  that  he 
might  secure  the  approbation  of  persons  of  sober,  independent,  and 
experienced  judgment. 

Literature  is  not  the  author's  profession.  Having  been  led,  by 
special  circumstances  only,  to  commence  writing  this  work,  he 
found  it  impossible  to  go  on,  without  sacrificing  to  it  a  large  portion 


viii  PREFACE. 

of  tho  time  usually  allotted  to  repose,  at  some  little  cost  both  of 
health  and  spirits.  This  was,  however,  indispensable,  in  order  to 
prevent  its  interference  "with  his  professional  avocations.  It  has 
been  written,  also,  under  certain  other  considerable  disadvantages 
— which  may  account  for  several  imperfections  in  it  during  its 
original  appearance.  The  periodical  interval  of  leisure  which  his 
profession  allows  him,  has  enabled  tho  author,  however,  to  givo 
that  complete  revision  to  the  whole,  which  may  render  it  worthier 
of  tho  public  favour.  He  is  greatly  gratified  by  tho  reception 
which  it  has  already  met  with,  both  at  home  and  abroad ;  and  in 
taking  a  final  and  a  reluctant  leave  of  the  public,  ventures  to  ex- 
press a  hope,  that  this  work  may  prove  to  be  an  addition,  however 
small  and  humble,  to  the  stock  of  healthy  English  literature. 

London,  Odober.1811. 

***  For  the  beautiful  verses  entitled  a  Peace,"  (at  page  128,) 
the  author  is  indebted  to  a  friend. 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

About  ten  o'clock  one  Sunday  morn- 
ing, in  the  month  of  July  18 — ,  the 
dazzling  sunbeams  which  had  for  seve- 
ral hours  irradiated  a  little  dismal  back 
attic  in  one  of  the  closest  courts  adjoin- 
ing Oxford  Street,  in  London,  and 
stimulated  with  their  intensity  the 
closed  eyelids  of  a  young  man  lying  in 
bed,  at  length  awoke  him.  He  rubbed 
his  eyes  for  some  time,  to  relieve  him- 
self from  the  irritation  occasioned  by 
the  sudden  glare  they  encountered  ; 
and  yawned  and  stretched  his  limbs 
with  a  heavy  sense  of  weariness,  as 
though  his  sleep  had  not  refreshed 
him.  He  presently  cast  his  eyes  on 
the  heap  of  clothes  lying  huddled  to- 
gether on  the  backless  chair  by  the 
bedside,  and  where  he  had  hastily 
flung  them  about  an  hour  after  mid- 
night ;  at  which  time  he  had  returned 
from  a  great  draper's  shop  in  Oxford 
Street,  where  he  served  as  a  shopman, 
and  where  he  had  nearly  dropped  asleep 
after  a  long  day's  work,  in  the  act  of 
putting  up  the  shutters.  He  could 
kardly  keep  his  eyes  open  while  he 
undressed,  short  as  was  the  time  re- 
quired to  do  so  ;  and  on  dropping 
exhausted  into  bed,  there  he  had  con- 
tinued in  deep  unbroken  slumber,  till 
the  moment  at  which  he  is  presented 
to  the  reader.  He  lay  for  several 
minutes,  stretching,  yawning,  and 
sighing,  occasionally  casting  an  irreso- 
lute glance  towards  the  tiny  fireplace, 
where  lay  a  modicum  of  wood  and 
coal,  with  a  tinder-box  and  a  match 
or  two  placed  upon  the  hob,  so  that  he 


could  easily  light  his  fire  for  the  pur- 
poses of  shaving  and  breakfasting.  He 
stepped  at  length  lazily  out  of  bed, 
and  when  he  felt  his  feet,  again  yawned 
and  stretched  himself.  Then  he  lit  his 
fire,  placed  his  bit  of  a  kettle  on  the 
top  of  it,  and  returned  to  bed,  where 
he  lay  with  his  eye  fixed  on  the  fire, 
watching  the  crackling  blaze  insinuate 
itself  through  the  wood  and  coal.  Once, 
however,  it  began  to  fail,  so  he  had  to 
get  up  and  assist  it,  by  blowing,  and 
bits  of  paper  ;  and  it  seemed  in  so  pre- 
carious a  state  that  he  determined  not 
again  to  lie  down,  but  sit  on  the  bed- 
side :  as  he  did,  with  his  arms  folded, 
ready  to  resume  operations  if  necessary. 
In  this  posture  he  remained  for  some 
time,  watching  his  little  fire,  and 
listlessly  listening  to  the  discordant 
jangling  of  innumerable  church-bells, 
clamorously  caDing  the  citizens  to  their 
devotions.  The  current  of  thoughts 
passing  through  his  mind,  was  some- 
thing like  the  following  : — 

"  Heigho  !—  Lud,  Lud  !— Dull  as 
ditch  water ! — This  is  my  only  holi- 
day, yet  I  don't  seem  to  enjoy  it ! — ■ 
for  I  feel  knocked  up  with  my  week's 
work!  (A  yawn.)  What  a  life  mine 
is,  to  be  sure  !  Here  am  I,  in  my 
eight-and-twentieth  year,  and  for  four 
long  years  have  been  one  of  the  shop- 
men at  Tag-rag  &  Co.'s,  slaving  from 
half-past  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  nine  at  night,  and  all  for  a  salary 
of  £35  a-year,  and  my  board !  And 
Mr.  Tag-rag — eugh  !  what  a  beast ! — 
is  always  telling  me  how  high  he's 
raised  my  salary  !  Thirty-five  pounds 
a-year  is  all  I  have  for  lodging,  and 


10 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


appearing  like  a  gentleman  !  Ton  my 
Eoul !  it  can't  last ;  for  sometimes  I 
feel  getting  desperate — such  strange 
thoughts  come  into  my  mind  ! — Seven 
shillings  a-week  do  I  pay  for  this  cursed 
hole — (he  uttered  these  words  with  a 
bitter  emphasis,  accompanied  by  a  dis- 
gustful look  round  the  little  room) — 
that  one  couldn't  swing  a  cat  in  with- 
out touching  the  four  sides  ! — Last 
winter,  three  of  our  gents  (i.  e.  his 
fellow-shopmen)  came  to  tea  with  me 
one  Sunday  night ;  and  bitter  cold  as 
it  was,  we  four  made  this  cussed  dog- 
hole  so  hot,  we  were  obliged  to  open 
the  window  ! — And  as  for  accommoda- 
tion— I  recollect  I  had  to  borrow  two 
nasty  chairs  from  the  people  below, 
who  on  the  next  Sunday  borrowed  my 
only  decanter,  in  return,  and,  hang 
them,  cracked  it! — Curse  me,  say  1, 
if  this  life  is  worth  having  !  I  t's  all 
the  very  vanity  of  vanities — as  it's  said 
somewhere  in  the  Bible — and  no  mis- 
take !  Fag,  fag,  fag,  all  one's  days, 
and — what  for  ?  Thirty-five  pounds 
a-year,  and  '  no  advance  ! '  (Here  oc- 
curred a  pause.)  Bah,  bells!  ring  away 
till  you're  all  cracked  ! — Now  do  you 
think  I'm  going  to  be  mewed  up  in 
church  on  this  the  only  day  out  of  the 
seven  I've  got  to  sweeten  myself  in, 
and  sniff  fresh  air?  A  precious  joke 
that  would  be  !  (A  yawn.)  Whew! 
— after  all,  I'd  almost  as  lieve  sit 
here  ;  for  what's  the  use  of  my  going 
out?  Everybody  I  see  out  is  happy, 
excepting  me,  and  the  poor  chaps  that 
are  like  me  ! — Everybody  laughs  when 
they  see  me,  and  know  that  I'm  only 
a  tallow-faced  couuter-j  umper — I  know 
that's  the  odious  name  we  gents  go  by  ! 
— for  whom  it's  no  use  to  go  out !  Oh, 
Lord  !  what's  the  use  of  being  good- 
looking,  as  some  chaps  say  I  am?" — ■ 
Here  he  instinctively  passed  his  left 
hand  through  a  profusion  of  sandy- 
coloured  hair,  and  cast  an  eye  towards 
the  bit  of  fractured  looking-glass  that 
hung  against  the  wall,  and  which,  by 
faithfully  representing  to  him  a  by  no 
means  ugly  sel  of  fe  itures  (despite  the 
dismal  hue  of  his  hair)  whenever  he 
chose  to  appeal  to  it,  had  afforded 
him  more  enjoyment  than  any  other 
object  in  the  world  for  years.     "Ah, 


by  Jove  !  many  and  mauy's  the  fine 
gal  I've  done  my  best  to  attract  the 
notice  of,  while  I  was  serving  her  iu 
the  shop, — that  is,  when  I've  seen  her 
get  out  of  a  carriage  !  There  has  been 
luck  to  many  a  chap  like  me,  in  the- 
same  line  of  speculation  :  look  at  Tom 
Tarnish — how  did  he  get  Miss  Twang, 
the  rich  pi  mo-forte  maker's  daughter  ? 
— and  now  he's  cut  the  shop,  and  lives 
at  Hackney,  like  a  regular  gentleman  ! 
Ah  !  that  teas  a  stroke  !  But  some- 
how it  hasn't  answered  with  me  yet : 
the  gals  don't  take  !  How  I  have  et 
my  eyes,  to  be  sure,  and  ogled  them — 
all  of  them  don't  seem  to  dislike  tho 
thing — and  sometimes  they'll  smile,  in 
a  sort  of  way  that  says  I'm  safe — but 
it's  been  no  use  yet,  not  a  bit  of  it ! — ■ 
My  eyes !  catch  me,  by  the  way,  ever 
nodding  again  to  a  lady  on  the  Sunday, 
that  had  smiled  when  I  stared  at  her 
while  serving  her  in  the  shop — after 
what  happened  to  me  a  month  or  two 
ago  in  the  Park  !  Didn't  I  feel  like 
damaged  goods,  just  then  !  But  it's 
no  matter,  women  are  so  different  at 
different  times  ! — Very  likely  I  mis- 
managed the  thing.  By  the  way, 
what  a  precious  puppy  of  a  chap  the 
fellow  was  that  came  up  to  her  at  the 
time  she  stepped  out  of  her  carriage  to 
walk  a  bit !  As  for  good  loo"ks — cut 
me  to  ribands  (another  glance  at  the 
glass)  no  ;  I  a'n't  afraid  there,  neither 
—  but — -heigho  !— 1  suppose  he  was,  as 
they  say,  born  with  a  golden  spoon  iii 
his  mouth,  and  had  never  so  many  a 
thousand  a  year,  to  make  up  to  him 
for  never  so  few  brains!  1\»  was  un- 
common well-dressed,  though,  1  mu::t 
own.  What  trousers  ! — they  stuck  so 
natural  to  him,  he  might  have  Itch 
born  in  them.  And  his  waistcoat,  and 
satin  stock — what  an  air!  And  yet, 
his  figure  was  nothing  iwyoatoi  the 

way!  His  gloves,  as  white  as  snow  ; 
I've  no  doubt  he  wears  a  pair  of  them 

a-day  —  my  stars',  tint's  three-and- 
six pence  a-day  ;  for  don't  [  know  what 
they  eost  ?   -Whew!  if  I  had  but  the 

cash  to  carry  on  that  sort  of  thing  ! — 
And  when  he'd  seen  her  into  her 
carriage— the  horse  he  got  onl — and 
what  a  fc»t)top  groom —  that  chap's 
wages,  I'D  answer  forit,  were  equal  to 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


11 


my  salary  !  (Here  was  another  pause. ) 
Now,  just  for  the  fun  of  the  thing, 
only  suppose  luck  was  to  befall  me  ! 
Say  that  somebody  was  to  leave  me 
lots  of  cash, — many  thousands  a-year, 
or  something  in  that  line  !  My  stars  ! 
wouldn't  I  go  it  with  the  best  of  them  ! 
(Another  long  pause.)  Gad,  I  really 
should  hardly  know  how  to  begin  to 
spend  it ! — I  think,  by  the  way,  I'd 
buy  a  title  to  set  off  with — for  what 
won't  money  buy  ?  The  thing's  often 
done  ;  there  was  a  great  biscuit-baker 
in  the  city,  the  other  day,  made  a 
baronet  of,  all  for  his  money — and 
why  shouldn't  I  ? "  He  grew  a  little 
heated  with  the  progress  of  his  reflec- 
tions, clasping  his  hands  with  invol- 
untary energy,  as  he  stretched  them 
out  to  their  fullest  extent,  to  give 
effect  to  a  very  hearty  yawn.  "Lord, 
only  think  how  it  would  sound  ! — 

'  SIR  TITTLEBAT   TITMOUSE,  BARONET  ; 
OR,  LORD  TITMOUSE.' 

"  The  very  first  place  I'd  go  to, 
after  I'd  got  my  title,  and  was  rigged 
out  in  Stulze's  tip-top,  should  be — our 
cursed  shop,  to  buy  a  dozen  or  two 
pair  of  white  kid.  What  a  flutter 
there  would  be  among  the  poor  pale 
devils  as  were  standing,  just  as  ever, 
behind  the  counters,  at  Tag-rag  and 
Co.  's  when  my  carriage  drew  up,  and  I 
stepped,  a  tip-top  swell,  into  the  shop. 
Tag-rag  would  come  and  attend  to  me 
himself.  No,  he  wouldn't  —  pride 
wouldn't  let  him.  I  don't  know, 
though  :  what  wouldn't  he  do  to  turn 
a  penny,  and  make  two  and  ninepence 
into  three  and  a  penny  ?  I  shouldn't 
quite  come  Captain  Stiff  over  him,  I 
think  ;  hut  I  should  treat  him  with  a 
kind  of  an  air,  too,  as  if — hem  !  Ton 
my  life  !  how  delightful !  (A  sigh 
and  a  pause.)  Yes,  1  should  often 
come  to  the  shop.  Gad,  it  would  be 
half  the  fun  of  my  fortune  !  How  they 
would  envy  me,  to  be  sure  !  How  one 
should  enjoy  it  !  I  wouldn't  think  of 
marrying  till — and  yet  1  won't  say 
either  ;  if  I  got  among  some  of  them 
out  and  outers — those  first-rate  articles 
— that  lady,  for  instance,  the  other  day 
in  th«  Park — I  should  like  to  see  her 


cut  me  as  she  did,  with  ten  thousand 
a-year  in  my  pocket !  Why,  she'd  be 
running  after  me,  or  there's  no  truth 
in  novels,  which  I'm  sure  there's  often 
a  great  deal  in.  Oh,  of  course,  I 
might  marry  whom  I  pleased.  Who 
couldn't  be  got  with  ten  thousand  a- 
year  ?  (Another  pause.)  I  should  go 
abroad  to  Russia  directly  ;  for  they  tell 
me  there's  a  man  lives  there  who  could 
dye  this  cussed  hair  of  mine  any  colour 
I  liked — egad  !  I'd  come  home  as  black 
as  a  crow,  and  hold  up  my  head  as  high 
as  any  of  them !  While  I  was  about 
it,  I'd  have  a  touch  at  my  eyebrows" 
Crash  went  all  his  castle-building, 


at  the  sound  of  his  tea-kettle,  hissing, 
whizzing,  sputtering  in  the  agonies  of 
boiling  over  ;  as  if  the  intolerable  heat 
of  the  fire  had  driven  desperate  the 
poor    creature  placed    upon  it,    who 
instinctively  tried  thus  to  extinguish 
the   cause  of   its  anguish.      Having 
taken  it  off  and  placed  it  upon  the  hob, 
and  put  on  the  fire  a  tiny  fragment  of 
fresh  coal,  he  began  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  shaving,  by  pouring  some  of 
the  hot   water  into   an  old   tea-cup, 
which  was  presently  to  serve  for  the 
purposes  of  breakfast.     Then  he  spread 
out  a   bit  of  crumpled  whity-brown 
paper,  in  which  had  been  folded  up  a 
couple  of  cigars,  bought  overnight  for 
the  Sunday's  special  enjoyment — and 
as  to  which,  if  he  supposed  they  had 
come  from  any  place  beyond  the  four 
seas,    I    imagine   him    to   have  been 
slightly  mistaken.     He  placed  this  bit 
of  paper  on   the  little  mantelpiece ; 
drew    his    solitary,    well-worn    razor 
several  times  across  the  palm  of  his 
left   hand ;    dipped  his  brush,    worn 
within  a  third  of  an  inch  to  the  stump, 
into  the  hot  water ;  presently  passed 
it  over  so  much  of  his  face  as  he  in- 
tended to  shave  ;  then  rubbed  on  the 
damp  surface  a  bit  of  yellow  soap — ■ 
and    in   less   than  five   minutes   Mr. 
Titmouse   was  a  shaved  man.      But 
mark — don't  suppose  that  he  had  per- 
formed an  extensive  operation.     One 
would  have   thought  him  anxious  to 
get  rid  of  as  much  as  possible  of  his 
abominable  sandy-coloured  hair — quite 
the    contrary.       Every    hair    of    hi.-j 
spreading   whiskers  was  sacred  from 


12 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAIt. 


the  touch  of  steel ;  and  a  bushy  crop 
of  hair  stretched  underneath  his  chin, 
coming  curled  out  on  each  side  of  it, 
above  his  stock,  like  two  little  horns, 
or  tusks.     An  imperial — ('.  e.  a  dirt- 
coloured   tuft   of  hair,    permitted   to 
grow  perpendicularly  down  the  under 
lip  of  puppies — and  a  pair  of  promising 
mustaches,    poor    Mr.    Titmouse   had 
been  compelled  to  sacrifice  some  time 
before,  to  the  tyrannical  whimsies  of 
his    vulgar    employer,    Mr.    Tag-rag, 
who  imagined  them  not  to  be  exactly 
suitable  appendages  for  counter-jump- 
ers.    So  that  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
space  shaved  over  on  this  occasion  was 
somewhat  circumscribed.     This  opera- 
tion over,  he  took  out  of  his  trunk  an 
old   dirty-looking  pomatum   pot.     A 
little  of  its  contents,  extracted  on  the 
tips  of  his  two  fore  fingers,  he  stroked 
carefully   into    his    eye-brows ;    then 
spreading  some  on  the  palms  of  his 
hands,  he  rubbed  it  vigorously  into  his 
stubborn  hair  and  whiskers  for  some 
quarter  of  an  hour  ;  and  then  combed 
and  brushed  his  hair  into  half-a-dozen 
different  dispositions — so  fastidious  in 
that  matter  was  Mr.  Titmouse.   _  Then 
he  dipped  the  end  of  a  towel  into  a 
little  water,  and  twisting  it  round  his 
right  fore-finger,  passed  it  gently  over 
his  face,  carefully  avoiding  his   eye- 
brows, and  the  hair  at  the  top,  sides, 
and  bottom  of  his  face,  which  he  then 
wiped  with  a  dry  corner  of  the  towel  ; 
and  no  farther  did  Mr.  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse think  it  necessary  to  carry  his 
ablutions.     Had  he  been  able  to  "  see 
himself  as  others  saw  him,"  in  respect 
of  those  neglected  regions  which  lay 
somewhere   behind    and   beneath   his 
ears,    he    might    not    possibly    have 
thought  it  superfluous  to  irrigate  them 
with    a   little    soap   and    water ;  but, 
after  all,  he  knew  best  ;  it  might  have 
given  him  cold:  and  besides,  his  hail 
was  very  thick  and  long  behind,  and 
might  perhaps  conceal  anything  that 
was  unsightly.    Then  Mr.  Titmouse 
drew  from  underneath  the  lied  a  bottle 
of  Warren's  "  incomparable  blacking," 
and  a  couple  "f  brushes,  with 
labour  and  skill  polishing  bis  boots  up 
to    a    wonderful    p"int    of    brilliancy. 
Having  n  placed  hi  -  blacking  imple- 


ments under  the  bed  and  washed  his 
hands,  he  devoted  a  few  moments  to 
boiling  about    three    tea-spoonfuls   of 
coffee,  (as  it  was  styled  on  the  paper 
from  which  he  took,  and  in  which  ho 
had  bought  it — whereas  it  was,  in  fact, 
chicory.)     Then  he  drew   forth   from 
his  trunk  a  calico   shirt,   with   linen 
wristbands  and  collars,  which  had  been 
worn  only  twice  since  its  last  washing 
— i.  c.  on  the  preceding  two  Sundays 
— and  put  it  on,  taking  great  care  not 
to  rumple  a  very  showy  front,   con- 
taining three  little  rows  of  frills  ;  in 
the  middle  one  of  which  he  stuck  three 
"studs,"  connected  together  with  two 
little  gilt  chains,  looking  exceedingly 
stylish  —  especially   coupled    with    a 
span-new  satin  stock,  which  lie  next 
buckled  round  his  neck.     Having  put 
on  his  bright  boots,  (without,  U  am 
sorry  to  say,  any  stockings,)  he  e 
fully  insinuated  his  legs  into  a  pair  of 
white  trousers,  for  the  first  time  sinct) 
their  last  washing  ;  and  what  with  his 
short    straps   and    high    braces,    they 
were  so  tight   that  you  would   have 
feared  their  bursting  if  he  should  have 
sat  down  hastily.     1  am  almost  afraid 
that  I  shall  hardly  be  believed  ;  but 
it  is  a  fact,  that  the  next  thing  he  did 
was  to  attach  a  pair  of  spurs  to  his 
boots  : — but,  to   be  sure,  it  was  not 
impossible  that   he    might  intend   to 
ride  during  the  day.     Then  he  put  on 
a  queer  kind  of  under- waistcoat,  which 
in  fact  was  only  a  roll-collar  of  rather 
faded  pea-greeu  silk,  and  designed  to 
set  off  a  veiy  fine  flowered  damson- 
coloured   silk   waistcoat ;  over  which 
he  drew  a  massive  mosaic-gold  chain, 
(to   purchase  which    he   had    sold   a 
serviceable  silver  watch,)  which  had 
been  carefully  wrapped  up  in  cotton 
wool ;  from  which  suit  depository,  also, 
he  drew  jus  ring,  (those  must  have 
been  sharp  eyes  which  could  tell,  at  a 
distance,  and  iu  a  hurry,  that  it  was 
not  diamond,)  which  he  placed  on  the 
Btumpy  little   finger  of  his  nd   and 
thick  right  hand — and  contemplated 
its  sparkle  with  exquisite 
Having  proceeded  thus  far  with  his 

toilet,    he   sat  down    to    his    biv  ikl 
spreading  (lie  shirt  lie  had  taken  off 

upon  In-   lap,   to  pw  erve  hi)  white 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR 


13 


trousers    from    spot    or    stain  —  his 
thoughts  alternating  between  his  late 
waking  vision  and  his  purposes  for  the 
day.     He  had  no  butter,  having  used 
the  last   on  the   preceding  morning  ; 
so  he  was  fain  to  put  up  with   dry 
bread — and  very  dry  and  teeth-trying 
it  was,  poor  fellow —  but  his  eye  lit  on 
his  ring  !     Having  swallowed  two  cups 
of  his  quasi-coffee,  (eugh  !  such  stuff !) 
he  resumed  his  toilet,  by  drawing  out 
of  his  other  trunk  his  blue  surtout, 
with  embossed  silk  buttons  and  velvet 
collar,  and  an  outside  pocket  in  the 
left   breast.     Having  smoothed  down 
a  few  ereases,   he  put  it  on  : — then, 
before  the  little  vulgar  fraction  of  a 
glass,  he  stood  twitching  about  the 
collar,  and  sleeves,  and  front,  so  as  to 
make  them  sit  well ;  concluding  with 
a    careful    elongation   of    the    wrist- 
bands of  his  shirt,  so  as  to  show  their 
whiteness  gracefully  beyond  the  cuff 
of  his  coat- sleeve — and  he  succeeded 
in  producing  a  sort  of  white  boundary 
line  between  the  blue  of  his  coat-sleev-e 
and  the  red   of  his  hand.     At  that 
useful  member  he  could  not  help  look- 
ing with  a  sigh,  as  he  had  often  done 
before — for  it  was  not    a  handsome 
hand.     It  was  broad  and  red,  and  the 
fingers  were  thick  and  stumpy,  with 
very  coarse   deep  wrinkles  at  every 
joint.     His  nails  also   were  fiat  and 
shapeless ;    and  he  used   to   be   con- 
tinually gnawing  them  till    he  had 
succeeded  in  getting  them  down  to  the 
quick — and  they  were  a  sight  to  set 
one's  teeth   on  edge.      Then  he   ex- 
tracted from  the  first  mentioned  trunk 
a  white  pocket-handkerchief — an  ex- 
emplary one,  that  had  gone  through 
four  Sundays'  show,  (not  use,   be  it 
understood,)  and  yet  was  capable  of 
exhibition  again.      A    pair    of    sky- 
coloured  kid  gloves  next  made  their 
appearance :  which,  however,  showed 
such  bare-faced  marks  of  former  ser- 
vice as  rendered  indispensable  a  ten 
minutes'  rubbing  with  bread  crumbs. 
His    Sunday    hat,    carefully    covered 
with  silver-paper,    was    next    gently 
removed  from  its  well-worn  box — ah, 
how  lightly  and  delicately  did  he  pass 
his  smoothing  hand  round  its  glossy 
surface  !     Lastly,  he  took  down  a  thin 


black  cane,  with  a  gilt  head,  and  full 
brown  tassel,  from  a  peg  behind  the 
door— and  his   toilet    was   complete. 
Laying  down  his  cane  for  a  moment, 
he  passed  his  hands  again  through  hi3 
hair,  arranging  it  so  as  to  fall  nicely 
on  each  side  beneath  his  hat,  which 
he  then  placed  upon  his  head,  with  an 
elegant  inclination   towards  the  left 
side.  _  He  was  really  not  bad-looking, 
in   spite  of  his  sandy-coloured  hair. 
His  forehead,   to   be   sure,  was   con- 
tracted, and  his  eyes  were  of  a  very 
light  colour,    and    a    trifle   too  pro- 
tuberant ;  but  his  mouth  was  rather 
well-formed,  and  being  seldom  closed, 
exhibited  very  beautiful  teeth;   and 
his  nose  was  of  that  description  which 
generally  passes  for  a  Eoman  nose. 
His    countenance    wore    generally    a 
smile,    and    was    expressive   of— self- 
satisfaction  :  and   surely  any  expres- 
sion is  better  than  none  at  all.     As 
for  there  being  the  slightest  trace  of 
intellect  in  it,  I  should  be  misleading 
the  reader  if  I  were  to  say  anything 
of  the  sort.     In  height,  he  was  about 
five  feet  and  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  in 
his  boots,  and  he  was  rather  strongly 
set,  with  a  little  tendency  to  round 
shoulders  : — but  his  limbs  were  pliant, 
and  his  motions  nimble. 

Here  you  have,  then,  Mr.  Tittlebat 
Titmouse  to  the  life — certainly  no  more 
than  an  average  sample  of  his  kind  ; 
but  as  he  is  to  go  through  a  consider- 
able variety  of  situation  and  circum- 
stance, I  thought  you  would  like  to 
have  him  as  distinctly  before  your 
mind's  eye  as  it  was  in  my  power  to 
present  him. — Well — he  put  his  hat 
on,  as  I  have  said  ;  buttoned  the  lowest 
two  buttons  of  his  surtout,  and  stuck 
his  white  pocket  handkerchief  into  the 
outside  pocket  in  front,  as  already  men- 
tioned, anxiously  disposing  it  so  as  to 
let  a  little  of  it  appear  above  the  edge 
of  the  pocket,  with  a  sort  of  careful 
carelessness — a  graceful  contrast  to  the 
blue  ;  drew  on  his  gloves  ;  took  his  cane 
in  his  hand  ;  drained  the  last  sad  rem- 
nant of  infusion  of  chicory  in  his  coffee- 
cup  ;  and  the  sun  shining  in  the  full 
splendour  of  a  July  noon,  and  promising 
a  glorious  day,  forth  sallied  this  poor 
fellow,  an  Oxford  Street  Adonis,  going 


14 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


forth    conquering    and    to    conquer 
Petty  finery  without,  a  pinched  anri 
stinted  stomach  within  ;  a  case  ol  Back 
versus   Belly,  (as  the  lawyers  would 
say,)  the  plaintiff  winning  in  acanter  ! 
Forth  sallied,  I  say,  Mr.  Titmouse,  as 
also  sallied  forth  that  day  some  five  or 
six  thousand  similar  personages,  down 
the  narrow,  creaking,  close  staircase, 
which  he  had  not  quitted  before  he 
heard  exclaimed  from  an  opposite  win- 
dow   "  My  eyes  !  ant  that  a  swell ! 
He  felt  how  true  the  observation  was, 
and  that  at  that  moment  hewassome- 
what  out  of  his  element  ;  so  he  hurried 
on,  and  soon  reached  the  great  broad 
street,  apostrophized  by  the  celebrated 
Opium-Eater,  with  bitter  feeling,  as— 
"Oxford  Street '.—stony-hearted  step- 
mother !     Thou  that  listenest  to  the 
sMis   of    orphans,    and   diinkest  the 
tears  of  children  !  "     Here,  though  his 
spirits  were  not  just  then  very  buoyant, 
our  poor  little  dandy  breathed  more 
freelythanwhenhewas  passing  through 
the  nasty  crowded  court  (Closet  C  ourl 
which he  had  just  quitted.    Hep 
and  met  hundreds  who,  like  himself, 
Beemed  released  for  a  precious  days 
i-val   from  miserable  confinement 
and  slavery  during  the  week  ;  but  there 
were  not  very  many  of  them  who  could 
vie  with  him  in  elegance  of  appearance 
—and  that  was  a  luxwy  !    W  ho  could 
do  justice  to   the  air  with  which  he 
Strutted  along  !  He  felt  as  happy,  poor 
soul,   in  his  little  ostentation,  as  his 
Corinthian  rival  in  tip-top  turn-out, 
after  twice  as  long,  and  as  anxious,  and 
fifty  times  as  expensive,   preparations 
for  effective  public  display  !    Naj 

1 r  swell  was  in  some  respects  greatly 

11(l,  auperior  of  such  a  one  as  1  have 

,!,.,!  to.     Mr.  Titmouse  did,  to  a 

great  degree,  bedizen  his  back— at  the 

eD   ,     Of    his    belly,     whereas      the 

Corinthian  exquisite,  too  often  taking 

advantage   of   Btation  and    influ 

recklessly  both  pampers  his  luxurious 

appetite  within,  and  decorates  his  per- 

without,    at    the   expense   of    in- 

nerable  beart-aohing  creditors.     1 

,p,  :  .,  bowi  ver,  to  claim  any 

real  merit  for  Mr.  Titmouse  on  this 

..         b     .,.  e  I  am   aol  Bure  bow  lie 

would  act  if  he  were  to  b  i  omc  pos 


sessed  of  his  magnificent  rival's  means 
and  opportunities  for  the  perpetration 

of  gentlemanly  frauds  on  a  splendid 
scale. — But  we  shall  perhaps  see  by 
and  by. 

Mr.    Titmouse   walked    along  with 
leisurely  step  ;  for  haste  and  perspira- 
tion were  vulgar,  and  he  had  the  day 
before  him.    Observe,now,  the 
glance  of  self-satisfaction  with  which 


he  occasionally  regards  his  bright  1  joots, 
with  their  martial  appendage,  giving 
out  a  faint  clinking  sound  as  he  heavily 
treads   the   broad   flags;    his  spotless 
trousers,  his  tight  snrtout,  and  the  tip 
of  white   handkerchief  peeping    fl 
dentally  out  in  front !    A  pleasant  sight 
it  was  to  behold  him  in  a  chance  ren- 
contre with  some  one  genteel  enough 
to  be  recognised — as  he  stood,  resting 
on  his  left  leg;  his  left  arm  stuck  upon 
his  hip  ;   his  right  leg  easily  bent  out- 
wards ;  his  right  hand  lightly  holding 
his  ebon  cane,  with  the  gilt  head  of 
which  he  occasionally  tapped  his  teeth; 
and  his  eves,  half  closed,  scrutinizing 
the  face  and  figure  of  each  "pretty  gal 
as  she  passed,  and  to  whom  he  had  a  de- 
licious consciousness  that  he  appeared 
an  object  of  interest  !  This  was  indeed 
happiness,  as  far  as  his  forlorn  con- 
dition could  admit  of  his  enjoying  it. 
— He  had  no  particular  object  in  view. 
A  till"  over-night  with  two  of  his  shop- 
mates  had  broken  off  a  party  which 
they  had  a   i  ed  the  Sunday  preceding 
i !  i  forming,  to  go  th  i1  day  to  Greenwich; 
and  thi  i  trifling  circumstance  had  a 
little  soured  bis  temper,  depressed  as 
were  his  Bpirits  before.     He  resolved 
to-day   to  walk  straight  on,  and   dine 
where  a  little  way  out  of  town,  by 
way  of  passing  the  time  till  four  o  cJ 
at  which  hour  he  intendi  d  to  make  his 
appearance  Ln  Hyde  Park,  "to  Bee  the 
,1  the  fashions,"  which  was 
his  favourite  Sunday  occupation. 

His  condition  was,  indce  I,  forlorn 
in  the  extreme.     To  say  nothing 

fe    -what  was  his  pre- 

i  ondition  I     A    shopman,    with 
a-year,  out  of  whl  b  he  had  to 
Bud  his  clothing,  w  i  mgi 

and  all   other   Lm  ideuta]  es— 

his  bo;, .d  beii     I        I  him  by  hwem- 
ploy,  rs!     H  ',1,"'r 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


15 


to  his  landlady — a  corpulent  old  ter- 
magant, whom  nothing  could  have 
induced  him  to  risk  offending  but  his 
over-masteiing  love  of  finery  ;  for  I 
grieve  to  say,  that  this  deficiency  had 
been  occasioned  by  his  purchase  of  the 
ling  he  then  wore  with  so  much  pride. 
How  he  had  contrived  to  pacify  her — 
lie  upon  lie  he  must  have  had  recourse 
to — I  know  not.  He  was  in  debt,  too, 
to  his  poor  washerwoman  in  five  or  six 
shillings  for  at  least  a  quarter's  wash- 
ing ;  and  owed  five  times  that  amount 
to  a  little  old  tailor,  who,  with  huge 
spectacles  on  his  nose,  turned  up  to 
him,  out  of  a  little  cupboard  which  he 
occupied  in  Closet  Court,  and  which 
Titmouse  had  to  pass  whenever  he 
went  to  or  from  his  lodgings,  a  lean, 
sallow,  wrinkled  face,  imploring  him 
to  "settle  his  small  account."  All 
the  cash  in  hand  which  he  had  to 
meet  contingencies  between  that  day 
and  quarter-day,  which  was  six  weeks 
off,  was  about  twenty-six  shillings, 
of  which  he  had  taken  one  for  the 
present  day's  expenses  ! 

Revolving  these  somewhat  disheart- 
ening matters  in  his  mind,  he  passed 
easily  and  leisurely  along  the  whole 
length  of  Oxford  Street.  No  one  could 
have  judged  from  his  dressy  appearance, 
the  constant  smirk  on  his  face,  and  his 
confident  air,  how  very  miserable  that 
poor  little  dandy  was ;  but  three- 
fourths  of  his  misery  were  occasioned 
by  the  impossibility  he  felt  of  his  ever 
being  able  to  indulge  in  his  propen- 
sities for  finery  and  display.  Nothing 
better  had  he  to  occupy  his  few 
thoughts.  He  had  had  only  a  plain 
mercantile  education,  as  it  is  called, 
i.  e.  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  : 
beyond  a  very  moderate  acquaintance 
with  these,  he  knew  nothing  whatever  ; 
not  having  read  more  than  a  few  novels, 
and  plays,  and  sporting  newspapers. 
iK-plorable,  however,  as  were  his 
circumstances — 

"Hope   springs   eternal    in   the   human 
breast." 

And  probably,  in  common  with  most 
who  are  miserable  from  straitened 
circumstances,  he  often  conceived,  and 
secretly  relied  upon,  the  possibility  of 


some  unexpected  and  accidental  change 
for  the  better  :  he  had  heard  and  read 
of  extraordinary  cases  of  luck.  Why 
might  he  not  be  one  of  the  lucky  ? 
A  rich  girl  might  fall  in  love  with  him 
— that  was,  poor  fellow  !  in  his  con- 
sideration, one  of  the  least  unlikely 
ways  of  luck's  advent ;  or  some  one 
might  leave  him  money  ;  or  he  might 
win  a  prize  in  the  lottery  ;— all  these, 
and  other  accidental  modes  of  getting 
enriched,  frequently  occurred  to  the 
well-regulated  mind  of  Mr.  Tittlebat 
Titmouse  ;  but  he  never  once  thought 
of  one  thing,  viz.  of  determined,  un- 
wearying industry  and  perseverance 
in  the  way  of  his  business,  conducing 
to  such  a  result. 

Is  his  case  a  solitary  one  ? — Dear 
reader,  you  may  be  unlike  poor  Tittle- 
bat Titmouse  in  every  respect  except 
one ! 

On  he  walked  towards  Bayswa'er; 
and  finding  it  was  yet  early,  and  con- 
sidering that  the  further  he  went  from 
town  the  better  prospect  there  was  of 
his  being  able,  with  little  sacrifice  of 
appearances,  to  get  a  dinner  consistent 
with  the  means  he  carried  about  with 
him,  viz.  one  shilling,  he  pursued  his 
way  a  mile  or  two  beyond  Bayswater, 
and,  sure  enough,  came  at  length  upon 
a  nice  little  public  house  on  the  road- 
side, called  the  Squaretoes  Arms.  Very 
tired,  and  very  dusty,  he  first  sat  down 
in  a  small  back  room  to  rest  himself ; 
and  took  the  opportunity  to  call  for  a" 
clothes-brush  and  shoe-brush,  to  re- 
lieve his  clothes  and  boots  from  the 
heavy  dust  upon  them.  Having  thus 
attended  to  his  outer  man,  as  far  as 
circumstances  would  permit,  he  be- 
thought himself  of  his  inner  man, 
whose  cravings  he  satisfied  with  a 
pretty  substantial  mutton-pie  and  a 
[dnt  of  porter.  This  fare,  together 
with  a  penny  to  the  little  girl  who 
waited  on  him,  cost  him  tenpence  ; 
and  having  somewhat  refreshed  him- 
self, he  began  to  think  of  returning  to 
town.  Having  lit  one  of  his  two 
cigars,  he  sallied  forth,  puffing  along 
with  an  air  of  quiet  enjoyment.  Din- 
ner, however  humble,  seldom  fails, 
especially  when  accompanied  by  a  fair 
draught  of  good  porter,  in  some  con- 


ie  TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


began  soon  to  be  experienced  by  Mr 
Titmouse.  The  sedative  cause  he  erro- 
neously considered  to  be  the  cigar  he 
was  Braoking  ;  whereas  in  fact  the  only 
tobacco  he  had  imbibed  was  from  the 
porter.  But,  however  that  might  be, 
lie  certainly  returned  towards  town  in 
a  far  calmer  and  even  more  cheerlul 
humour  than  that  in  which  he  had 
quitted  it  an  hour  or  two  before. 

As  he  approached  Cumberland  Gate 
it  was  about  half-past  live  ;  and  the 
Park  might  be  said  to  be  at  its  acme 
of  fashion,  as  far  as  that  could  be  indi- 
cated by  a  sluggish  stream  of  carnages, 
three    and    four    abreast — coroneted  , 
panels  in  abundance— noble  and  well- 
known  equestrians  of  both  sexes,   in 
troops— and  some  thousand  pedestrians 
of  the  same  description.   So  continuous 
was  the  throng  of  carriages  and  horse- 
men, that  Titmouse  did  not  find  it  the 
easiest  matter  in  the   world  to   dart 
across  to  the  footpath  in  the  inner 
circle.     That,  however,  he  presently 
safely  accomplished,  encountering  no 
more  serious  mischance  than  the  mut- 
tered "  D— 11  your  eyes  !  "  of a  haughty 
groom,  between  whom  and  his  master 
Mr   Titmouse  had  presumed  to  inter- 
vene.   What  a  crowd  of  elegant  women 
many  of  them  young  and  beautiful, 
(who  but  such,  to  be  sure,  would  be- 
come, or  be  allowed  to  become,  pedes- 
trians in  the  Park?)  he  encountered, 
as  he  slowly  sauntered  on,  all  of  them 
obsequiously    attended    by    brilliant 
beaux!     Lords  and  ladies  were  here 
manifestly  as  plentiful  as  plebeians  in 
Oxford  Street.     What  an   enchanted 
ground  i— How  delicious  this  soft  crush 
and  nutter  of  aristocracy  I     Poor  1  it- 
mouse  felt  a  withering  consciousness 
of  his  utter  insignificance.     Many  a 
rich  of  dissatisfaction  and  envy  escaped 
him  ;   yet  he  stepped  along  with  a 
tolerably  assured  air,  Looking  every- 
body he  met  straighl    in    the  face, 
and   occasionally    twilling    about.    his 
little  cane  with  an  air  which  seemed 
tosav- ■"  Whatever  o]  inion 
form  of  me,  1  havea  very  good  opinion 
of  myself."     Indeed,  was  1 


much  a  man    an  Englishman— as  the 


and    Mr.   Tittlebat    Titmouse?     Only 
that   the    Count    had    dark    hair  and 
whiskers,  and  owed  more  money  than 
Mr.  Titmouse's  creditors  could  be  per- 
suaded to  allow  him  to  owe  !     Y\  ould 
to   Heaven— thought   Titmouse— th-t 
any  one  tailor  would  patronise  him  as 
half-a-dozen  had  patronised  the  Count ! 
If  pretty  ladies  of  quality  did  not  dis- 
dain a  walking  advertisement  of  a  few 
first-rate  tailors,  like  the  Count,  why 
should  they  turn  up  their  noses  at  an 
assistant  in  an  extensive  wholcealo and 
retail  establishment  in  Oxford  Street, 
conversantwith  the  qualities  and  prices 
of  the  most  beautiful  article.",  of  fem 
attire?     Yet  alas,   they   did  so  \     He 
.i. died  heavily.     Leaning  against  the 
railing  in  a  studied  attitude,  and  eye- 
ing wistfully  each  gay  and  fashionable 
equipage,  with  its  often   lovely  and 
sometimes  haughty   enclosure,   as  it 
rolled  slowly  past  him,  Mr.  Titmouse 
became  more  and  more  convinced  oi  a 
great   practical    truth,    viz.    that    the 
only  real  distinction  between  mankind 
was  that   effected  by  money.     Y\  ant 
of    money  alone  hail  placed   him  in 
his   present   abject   position.     Abject 
indeed  !     By  the  great  folk,  who  vi  ere 
passing  him  on  all  sides,  ho  felt,  well- 
dressed  as  he  believed  himself  to  be, 
,h;1t  he  was  no  more  noticed  than  as  if 
he  had  been  an  ant,  a  blue-bottle  fly, 
or  a  black   beetle,  t     Ho  looked,   and 
sighed— sighed,    and  looked— looked, 
and  sighed  again,  in  a  kind  of  agony 
of  vain  longing.     While  his  only  day 
in  the  week  for  breathing  fresh  air, 
and  appearing  like  a  gentleman  m  the 

world,  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  elo 
and  he  was  beginning  to  think  ol  re- 
turningto  the  dog-hole  he  had  crawled 
out  of  in  the  morning,  and  to  the  Bhop 
for  the  rest  of  the  week  ;   the  great, 
and  gay,  and  happy  folk  he  was  look- 
ing at,  wero  thinking  of  driving  home 
to  dress  for  their  grand  dinners,  and 
t0  Lay  out  every  kind  of  fine  ai.niar- 
ment  for  the  ensuing  week,  and  that 
was  the  sort  of  life  they  Led  every  day 
in  the  week.     He  heaved  a  profound 
sigh,     At  that  moment  a  superb  cab, 
with  a  gentleman  in  it  dressed  m  great 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


17 


elegance,  and  with  a  very  keen  and 
striking  countenance,  came  up  with  a 
cab  of  still  more  exquisite  structure 
and  appointments,  and  at  which  Tit- 
mouse gazed  with  unutterable  feelings 
of  envy — in  which  sat  a  young  man, 
evidently  of  consequence  ;  very  hand- 
some, w.th  splendid  mustaches  ;  per- 
fectly well-dressed  ;  holding  the  reins 
and  whip  gracefully  in  hands  glisten- 
ing in  straw-coloured  kid  gloves — and 
between  the  two  gentlemen  ensued  the 
following  low-toned  colloquy,  which 
it  were  to  bo  wished  that  every  such 
sighing  simpleton  (as  Titmouse  must, 
I  fear,  by  this  time,  appear  to  the 
reader)  could  have  overheard. 

"Ah,  Fitz  ! "  said  the  former- 
mentioned  gentleman  to  the  latter, 
who  suddenly  reddened  when  he  per- 
ceived who  had  addressed  him.  The 
manner  of  the  speaker  was  execrably 
— infernally  familiar  and  presumptuous 
— but  how  could  the  embarrassed  swell 
help  himself?- — "When  did  you 
return  to  town  ? " 

"Last  night  only " 

"  Enjoyed  yourself,  I  hope  ? " 

"  Pretty  -well  —  but  —  I  suppose 
you " 

"  Sorry  for  it,"  interrupted  the  first 
speaker  in  a  lower  tone,  perceiving  the 
vexation  of  his  companion;  "but 
can't  help  it,  you  know." 

"When?" 

"To-morrow  at  nine.  Monstrous 
sorry  for  it— 'pon  my  soul,  you  really 
must  look  sharp,  or  the  thing  won't 
go  on  much  longer." 

"  Must  it  be,  really  ?  "  enquired  the 
other,  biting  his  lips — at  that  moment 
kissing  his  hand  to  a  very  beautiful 
girl,  who  slowly  passed  him  in  a  coro- 
neted  chariot — "must  it  really  be, 
Joe  ? "  he  repeated,  turning  towards 
his  companion  a  pale  and  bitterly 
chagrined  countenance. 

"Poz,  'pon  my  life.  Cage  clean, 
however,  and  not  very  full— just  at 
present " 

"AVould  not  Wednesday!"  —  en- 
quired the  other,  leaning  forward 
towards  the  former  speaker's  cab,  and 
whispering  with  an  air  of  intense 
earnestness.  "The  fact  is,  I've  en- 
gagements at  C 's  on  Monday  and 


Tuesday  nights  with  one  or  two  coun- 
try cousins,  and  I  may  be  in  a  condi- 
tion— eh  ?  you  understand  ? " 

His  companion  shook  his  head 
distrustfully. 

' '  Upon  my  word  and  honour  as  a 
gentleman,  it's  the  fact !  "  said  the 
other,  in  a  low  vehement  tone. 

"Then  — say  Wednesday,  nine 
o'clock,  A.M.  You  understand  ?  No 
mistake,  Fitz  !  "  replied  his  compan- 
ion, looking  him  steadily  in  the  face 
as  he  spoke. 

"  None — honour  !  " — After  a  pause 
—"Who  is  it?" 

His  companion  took  a  slip  of  paper 
out  of  his  pocket,  and  in  a  whisper 
read  from  it — "Cabs,  harness,  &c, 
£297,  10s." 

"  A  villain  !  It's  been  of  only  three 
years'  standing,"  interrupted  the  other, 
in  an  indignant  mutter. 

"Between  ourselves,  he  is  rather  a 
sharp  hand.  Then,  I'm  sorry  to  say 
there's  a  detainer  or  two  I  have  had  a 
hint  of " 

"  D — n  their  souls  !  "  exclaimed  the 
other,  with  an  expression  of  mingled 
disgust,  vexation,  and  hatred ;  and 
adding,  "  Wednesday — nine  " — drove 
off,  a  picture  of  tranquil  enjoyment. 

I  need  hardly  say  that  he  was  a 
fashionable  young  spendthrift,  and  the 
other  a  sheriff's  officer  of  the  first  water 
— the  genteelest  beak  that  ever  was 
known  or  heard  of — wbo  had  been  on 
the  look-out  for  him  several  days,  and 
with  whom  the  happy  youngster  was 
doomed  to  spend  some  considerable 
time  at  a  cheerful  residence  in  Chancery 
Lane,  bleeding  gold  at  every  pore  the 
while  ;— his  only  chance  of  avoiding 
which,  was,  as  he  had  truly  hinted,  an 
honourable  attempt  on  the  purses  of 
two  hospitable  country  cousins,  in  the 

mean  while,  at  C 's !     And  if  he 

did  not  succeed  in  that  enterprise,  so 
that  he  must  go  to  cage,  he  lost  the 
only  chance  he  had  for  some  time  of 
securing  an  exemption  from  such  an- 
noyance, by  entering  Parliament  to 
protect  the  liberties  of  the  people — an 
eloquent  and  resolute  champion  of 
freedom  in  trade,  religion,  and  every- 
thing else ;  and  an  abolitionist  of 
everything,       including,      esperially, 


18 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


negro  slavery  and  imprisonment  for 
debt — two  execrable  violations  of  tin- 
natural  rights  of  mankind. 

But  I  have,  for  several  minutes,  lost 
sitclit  of  the  admiring  Titmouse. 

""Why,"  thought  he,  "am  /thus 
spited  by  fortune  1 — The  only  thing 
she's  given  me  is— nothing  ! — J>  n 
everything!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Titmouse 
aloud,  at  the  same  time  starting  off, 
to  the  infinite  astonishment  of  an  old 
peer,  who  bad  been  for  some  minutes 
standing  leaning  against  the  railing, 
«lose  beside  him  ;  who  was  master  of 
a  magnificent  fortune,  "with  all  ap- 
pliances and  means  1o  hoot  ;"  with  a 
fine  grown-up  family,  his  eldest  son 
and  heir  having  just  gained  a  Double 
First, and promi  ing wonders;  possess- 
ing many  mansions  in  different  parts 
of  England  ;  of  exquisite  taste  and 
accomplishment  ;  and  the  representa- 
tive <>f  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
England  ;  but  who  at  that  moment 
loathed  everything  and  everybody, 
including  himself,  because  the  minis- 
ter had  the  day  before  intimated  to 
him  that  he  could  not  give,  him  a 
vacant  riband,  for  which  he  had  ap- 
plied, unless  he  could  command  two 
more  rotes  in  the  Lower  House,  and 
which  at  present  his  lordship  saw  no 
earthly  means  of  doing.  Yes,  the 
Karl  of  Cheviotdale  and  Mr.  Titti 
Titmouse  win:  both  miserable  nun  ; 
both  bad  been  hardly  dealt  with  by 
fortune  ;  both  were  greatly  to  be 
pitied  ;  and  both  quitted  the  Park, 
about  the  same  time,  with  a  decided 
misanthropic  tendency. 

Mr.  Titmouse  walked  along  Picca- 
dilly with  a  truly  chopfallen  and 
disconsolate  air.  lie  almost  felt  dis- 
satisfied even  with  his  personal  appear- 
ance. Dress  as  he  would,  no  one 
Beemed  to  care  ;i  curse  for  him  ;  and, 
to  his  momentarily  jaundiced  eye.  he 
oed  equipped  in  only  Becond-hand 
and  shabby  finery  :  tmd  then  h< 
really  such  a  /»«</■  de^  il  I  I  >o 
however,  lei   tb  uppoi  e  that 

this  was  an  unusual   m 1  with   Mr. 

Tii  mouse.  No  such  thin;,'.  Liki  I  he 
Jii  limin  who  ''married  a  wife  for  to 
make    him    |  ;  "     and    also    not 

Uldike    Hie    lnol  !;  Oill    haunt    the 


brightness  which  is  her  destruction  J 
so  poor  Titmouse,  Sunday  after  Sun- 
day, dressed  himself  out  as  elaborately 
as  he  had  done  on  the  present  occasion* 

and  then  always  betook  himself  to  the 
scene  he  had  just  again  witnessed,  and 
which  once  a<  ain  had  excited  only 
those  feelings  of  envy,  bitterness,  and 
despair,  which  I  have  been  describing, 
and  which,  on  every  sui  h  occasion,  bo 
experienced  with,  if  po  sible,  increased 
intensity. 

What  to  do  with  himself  till  it  was 
time  to  return  to  Ins  cheerless  Lodgings 
he  did  not  exactly  know  ;  so  he  loitered 
along  at  a  snail's  pace.  He  stood  for 
some  time  staring  at  the  passengers, 
their  luggage,  the  coaches  they  were 
ascending  and  alighting  from,  and  lis- 
tening to  the  strange  medley  of  coach- 
men's, guards',  and  porters'  vocifera- 
tions, and  passengers'  greetings  and 
leave-takings— always  to  be  observed 
at  the  White  Horse  Cellar.  Then  be 
passed  along,  till  a  streetrow,  near  the 

11  ay  market,  attracted  his  at  tent  ion  and 
interested  his  feedings  ;  for  it  ended  in 
a  regular  set-to  between  two  watermen 
attached  to  the  adjoining  coach-stand. 
lb  re  he  conceived  him  t  looking  on 
with  the  easy  air  of  a  swell  ;  and  the 
ordinary  penalty  (paying  for  his  foot- 
ing) was  attempted  to  be  exacted  from 
him  ;  but  he  hail  nothing  to  be  picked 
out  of  any  of  bis  pockets  except  that 
under  his  very  nose,  and  which  con- 
tained his  white  handkerchief.  Tins 
over,  he  struck  into  Leicester  Square, 
where,  (he  was  in  luck  that  night,) 
hurrying  up  to  another  crowd  at  the 
further  end,  he  found  a  man  preaching 
with  infinite  energy.  Mr.  Titmouse 
loo  Led  on.  ami  listened  tor  two  or  throe 
minutes  with  apparent  interest;  and 
tin  n,  with  a  countenance  in  which 
pity  struggled  with  contempt,  mut- 
tered, loud  enough  to  lie  heard  by  all 

near  him,   "  poor   devil  !  "  and  Wa 

oil'.  lie  had  not  proceeded  many 
step  .  -Mod  to  him  th 

id     ■  Rob  1 1  1 1 

h  another  one  as  himself — lived  in 

now,  di  ts in  the 

neighbourhood.       He    determined    to 

take  the  chances  of  ids  being  at  home, 

and  if  so,  i  fBpending  tin  ri  mainderol 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


19 


the  evening  with  him.  Huckaback's 
quarters  were  in  the  same  ambitious 
proximity  to  heaven  as  his  own  ;  the 
only  difference  being,  that  they  were  a 
trifle  cheaper  and  larger.  He  answered 
the  door  himself,  having  only  the 
moment  before  returned  from  Ms  Sun- 
day's excursion, — i.  e.  the  Jack  Straw's 
Castle  Tea-Gardens,  at  Highgate, 
where,  in  company  with  several  of  his 
friends,  he  had  "spent  a  jolly  after- 
noon." He  ordered  in  a  glass  of  negus 
from  the  adjoining  public-house,  after 
some  discussion,  which  ended  in  an 
agreement  that  he  should  stand  treat 
that  night,  and  Titmouse  on  the  en- 
suing Sunday  night.  As  soon  as  the 
negus  arrived,  accompanied  by  two 
sea-biscuits,  which  looked  so  hard  and 
hopeless  that  they  would  have  made 
the  nerves  thrill  within  the  teeth  of 
him  that  meditated  attempting  to 
masticate  them,  the  candle  was  lit — 
Huckaback  handed  a  cigar  to  his 
friend  ;  and  both  began  to  puff  away, 
and  chatter  pleasantly  concerning  the 
many  events  and  scenes  of  the  day. 

"Anything  stirring  in  to-day's 
'  Flash  ? '  "  enquired  Titmouse,  as  his 
eye  caught  sight  of  a  copy  of  that  able 
and  interesting  Sunday  newspaper,  the 
"Sunday  Flash,"  which  Huckaback 
had  hired  for  the  evening  from  the 
news-shop  on  the  ground-Moor  of  his 
lodgings. 

Mr.  Huckaback  removed  his  cigar 
from  his  mouth,  and  holding  it  be- 
tween the  first  and  second  lingers  of 
his  right  hand,  in  a  knowing  style, 
with  closed  eyes  and  inflated  cheeks, 
very  slowdy  ejected  the  smoke  which 
he  had  last  inhaled,  and  rose  and 
got  the  paper  from  the  top  of  the 
drawers. 

"  Here's  a  mark  of  a  beastly  porter- 
pot  that's  been  set  upon  it,  by  all 
that's  holy  !  It's  been  at  the  public- 
house  !  Too  bad  of  Mrs.  Coggs  to 
send  it  me  up  in  this  state  !  "  said  he, 
handling  it  as  though  its  touch  wer< 
contamination. — (He  was  to  pay  only 
a  halfpenny  for  the  perusal  of  it.) 
"Faugh!  how  it  stinks  !  " 

""What  a  horrid  beast  she  must  be  !  " 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  after,  in  like 
manner  as  his  friend,  expelling  his 


mouthful  of  smoke.  "Cut,  since 
better  can't  be.  had,  let's  hear  what 
news  is  in  it.  Deinmee  !  it's  the  only 
paper  published,  in  my  opinion,  that's 
worth  reading  !  Any  fights  astirring  1 " 

"Haven't  come  to  them  yet ;  give 
a  man  time,  Titty !  "  replied  Hucka- 
back, fixing  his  feet  on  another  chair, 
and  drawing  the  candle  closer  to  the 
paper.  "It  says,  by  the  way,  that 
the  Duke  of  Dunderhead  is  certainly 
making  up  to  Mrs.  Thumps,  the  rich 
cheesemonger's  widow  ;  —  a  precious 
good  hit  that,  isn't  it  ?  You  know 
the  Duke's  as  poor  as  a  rat !  " 

"Oh  !  that's  no  news.  It's  been  in 
the  papers  for  I  don't  know  how  long. 
Egad,  'twill  quite  set  him  up — and  no 
mistake.     Seen  the  Duke  ever  ? " 

"  Ye — es  !  Oh,  several  times  !  "  re- 
plied Huckaback.  This  was  a  lie,  and 
Huckaback  knew  that  it  was. 

"Deuced  good-looking,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"Why  —  middling;  I  should  say 
middling.  Know  some  that  needn't 
fear  to  compare  with  him — eh  !  Tit  ? " 
— and  Huckaback  winked  archly  at  his 
friend,  meaning  him  to  consider  the 
words  as  applicable  to  the  speaker. 

"Ah,  ha,  ha  ! — a  pretty  joke  !  But 
come,  that's  a  good  chap  ! — You  can't 
be  reading  both  of  those  two  sheets  at 
once — give  us  the  other  sheet,  and  set 
the  candle  right  betwixt  us ! — Come, 
fair's  the  word  !  " 

Huckaback,  thus  appealed  to,  did 
as  his  friend  requested  ;  and  the  two 
gentlemen  read  and  Smoked  for  some 
minutes  in  silence. 

"Well — I  shall  spell  over  the  ad- 
vertisements now,"  said  Titmouse ; 
"there's  a  pretty  lot  of  them — and 
I've  read  everything  else — (though 
precious  little  there  is,  here,  besides  !) 
— So,  here  goes  ! — One  may  hear  of  a 
prime  situation,  you  know — and  I'm 
quite  sick  of  Tag-rag  !  " 

Another  interval  of  silence  ensued. 
Huckaback  was  deep  in  the  instructive 
details  of  a  trial  for  murder  ;  and  Tit- 
mouse, after  having  glanced  listlessly 
over  the  entertaining  first  sheet  of 
advertisements,  was  on  the  point  of 
laying  down  his  half  of  the  paper, 
when  he  suddenly  started  in  his  chair, 
turned  very  pale,  and  stammered — 

C  2 


20 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"  Hollo  !  hollo,  Hucky  !—  Why— " 

"  What's  the  matter,  Tit  ?— ch  ? "  en- 
quired Huckaback,  greatly  astonished. 

Tor  a  moment  Titmouse  made  no 
answer,  hut,  dropping  his  cigar,  fixed 
his  eyes  intently  on  the  paper,  which 
■u  to  rustle  in  his  trembling  hands. 
Wbat  occasioned  this  outbreak,  with 
its  subsequent  agitation,  was  the  fol- 
lowing advertisement,  which  appeared 
in  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  the 
"Sunday  Flash:"— 

"Next  of  Kin — Important. — The 
next  of  kin,  if  any  such  there  be,  of 
Gabriel  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  for- 
merly of  Whitehaven,  cordwainer, 
and  who  died  somewhere  about  the 
year  1793,  in  London,  may  hear  of 
something  of  the  greatest  possible 
Importance  to  himself,  or  herself,  or 
themselves,  by  immediately  communi- 
cating with  Messrs.  Quire,  Gammon, 
and  Snap,  Solicitors,  Saffron  Hill. 
No  time  is  to  be  lost.  9th  July,  IS — . 
—  The  third  advertisement." 

"  By  George  !  Here  is  a  go  !  "  ex- 
claimed Huckaback,  almost  as  much 
flustend  as  Titmouse,  over  whose 
shoulder  he  had  hastily  read  the  above 
paragraph. 

"  We  aren't  dreaming,  Hucky — are 
we?"  enquired  Titmouse,  faintly,  his 
eyes  still  glued  to  the  newspaper. 

' '  No — by  George  !  Never  was  cither 
cf  US  fellows  so  precious  wide  awake  in 
our  lives  before  !  that  I'll  answer  for  ! " 
Titmouse  sat  still,  and  turned  paler 
even  than  before. 

"Read  it  up,  Iluck  ! — Let's  hear 
how  it  sounds,  and  then  we  shall  be- 
lieve it !  "  said  he,  handing  the  paper 
to  his  friend. 

1  tuckaback  read  it  aloud. 

"It  sounds  like  something,  don't 
it?"  enquired  Titmouse  tremulously, 
his  colour  a  little  returning. 

"Uncommon] — If  this  isn't  some- 
C  .7,  then  there's  nothing  in  anything 
anymore!  "replied  Huckaback  solemn- 
ly, at  the  same  time  emphatically 
slapping  the  table. 

"Xo! — Ton  my  soul  !  hut  do  you 
really  think  bo  1  '  Til  mou  le,  seek- 

ing Mill  fih  ther  confii m  ition  than  he 
had  yet  derived  from  I  es  of  sight 

and  hearing. 


"  I  do,  by  jingo  ! — What  a  go  it  1st 
— Well,  my  poor  old  mother  used  to 
say,  'depend  on  it,  wonders  never  will 
oi  ase  ; '  and  curse  me  if  she  ever  said  a 
truer  word  !  " 

Titmouse  again  read  over  the  adver- 
tisement ;  and  then  picking  up  and 
relighting  his  fragment  of  cigar,  pulled 
earnestly,  in  silence,  for  some  mo- 
ments. 

"  Such  things  never  happens  to  such 
a  poor  devil  of  a  chap  a  ^  me !  "  ex- 
claimed Huckaback,  with  a  sigh. 

"  What  is  in  the  wind,  I  wonder !  " 
muttered  Titmouse.  "Who  knows — 
hem  ! — who  knows. — But  now,  really 

"  he  paused,  and  once  more  read 

over   the    pregnant   paragraph. — "It 

can't — no,  curse  me,  it  can't  be " 

he  added,  looking  very  serious. 

"What,  Tit?  What  can't  he?" 
interrupted  Huckaback  eagerly. 

"Why,  I've  been ■  thinking  —  but 
what  do  you  think,  eh  ? — it  can't  he  a 
cursed  hoax  of  the  chaps  in  the  pre- 
mises ;it  Tag-rag's  ?" 

"Bo! — Is  there  any  of  'em  flush 
enough  of  money  to  do  the  thing  ? 
And  how  should  they  think  it  Would 
ever  come  to  be  seen  by  you? — Then, 
besides,  there  isn't  a  chap  among  them 
i hat  could  come  up  to  the  composing 
a  piece  of  composition  like  that — no, 
nol  for  all  a  whole  year's  salary — there 
isn't,  by  I  -  You  and  1  couldn't 

do  it,  and,  of  course,  (hey  couldn't!" 

"Ah I  I  don't  know,"  said  Tit- 
mouse doubtfully.  "  J'.ut — honour  ! — 
do  you  really  now  think  there's  Any- 
thing in  it?" 

••1  do— hanged  if  I  don't,  Tit!" 
Mas  the  sententious  answer. 

"To!  tie  rol,  de  rol,  de  rol,  de  rol — 
diddl'em  daddl'em  —  bangl"  almost 
shouted  Titmouse,  jumping  up,  snap- 
ping bis  i  nd  dancing  about  in 
a  \\ild  ecstasy,  which  lasted  lor  marly 
a  minute. 

"  (live  me  your  hand,  Hucky,"  said 
he  presently,  almost  breathless.     "If 

1  am  a  made   man—  t •  >1   de   rol,  lol   de 

rol,   h'l  de  lol,  lol! — Vol!  sec,    lluek! 

if   I   don't  give  you    I 

I  in   you   BV(  r  saw  !      No   ]  B 

diamond  1— Hurrah  I    1  will,  by 
>!  " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


21 


Huckaback  grasped  and  squeezed 
lais  hand.  ' '  We've  always  been  friends, 
Tit — haven't  we  ? "  said  he,  affection- 
ately. 

"  My  room  won't  hold  me  to-night ! " 
continued  Titmouse;  "I'm  sure  it 
won't.  I  feel  as  if  I  was,  as  you  may 
say,  swelling  all  over.  I'll  walk  the 
streets  all  night  '.  I  couldn't  sleep  a 
wink  for  the  life  of  me.  I'll  walk 
about  till  the  shop  opens.  Oh,  faugh  ! 
how  nasty  !  Confound  the  shop,  and 
Tag-rag,  and  everything  and  every- 
body in  it !  Thirty-five  pounds  a-year  ! 
See  if  I  won't  spend  as  much  in  cigars 
the  first  month  !  " 

"Cigars!  Is  that  your  go  1  Now, 
J  should  take  lessons  in  boxing,  to 
Begin  with.  It's  a  deuced  high  thing, 
you  may  depend  upon  it,  and  you  can't 
be  fit  company  for  swells  without  it, 
Tit !     You  can't,  by  Jove  !  " 

"Whatever  you  like,  whatever  you 
like,  Hucky  !  "  cried  Titmouse — add- 
ing, in  a  sort  of  ecstasy,  "  I'm  sorry  to 
say  it,  but  how  precious  lucky  that  my 
father  and  mother's  dead,  and  that  I'm 
an  only  child— too-ra-laddy,  too-ra- 
laddy  !  "  Here  he  took  such  a  sudden 
leap,  that  I  am  sorry  to  say  he  split 
his  trousers  very  awkwardly,  and  that 
sobered  him  for  a  moment,  while  they 
made  arrangements  for  cobbling  it  up 
as  well  as  it  might  be,  with  a  needle 
and  thread  which  Huckaback  always 
had  by  him. 

"  We're  rather  jumping  in  the  dark 
a-bit,  aren't  we,  Tit  ? "  enquired 
Huckaback,  while  his  companion  was 
repairing  the  breach.  "Let's  look 
what  it  all  means — here  it  is."  He 
read  it  all  aloud  again — '"greatest 
possible  importance'" — "what  can  it 
mean  ?  Why  the  deuce  couldn't  they 
speak  out  plainly  ? " 

' '  What !  in  a  newspaper  ?  Lord, 
Hucky  !  how  many  Titmouses  would 
start  up  on  all  sides,  if  there  isn't  some 
already.  I  wonder  what  '  greatest  pos- 
sible importance '  can  mean,  now  !  " 

"Some  one's  left  you  an  awful  lot 
of  money,  of  course " 

"  It's  too  good  to  be  true " 

"Or  you  may  have  made  a  smite; 
you  a'n't  such  a  bad-looking  fellow, 
when  you're  dressed  as  you  are  now — 


you  a'n't  indeed,  Titty !  "  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse  was  quite  flustered  with  the 
mere  supposition,  and  also  looked  as 
sh:  epish  as  his  features  would  admit 
of. 

"  E-e-e-eh,  Hucky !  how  ve-ry  silly 
you  are  !  "  he  simpered. 

' '  Or  you  may  be  found  out  heir  to 
some  great  property,  and  all  that  kind 
of  thing. — But  when  do  you  intend  to 
go  to  Messrs.  What's-thcir-name  ?  I 
say,  the  sooner  the  better.  Come, 
you've  stitched  them  trousers  well 
enough,  now  ;  they'll  hold  you  till  you 
get  home — you  do  brace  up  uncom- 
mon tight !  and  I'd  take  off  my  straps, 
if  I  was  you.  Why  shouldn't  we  go  to 
these  gents  now  ?  Ah,  here  they  are 
— Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
solicitors." 

"I  wonder  if  they're  great  men? 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  them  before  ?  " 

"  Haven't  I !  Their  names  is  always 
in  this  same  paper  ;  they  are  every  day 
getting  people  off  out  of  all  kinds  of 
scrapes — they're  the  chaps  I  should 
nat'rallv  go  to  if  I  anyhow  got  wrong 
—ahem ! " 

"But,  my  dear  fellow  —  Saffron 
Hill ! — Low  that — devilish  low,  'pon 
my  soul !  Never  was  near  it  in  my 
life." 

"  But  they  live  there  to  be  near  the 
thieves.  Lud,  the  thieves  couldn't  do 
without  'em  !  But  what's  that  to  you  ? 
You  know  '  a  very  dirty  ugly  toad  has 
often  got  a  jewel  in  his  belly,'  so  Shak- 
speare  or  some  one  says.  Isn't  it 
enough  for  you,  Tit,  if  they  can  make 
good  their  advertisement  ?  Let's  off, 
Tit — let's  off,  I  say  ;  for  you  mayn't 
be  able  to  get  there  to-morrow — your 
employers ! " 

"My  employers!  Do  you  think, 
Hucky,  I'm  going  back  to  business 
after  this  ? " 

"Come,  come,  Titty — not  so  fast 
— suppose  it  all  turns  out  moon- 
shine, after  all" — quoth  Huckaback, 
seriously. 

' '  Lord,  but  I  won't  suppose  it !  It 
makes  me  sick  to  think  of  nothing 
coming  of  it ! — Let's  go  off  at  once, 
and  see  what's  to  be  done  !  " 

So  Hu'kaback  put  the  newspaper  in 
his  pocket,  blew  out  the  candle,  and 


22 


TEX   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


the  two  started  on  their  important 
errand.  It  was  well  that  their  means 
hail  been  too  limited  to  allow  of  their 
indulging  to  a  greater  extent  than  a 
glass  of  port-wine  negus  (that  was  the 
name  under  which  they  drank  the 
"publican's  port" — i.e.  a  decoction  of 
oak  hark,  logwood  shavings,  an  I  a 
little  brandy)  between  them;  other- 
wise, excited  as  were  the  feelings  of 
each  of  them  hy  the  discovery  of  the 
evening,  they  must  in  all  probability 
have  been  guilty  of  Borne  piece  of  ex- 
travaganc  •  in  the  streets.  As  it  was, 
they  talked  very  loudly  as  they  went 
along,  and  in  a  tone  of  conversation 
pitched  perhaps  a  little  too  high  for 
their  present  circumstances,  however 
in  unison  it  might  be  with  theexpecti  '1 
circumstances  oi  one  of  them. 

In  due  time  they  reached  the  resi- 
dence of  which  they  were  in  search. 
It  was  a  large  house,  infinitely  superior 
to  all  its  dingy  neighbours  ;  and  On  a 
bright  brass  plate,  a  yard  longat  least, 
ami  a  foot  wi  le,  stu.nl  the  awe-inspiring 
words,  "  Quirk,  Gammon,  &  Snap, 
Solicitors." 

"  Now,  Tit,"  whispered  Huckabai  k, 
after  they  had  paused  for  a  second  or 
two — "  now  for  it — pluck  up  a  sperrit 
-ring ! " 

"I— I— 'pon  my  lift — I  feel  all  of 
a  sudden  uncommon  funky  I  think 
that  i  :  of  yours  wasn't " 

"Stuff,  Tit  —  ring!  ring  away! 
Faint  heart  never  wins  !  " 

"  Well,  it  must  be  done  ;  so — here 
goes,  at  ;iny  rate!"  he  replied  ;  and 
with  a  short  nervous  jerk  he  caused  a 
startling  clatter  within,  which  was  so 
distinctly  audible  without,  that  both 
of  them  instinctively  hemmed,  as  if  to 
drown  the  noise  which  was  so  much 
great(  r  than  they  had  expected.  In 
a  very  few  moments  they  heard  ."nine 
one  undoing  the  fastenings  of  the  door, 
and  the  genl  lemen  looked  at  one 
another  with  an  expn 

ctation  anda] 
old  woman  ai  I  before  them 

with  a  candle  in  her  hand. 

"Who  are  you?"  she  exclaimed, 
crust  i  y. 

'•  I  thi  Mi  is. — what  is  it,  llnck  • 
—Oh!    Me    r  .    Quirk  &  Co.'s?"   en- 


quired Titmouse,  tapping  the  end  of 
his  cane  against  his  chin,  with  a 
desperate  effort  to  appear  at  his  ease. 

"Why,  where  are  your  eyes?  I 
should  think  you  might  have  s  en 
what  was  wrote  on  this  here  plate — it's 
large  enough,  one  should  have  thought, 
to  be  read  by  them  as  can  read ! — 
What's  your  business  ? " 

"We  want  —  Give  us  the  paper, 
Hucky  " — he  added,  addressing  his 
companion,  who  produced  it  in  a 
moment  ;  and  Titmouse  would  have 
proceeded  to  possess  the  old  woman 
of  all  his  little  heart,  when  she  cut 
him  short  by  saying,  snappishly — 
"They  aren't,  none  on  'em  in;  nor 
never  is  on  Sundays — so  you'll  just 
call  to-morrow  if  you  wants  'em. 
What's  your  names  ?" 

"Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse,"  answered 
that  gentleman,  with  a  very  particular 
emphasis  on  every  syllable. 

"  Mr.  who?"  exclaimed  the  old 
woman,  opening  her  eyes,  and  raising 
lnr  hand  to  the  back  of  her  ear.  Mr. 
Titmouse  repeated  his  name  more 
loudly  and  distinctly. 

"  Tippetitippety  !— what's  that?" 

"No,  no!"  exclaimed  Titmouse 
peevishly  ;  "  I  said,  Mr.  Tit-el-bat 
Tit-monse  ! — will  that  suit  you  ! " 

"  Tick-a-tick-a-tick  !  -  -  Well,  gra- 
i '.'  •  .  r  1  heard  such  a  name. 
'  >h  !— I  see  ! — you're  making  a  fool  of 
me  !  Get  off,  or  I'll  call  a  constable 
in  !—  Get  along  with  you,  you  couple 
of  ] nippies  I     \^  this  the  way " 

"  1  tell  you,"  interposed  Mr.  Hucka- 
back angrily,  "that  this  gentleman's 
name  is  Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse  ;  and 
you'd  better  take  care  what  you're  at, 
old  woman,  for  we've  come  on  business 
of  wit  "'  const  qui  nee/  " 

"J  date  say  it'll  keep,  then,  till  to- 
morrow," tartly  added  the  old  woman. 

The  friends  consulted  for  a  moment, 
and  then  Til  mouse  asked  if  he  mi 
go  in  and  write  a  letter  to   Messrs. 
Quirk. 

"  No  indeed  !  "  said  she  ;  "  how  do 
I  know  w ho  you  ar ■ !  There's  a 
I  by,  \\  here  you  may 

v.  h.it  you  like,  and  bring  ii  h 
and  they'll  get  it  the  first  thing  in  lliu 
morning,     bu   that's  what  you   may 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


23 


take  away  with  you  !  " — with,  which 
the  complaisant  old  janitrix  shut  the 
door  in  their  faces. 

"  Huck,  'pon  my  life,  I  am  afraid 
there's  nothing  in  it,"  said  Titmouse, 
dfspondingly,  to  his  friend — both  of 
thrill  remaining  rooted  to  the  spot. 

"  Oudacious  old  toad !  "  muttered 
Huckaback  indignantly. 

"  i lucky — I'm  sure  there's  nothing 
in  it !  "  exclaimed  Titmouse  after  a  long 
pause,  looking  earnestly  at  his  friend, 
hoping  to  draw  from  him  a  contrary 
opinion. 

"I— I  own  I  don't  half  like  the 
looks  of  it,"  replied  Huckaback,  put- 
ting his  newspaper  into  his  pocket 
again  ;  "but  we'll  try  if  we  can't  write 
a  letter  to  sound  'em,  and  so  far  take 
the  old  creature's  advice.  Here's  the 
public-house  she  told  us  of.  Come, 
let's  see  what's  to  be  done." 

Titmouse,  greatly  depressed,  fol- 
lowed his  friend  ;  and  they  soon  pro- 
vided themselves  with  two  glasses  of 
stout,  and  after  a  little  difficulty,  with 
implements  for  writing.  That  they 
made  good  use  of  their  time  and  ma- 
terials, let  the  following  epistle  prove. 
It  was  their  joint  composition,  and 
hero  is  an  exact  copy  of  it : — 

"  To  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 

Snap. 
"  Sir, 

"  Your  Names  being  Put  In  an  Ad- 
vertisement in  This  present  Sunday 
Flash,  Newspaper  of  To  Day's  Date, 
Mr.  T.  T.  Begs  To  inform  Your  re- 
spectable House  I  feel  Uncommon 
anxious  To  speak  with  them  On  This 
truly  interesting  subject,  seeing  It  men- 
tions The  Name  Of  Gabriel  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  which  Two  last  Names  Of 
That  Deceased  Person  my  Own  Name 
Is,  which  can  s  nj  Day  (As  soon  As 
Possible)  call  and  prove  To  you,  By 
tehing  you  The  Same,  truly.  He 
being  Engaged  in  Business  During 
the  week  Very  close,  (for  The  Present,) 
I  hope  that  If  they  Have  Any  thing 
particular  To  say  To  Him,  they  will 
write  To  me  without  The  least  Delay, 
and  please  address  T.  T.,  At  Tag-rag 
and  Co.'s,  No.    375,    Oxford  Street, 


Post-Paid,  which  will  ensure  Its  Being 
duly  Taken  In  By  my  Employers,  and 
am, 

"Gents, 

"  Yours  to  Command, 
' '  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 

"P.S.—  My  Friend,  that  Is  With 
me  writing  This,  (Mr.  Eobert  Hucka- 
back,) can  prove  who  I  am  If  necessi- 
tated so  to  do. 

"N.B. — Shall  have  no  objections  to 
do  the  Liberal  Thing  if  anything 
suitable  Turns  Up  Of  It. 

"T.  T. 

("  Sunday  Evening,  9/7/18 — . 
"Forgot  to  Say,  am  The  only  Child 
of  my  Honoured  Parents,  one  of  which 
(my  Mother)  Died ;  before  I  knew  them 
In  Lawful  Wedloc,  and  "Was  27  last 
Birth  Day,  Never  having  Seen  your 
Advertisement  Till  This  Night,  wh,  if 
Necessary  can  Prove") 

.  This  perspicuous  and  truly  elegant 
performance  having  been  thrice  sub- 
jected to  the  critical  examination  of 
the  friends,  (the  paragraph  concerning 
Huckaback  having  been  inserted  at 
the  instance  of  that  gentleman,  who 
wished  to  be  mixed  up  from  the  be- 
ginning with  so  promising  an  affair,) 
was  then  folded  up,  and  directed  to 
"Messrs.  Quirk  and  Co.,"  a  great 
straggling  wet  wafer  having  been  first 
put  upon  it.  It  was  safely  deposited, 
a  few  minutes  afterwards,  with  the 
old  woman  of  the  house ;  and  then 
the  two  West-End  gentlemen  hastened 
away  from  that  truly  plebeian  part  of 
the  town.  Under  three  different  gas- 
lights did  they  stop,  take  out  the 
newspaper,  and  spell  over  the  ad- 
vertisement ;  by  which  ingenious  pro- 
cesses they  at  length  succeeded  in 
satisfying  themselves  that  there  ivas 
something  in  it — a  fact  of  which, 
upon  the  old  woman  shutting  the 
door  in  their  faces,  it  may  be  recol- 
lected they  had  had  grievous  mis- 
givings. They  parted,  however,  with 
a  considerable  abatement  of  the  ex- 
citement with  which  they  had  set  out 
on  their  voyage  of  discovery. 

Mr.  Titmouse  did  not,  on  reaching 
his  room,  take  oil  and  lay  aside  his 


24 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


precious  Sunday  apparel  with  his  ac- 
customed care  and  deliberation.  On 
the  contrary,  he  peeled  it  off,  as  it 
were,  and  threw  himself  on  the  bed 
as  quickly  as  possible,  in  order  that 
he  might  calmly  revolve  the  immense 
event  of  the  day  in  his  mind,  which 
it  had  agitated  like  a  stone  thrown 
into  a  stagnant  pool  by  the  road-side. 
Oh,  how  restless  was  he  ! — not  more 
so  could  he  have  been  had  he  lain 
between  horse-hair  sheets.  He  re- 
peatedly got  up  and  walked  about 
two  or  three  little  steps,  which  were 
all  that  his  room  admitted  of.  At  the 
very  first  peep  of  daylight  lie  started 
out  of  bed,  got  out  of  his  pocket  the 
newspaper  which  Huckaback  had  lent 
him,  strove  to  decipher  the  advertise- 
ment, and  then  sunk  into  bed  again 
-^-but  not  to  sleep,  till  four  or  five 
o'clock  ;  having  nevertheless  to  rise 
at  half-past  six,  to  resume  his  de- 
tested duties  at  Tag-rag  and  Co.'s, 
whose  shop  he  assisted  in  opening  at 
Beven  o'clock,  as  usual.  When  lie  and 
his  shopmates  were  sitting  together  at 
breakfast,  he  could  not  help  letting 
out  a  little,  vaguely  and  mysteriously, 
about  "something  that  might  happen 
in  the  course  of  the  day  ; "  and  there- 
by s  cceeded  in  satisfying  his  experi- 
enced companions  that  he,  expected 
the  visit  of  a  policeman,  for  some 
row  he  had  been  concerned  iu  over- 
night.— Well,  eight,  nine,  ten  o'clock 
wore  away  heavily,  and  nothing  trans- 
pired, alas  !  to  vary  the  monotonous 
duties  in  which  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
engaged  ;  bale  after  bale,  and  package 
after  package,  he  took  down  and  put 
up  again,  at  the  bidding  of  pretty. 
capricious  customers;  silk,  satin, 
bombesins,  crapes,  muslins,  ribands, 
gloves,  ho  assisted  in  displaying  and 
disposing  of  as  usual  ;  but  it  was  clear 
that  his  powerful  understanding  could 

no  longer  settle  itself,  as  before,  upon 
his  responsible  and  arduous  duties. 
Every  other  minute  he  cast  a  feverish 
furtive  glance  towards  tin-  dour,  lie 
almost  dropped,  at  one  time,  as  a 
po  tnian  crossed  from  the  op] 
side  of  the  street,  as  if  to  enter  their 
shop — then  passing  on  immediately, 
however,   to   the   next  door.     Not  a 


person,  in  short,  entered  the  premises, 
that  ho  did  not  scrutinize  narrowly 
and  anxiously,  but  in  vain.  No— 
buying  and  selling  was  the  order  of 
the  day,  as  usual  ! — Eleven  o'clock 
struck,  and  he  sighed.  "  You  don't 
seem  well,"  said  a  pretty  young 
woman,  to  whom,  in  a  somewhat 
absent  manner,  he  was  exhibiting 
and  describing  the  qualities  of  some 
cambric.  ' '  Oh — ye — cs,  uncommon ! " 
he  replied;  "never  better,  ma'am, 
than  when  so  well  employed !  "  accom- 
panying the  latter  words  with  what 
he  conceived  to  be  a  very  arch,  but 
which  was  in  fact  a  very  impudent, 
look  at  his  fair  customer.  At  that 
moment  a  voice  called  out  to  him 
from  the  further  end  of  the  shop, 
near  the  door — "  Titmouse  !  Wanted !' ' 

"  Coming  !  "  he  shouted,  turning  as 
white  as  the  cambric  he  held  in  his 
bauds — which  became  suddenly  cold  ; 
while  his  heart  Went  thump,  thump, 
as  he  hastily  exclaimed  to  the  as- 
tonished lady,  "Excuse  me,  ma'am, 
if  you  please — Jones,"  addressing  tho 
shopman  next  him,  "will  you  attend 
to  this  lady?"  and  he  hastened  whither 
he  had  been  called,  amidst  a  prevalent 
grin  and  "hem  !"  from  his  compan- 
ions on  each  side,  as  he  passed  along 
the  shop,  till  he  reached  the  spot 
where  stood  the  stranger  who  had  en- 
quired for  him.  lie  was  of  a  slight 
and  gentlemanly  figure,  above  the 
average  height.  Jlis  countenance  was 
very  striking :  lie  was  dressed  with 
simplicity — somewhat  carelessly  per- 
;  and  appeared  somewhere  about 
thirty-six  or  thirty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  bowed  slightly  as  Titmouse  ap- 
proached him,  and  an  air  of  Very 
serious  surprise  came  over  his  expres- 
sive  countenan 

"Mr.  Titmouse?"  he  enquired, 
blandly. 

"Ye-e-s,  sir,  at  your  service,"  re- 
plied Titmouse,  trembling  involun- 
tarily all  over.  The  Btranger  again 
slightly  inclined  toward-;  him,  and — 
>;till  more  slightly—  touched  his  hat  ; 
fixing  on  him,  at  the  same  time,  nn 
inqui  itive  penetrating  i  ye,  thai  i«  ally 
abashed,  or  rather  perhaps  alarmed 
him. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


25 


"You  left — you  favoured  us  by  leav- 
ing— a  note  at  our  office  last  night, 
addressed  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap  ? "  he  enquired,  lowering 
his  voice  to  a  whisper. 

"Yes,  sir,  hoping  it  was  no " 

"Pray,  Mr.  Titmouse,  can  we  be 
alone  for  about  five  or  ten  minutes  ?  " 

"I — I — don't  exactly  know,  here, 
sir  ;  I'm  afraid — against  the  rules  of 
the  house— but — I'll  ask.  Here  is 
Mr.  Tag-rag. — May  I  step  into  the 
cloak-room  with  this  gentleman  for 
a  few  minutes,  sir  ? "  he  continued, 
addressing  his  imperious  employer, 
who,  with  a  pen  behind  his  right  ear, 
his  left  hand  in  his  breeches  pocket, 
and  his  right  hand  impatiently  tweed- 
ling  about  his  watch  seals,  had 
followed  Titmouse,  on  hearing  him 
enquired  for  in  the  manner  I  have 
described,  and  stood  at  a  yard  or 
two's  distance,  eyeing  the  two  with 
a  fussy  dissatisfied  look,  wondering 
what  on  earth  any  one  could  want 
with  one  of  his  young  men. 

As  Mr.  Tag-rag  will  figure  a  little 
on  my  canvas  by-and-by,  I  may  as 
well  here  give  the  reader  a  slight 
sketch  of  that  gentleman.  He  was 
about  fifty-two  years  old  ;  a  great 
tyrant  in  his  little  way  ;  a  compound 
of  ignorance,  selfishness,  and  conceit. 
He  knew  nothing  on  earth  except  the 
price  of  his  goods,  and  how  to  make 
the  most  of  his  business.  He  was  of 
middle  size,  with  a  tendency  to  corpu- 
lence ;  and  almost  invariably  wore 
a  black  cpat  and  waistcoat,  a  white 
neck-handkerchief  very  primly  tied, 
and  grey  trousers.  He  had  a  dull, 
grey  eye,  with  white  eyelashes,  and 
no  eyebrows  ;  a  forehead  that  seemed 
ashamed  of  his  face,  it  retreated  so 
far  and  so  abruptly  back  from  it  ;  his 
face  was  pretty  deeply  pitted  with  the 
smallpox  ;  his  nose — or  rather  sem- 
blance of  a  nose — consisted  of  two 
great  nostrils  looking  at  you — as  it 
were,  impudently — out  of  the  middle 
of  his  face  ;  there  was  a  perfect  level 
space  from  cheekbone  to  cheekbone  ; 
his  whiskers,  neatly  and  closely  cut, 
came  in  points  to  each  corner  of  his 
mouth,  which  was  a  very  large,  shape- 
le«s,  sensual-looking  affair.    This  may 


serve,  for  the  present,  to  give  you  an 
idea  of  the  man  who  had  contrived  to 
excite  towards  himself  the  hatred  and 
contempt  of  everybody  over  whom  he 
had  any  control. 

"  Ycu  know  quite  well,  sir,  we  never 
allow  anything  of  the  sort,"  was  his 
short  reply,  in  a  very  disagreeable  tone 
and  manner,  to  the  modest  request  of 
Titmouse,  as  above  mentioned. 

"  May  I  beg  the  favour  of  a  few 
minutes'  private  conversation  with  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  said  the  stranger,  politely, 
"on  a  matter  of  the  last  importance 
to  him  ?  My  name,  sir,  is  Gammon, 
and  I  am  a  solicitor." 

"Why,  sir,"  answered  Tag-rag, 
somewhat  cowed  by  the  calm  and 
gentlemanly,  but  at  the  same  time  de- 
cisive manner  of  Mr.  Gammon — "it's 
really  very  inconvenient,  and  decidedly 
against  the  rules  of  the  house,  for  any 
of  my  young  men  to  be  absent  on 
business  of  their  own  during  my  busi- 
ness-hours ;  but  —  I  suppose  —  what 
must  be  must  be — I'll  give  him  ten 
minutes — and  he'd  better  not  stay 
longer,"  he  subjoined  fiercely — looking 
significantly  first  at  his  watch,  and 
then  at  Titmouse.  "It's  only  for  the 
sake  of  the  other  young  men,  sir.  In 
a  large  establishment  like  ours,  we're 
obliged,  you  know,  sir,"  &c.  &c.  &c., 
he  added,  in  a  low  cringing  tone,  de- 
precatory of  the  contemptuous  air  with 
which  he  felt  that  Mr.  Gammon  was 
regarding  him.  That  gentleman,  with 
a  slight  bow,  and  a  sarcastic  smile, 
presently  quitted  the  shop,  accom- 
panied by  Titmouse,  who  scarce  knew 
whether  his  head  or  heels  were  upper- 
most. 

"How  far  do  you  live  from  this 
place,  Mr.  Titmouse  ?  "  enquired  Mr. 
Gammon,  as  soon  as  they  had  got  into 
the  street. 

"Not  four  minutes'  walk,  sir;  but 
— hem  ! " — he  was  flustered  at  the  idea 
of  showing  so  eminent  a  person  into  his 
wretched  room — "Suppose  we  were  to 
step  into  this  tavern  here,  sir — I  dare 
say  they've  a  room  at  our  service " 

"  Fray,  allow  me  to  ask,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse,— have  you  any  private  papers 
— family  writings,  or  things  of  that 
sort,  at  your  rooms  ? " 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAll. 


Titmouse  seemed  considering. 

"  1 — I  think  I  have,  sir,"  he  replied 

— "one    or   two  —  but   they're  of  no 
consequence." 

"  Arc  yon  &  judge  on  that  point,  Mr. 
Titmouse?"  enquired  Mr.  Gammon, 
with  a  smile ;  "pray  lei  us,  my  dear 
sir,  at  once  to  your  rooms  — lime  is 
very  short  and  valuable.  I  should 
vastly  like  to  look  at  these  same  in- 
significant papers  of  yours  !  " 

In  less  than  two  minutes'  further 
time,  Mr.  Gammon  was  sitting  at 
Titmouse's  little  rickety  round  table, 
at  his  lodgings,  with  a  sheet  of  paper 
before  him,  and  a  .small  pencil-case  in 
his  hand,  asking  him  a  number  of 
questions  concerning  his  birth  and 
family  connexions,  and  taking  down 
his  answers  very  carefully.  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse was  surprised  at  the  gentleman's 
knowledge  of  the  family  history  of  the 
Titniouses.  As  for  papers,  &c.,  Mr. 
Titmouse  succeeded  in  producing  four 
or  five  old  letters  and  memoranda  from 
the  bottom  of  his  trunk,  and  one  or 
two  entries,  in  faded  ink,  on  the  fly-leaf 
of  a  Bible  of  his  father's,  which  he  did 
not  recollect  having  opened  before  for 
very  many  years,  ami  of  which  said 
entries,  till  pressed  on  the  subject  by 
Mr.  Gammon,  he  had  been  hardly 
aware  of  even  the  existence.  With 
these  several  documents  Mr.  G  immon 
was  so  much  struck  that  he  propo  ed 
to  take  them  away  with  him,  for  better 
and  more  leisurely  examination,  and 
safer  cus  ody,  at  their  office  ;  but  Mr. 
Titmouse  significantly  hinted  at  his 
very  recent  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Gammon,  who,  lie  intimated,  was  at 
libert  v  to  conn'  and  make  exact  copi  S 
of  them  whenever  he  pleased,  in  his 
(Mr.  Titmouse's)  presence. 

"  <  ili,  certainly  —3  e  ."  replied   Mr. 
Gammon,    slightly    colouring   at    the 
distrust  implied  by  this 
"I  applaud  your  caution,    Mr.   Tit- 
mom  '■■     By  all  means  k  en  them, 
mo  1  lly  ;  bee  1  [do  uo1  say 

thai  they  an  .  >  bu1  il  is  quite  possible 
that  they  may  become  rather  valuable 

— to  you." 

"  'I  leu  k  you,  sir  :  and  now,  hoping 
you'll  e  te    liberty,"   Baid 

mouse,  with  a  \ erj  -  air,   "  1 


should  most  uncommonly  like  to  know 
what  all  this  means — what  is  to  turn 
up  out  of  it  all  ?  " 

"The  law,  my  dear  sir,  is  proverbi- 
ally uncertain " 

"  Oh,  Lord !  but  the  law  can  give  me 
a  hint " 

"  The  law  never  hints,"  interrupted 
Mr.  Gammon  impressively,  with  a 
bland  smile. 

""Well  then,  how  did  you  come,  sir, 
to  know  that  there  ever  was  such  a 
person  as  Mr.  Gabriel  Titmouse,  my 
father  ?  And  what  can  come  from  him, 
seeing  he  was  only  a  bit  of  a  shoe- 
maker-—  unless  he's  heir  to  some- 
thing?" 

"  Ah,  yes — exactly  ;  those  are  very 
interesting  questions,  Mr.  Titmouse — 
very  ! 

"\es,  sir;  and  them  and  a  great 
many  more  I  was  going  to  ask  loug 
ago,  but  I  saw  you  were " 

"Sir,  I  perceive  that  we  have  posi- 
tively been  absent  from  your  place 
of  business  nearly  an  hour  —  your 
employers  will  be  getting  rather  im- 
patient." 

"  Meaning  no  offence,  sir — bother 
their  impatience  !  f  m  impatient,  1 
assure  you,  to  know  what  all  this 
means.  Come,  sir,  'pon  my  life  I've 
told  you  everything!  It  isn't  quite 
fair  ! '" 

"Why,  certainly,  you  see,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse," said  Gammon,  with  an  agree- 
able smile — (it  was  that  smile  of  his 
that  had  been  the  making  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon  — -"it  is  only  candid. in  me  to 
towledge  that  your  curiosity  is 
perfectly  reasonable,  and  your  frank- 
ness very  obliging ;  and  I  see  rio 
difficulty  in  admitting  at  once,  that  I 
have  had  a  motive  - 

"  Yes,    sir     and   all    tint       /   know, 

ir,"-  -hastily   interrupted   Tit 
bul  without  i;  ordisturbinj 

placid  speaker. 

"And  that  we  waited  With  some 
anxi  -ty  for  the  result  of  our  advert 

lllellt. 

"  Ah.  you  can'1  escape  from  that,  you 
know,  sir !  "  interposi  d  Titmouse,  with 
dent  air. 

"Bui  it  i>  a  maxim  with  us,  my 
dear  Mr,  never  to  be  premature  in  any- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


27 


thing,  especially  when  it  may  be — very 
prejudicial ;  you've  really  no  idea,  my 
dear  Mr.'  Titmouse,  of  the  world  of 
mischief  that  is  often  done  by  pre- 
cipitancy in  legal  matters  ;  and  in  the 
present  stage  of  the  business  —  the 
present  stage,  my  dear  sir — -I  really  do 
see  it  necessary  not  to — do  anything 
premature,  and  without  consulting  my 
partners." 

"  Lord,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  Titmouse, 
getting  more  and  more  irritated  and 
impatient  as  he  reflected  on  the  length 
of  his  absence  from  Tag-rag  &  Co.'s. 

"I  quite  feel  for  your  anxiety— so 
perfectly  natural " 

"Oh,  dear  sir!  if  you'd  only  tell 
me  the  least  bit " 

"If,  my  dear  sir,  I  were  to  disclose 
just  now  the  exact  object  we  had  in 
inserting  that  advertisement   in  the 


papers 

"  How  did  you  come  to  know  of  it 
at  all,  sir?  Come,  there  can't  bo  any 
harm  in  that  anyhow " 

"  Not  the  least,  my  dear  sir.  It 
was  in  the  course  of  business — in  the 
course  of  business." 

"  Is  it  money  that's  been  left  me — 
or — anything  of  that  sort  ?  " 

"It  quite  pains  me,  I  assure  you, 
Mr.  Titmouse — I  think,  by  the  way  " — 
added  Gammon  suddenly,  as  something 
occurred  to  him  of  their  previous  con- 
versation, which  he  was  not  quite  sure 
of — ' '  you  told  me  that  that  Bible  was 
given  you  by  your  father." 

"  Oh  yes,  sir  !  yes — no  doubt  of  it ; 
surely  that  can't  signify,  seeing  he's 
dead,  and  I'm  his  only  son  ? "  asked 
Titmouse,  quickly  and  eagerly. 

"Oh,  'tis  only  a  circumstance — a 
mere  circumstance ;  but  in  business, 
you  know,  Mr.  Titmouse,  every  little 
helps — and  you  really,  by  the  way, 
have  no  recollection  of  your  mother, 
Mr.  Titmouse  ? " 

"No,  sir,  I  said  so  !  And — meaning 
no  offence,  sir — I  can't  abide  being 
put  off  in  this  kind  of  way,  ■ —  1 
must  own  ! — See  what  I  have  told  you 
— you've  told  me  nothing  at  all.  I 
hope  you  haven't  been  only  making 
me  a  cat's-paw  of?  Ton  my  soul,  I 
hate  being  made  a  cat's-paw  of,  sir  !  " 

"Good heavens,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  how 


can  you  imagine  it  ?  You  are  at  this 
moment  the  object  of  a  considerable 
share  of  our  anxiety " 

' '  Not  meaning  it  rudely,  sir — please 
to  tell  me  at  once,  plainly,  am  I  to 
be  the  better  for  anything  you're  now 
about  ? " 

"That  may  or  may  not  be,  sir," 
answered  Mr.  Gammon,  in  the  same 
imperturbable  manner,  drawing  on 
liis  gloves,  and  rising  from  his  chair. 
"In  justice  to  yourself,  and  other 
parties  concerned " 

"Oh!  is  anybody  to  share  in  it?" 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  alarmedly. 

"I  am  sure,"  said  Gammon,  smil- 
ing, "that  you  will  give  us  credit  for 
consulting  your  best  interests.  We 
sincerely  desire  to  advance  them  ;  and 
this  matter  occupies  a  good  deal  of  our 
time  and  anxiety.  It — it  is  really," 
looking  at  his  watch,  "upwards  of  an 
hour  since  we  quitted  your  place  of 
business — I  fear  I  shall  get  into  dis- 
grace with  that  respectable  gentleman 
your  employer.  Will  you  favour  us 
with  a  call  at  our  office  to-morrow 
night,  when  the  business  of  the  day  is 
over  ?     When  do  you  quit  at  ni  lit  ? " 

"About  half- past  nine  o'clock, 
sir  ;  but  really  —  to-morrow  night ! 
Couldn't  I  come  to-night,  sir  ? " 

' '  Not  to-night,  I  fear,  my  dear  sir. 
We  have  a  very  important  engage-, 
ment.  Let  us  say  to-morrow  night, 
at  a  quarter  past  ten — shall  we  say 
that  hour  ? " 

"Well,  sir,  if  not  before — yes — I'll 
be  with  you.     But  I  must  say " 

"Good-day,  Mr.  Titmouse."  They 
were  by  this  time  in  Oxford  Street 
again.  "Good-day,  my  dear  sir  — 
good-day  —  to-morrow  night,  as  soor 
after  ten  as  possible — eh  ?    Good-bye.' 

This  was  all  that  Mr.  Titmouse  could 
get  out  of  Mr.  Gammon,  who,  hailing 
a  coach  off  the  stand  beside  them,  got 
into  it,  and  it  was  soon  making  its 
way  eastward.  What  a  miserable  mix- 
ture of  doubts,  hopes,  and  fears,  had 
he  left  Titmouse  !  He  felt  as  if  he 
were  like  a  squeezed  orange  ;  he  had 
told  everything  he  knew  about  him- 
self, and  got  nothing  in  return  out 
of  the  smooth,  imperturbable,  im- 
penetrable  Mr.  Gammon,  but  empty 


£3 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


civilities.  —  "  Lord,  Lord  !  "  thought 
Titmouse,  as  Mr.  Gammon's  coach 
turned  the  corner;  "what  would  I 
give  to  know  half  ahout  it  that  that 
gent  knows!  But  Mr.  Tag-rag!  by 
Jove]  what  will  he  sayl  It's  struck 
twelve.  I've  been  more  than  an  hour 
away — and  lie  gave  me  ten  minutes ! 
Sha'n't  I  catch  it  ? " 

And  he  did.  Almost  the  very  first 
person  he  met,  on  entering  the  shop, 
was  his  respected  employer,  Mr.  Tag- 
rag,  who,  plucking  his  watch  out  of 
his  fob,  and,  looking  furiously  at  it, 
motioned  the  trembling  Titmouse  to 
follow  him  to  the  further  end  of  the 
long  shop,  where  there  happ  ued  to 
be  then  no  customers. 

"  Is  this  your  ten  minutes,  sir,  eh  ?  " 

"I  am  sor.y " 

""Where  mavyou  have  been,  sir,  all 
this  while  ? " 

"With  that  gentleman,  sir,  and  I 
really  did  not  know " 

"  Vmi  didn't  know,  sir !  "Who  cares 
what  ymi  know,  or  don't  know  ?  You 
k  ow  you  ought  to  have  been  hack 
fifty-five  minutes  ago,  sir.  You  do, 
sir!  Isn't  your  time  my  property, 
sir  ?  Don't  I  pay  for  it,  sir  ?  An 
hourl — in  the  middle  of  the  day! 
I've  not  had  such  a  thing  happen  this 
five  years!  I'll  stop  it  out  of  your 
! y,  sir." 

Titmouse  did  not  attempt  to  inter- 
rupt him. 

"And  pray  what  have  you  been 
gossiping  about,  sir,  in  this  disgrace- 
ful manner  ? " 

"Something  that  he  wanted  to  say 
to  me,  sir." 

"You  low  puppy  ! — do  yon  suppose 

I  don't  see  your  impertinence  1     1  in- 

nit,    sir,    on    knowing    what    all    this 

gossiping  with  that   fellow   has   been 

it?" 

"Then  you  won't  know,  sir,  that's 
fl  it  !  "  replied  Titmouse  d  ;  re- 

turning  to  his  usual  station  behind  the 
counter. 

"I  sh.'n't  !!" 

"No,  sir,  yon  sha'n't  know  a  single 
Word  about  it." 

"Sha'n't  know  a  single  word  ahoul 
it  !  Va  i !  v  goo  1,  sir ! ! — Do  you  know 
who  re  talking  to,  sir  %     Do 


really  know  in  whose  presence  you  are, 
sir  ? " 

"Mr.  Tag-rag.  I  presume,  of  the  firm 
of  Tag-rag  and  ( 'o.,"  replied  Titmouse, 
Looking  him  full  in  the  face. — One  or 
two  of  his  companions  near  him,  almost 
turned  pale  at  the  audacity  he  was 
displaying. 

"  And  who  are  you,  sir,  that  dare  to 
presume  to  bandy  words  with  m  E,  sir  ?  " 
enquired  Tag-rag,  his  deeply  pitted  face 
having  gone  quite  white,  and  his  whole 
body  quivering  with  rage. 

"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  at  your  ser- 
vice," was  the  answer  in  a  glib  tone, 
and  with  a  sufficiently  saucy  air. 

"  You  heard  that,  I  hope  '!  "  en- 
quired Tag-rag,  with  forced  calmness, 
of  a  pale-faced  young  man,  the  nearest 
to  him. 

"Ye — es,  sir,"  was  the  meekly  re- 
luctant answer. 

"This  day  month  you  leave,  sir  !  " 
said  Mr.  Tag-rag  solemnly — as  if  con- 
scious that  he  was  passing  a  sort  of 
sentence  of  death  upon  the  presump- 
tuous delinquent. 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Tag-rag — anything 
that  pleases  you  pleases  your  humble 
servant.  I  will  go  this  day  month, 
and  welcome — I've  long  wished " 

"Then  you  sha'n't  leave,  sir,"  said 
Tag-rag,  furiously. 

"But  1  will,  sir.  You've  given 
me  warning;  and,  if  you  haven't,  uow 
1  give  you  warning,"  replied  Titmouse  ; 
turning,  however,  very  pale,  and  ex- 
periencing a  certain  sudden  sinking 
of  the  heart — for  this  was  a  serious 
and  most  unlooked-for  event,  and  for 
a  while  put  out  of  his  head  all  the 
agitating  thoughts  of  the  last  few 
hours.  Poor  Titmouse  had  enough  to 
bear — what  with  the  delicate  raillery 
ml  bant  r  of  his  accomplished  com- 
panions for  the  rest  of  the  day,  and 

■  ailing  tyranny  of  Mr.  Tag-i 
who  dogged  liim  about  all  day,  set. 
him     about     the    most     menial     ami 

troublesome    offices    he    could, 

tantly  saying  mortifying  things  to 
him   before  customers,)   and  1  : 

of  miserable  suspense  in  which    Mr. 

i  i  immon  had  thought  lit  to  lease 
him  ;  1  say  that  surely  all  this  was 
enough  for  him  to  bear  without  ha\  ii  g 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


29 


to  encounter  at  night,  as  he  did,  on 
his  return  to  his  lodgings,  his  bluster- 
ing landlady,  who  vowed  that  if  she 
Bold  him  out  and  out  ;;he  would  be  put 
off  no  longer  —  and  his  pertinacious 
and  melancholy  tailor,  who,  with 
sallow  unshaven  face,  told  him  of  five 
children  at  home,  all  ill  of  the  small- 
pox, and  his  wife  in  an  hospital — and 
he  irn2)lorcd  a  payment  on  account. 
This  sufferer  succeeded  in  squeezing 
out  of  Titmouse  seven  shillings  on 
account,  and  his  landlady  extorted 
ten  ;  which  staved  off  a  distress — 
direful  word ! — for  some  week  or  two 
longer  ;  and  so  they  left  him  in  the 

{jossession  of  eight  shillings  or  so,  to 
ast  till  next  quarter-day.  He  sighed 
heavily,  barred  his  door,  and  sat  down 
opposite  his  little  table,  on  which  was 
nothing  but  a  solitary  thin  candle, 
and  on  which  his  eyes  rested  uncon- 
sciously, till  the  stench  of  it,  burning 
right  clown  into  the  socket,  roused 
him  from  his  wretched  reverie.  Then 
he  unlocked  his  box,  and  took  out  his 
Bible  and  the  papers  which  had  been 
produced  to  Mr.  Gammon,  and  gazed 
at  them  with  intense  but  useless 
scrutiny.  Unable,  however,  to  con- 
jecture what  beaiing  they  could  have 
upon  himself  or  his  fortunes,  he  hastily 
replaced  them  in  his  box,  threw  off  his 
clothes,  and  flung  himself  on  his  bed, 
to  pass  a  far  more  dismal  night  than 
he  had  known  for  years. 

He  ran  the  gauntlet  at  Messrs.  Tag- 
rag  and  C'o.'s  all  Tuesday  as  he  had 
done  on  the  day  preceding.  One  should 
have  supposed  that  when  his  com- 
panions beheld  him  persecuted  by 
their  common  tyrant,  whom  they  all 
equally  hated,  they  would  have  made 
common  cause  with  their  suffering 
companion,  or  at  all  events  given  no 
countenance  to  his  persecution  ;  yet  it 
was  far  otherwise.  Without  stopping 
to  analyse  the  feeling  which  produced 
it,  (and  which  the  moderately  reflec- 
tive reader  may  easily  analyse  for 
himself  if  so  disposed,)  I  am  grieved 
to  have  to  say,  that  when  all  the 
young  men  saw  that  Tag-rag  would  be 
gratified  by  their  cutting  poor  Tit- 
mouse, who,  -with  all  his  little  vanities, 
fooleries,    and    even    selfishness,   had  | 


never  personally  offended  or  injured 
any  of  them— they  did  so  ;  and,  when 
Tag-rag  observed  it,  his  miserable 
mind  was  more  gratified  with  them  by 
far  than  it  had  ever  been  before.  He 
spoke  to  all  of  them  with  unusual 
blandness  ;  to  the  sinner,  Titmouse, 
with  augmented  bitterness. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  few  minutes  after  ten  o'clock  that 
night,  a  gentle  ringing  at  the  bell  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap's 
office,  announced  the  arrival  of  poor 
Titmouse.  The  door  was  quickly 
opened  by  a  very  fashionably  dressed 
clerk,  who  seemed  in  the  act  of  quit- 
ting for  the  night. 

"Ah— Mr.  Titmouse,  I  presume?" 
he  enquired,  with  a  kind  of  deference 
in  his  manner  that  Titmouse  had  never 
been  accustomed  to. 

"The  same,  sir  —  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse." 

"  Oh  !  allow  me,  sir,  to  show  you  in 
to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap; 
I  know  they're  expecting  to  see  you. 
It's  not  often  they're  here  so  late  ! 

Walk  in,  sir "     With  this  he  led 

the  way  to  an  inner  room,  and  opening 
a  green- baize  door  in  the  further  side 
of  it,  announced  and  showed  in  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  left  him — sufficiently 
flustered.  Three  gentlemen  were  sit- 
ting a  c  a  large  table,  on  which  he  saw, 
by  the  strong  but  circumscribed  light 
of  two  shaded  candlesticks,  were  lyiug 
a  great  number  of  papers  and  parch- 
ments. The  three  gentlemen  rose 
when  he  entered,  Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr. 
Snap  involuntarily  starting  on  first 
catching  sight  of  the  figure  of  Tit- 
mouse :  Mr.  Gammon  came  and  shook 
hands  with  him. 

"Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  he,  with  a 
very  polite  air,  "let  me  introduce  you 
to  Mr.  Quirk" — (This  was  the  senior 
partner,  a  short,  stout,  elderly  gentle- 
man, dressed  in  black,  with  a  shining 
bald  head  and  white  hair,  and  sharp 
black    eyes,    and    who    looked    very 


JO 


TEN  TIIOrsAXl)   A-YEAK. 


earnestly,  nay,  with  even  a  kind  of 
dismay,  at  him] — "and  Mr.  Snap" — 
(This  was  the  junior  partner,  having 
recently  been  promoted  to  he  such 
after  ten  years'  Bervice  in  the  office,  as 
managing  clerk  :  he  was  abont  thirty, 
particularly  well  dressed,  slight, 
ve,  and  with  a  face  like  a  terrier— 
so  hard,  slurp,  and  wiry!)  Of  Mr. 
Gammon  himself,  1  have  already  given 
the  reader  a  slight  notion.  He  ap- 
peared altogether  a  different  style  of 
person  from  both  his  partners.  He 
was  of  most  gentlemanly  person  and 
bearing— and  at  once  acute,  cautious, 
and  insinuating — with  a  certain  some- 
thing about  the  eye,  which  had  from 
the  first  made  Titmouse  feel  uneasy  on 
looking  at  him. 

"  A  seat,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Quirk, 
rising,  and  placing  a  chair  for  him,  on 
which  lie  sat  down,  they  resuming 
theirs. 

"  Vou  are  pun  [r.  Titmouse  !  " 

exclaimed  Mr.  Gammon,  with  a  smile  ; 
"more  so  than,  1  tear,  you  were 
yesterday,  after  our  long  interview, 
eh?  Tray  what  did  that  worthy 
person,  Mr.  Rag-bag  or  whatever  his 
name  is — say,  on  your  return  \  " 

"Say,  gents?" — (he  tried  to  clear 
his  throat,  for  he  spoke  somewhat 
more  thickly,  and  his  ln-art  beal  more 
perceptibly,  than  usual)  — "Meaning 
no  offence — I'm  ruined  by  it,  and  no 
mistake." 

"Ruined!  I'm  sorry  to  hear  it," 
interposed  Mr.  Gammon,  with  a  con- 
cerned air. 

"I  am,  indeed,  sir.  Such  at  iwer- 
ing  rage  as  lie  has  been  in  ever  i  ince  ; 
and  he's  given  mi-  warning  to  rjo  on 
tie-  10th  of  nexl  month."  He  thought 
lie  observed   a  faint  smile   Hit    over 

tie-  faces  of  ail  three.  "  lie  lias, 
indeed  !  " 

•■  I  >,  ar  me,  Mr.  Titmouse  '   -  Did  he 

enquired  Mr.  Quirk. 
"  Yes,  sir     -" 
"What  might  it  have  been  ?" 
"Stopping  out  longer  than   I  was 
allowed,  in. I  rel  tell  him  what 

this  gentleman  aid  I  had  been  talking 
it." 
"  Don't   think   that'll   do  ;   sure  if 


won't  !  "  briskly  exclaimed  Mr.  Snap  ; 
"no  just  cause,  that,"  ami  he  jumped 
up,  whisked  down  a  hook  from  the 
behind  him,  and  eagerly 
turned  over  (hi-  ha-,  i  -. 

"  Never  mind  thai  now,  Mr.  Snap," 
said  Mr.  Quirk,  rather  petulantly ; 
"surely  we  have  other  matters  to  talk 
about  to-night." 

"Asking  pardon,  sir,  hut  I  think  it 
does  matter  to  me,  sir,"  in!  r]  o  ed 
Titmouse;  "for  on  the  10th  of  next 
month  I'm  a  beggar — being  next  door 
to  it  now." 

"Not  quite,  we  trust,"  said  Mr. 
Gammon,  with  a  benignant  smile. 

"But  Mr.  Tag-rag  said  he'd  make 
me  as  good  as  .me." 

"That's  evidence  to  show  malio 
again  eagerly  interjected  Mr.  Snap, 
who  was  again  tartly  rebuffed  by  Mr. 
Quirk  ;  even  Mr.  Gammon  turning  to- 
wards him  with  a  surprised — "Really, 
Mr.  Snap!" 

"So  Mr.   Tag-rag   said    he'd    n 
you  a  In  nquired  Mr.  Quirk. 

"He  vowed  he  would,  sir  ! — lie  did, 
as  true  as  the  gospel,  sir !  " 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  Mr.  Quirk 
and  Mr.  Gammon — hut  such  a  laugh! 
— not  carele.-s  or  hearty,  hut  subd 
and  with  a  dash  of  deference  in  it. 
"Well — it  perhaps  may  nol  signify 
much,  by  that  time."  said  he,  and 
laughed  again,  followed  by  the  si  ft. 
laugh  <if  Mr.  Gammon,  ami  a  kind  of 
sharp  quick  sound,  like  a  bark,  from 
Mr.  Snip. 

"Hut,  '_vnts,  you'll  excuse  me  if  I 
say  1  think  it  does  signify  to  me,  and 
a'n't  any  Laughing  matter!"  quoth 
Titmouse  earnestly,  ami  colouring  with 
anger.      "Without    being   rude,    I'd 

lather  come  to  hllsiness,   if   tin  re'fl  any 

to  he  done,  without  so  mu  liing 

at  me." 

"  Laughing  at  yon  !  my  dear  sir, — 

no,     no  !  "    e    i  !n. i,  ,1    all    three     in    a 

ili     "  laughing  with    you," 
Mr.  Quirk  :     "  I3y  the  time  you  men- 
t  ion.  you  may  perhaps  In-  able  to  laugh 
at   Mr.   Rag-bag,  and  everybody  • 

or 

[ — 'No  use  mincing  matters''  ha 

pered,    in     a     low-    tone,     to     Mr. 

( lammon,  who  noddi  d  in  apparently 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


31 


reluctant  acquiescence,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  earnestly  on  Titmouse.] 

"  I  really  think  we  are  warranted, 
sir,  in  preparing  you  to  expect  by  that 
time — that  is,  you  will  understand, 
sir,  if  our  efforts  are  successful  in  your 
behalf,  and  if  you  yield  yourself  im- 
plicitly in  all  things  to  our  guidance  — 
that  is  absolutely  essential — a  prospect 
— we  say,  at  present,  you  will  observe, 
only  a  prospect — of  a  surprising  and 
splendid  change  in  your  circum- 
stances !  "  Titmouse  began  to  tremble 
violently,  his  heart  beat  rapidly,  and 
his  hands  were  bedewed  with  a  cold 
moisture. 

"I  hear,  geuts,"  said  he,  thickly; 
and  he  also  heard  a  faint  ringing  in  his 
ears. 

"  It's  not  impossible,  sir,  in  plain 
English,"  continued  Mr.  Quirk,  him- 
self growing  a  little  excited  with  the 
important  communication  that  trem- 
bled on  the  tip  of  his  tongue,  "that 
you  may  at  no  distant  time  (if  you 
turn  out  to  be  the  person)  be  put  into 
possession  of  an  estate  of  somewhere 
about  Ten  Thousand  a-year " 

The  words  seemed  to  have  struck 
Titmouse  blind— as  he  saw  nothing 
for  some  moments ;  then  everything 
seemed  swimming  around  him,  and  he 
felt  a  sort  of  faintness  or  sickness 
stealing  over  him.  They  had  hardly 
been  prepared  for  their  communica- 
tions affecting  their  little  visitor  so 
powerfully.  Mr.  Snap  hastened  out, 
and  in  with  a  glass  of  water  ;  and  the 
earnest  attentions  of  the  three  soon 
restored  Mr.  Titmouse  to  his  senses. 
It  was  a  gool  while,  however,  before 
he  could  appreciate  the  little  conver- 
sation which  they  now  and  then  ad- 
dressed to  him,  or  estimate  the  full 
importance  of  the  astounding  intelli- 
gence Mr.  Quirk  had  just  communi- 
cated, "  Beg  pardon — but  may  I  make 
free  to  ask  for  a  little  brandy  and 
water,  gents  ?  I  feel  all  over  in  a 
kind  of  tremble,"  said  he,  some  time 
aft  rwards. 

"Yes — by  all  means,  Mr.  Titmouse. 
Mr.  Snap,  will  you  be  kind  enough  to 
order  Betty  to  bring  in  a  glass  of  cold 
hjandy  and  water  from  the  Jolly 
Thieves,  next  door?" — Snap  shot  our, 


gave  the  order,  and  returned  in  a 
trice.  The  old  woman  in  a  few 
minutes'  time  followed,  with  a  largo 
tumbler  of  dark  brandy  and  water, 
quite  hot,  for  which  Mr  Gammon 
apologized,  but  Mr.  Titmouse  said  ha 
preferred  it  so — and  soon  addressed 
himself  to  the  inspiring  mixture.  It 
quickly  manifested  its  influence,  re- 
assuring him  wonderfully.  As  he  sat 
sipping  it,  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap  being  engaged  in  an  earnest 
conversation,  of  which  he  could  under- 
stand little  or  nothing,  he  had  leisure 
to  look  about  him,  and  observed  that 
there  was  lying  before  them  a  large 
sheet  of  paper,  at  which  they  all  of 
them  often  and  earnestly  looked,  filled 
with  marks,  so — 


with  writing  at  the  ends  of  each  of 
them,  and  round  and  square  figures. 
When  he  saw  them  all  bending  over 
and  scrutinizing  this  mysterious  ob- 
ject, it  puzz'ed  him  (and  many  a 
better  head  than  his  has  a  ped  gree 
puzzled  before)  sorely,  and  he  beg  n  to 
suspect  it  was  a  sort  of  conjuring 
paper ! — 

"I  hope,  gents,  that  paper's  all 
right — eh  ?"  raid  he,  supported  by  the 
brandy,  which  he  had  nearly  finished. 
They  turned  towards  him  with  a  smile 
of  momentary  surprise,  and  then — 

' '  "We  hope  so — a  vast  deal  depends 
on  it,"  said  Mr.  Quirk,  looking  over 
his  glasses  at  Titmouse.  Now  what 
he  had  hinted  at,  as  far  as  he  could 
venture  to  do  so,  was  a  thought  that 
glanced  across  his  as  yet  unsettled 
brain,  that  there  might  have  been 
invoked  more  than  mere  earthly  assist- 
ance ;  but  he  prudently  pressed  the 
matter  no  farther — that  was  all  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap's  look  out ; 
he  had  been  no  party  to  anything  of 
the  sort,  nor  would  he  knowingly. 
He  also  observed  the  same  sheets  of 
paper  written  all  over,  which  Mr. 
Gammon  had  filled  at  his  (Titmouse's) 


32 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEATC. 


room,  the  night  before ;  and  several 
new,  and  old  -  looking,  papers  and 
parchments.  Sometimes  they  ad- 
dresse  I  questions  to  him,  bat  found  it 

somewhat  difficult  to  keep  his  atten- 
tion up  to  anything  that  was  said  to 
him  for  the  wild  visions  that  were 
chasing  one  another  through  his  heated 
brain  ;  the  passage  of  which  said 
visions  was  not  a  little  accelerated  by 
the  large  tumbler  of  brandy  and  water 
w!ii  h  lie  had  just  taken. 

"Then,  in  fact,"  said  Mr.  Quirk,  as 
the  three  simultaneously  sat  down, 
after  having  been  for  some  time  stand- 
ing poring  over  the  paper  before  Mr. 
Quirk,  "Tittlebat's  title  accrued  in 
18—?  That's  the  point— eh,  Gam- 
mon ? " 

"  Precisely  so,"  said  Mr.  Gammon 
calmly. 

"To  be  sure,"  confidently  added 
Snap;  who  having  devoted  himself 
exclusively  all  his  life  to  the  sharpest 
practice  of  the  criminal  law,  knew 
about  as  much  of  real  property  law  as 
a  snipe — but  it  would  not  do  to  appear 
ignorant,  or  taking  no  part  in  the 
matter,  in  the  presence  of  the  heir-at- 
law,  and  the  future  great  client  of  the 
House. 

"Well,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  at  length 
said  Mr.  Quirk,  laying  aside  his  glai  3es 
- — "you  are  like  y  to  be  one  of  the 
luckiest  men  of  your  day!  AVe  may 
be  mistaken,  but  it  appears  to  us  that 
your  right  is  clear,  and  has  been  clear 
these  ten  or  twelve  years,  to  the  im- 
iiate  enjoyment  of  a  very  fine  es- 
tate in  Yorkshire,  worth  some  £10,000 
or  i:i2,000  a-yeav  at  the  least !  " 

"You  don't  say  so!  Oh,  gents! 
1  (Li  believe  we're  all  dreaming]  Is 
it  all  true,  indeed  !" 

"It  is,  Mr.  Titmouse — and  we  are 

very   proud  and  happy  indeed  to  be 

the  honour  '1  in  truments  of  establish- 

V'tir  right  ,  my  dear  sir,"  said  -Mr. 

nun. 

"  'I'll  m  all  tli  ■  money  that's  been 
spent  this  t  n  or  twelve  years  is  my 
pioney,  is  it  < " 

"If  we  are  right  it  is  undoubtedly 
as  you  say,"  answered  Mr.  Quirk, 
giving  a  quick  apprehensive  glance  al 
Mi'.  Gramx 


"There'll  be  a  jolly  reckoning  for 
some  one,  then,  shortly — eh  ?  My 
stars  ! " 

"My  dear  Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  Mr. 
Gammon,  "you  have  a  most  just 
regard  for  your  own  interests;  there 
will  be  a  reckoning,  and  a  very  terrible 
one  ere  long,  for  somebody — but  We've 
time  enough  before  tis  for  all  that! 
Only  let  us  have  the  unspeakable 
happiness  of  seeing  you  once  fairly  in 
possession  of  your  estates,  and  our 
office  shall  know  no  rest  till  you  have 
got  all  you  are  entitled  to — every 
farthing  even  ! " 

"Oli,  never  fear  our  letting  them 
rest!"  said  Mr.  Quirk,  judiciously 
accommodating  himself  to  the  taste 
and  apprehension  of  his  excited  auditor 
— "  Those  that  must  give  up  the  goose 
must  give  up  the  giblets  also — ha,  ha, 
ha  !  "  Messrs.  Gammon  and  Snap 
echoed  the  laugh,  and  enjoyed  the 
joke  of  the  head  of  the  linn. 

"Ha,  hi,  ha!"  laughed  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, immensely  excited  by  the  i 
joint  influence  of  the  brandy  and  the 
news  of  the  night ;  "capital!  capital! 
hurrah!  Such  goings  on  there  will 
be !  You're  all  of  the  right  sort, 
gents,  I  see!  Ton  my  life,  law  for 
ever!  Let's  all  shake  hands,  gents! 
'Hue,  if  you  please,  all  together!  all 
friends  to-night!"  And  the  little 
fellow  grasped  each  of  the  three  readily- 
proffered  right  hands  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  with  an  energy 
that  was  likely  to  make  all  the  high 
ontracting  parties  to  that  quadruple 
alliance  remember  its  ratification. 

"And  is  it  ail  a  ready-money  affair, 
gents — or  rent,  and  all  that  kind  of 
thing?" 

"Why,  almost  entirely  the  latter," 
answered    Mr.    Quirk,    "except    the 
■  nidations." 

"Then, 'pmi  mv  soul — I'm  a  gn 
landlord,  am  I  ?" 

"Indeed,  my  dear   Mr.  Titmouse, 
youare — (that  is,  unless  we  have  n 
a  blunder  such  as  our  hou  e  is  nut 

often    in    the   habit    of  makin  ■)— and 

ha\  e  two  \< tv  fine  houses,  one  in  town 
and  the  other  in  the  couirtn ." 

"Capitall  delightful!  I'll  live  in 
both  oi  them — we'll  have  such  goings 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


33 


on  !     And  is  it  quite  up  to  tha  mark 
of  £10,000  a-year?" 

"  We  really  entertain  no  doubt " 

"  And  such  as  I  can  spend  all  of  it, 
every  year  ? " 

"  Certainly — no  doubt  of  it — not  the 
least.  The  rents  are  paid  with  most 
exemplary  punctuality — at  least,"  add- 
ed Mr.  Gammon,  with  a  captivating, 
an  irresistible  smile,  and  taking  him 
affectionately  by  the  hand — "at  least 
they  will  be,  as  soon  as  we  have  them 
fairly  in  our  management." 

' '  Oh,  you're  to  get  it  all  in  for 
me,  are  you  1 "  he  enquired  briskly. 
The  three  partners  bowed,  with  the 
most  deprecatingly  disinterested  air 
in  the  world,  intimating  that,  for  his 
sake,  they  were  ready  to  take  upon 
themselves  even  that  troublesome  re- 
sponsibility. 

"Capital!  couldn't  be  better! 
couldn't  be  better !  Ah,  ha,  ba- 
you've  catched  the  goose,  and  must 
bring  me  its  eggs.  Ah,  ha,  ha !  a 
touch  in  your  line,  old  gent !  " 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!  excellent!  ah,  ha, 
ha!"  laughed  the  three  partners  at 
the  wit  of  their  new  client.  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse joined  them,  and  snapped  his 
fingers  in  the  air. 

"Lord— I've  just  thought  of  Tag- 
rag  and  Company's — I  seem  as  if  I 
hadn't  seen  or  heard  of  those  gents  for 
Lord  knows  how  long !  Only  fancy 
old  Tag-rag  making  mo  a  beggar  on 
the  10th  of  next  month— ha,  ha,  ha  ! 
— I  sha'n't  see  that  infernal  hole  any 
more,  anyhow ! " 

["  There  !  "  whispered  Mr.  Gammon, 
apprehensively,  in  the  ear  of  Mr.  Quirk, 
"you  hear  that  ?  A  little  wretch  !  We 
have  been  perfectly  insane  in  going  so 
far  already  with  him  !  Is  not  this 
what  I  predicted?"  "I  don't  care," 
said  Mr.  Quirk  stubbornly.  "Who 
first  found  it  out,  Mr.  Gammon  ?  and 
who's  to  be  at  the  expense  and  respon- 
sibility ?  Pshaw  !  I  know  what  I'm 
about — I'll  make  him  knuckle  down — 
never  fear  me  !  "] 

"  That,"  snapping  his  fingers,  "  for 
Mr.  Tag-rag  !  That  for  Mother  Squal- 
lop  —  Ah,  ha,  gents  !  It  won't  do 
to  go  back  to  that  —  eugh  !  —  eh  ? 
will  it  ? — you  know  what   I   mean  ! 


Fancy    Tittlebat    Titmouse    standing 
behind " 

The  partners  looked  rather  blank. 

"We  would  venture  to  suggest, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  Mr.  Gammon 
seriously,  "  the  absolute  necessity  there 
is  for  everything  on  your  part  and  our 
parts  to  go  on  as  quietly  as  before, 
for  a  little  time  to  come  :  to  be  safe 
and  successful,  my  dear  sir,  we  must 
be  secret." 

"Oh,  I  see,  gents!  I  see;  mum — 
mum's  the  word,  for  the  present !  But, 
I  must  say,  if  there  is  any  one  whom 
I  want  to  hear  of  it,  sooner  than 
another,  it's " 

"Rag-bag  and  Co.,  I  suppose!  ha, 
ha,  ha  ! "  interrupted  Mr.  Gammon, 
his  partners  echoing  his  gentle  laugh. 

' '  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  Cuss  the  cats — that's 
it— ha,  ha,  ha !  "  echoed  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ;  who,  getting  up  out  of  his 
chair,  could  not  resist  capering  to  and 
fro  in  something  of  the  attitude  of  a 
stage-dancer,  whistling  and  humming 
by  turns,  and  indulging  in  various 
other  wild  antics. 

"And  now,  gents — excuse  me,  but, 
to  do  a  bit  of  business — when  am  I  to 
begin  scattering  the  sinners,  eh  ? "  he 
enquired,  interrupting  a  low-toned, 
but  somewhat  vehement  conversation, 
between  the  two  senior  partners. 

"Oh,  of  course,  sir,"  replied  Mr. 
Gammon,  rather  coldly,  "some  delay 
is  unavoidable.  All  we  have  done,  as 
yet,  is  to  discover  that,  as  far  as  we 
are  advised,  and  can  judge,  you  will 
turn  out  to  be  the  right  owner ;  but 
very  extensive  and  expensive  opera- 
tions must  be  immediately  commenced, 
before  you  can  be  put  into  possession. 
There  are  some  who  won't  be  persuaded 
to  drop  £10,000  a-year  out  of  their 
hands,  Mr.  Titmouse,  for  the  mere 
asking  !  "  added  Mr.  Gammon  with  a 
bitter  smile. 

"The  devil  there  are!  Who  are 
they  that  want  to  keep  me  any  longer 
out  of  what's  my  own  ? — what's  justly 
mine  ?  Eh  ?  I  want  to  know  !  Haven't 
they  kept  me  out  long  enough  ? — hang 
'em  !  Put  'em  in  prison  directly — 
don't  spare  'em — rascals  !  " 

"They'll  probably,  erelong,  find 
their  way  in  that  direction — for,  how- 


34 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


ever,"  replied  Mr.  Quirk,  "he's  to 
make  up,  poor  devil,  the  mesne 
profits " 

"Mean  profits? — is  that  all  you  call 
them,  gents?  Ton  my  life,  it's  rogue's 
money  —  villain's  profits!  So  don't 
spare  him — he's  robbed  the  fatherless, 
which  I  am,  and  an  orphan.  Keep 
me  out  cf  what's  mine,  indeed  !  Curse 
me  if  he  shall,  though  !  " 

"My  dear  -Mr.  Titmouse,"  said 
Gammon  gravely,  "we  are  getting  on 
too  fast — dreadfully  too  fast.  It  will 
never  do  :  matters  of  such  immense 
importance  as  these  cannot  be  hurried 
on,  or  talked  of,  in  this  way " 

"  I  like  that,  sir  !— I  do,  by  Jove  !  " 

"You  will  really,  if  you  go  on  in 
this  wild  way,  Mr.  Titmouse,  make  us 
regret  the  trouble  we  have  taken  in 
the  affair,  and  especially  the  prompt- 
ness with  which  we  have  communicated 
to  you  the  extent  of  ypur  possible  good 
fortune." 

"Beg  pardon,  I'm  sure,  gents,  but 
mcannoolfenco  :  am  monstrous  obliged 
to  you  for  what  you've  done  for  me — 
but,  by  Jove,  it's  taken  me  rather  a- 
back,  I  own,  to  hear  that  I'm  to  be  kept 
so  long  out  of  it  all !  "Why  can't  you 
offer  him,  whoever  he  is  that  has  my 
property,  a  .'lapping  sum  to  go  out  at 
once  ?  Gents,  I'll  own  to  you  I'm  most 
uncommon  low — never  so  low  in  my 
life — devilish  low  !  Done  up,  and  yet 
can't  get  what's  justly  mine !  What 
am  I  to  do  in  tin;  mean  while  i  Con- 
sider that,  gents  !  " 

"You  are  rather  excited  just  now, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  Mr.  Quirk  seri- 
ously; "suppose  we  now  break  up, 
and  resume  our  conversation  to-mor- 
row, when  We  are  all  in  better  and 
calmer  trim  ? " 

"No,  sir,  thanking  you  all  the 
same  ;  but  1  think  we'd  better  go  on 
with  it  now,"  replied  Titmouse  im- 
petuously. "Do  you  think  I  can 
stoop  to  go  back  to  that  nasty,  b. . 

i  Btand  behind  thai  ounter  .'" 

"Our   i  [>u  ion,    Mr.    Tit- 

moo  e,"  Baid  .Mr.  Quirk,  emphati 
— his  other  \  ing  very  grave 

in  their  1  ioks— "  lhal  is,  if  our  opinion 

13  W(  ill   Off   I  .'i        " 

"That,   by  Jovjl    remains   to  be 


seen,"  said  Titmoiuv,  with  a  pettish 
shake  of  tho  head. 

"  Well,  such  as  it  is,  we  offer  it  you  ; 
and  it  is,  that  for  many  reasons  you 
continue,  for  a  little  while  longer,  in 
your  present  situation '' 

"  What !  own  Tag-rag  for  mv  master 
—and  I  worth  £10,000  a-yoor?" 

"My  dear  sir,  you've  not  got  it 
yet,"  said  Mr.  Quirk,  with  a  very 
bitter  sarcastic  smiie. 

"Do  you  think  you'd  have  told  mo 
what  you  have,  if  you  weren't  suro 
that  I  should,  though  ?  No,  no  !  you've 
gone  too  far,  by  Jove  ! — 1  shall  burst, 
I  shall !  Me  to  go  on  as  before  ! — they 
use  me  worse  and  worse  every  day. 
Gents,  you'll  excuse  me — I  hope  you 
will ;  but  business  is  business,  gents — 
it  is  ;  and  if  you  won't  do  mine,  I 
must  look  out  for  them  that  will — 
'pon  my  soul,  1  must,  and — "  If  Mr. 
Titmouse  could  have  seen,  or,  having 
sei  n,  appreciated,  the  looks  which  the 
three  partners  interchanged,  on  hear- 
ing this  absurd,  ungrateful,  and  inso- 
lent speech  of  his — the  expression  that 
flitted  across  their  shrewd  faces  ;  that 
was,  of  intense  contempt  for  him, 
hardly  overma;  tered  ami  com  i  a'ed  by 
a  vivid  perception  of  their  own  interest, 
which  was,  of  course,  to  manage,  to 
soothe,  to  conciliate  him  ! 

How  the  reptile  propensities  of  his 
mean  nature  had  thriven  beneath  tho 
sudden  sunshine  of  unexpected  pros- 
perity ! — See  already  his  Belnshness, 
truculenco,  rapacity,  in  full  play  I 

"So,  gents,"  said  he  after  a  long 
and  keen  expostulation  with  them  on 
the  same  subject,  "I'm  really  to  go  to- 
morrow morning  to  Tag-rag  and  Co. 'a, 
ami  go  on  with  the  cursed  life  I  led 
thru-  to-day,  all  as  if  nothing  had 
happened,—  ha,  ha,  ha  !— 1  like  that  1" 

"  In  your  present  humour,  Mr.  Tit- 
mou  ie,  it  would  1"'  in  \ ain  to  discuss 
the  matter," said  Mr.  Quirk.  "Again 
1  tell  you  that  tho  ©  at  Q  we  have 
mm<  ud<  d  is,  in  our  i  ,  tho 

proper  one  ;  exem b  me  if  1  odd,  that 
you  are  cu.ir.  !y  in  our  hands — ..ml  if 
you  -what  can  you  do  but  adopt 
our  aih  ice  I " 

"  Why,  hang  me  if  I  won't  employ 
Somel  —that's  flat!     S'vlp  me, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


35 


heaven,  I  will !  So,  good-night,  gents  ; 
you'll  find  that  Tittlebat  Titmouse 
isn't  to  be  trilled  with  !  "  So  saying, 
Mr.  Titmouse  clapped  his  hat  on  his 
head,  bounced  out  of  the  room,  and,  no 
attempt  being  made  to  stop  him,  he 
was  in  the  street  in  a  twinkling. 

Mr.  Gammon  gazed  at  Mr.  Quirk 
with  a  look  whose  significance  the  old 
gentleman  thoroughly  understood  — 
'twas  compounded  of  triumph,  re- 
proach, and  apprehension. 

"Did  you  ever  see  such  a  little 
beast !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Quirk,  with 
an  air  of  disgust,  turning  to  Mr.  Snap. 

"  Beggar  on  horseback  ?  "  exclaimed 
Snap,  with  a  bitter  sneer. 

"It  won't  do,  however,"  said  Mr. 
Quirk,  with  a  most  chagrined  and 
apprehensive  air,  ' '  for  him  to  go  at 
large  in  his  present  frame  of  mind — 
he  may  ruin  the  thing  altogether " 

"As  good  as  £500  a-ycar  out  of  the 
way  of  the  office,"  said  Snap. 

"It  cannot  be  helped  now"  said 
Mr.  Gammon,  with  a  sigh  of  vexation, 
turning  to  Mr.  Quirk,  and  seizing  his 
hat — "he  must  be  managed — so  I'll 
go  after  him  instantly,  and  bring  him 
back  at  all  hazards  ;  and  we  must 
really  try  and  do  something  for  him 
in  the  mean  while,  to  keep  him  quiet 
till  the  thing's  brought  a  little  into 
train."  So  out  went  after  Titmouse, 
Mr.  Gammon,  from  whose  lips  dropped 
persuasion  sweeter  than  honey  ;  and  I 
should  not  be  surprised  if  he  were  to 
he  able  to  bring  back  that  little 
stubborn  piece  of  conceited  stupidity. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Titmouse  heard  the 
street  door  shut  after  him,  with  a  kind 
of  bang,  he  snapped  his  fingers  once 
or  twice,  by  way  of  letting  off  a  little 
of  the  inflammable  air  that  was  in  him, 
and  muttered,  "  Pretty  chaps  those, 
upon  my  soul !  I'll  expose  them  all ! 
I'll  apply  to  the  lord  mayor— they're 
a  pack  of  swindlers,  they  are  !  This 
is  the  way  they  treat  me,  who've  got 
a  title  to  £10,000  a-year  !  To  be  sure  " 
• — He  stood  still  for  a  moment,  and 
another  moment,  and  dismay  came 
quickly  over  him  ;  for  it  suddenly 
occurred  to  his  partially  obfuscated 
intellect — what  hold  had.  he  got  on 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  ? 


— what  could  he  do? — what  had  he 
done  ? 

Ah — the  golden  vision  of  the  last 
few  hours  was  fading  away  moment- 
arily, like  a  dream  !  Each  second  of 
his  deep  and  rapid  reflection,  rendered 
more  impetuous  his  desire  and  deter- 
mination to  return  and  make  his  peace 
with  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap.  By  submission  for  the  present, 
he  could  get  the  whip-hand  of  them 
hereafter !  He  was  in  the  act  of  turn- 
ing round  towards  the  office,  when 
Mr.  Gammon  softly  laid  his  hand  upon 
the  shoulder  of  his  repentant  client. 

"  Mr.  Titmouse  !  my  dear  sir,  what 
is  the  matter  with  you  ?  How  could 
we  so  misunderstand  each  other  ? " 

Titmouse's  small  cunning  was  on  tho 
qui  virc,  and  he  saw  and  followed  up 
his  advantage.  "I  am  going,"  said 
he,  in  a  resolute  tone,  "to  speak  to 
some  one  else,  in  the  morning." 

"Ah,  to  be  sure — I  supposed  as 
much — 'tis  a  matter  which  of  course, 
however,  signifies  nothing  to  any  one 
but  yourself.  You  will  take  any  steps, 
my  dear  sir,  that  occur  to  you,  and 
act  as  you  may  be  advised." 

' '  Monstrous  kind  of  you,  'pon  my 
life  !  to  come  and  give  me  such  good 
advice  ! "  exclaimed  Titmouse  with  a 
sneer. 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  it !  "  said  Gam- 
mon coolly  ;  "  I  came  out  of  pure  good 
nature,  to  assure  you  that  our  office, 
notwithstanding  what  has  passed, 
entertains  not  the  slightest  personal 
ill  feeling  towards  you,  in  thus  throw- 
ing oil"  our  hands  a  fearfully  expensive, 
and  most  harassing  enterprise — which 
we  had  too  rashly  undertaken " 

' '  Hem  !  "  exclaimed  Titmouse,  once 
or  twice. 

"So  good-night,  Mr.  Titmouse — ■ 
good-night !  God  bless  you  !  we  part 
friends  ! "  Mr.  Gammon,  in  the  act 
of  returning  to  the  door,  extended  his 
hand  to  Mr.  Titmouse,  who  he  in- 
stantly perceived  was  melting  rapidly. 

"Why,  sir,"  quoth  Titmouse,  with 
a  mixture  of  embarrassment  and  alarm, 
"  if  I  thought  you  all  meant  the  correct 
thing — hem  !  I  say,  the  correct  thing 
by  me — I  shouldn't  so  much  mind  a 
little   disappointment   for  the  time; 

r>  2 


36 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


but  you  must  own,  Mr.  Gammon,  it 
is  veiy  hard  being  kept  out  of  one's 
own  so  long — honour,  now  !  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  True,  very  true,  Mr.  Titmouse. 
Very  bard  it  is,  indeed,  to  hear,  and 
we  all  felt  deeply  for  you,  and  would 
have  set  everything  in  train " 

"  Would  have " 

"  Yes,  my  dear  Mr.  Titmouse,  we 
would  have  done  it,  and  brought  you 
through  every  difficulty — over  every 
obstacde,  prodigious  though  they  arc, 
and  almost  innumerable.' 

' '  "Why  —  you  —  don't  —  hardly  — 
quite — mean  to  say  you've  given  it  all 
up  ?— What,  already  !  Ton  my  life  ! 
Oil  Lord  !  "  exclaimed  Titmouse,  in 
evident  trepidation. 

Mr.  Gammon  had  triumphed  over 
Mr.  Titmouse  !  whom,  nothing  loath, 
he  brought  back,  in  two  minutes'  time, 
into  the  room  which  Titmouse  had 
just  before  so  rudely  quitted.  Mr. 
Quirk  and  Mr.  Snap  bad  now  their 
parts  to  perform  in  the  little  sc<  ue 
which  they  li  id  determined  <>n  enact- 
ing. They  were  in  the  act  of  locking 
Up  desks  and  drawers,  evidently  on 
the  move  ;  and  received  Mr.  Titmouse 
with  an  air  of  cold  surprise. 

"Mr.  Titmouse  again  !  "  exclaimed 
Mr.  Quirk,  taking  bis  gloves  out  of  his 
hat.  "  Lack  again  ! — an  unexpected 
honour." 

"Leave  anything  behind?"  en- 
quired Mr.  Snap — "don't  see  any- 
thing  " 

"  Oh  no,  sir  !  No,  sir  !  "  exclaimed 
Titmouse,  with  eager  anxiety.  "  This 
gent,  Mr.  Gammon,  and  I,  have  made 
it  all  up,  gents!  I'm  not  vexed  any 
more — not  the  least,  'pon  my  soul 
I'm  not." 

"Vexed,  Mr.  Titmouse!"  echoed 
Mr.  Quirk,  with  an  air  sternly  ironical. 
"We  are  under  great  obligations  to 
yon  for  your  forbearanc<  !  " 

"  ( )b,  come,  gents !  "  said  Titmouse, 
more  and  more  disturbed,  "  1  was  too 
warm,  1  dare  Bay,  and— and — I  ask 
ir  pardon,  all  of  you,  gents  !  1 
won't  say  another  word,  if  you'll  but 
buckle  to  business  again  —  quite 
exaet'.y  in  your  own  way  —  because 
you  s  c " 

"It's  growing  very  late,"  said  Mr. 


Quirk  coldly,  and  looking  at  hi3 
watch  ;  ' '  however,  after  what  you  have 
said,  probably  at  some  future  time, 
when  we've  leisure  to  look  into  tho 
thing " 

Poor  Titmouse  was  ready  to  drop 
on  his  knees,  in  mingled  agony  and 
fright. 

"May  I  be  allowed  to  say,"  inter- 
posed the  bland  voice  of  Mr.  Gammon, 
addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Quirk, 
"  that  Mr.  Titmouse  a  few  minutes 
ago  assured  me,  outside  there,  that 
if  you,  as  the  head  of  the  firm,  rould 
only  be  persuaded  to  let  our  house 
take  up  his  case  again " 

"I  did — I  did  indeed,  gents!  so 
help  me !"  interrupted  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, eagerly  backing  with  an  oath 
the  ready  lie  of  Mr.  Gammon. 

Mr.  Quirk  drew  his  hand  across  his 
chin  musingly,  and  stood  silently  for 
a  few  moments,  evidently  irresolute. 

"Well,"  said  he  at  length,  but  in 
a  very  cool  way,  "since  that  is  so,  pro- 
bably we  may  be  induced  to  resume 
our  heavy  labours  in  your  behalf; 
and  if  you  will  favour  us  with  a  call 
to-morrow  night,  at  the  same  lnur, 
we  may  have,  by  that  time,  made  up 
our  minds  as  to  the  course  wo  shall 
think  fit  to  adopt." 

"  Lord,  sir,  I'll  be  here  as  tho  clock 
strikes,  and  as  meek  as  a  mouse  ;  and 
pray,  have  it  all  your  own  way  for  the 
future,  gents — do  !  " 

"Good-night,  sir  —  good-night !  " 
exclaimed  the  partners,  motioning 
towards  the  door. 

"Good-night,  gents!"  said  Tit- 
mouse, bowing  very  low,   and  feeling 

himself  at  the  same  time  being  bowed 
out!  As  lie  passed  out.  of  the  room, 
he  cast  a  lingering  look  at  their  three 
frigid  face  .  as  if  they  were  angels 
Bternly  shutting  him  out  from  Lara- 
disc.  What  misery  was  bis,  as  ho 
walked  slowly  homeward,  with  much 

the  same  feelings  [now  that  the  fumes 

of  the  brandy  bad  somewhat  evapor- 
ated, and  the  reaction  of  excitement 
was  coming  on,  aggravated  by  a  recol- 
lection of  the  desperate  i  heck  lie  had 
received)  as  a  Bick  and  troubled  n 

who,  suddenly  roused  out  of  a  de- 
licious   dream,    drops    into  wretched 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


37 


reality,  as  it  were  out  of  a  fairy-land, 
which,  with  all  its  dear  innumerable 
delights,  is  melting  overhead  into  thin 
air — disappearing  for  ever. 

Closet  Court  had  never  looked  so 
odious  to  him  as  it  did  on  his  return 
from  this  memorable  interview.  Dread- 
fully distressed  and  harassed,  he  flung 
himself  on  his  bed  for  a  moment, 
directly  he  had  shut  his  door,  intend- 
ing presently  to  rise  and  undress  ;  but 
Sleep,  having  got  him  prostrate, 
secured  her  victory.  She  waved  her 
black  wand  over  him,  and — he  woke 
not  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
A  second  long-drawn  sigh  was  pre- 
paring to  follow  its  predecessor,  when 
he  heard  the  clock  strike  eight,  and 
sprung  oif  the  bed  in  a  fright ;  for  he 
ought  to  have  been  at  the  shop  an 
hour  before.  Dashing  a  little  water 
into  his  face,  and  scarce  staying  to 
wipe  it  oil,  he  ran  down-stairs,  through 
the  court,  and  along  the  street,  never 
stopping  till  he  had  found  his  way  into 
— almost  the  very  arms  of  the  dreaded 
Mr.  Tag-rag  ;  who,  rarely  making  his 
appearance  till  about  half-past  nine, 
had,  as  the  deuce  would  have  it,  hap- 
pened to  come  down  an  hour  and  a 
half  earlier  than  usual,  on  the  only 
morning  out  of  several  hundreds  on 
which  Titmouse  had  been  more  than 
ten  minutes  beyond  his  time. 

"Yours  ve-ry  respectfully,  Mr. 
Titmouse  —  Thomas  Tag-rag]"  ex- 
claimed that  personage  with  mock 
solemnity,  bowing  formally  to  his 
astounded  and  breathless  shopman. 

"I — I — beg  your  pardon,  sir;  but 
I  wasn't  very  well,  and  overslept 
myself,"  stammered  Titmouse. 

"Ne-ver  mind,  Mr.  Titmouse! 
ne-yer  mind  ! — it  don't  much  signify, 
as  it  happens,"  interrupted  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  bitterly;  "you've  just  got  au 
hour  and  a  half  to  take  this  piece  of 
silk,  with  my  compliments,  to  Messrs. 
Shuttle  and  Weaver,  in  Dirt  Street, 
Spitalfields,  and  ask  them  if  they 
aren't  ashamed  to  send  it  to  a  "West- 
end  house  like  mine  ;  and  bring  back 
a  better  piece  instead  of  it !  D'ye 
liear,  sir? " 

'Yes,  sir — but — am  I  to  go  before 
my  breakfast,  sir  ? " 


_  "Did  I  say  a  word  about  breakfast, 
sir  ?  You  heard  my  orders,  sir  ;  you 
can  attend  to  them  or  not,  Mr. 
Ti' mouse,  as  you  please  !  " 

Off  trotted  Titmouse  instantcr,  with- 
out his  breakfast ;  and  so  Tag-rag 
gained  one  object  he  had  had  in  view. 
Titmouse  found  this  rather  trying :  a 
five-mile  walk  before  him,  with  no  in- 
considerable load  under  his  arm,  having 
had  nothing  to  eat  since  the  preceding 
evening,  when  he  had  partaken  of  a 
delicate  repast  of  thick  slices  of  bread, 
smeared  slightly  over  with  salt  butter, 
and  moistened  with  a  most  astringent 
decoction  of  tea-leaves  sweetened  with 
brown  sugar,  and  discoloured  with 
sky-blue  milk.  He  had  not  even  a 
farthing  about  him  wherewith  to  buy 
a  penny  roll !  As  he  went  disconsol- 
ately along,  so  many  doubts  and  fears 
buzzed  impetuously  about  him,  that 
they  completely  darkened  his  little 
soul,  and  bewildered  his  small  under- 
standing. Ten  Thousand  a-  Year  ! — 
it  was  never  meant  for  the  like  of  him. 
He  soon  worked  himself  into  a  convic- 
tion that  the  whole  thing  was  infinitely 
too  good  to  be  true  ;  the  affair  was 
desperate  ;  it  had  been  all  moonshine ; 
for  some  cunning  purpose  or  another, 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
had  been— ha,  here  he  was  within  a 
few  yards  of  their  residence,  the  scene 
of  last  night's  tragic  transactions  !  As 
he  passed  Saffron  Hill,  he  paused, 
looked  lip  towards  the  blessed  abode, 

"Whore  centred  all  his  hopes  and  fears," — 

uttered  a  profound  sigh,  and  passed 
slowly  on  towards  Spitalfields.  The 
words  "Quirk,  Gannnon,  and  Snap," 
seemed  to  be  written  over  every  shop- 
window  which  he  passed — their  images 
filled  his  mind's  eye.  What  could 
they  be  at  ?  They  had  been  all  very 
polite  and  friendly — and  of  their  own 
seeking :  had  he  affronted  them  ? 
How  coldly  and  proudly  they  had 
parted  with  him  overnight !  It  was 
evident  that  they  could  stand  no 
nonsense — they  were  great  lawyers  ; 
so  he  must  (if  they  really  would  allow 
him  to  see  them  again)  eat  humble 
pie  cheerfully  till  he  had  got  all  that 
they  had  to  give  him.    How  he  dreaded 


40 


7C 


38 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


tho  coming  night  !  Perhaps  they  in- 
tended civilly  to  tell  him  that  they 
would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
him;  they  would  gel  the  estate  for  them- 
selves, or  some  one  else  that  would  be 
more  manageable!  They  had  taken 
care  to  tell  him  nothing  at  all  about 
the  nature  of  his  pretensions  to  this 
grand  fortune.  Oh,  how  crafty  tiny 
were — they  had  it  all  their  own  way  ! 
— But  what,  after  all,  had  he  really 
done  ?  The  estates  were  his,  if  they 
were  really  in  earnest — his,  and  no 
one's  else  ;  and  why  should  he  he  kepi 
out  of  them  at  their  will  and  pleasure  ? 
Suppose  lie  were  to  say  he  would  give 
them  all  he  was  entitled  to  for  £20,000 
down,  in  cash  ?  Oh  no  ;  on  second 
thoughts,  that  would  be  only  two 
years'  income !  But  on  the  other 
hand— he  dared  hardly  even  propose 
it  to  his  thoughts-  still,  suppose  i! 
should  r<  ally  all  turn  out  true  !  Goo  1- 
ness  gracious  ! — that  day  two  mouths 
lie  might  be  riding  about  in  his  <  arringe 
in  the  Parks,  and  poor  devils  looking 
on  at  him,  as  he  now  looked  on  all 
those  who  now  rode  there.  There  he 
would  he,  holding  up  his  head  with 
the  best  of  them,  instead  of  slaving 
about  as  he  was  that  moment,  carrying 
about  that  cursed  bundle — ough  !  how 
he  shrunk  as  he  changed  its  position, 
to  relieve  his  aching  right,  arm  !  Why 
was  his  moutb.  to  be  stopped — why 
might  he  not  tell  his  shopmates  ? 
"What  would  he  not  give  for  tin;  luxury 
of  telling  it  to  the  odious  Tag-rag  '.' 
If  he  were  to  do  so,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  he 
was  sure,  would  ask  him  to  dinner  the 
Very  next  Sunday,  at  his  country  houi  e 
at  Olapham  ! — Thoughts  such  as  these 
so  occupied  his  mind,  that  he  did  not 
for  a  long  while  observe  that  he  was 
walking  at  a  rapid  rate  towards  the 
Mile-end  road,  having  left  White- 
chapel  chui  i !y  half  a  mile 
behind  him  !  The  possible  master  of 
£10,000  a-year  felt  lit  to  drop  with 
fatigue,  and  Buddon  apprehension  of 
the  stoi  m  lie  iiould  have  to  encounter 
when  he  first  saw  Mr.  Tag-rag  aftei 
bo  long  an  absi  i" ".  Hi-  was  detained 
for  a  cruel  length  of  time  at  Mi 
Shut  tin  and  Weaver's,  who  not  having 
the  required  quantity  of  silk  at  that 


moment  on  their  premises,  had  some 
difficulty  in  obtaining  it,  after  having 
sent  for  it  to  one  or  two  neighbouring 
manufactories;  by  which  means  it 
came  to  pass  that  it  was  two  o'clock 
before  Titmi  use,  completely  exhaust*  d 
and  dispirited,  and  reeking  with  per- 
spiration, had  reached  Tag-rag  and 
Company's.  The  gentlemen  of  tho 
shop  had  finished  their  dinners. 

"  Go  up-stairs  and  get  your  dinner, 
sir  !  "  exclaimed  Tag-rag  imperiously, 
after  having  received  Messrs.  Shuttle 
and  "Weaver's  message. 

Titmouse  having  laid  clown  Ids 
heavy  bundle  on  the  counter,  went  up- 
stairs hungry  enough,  and  found  him- 
self the  sole  occupant  of  the  long  cl<  - 
smelling  room  in  which  his  comp  mions 
had  been  recently  dining.  His  dinn  c 
was  presently  brought  to  him  by  a 
slatternly  .slipshod  servant-girl.  It 
was  in  an  uncovered  basin,  which  ap- 
peared to  contain  nothing  but  tho 
leavings  of  his  companions — a  savomy 
intermixture  of  cold  potatoes,  br  ken 
meat,  (chiefly  bits  of  fat  and  gristle,) 
a  little  hot  water  having  been  thrown 
over  it  to  make  it  appear  warm  and 
fresh — (faugh!)  His  plate  (with  a 
small  pinch  of  salt  upon  it)  had  not 
been  cleaned  after  its  recent  use,  but 
evidently  only  hastily  smeared  over 
with  a  greasy  towel,  as  also  seemed  his 
knife  and  folk,  which,  in  their  dis- 
gusting  state,  he  was  l'aiu  to  put  up 
with,  the  table-cloth  on  which  lie 
might  have  wiped  them  having  been 
removed.  A  hunch  of  bread  that 
seemed  to  have  been  tossing  about  in 
tin;  pan  for  days,  and  half-a-pint  of 
fiat-looking  and  sour-smelling  table- 
beer,  completed  the  fare  set.  before 
him  ;  opposite  which  he  sal  for  some 
minutes,  too  much  oc<  m  ied  with 
hia  refii  ctions  to  commence  Lis  re] 
lie  was  in  the  acl  oi  ut  of 

1 1  e  basin  some  of  its  inviting  contents, 

when — "  'I    : USC  !  "    C      I    imed     the 

v  oice  of  one  of  hi  i  shopmati  s,  pci 
in  at  him   through    1  lie   half    pi 
door,  "Mr.  Tag-rag  wants  you!    llo 
says  you've   had   plenty  of   time  to 
finish  your  dinner !  " 

"  <  In,  t.ll  him,  then,  I'm  only  just 
beginning  my  dinner    -ough  !  such  as 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


39 


it  is,"  replied  Titmouse,  masticating 
the  first  mouthful  with  an  appearance 
of  no  'particular  relish,  it  may  be 
supposed. 

In  a  few  minutes'  time  Mr.  Tag-rag 
himself  entered  the  room,  stuttering — 
u  How  much  longer,  sir,  is  it  your 
pleasure  to  spend  over  your  dinner, 
eh?" 

"Not  another  moment,  sir,"  an- 
swered Titmouse,  looking  with  ill- 
concealed  disgust  at  the  savoury 
victuals  before  him;  "if  you'll  only 
allow  me  a  few  minutes  to  go  home 
and  buy  a  penny  roll  ins'tead  of  all 
this " 


"  Ve— ry 
— cu — larly 


good, 


sir  !     Vc — ry  parti 
d,     Mr.     Titmouse," 


replied  Tag-rag,  with  ill-subdued  fury ; 
"anything  else  that  I  can  make  a 
leetlc  memorandum  of  against  the  day 
of  your  Laving  us  ?  " 

This  hint  of  two-fold  terror,  i.  c.  of 
withholding  the  wretched  balance  of 
salary  that  might  be  due  to  him,  on 
the  ground  of  miscorjduct,  and  of  also 
giving  him  a  damning  character,  dis- 
pelled the  small  remains  of  Titmouse's 
appetite,  and  he  rose  to  return  to  the 
shop,  involuntarily  clutching  his  fist 
as  he  brushed  close  past  the  tyrant 
Tag-rag  on  the  stairs,  whom  he  would 
have  been  delighted  to  pitch  down  head- 
foremost ;  and  if  he  had  done  so,  none 
of  his  fellow-slaves  below,  in  spite  of 
their  present  sycophancy  towards  Tag- 
rag,  would  have  shown  any  particular 
alacrity  in  picking  up  their  common 
oppressor.    Poor  Tittlebat  resumed  his 
old  situation  behind  the  counter  ;  but 
how  different    his  present   from  his 
former  air  and  manner  !    With  his  pen 
occasionally  peeping  pertly  out  of  his 
bushy  hair  over  his  right  ear,  and  his 
yard  measure  in  his  hand,  no  one,  till 
Monday    morning,     had    been    more 
cheerful,   smirking,  and  nimble  than 
Tittlebat  Titmouse  :  alas,  how  crest- 
fallen now  !     None  of  his  companions 
could  make  him  out,  or  guess  what 
was  in  the  wind  ;  so  they  very  justly 
concluded    that   he    had    been   doing 
something  dreadfully  disgraceful,  the 
extent  of  which  was  known  to  Tag-rag 
and  himself  alone.     Their  jeers  and 
banter  were  giving  place  to  cold  dis- 


trustful looks,  that  wero  much  more- 
trying  to  bear.     How  he  longed  to  be 
able  to   burst  upon   their  astounded 
minds  with   the   pent-up  intelligence 
that  was  silently  racking  and  splitting 
his  little  bosom  !     But  "if  he  did— the 
terrible  firm  of  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap— Oh  !    the  very  thought  of  them 
glued   his  lips   together.     There  was 
one,  however,  of  whom  he  might  surely 
make  a  confidant — the  excellent  Huck- 
aback,   with   whom   he   had   had    no 
oppoitunity   of  communicating  since 
Sunday  night.     That  gentleman  was 
as  close  a  prisoner  at  the  establishment 
of  Diaper  and  Sarsenet,  in  Totten- 
ham-court Road,  as  Titmouse  at  Messrs. 
Tag-rag's,  of  which  said  establishment 
he  was  as  great  an  ornament  as  was 
Titmouse  of  that  of  Messrs.  Tag-rag's. 
They  were  about  the  same  height,  and 
equals  in  puppyism  of  manners,  dress, 
and    appearance ;   but   Titmouse  was 
much  the  better-looking.     With  equal 
conceit  apparent  in  their  faces,  that  of 
Huckaback,    square,    and    flat,    and 
sallow,  had  an  expression  of  ineffable 
impudence,  that  made  a  lady  shudder, 
and  a  gentleman  feel  a  tingling  sensa- 
tion in  his  right  toe.    About  his  small 
black  eyes  there  was  a  glimmer  of  low 
cunning  ; — but  he  is  not  of  sufficient 
importance  to  be  painted  any  further. 
When  Titmouse   left   the   shop   that 
night,  a  little  after  nine,  he  hurried  to 
his  lodgings,  to  make  himself  as  im- 
posing in  his  appearance  before  Messrs. 
Quirk,    Gammon,    and    Snap,   as  his 
time    and    means    would    admit   of. 
Behold,  on  a  table  lay  a  letter  from 
Huckaback.      It    was   written    in    a 
flourishing  mercantile  hand  ;  and  here 
is  a  copy  of  it : — ■ 

"Dear  Tit, 

"  I  hope  you  are  well,  which  is  what 
I  can  only  middling  say  in  respect  of 
me.  Such  a  row  with  my  governors  as 
I  have  had  to-day  !  I  thought  that, 
as  I  had  been  in  the  House  near  upon 
Eighteen  Months  at  £25  per  annum,  I 
might  naturally  ask  for  £30  a-ycar 
(which  is  what  my  Predecessor  had,) 
when,  would  you  believe  it,  Mr.  Sharp- 
eye  (who  is  going  to  be  taken  in  as  a 
Partner,)  to  whom  I  named  the  thing, 


40 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


ris  up  in  rago  against  me,  and  I  were 
had  up  into  tho  counting-house,  where 

both  thu  governors  was,  and  they  gave 
it  me  in  such  a  way  that  you  never  saw 
nor  heard  of;  but  it  wasn't  all  on  their 

own  sub',  as  you  know  me  too  well  to 
think  of.  You  would  have  thought  I 
hadl  oingto  rob  the  house.  They 

said  I  was  most  oudacious,  and  all  that, 
and  ungrateful,  and  what  would  1  have 
next  ?  .Mr.  Diapi  r  said  times  was  come 
to  such  a  pitch  !  !  since  when  he  was 
first  in  the  business,  for  salaries,  says 
he,  is  risen  to  doable,  and  not  half  the 
work  done  that  was,  and  no  gratitude 
— (cursed  old  curmudgeon  !)  J  lit  said 
if  1  left  them  just  now,  I  might  whistle 
for  a  character,  except  one  that  I  should 
not  like  ;  but  if  he  don't  mind  Til  give 
him  a  touch  of  law  about  that— winch 
brings  me  to  what  happened  to-day 
with  our  lawyers,  Titty,  the  people  at 
Saffron  Hill,  whom  I  thought  I  would 
■call  in  on  to-day,  being  near  the  neigh- 
bourhood with  some  light  goods,  to  see 
now  affairs  was  getting  on,  and  stir 

them  up  a  bit  " 

This  almost  took  Titmouse's  breath 
away- 


— "  feeling  most  interested  on  your 
account,  as  you  know,  dear  Tit,  1  do. 
I  said  1  wanted  to  speak  to  one  of  flu 
gentlemen  on  business  of  wital  import- 
ance; whereat  I  was  quickly  shown 
into  a  room  where  two  gents  was  sit- 
ting. Having  put  down  my  parcel  for 
a  minute  on  the  table,  I  said  J  was  6 
very  intimate  friend  of  yours,  and  had 
called  iu  to  see  how  things  went  on 
about  the  advertisement  ;  whereat  you 
never  saw  in  your  life  how  struck  they 
looked,  and  stared  at  one  another  in 
chleas  silence,  till  they  said  to  me, 
what  concci  tied  me  about  tin-  business  ? 
Or  Something  of  that  nature,  but  in 
such  a  way  that  ris  a  rage  in  me 
directly,  all  for  your  sake  (for  I  did 
not  like  the  looks  of  things  ;)  and  says 
I,  ]  would  let  them  know  we 

were  not,  to  bi  .■  w  hereat  up 

the  younge  t  of  th''  two,  and  i 
the  bell,  no        i  to  a  tight-lai  i  d 

ii  with  a  r>i  a   I    ! 
ii.s  i  w  li i in  t"  the  door,1  which 

I  was  at  once  ;  but,  in  doing  SO,  I  I 

a  little  of  my  mind  to  them.    They're 


no  better  than  they  should  bo,  you  sco 
if  they  are  ;  but  when  we  touch  tho 
property,  we'll  show  them  who  is  their 
masters,  which  consoles  me.  Good- 
bye, keep  your  sperrits  up,  and  I  will 
call  and  tell  you  more  about  it  on 
Sunday.  So  farewell  (I  write  this  at 
.Mr.  Sharpeye's  desk,  who  is  coming 
down  from  dinner  directly.) — Your 
true  friend, 

"  K.  Huckaback. 

"  P.S. — Met  a  young  Jew  last  night 
with  a  lot  of  prime  cigars,  and  (know- 
ing he  must  have- stele  them,  thy 
looked  so  good  at  the  price,)  I  bought 
■me  shilling's  worth  for  me,  and  two 
shillings'  worth  for  you,  your  salary 
bi  ing  higher,  and  to  say  nothing  of 
your  chances." 

All  that  part  of  the  foregoing  letter 
which  related  to  its  amiable  writer's 
interview  with  M  s.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap),  Titmouse  read  in  a 
kind  of  spasm — he  could  not  draw  a 
breath,  and  felt  a  chokin  ;  sensation 
coming  over  him.  Alter  a  while,  "I 
may  spare  myself,"  thought  he,  "tho 
trouble  of  ri  igingout — Huckaback  has 
done  my  business  for  me  with  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap — mine  will 
only  be  a  walk  in  vain!"  And  this 
cursed  call  of  Huckaback's,  too,  to 
happened  after  what  had  oc- 
curred last  night  between  Titmouso 
and  them  !  !  and  so  urgently  as  he  had 
been  enjoined  to  keep  the  matter  to 
himself!  Of  course,  Huckaback  would 
seem  to  have  been  sent  by  him  ;  seeing 
he  appeared  to  have  assumed  the 
hectoring  tone  which  Titmouse  had 
tried  so  vainly  overnight,  and  now  so 
(•ii  terly  repented  <  f ;  and  lie  had  no 
doubl  gros  ly  in  ultcd  the  arbiters  of 
'fit  mou  e  r  he  knew  ]  luek- 

k's  impudence),     he  hail  even  said 
i  would  not  be  GAM- 
ED by  them  !     But  time  was  pri 

;    he   made  ; 
,  i  h  a  bi  iting  lu  in  lie  -  crambled 
into  a  clt  '">(  I  ling  up 

li  against  the  unconscious 
Huckaback  till  he  should  see  that 
Worthy.  In  a  miserable  state  of  mind 
he  set  olf  soon  after  for  Saffron  Hill  at 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


41 


a  quick  pace,  which  soon  became  a 
trot,  and  often  sharpened  into  a  down- 
right run.  He  saw,  heard,  and  thought 
of  nothing,  as  he  hurried  along  Oxford 
Street  and  Holbom,  bat  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, Snap,  and  Huckaback,  and  the 
reception  which  the  latter  might  have 
secured  for  lain — if,  indeed,  he  was  to 
be  received  at  all.  The  magical  words, 
Ten  Thousand  a- Year,  had  not  dis- 
appeared from  the  field  of  his  troubled 
vision  ;  but  how  faintly  and  dimly 
they  shone  ! — like  the  Pleiades  coldly 
glistening  through  intervening  mists 
fir  off — oh  !  at  whit  a  stupendous, 
immeasurable,  and  hopeless  distance  ! 
Imag'ne  those  stars  gazed  at  by  the 
anguished  and  despairing  eyes  of  the 
bereaved  lover,  madly  believing  one  of 
them  to  contain  her  who  has  just 
departed  from  his  arms,  and  from  this 
world,  and  you  may  form  a  notion  of 
the  agonizing  feelings — the  absorbed 
contemplation  of  one  dear,  dazzling, 
but  distant  object,  experienced  on  this 
occasion  by  Mr.  Titmouse.  No,  no  ;  I 
don't  mean  seriously  to  pretend  that 
so  grand  a  thought  as  this  could  be 
entertained  by  his  little  optics  intel- 
lectual ;  you  might  as  well  suppose  the 
tiny  eye  of  a  black  beetle  to  be  scan- 
ning the  vague,  fanciful,  and  mysteri- 
ous figure  and  proportions  of  Orion,  or 
a  chimpanzee  to  be  perusing  and  pon- 
dering over  the  immortal  Principia. 
I  repeat,  that  I  have  no  desire  of  the 
sort,  and  am  determined  not  again 
foolishly  to  attempt  fine  writing,  which 
I  now  perceive  to  be  entirely  out  of  my 
lino.  In  language  more  befitting  me 
and  my  subject,  I  may  be  allowed  to 
say  that  there  is  no  getting  the  con- 
tents of  a  quart  into  a  pint  pot ;  that 
Titmouse's  mind  was  a  half-pint — and 
it  was  brimful.  All  the  while  that  I 
have  been  going  on  thus,  however, 
Titmouse  was  hurrying  down  Holborn 
at  a  rattling  rate.  When  at  length  he 
had  reached  Saffron  Hill,  he  was  in  a 
bath  of  perspiration.  His  face  was 
quite  red;  he  breathed  hard  ;  his  heart 
beat  violently  ;  he  had  got  a  stitch  in 
his  side  ;  and  he  could  not  get  his 
gloves  on  his  hot  and  swollen  hands. 
He  stood  for  a  moment  with  his  hat 
off,  wiping  his  reeking  forehead,  and 


endeavouring  to  recover  himself  a  little, 
before  entering  the  dreaded  presence  to 
which   he  hail   been  hastening.      Ha 
even  fancied,  for  a  moment,  that  his 
eyes  gave  out  sparks  of  light !     "While 
thus   pausing,    St.    Andrew's    Church 
struck  ten,  half  electrifying  Titmouse, 
who  bolted  up  the  hill,  and  was  soon 
standing  opposite  the  door.     How  the 
sight  of  it  smote  him,  as  it  reminded 
him  of  the  way  in  which,  on  tfcfr  pre- 
ceding night,  he  had  bounced  out  of 
it !    But  that  could  not  now  be  helped  ; 
so  ring  went  the  bell ;  as  softly,  how- 
ever, as  he  could  ;  for  he  recollected 
that  it  was  a  very  loud  bell,  and  he  did 
not  wish  to  offend.    He  stood  for  some 
time,  and  nobody  answered.   He  waited 
for  nearly  two  minutes,  and  trembled, 
a  ^sailed  by  a  thousand  vague  fears.    He 
might  not,  however,  have  rung  loudly 
enough — so — again,  a  little  louder,  did 
he  venture  to  ring.     Again  he  waited. 
There  seemed  something  threatening 
in  the  great  brass  plate  on  the  door, 
out  of  which  "Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  "  appeared  to  look  at  him  omin- 
ously.    While  he  thought  of  it,  by  the 
way,  there  was  something  very  serious 
and  stern  in  all  their  faces — he  won- 
dered that  he  had  not  noticed  it  before. 
What  a  drunken  beast  he  had  be  -\x  to 
go  on  in  their  presence  as  he  had ! 
thought  he  ;  then  Huckaback's  imago 
flitted    across    his    disturbed    fancy. 
"Ah!"     thought    he,    "that's     the 
thing  ! — that's  it,    depend    upon  it : 
this  door  will  never  be  opened  to  me 
again — he's  done  forme ! "  He  breathed 
faster,  clenched  his  fist,  and  involun- 
tarily rai.-ed  it  in  a  menacing  way,  when 
he   heard   himself    addressed — "  Oh  I 
dear  me,  sir,  I  hope  I  haven't  kept  you 
waiting,"  said  the  old  woman  whom  he 
had  before  seen,  fumbling  in  her  pocket 
for  the  door-key.     She  had  been  evi- 
dently out  shopping,  having  a  plate  in 
her  left  hand,  over  which  her  apron 
was  partially  thrown.     "  Hope  you've 
not  been  ringing  long,  sir  !  " 

"Oh,  dear!  no,  ma'am,"  replied 
Titmouse  with  anxious  civility,  and  a 
truly  miserable  smile — "Afraid  I  may 
have  kept  them  waiting,"  he  added, 
almost  dreading  to  hear  the  answer. 

"Oh  no,  sir,  not  at  all — they've  all 


42 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


been  pone  since  a  little  after  nine  ;  but 
there's  a  letter  I  was  to  give  you  !  " 
She  opened  the  door;  Titmouse  Dearly 
dropping  with  fright.  "  I'll  get  it 
you,  sir — let  me  see,  where  did  1  pul 
it  ? — Oh,  in  the  clerk's  room,  1  think." 
Titmouse  followed  her  in.  "Dear  me 
— where  can  it  lie?"  she  continued, 
peering  about,  ami  thou  snuffing  the 
long  wick  of  the  candle  which  she  had 
left  burning  for  the  last  quarter  of  an 
hour,  during  her  absence.  "I  hope 
none  of  the  clerks  has  put  it  away  in 
mistake  !  Well,  it  isn't  here,  any- 
how." 

"  Perhaps,  ma'am,  it's  in  their  men 
room,"  suggested  Titmouse,  in  a  faint 
tone. 

"Oh,  p'r'aps  it  is  ! "  she  replied. 
"We'll  go  and  see" — and  she  led  the 
way,  followed  closely  by  Titmouse,  who 
caught  his  breath  as  he  passed  the 
green-baize  door.  Yes,  there  was  the 
room  —  the  scene  of  last  night  was 
transacted  there,  and  came  crowding 
over  his  recollection — there  was  the 
green-shaded  candlestick — the  table 
covered  with  papers — an  arm-chair 
near  it,  in  which,  probably,  Mr.  Quirk 
had  lie, -n  Bitting  only  an  hour  before 
to  write  the  letter  they  were  now  in 
quest  of,  and  which  might  be  to  fir- 
bid  him  their  presence  for  ever  !  How 
dreary  and  deserted  the  room  looked, 
thought  he,  as  he  peered  about  it  in 
search  of  the  dreaded  letter  ! 

"  Oh,  here  it  is  ! — well,  I  never  ! — 
who  could  have  put  it  here,  now  g  I'm 
sure  I  didn't.  Let  me  see — it  was,  no 
doubt" — said  the  old  woman,  holding 
the  letter  in  one  hand  and  putting  the 
other  to  her  head. 

"Never  mind,  ma'am,"  said  Tit- 
mouse, stretching  his  hand  towards 
her—"  now  we've  got  it,  it  don't  much 
signify."  She  gave  it  to  him.  "Seem 
particularly  anxious  for  me  to  get  it — 
did  they  ?  "  he  enquired,  with  a  b1 
effort  to  appear  unconcerned  —  the 
dreaded  letter  quite  quivering,  the 
while,  i^ 

"No,  sir — Mr.  Quirk  only  said  1 
was  to  give  it  to  you  when  you  called. 
B'licve  they  Bent  it  to  you,  hut  the 
clerk  said  he  couldn't  find  your  place 
out  ;  )  y  the  way,  (  O  but 


yours  is  a  funny  name  !  How  I  heard 
'em  laughing  at  it,  to  bo  sure  !  "What 
makes  people  give  such  queer  names? 
Would  you  like  to  read  it  here,  sir  ] — 
you're  welcome." 

"No,  thank  you,  madam — it's  of 
not  the  least  consequence,"  he  replied, 
with  a  desperate  air;  and  tosing  it 
with  attempted  carelessness  into  his 
hat,  which  he  put  on  his  head,  he  very 
civilly  wished  her  good-night,  and 
departed — very  nearly  inclim  a  to  sick- 
ness, or  faintness,  or  something  of  the 
sort,  which  the  fresh  air  might  perhaps 
dispel.  He  quickly  espied  a  lamp  at  a 
corner,  which  promised  to  afford  him 
an  uninterrupted  opportunity  of  in- 
specting his  letter.  He  took  it  out  of 
his  hat.  It  was  addressed — simply, 
"Mr.  Titmouse,  Cocking  Court,  Oxford 
Street,"  (which  accounted,  perhaps, 
for  the  clerk's  having  been  unable,  to 
find  it ;)  and  having  been  opened  with 
trembling  eagerness,  thus  it  read  : — 

"  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap 
present  their  compliments  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, and  are  anxious  to  save  him 
the  trouble  of  his  intended  visit  this 
evening. 

"They  exceedingly  regret  that  ob- 
stacles (which  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
however,  may  not  prove  ultimately 
insurmountable)  exist  in  the  way  of 
their  prosecuting  their  intended  en- 
quiries on  behalf  of  Mr.  Titmouse. 

"Since  their  last  night's  interview 
with  him,  circumstan  :es,  which  they 
could  not  have  foreseen,  and  over  which 
they  have  no  control,  have  occurred, 
which  rendi  r  it  unnecessary  far  Mr.  T. 
to  give  himself  any  more  anxiety  in 
the  affair— at  least,  not  until  he  Bhail 
have  heard  from  Mesi  rs.  Q.  G,  aid  S. 

"If  anything  of  importance  should 
hereafter  transpire,  it  is  not  improbable 
that  Mr.  T.  may  heal  from  them. 

"  They  were  favoured,  this  afternoon, 
with  a  visit  from  Mr.  T.'s  friend — a 
.Mr.  llueklebottom. 

"  Saffron  Sill,  Wednesday  Evcni    , 
12th  July,  18—." 

When  poor  Titmouse  had  finished 

reading  over  this  vague,   Ei igid,   and 

ning   note   a  second  time  a 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


43 


convulsive  sob  or  two  pierced  his 
bosom,  indicative  of  its  being  indeed 
swollen  with  sorrow  ;  and  at  length, 
overcome  by  his  feelings,  he  cried 
bitterly  —  not  checked  even  by  the 
occasional  exclamations  of  one  or  two 
passers-by.  He  could  not  at  all  con- 
trol himself.  He  felt  as  if  he  could 
have  .almost  relieved  himself,  by  bang- 
ing bis  head  against  the  wall !  A 
tumultuous  feeling  of  mingled  grief 
and  despair  prevented  his  thoughts, 
for  a  long  while,  from  settling  on  any 
one  idea  or  object.  At  length,  when 
the  violence  of  the  storm  had  some- 
what abated,  on  concluding  a  third 
perusal  of  the  death-warrant  to  all  his 
hopes,  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  his 
eye  lit  upon  the  strange  word  which 
was  intended  to  describe  his  friend 
Huckaback  ;  and  it  instantly  changed 
both  the  kind  of  his  feelings,  and  the 
direction  in  which  they  had  been 
rushing.  Grief  became  rage  ;  and  the 
stream  foamed  in  quite  a  new  direction 
■ — namely,  towards  Huckaback.  That 
fellow  he  considered  to  be  the  sole 
cause  of  the  direful  disaster  which  had 
befallen  him.  He  utterly  lost  sight  of 
one  circumstance,  which  one  should 
have  thought  might  have  occurred  to 
his  thoughts  at  such  a  time — viz.  his 
own  offensive  and  insolent  behaviour 
Overnight  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap.  But  so  it  was  : — yes,  upon 
the  devoted  (but  unconscious)  head 
of  Huckaback,  was  to  descend  the 
lightning  rnge  of  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 
The  lire  that  was  thus  quickly  kindled 
V  i'hin,  soon  dried  up  the  source  of  his 
tears.  He  crammed  the  letter  into  his 
pocket,  and  started  off  at  once  in  the 
direction  of  Leicester  Square,  breathing 
rage  at  every  step — xircsquc  acquirens 
cw.ido.  His  hands  kept  convulsively 
clenching  together  as  he  pelted  along. 
Hotter  and  hotter  became  his  rage,  as 
he  reared  the  residence  of  Huckaback. 
When  ho  had  reached  it,  he  sprung 
np-stairs ;  knocked  at  his  quondam 
friend's  door  ;  and  on  the  instant  of 
its  being- — douhtless  somewhat  sur- 
piisedly — opened  by  Huckaback,  who 
was  undressing,  Titmouse  sprung  to- 
wards him,  let  fly  a  goodly  number  of 
violent  blows  upon  his  face  and  breast  | 


— and  down  fell  Huckaback  upon  {he- 
bed  behind  him,  insensible,  and  bleed- 
ing profusely  from  his  nose. 

"  There  !  there!  "—gasped  Titmouse, 
breathless  and  exhausted,  discharging 
a  volley  of  oaths  and  opprobrious 
epithets  at  the  victim  of  his  fury. 
"  Do  it  again  !  You  will,  won't  you  ! 
You'll  go — and  meddle  again  in  other 
people's  —  you cu-cu-cursed  offici- 
ous"— But  his  rage  was  spent — the 
paroxysm  was  over;  the  silent  and 
bleeding  figure  of  Huckaback  was 
before  his  eyes ;  and  he  gazed  at 
him,  terror-stricken.  What  had  he 
done  !  He  sunk  down  on  the  bed 
beside  Huckaback — then  started  up, 
wringing  his  hands,  and  staring  at 
him  in  an  ecstasy  of  remorse  and  fright. 
It  was  rather  singular  that  the  noise  of 
such  an  assault  should  have  roused  no 
one  to  enquire  into  it ;  but  so  it  was. 
Frightened  almost  out  of  his  bewildered 
senses,  he  closed  and  bolted  the  door ; 
and  addressed  himself,  as  well  as  ho 
was  able,  to  the  recovery  of  Huckaback. 
Propping  him  up,  and  splashing  cold 
water  in  his  face,  Titmouse  at  length 
discovered  symptoms  of  revival,  which 
he  anxiously  endeavoured  to  accelerate, 
by  putting  to  the  lips  of  the  slowly 
awakening  victim  of  his  violence  some 
cold  water,  in  a  tea-cup.  He  swallowed 
a  little  ;  and  soon  afterwards,  opening 
his  eyes,  stared  on  Titmouse  with  a 
dull  eye  and  bewildered  air. 

"What's  been  the  matter?"  at 
length  he  faintly  enquired. 

"Oh,  Hucky  !  so  glad  to  hear  you 
speak  again.  It's  I— I— Titty  !  I  did 
it !  Strike  me,  Hucky,  as  soon  as 
you're  well  enough  !  Do — kick  me — • 
anything  you  choose  !  I  won't  hinder 
you  !  "  cried  Titmouse,  sinking  on  his 
knees,  and  clasping  his  hands  together, 
as  he  perceived  Huckaback  rapidly 
reviving. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 
repeated  that  gentleman,  with  a  won- 
dering air,  raising  his  hand  to  his 
nose,  from  which  the  blood  was  still 
trickling.  The  fact  is,  that  he  had 
lost  his  senses,  not  so  much  from  the 
violence  of  the  injuries  he  had  received, 
as  from  the  suddenness  with  which 
they  had  been  inilictcd. 


u 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"  I  did  it  all — yes,  I  did  ! "  continued 
Titmouse,  gazing  on  him  with  a  look 
of  agony  and  remorse. 

"  Why,  I  can't  be  awake — I  can't !  " 
said  Huckaback,  robbing  his  eyes,  and 
then  staring  at  his  stained  shirt-front 
and  hands. 

"Oil,  yep,  you  are  —  you  are  !  " 
groaned  Titmouse;  "and  I'm  going 
mad  as  fast  as  I  can  !  Do  what  yon 
like  to  me  !  Lick  me  if  you  please ! 
Call  in  a  constable  !  Send  me  to  jail ! 
Say  I  came  to  rob  you — anything — I 
don't  care  what  becomes  of  me  !  " 

"Why,  what  docs  all  this  jabber 
n,  Titmouse?"  enquired   Hucka- 
back  sternly,   apparently  meditating 
rej  irisals. 

' '  ( >h,  yes,  I  sec  !  Now  you  are  going 
to  give  it  me  !  I  won't  stir.  So  hit 
away,  Hui  ky." 

"Why — arc  you  mad?"  enquired 
Huckaback,  grasping  him  by  the  collar 
rather  roughly. 

"  Yes,  quite!  Mad! — ruined!  — 
gone  1"  the  devil  all  at  once  !" 

"Aral  what  if  you  are  !  What  did 
it  matter  to  me  1  What  brought  you 
to  me,  here  ?"  continued  Huckaback, 
in  a  tone  of  increasing  vehemence. 
"What  have  I  done  to  offend  you? 
How  dare  you  come  here?  And  al 
this  time  of  night,  too?     Eh  ?" 

"What,  indeed!  Oh  lud,  oh  hid, 
oh  lud!  Kick  me,  I  say— strike  me! 
You'll  do  me  good,  and  bring  me  to 
my  sensi  s.  Me  to  do  all  this  to  yon  ! 
And  we've  been  such  precious  good 
friends  always.  I'm  a  brute,  1  lucky 
— I've  been  mad,  stark  mad,  llucky — 
and  that's  all  1  can  say." 

Hue]  I  at  him  more  and 

more  ;  and  began  at  length  to  Buspecl 
how  matters  stood — namely,  that  the 
Sunday's  incident  had  turned  Tit- 
Tnoi;:  c  head  he  having  also,  no 
■  t,  h(  a rd  some  de  pi  n  te  had  news 
durii     I  mashing  all  his  hopes. 

A  mixture  of  emotions  kept  him  i  ilent. 
Astonishment  —  apprehension — do 
—  prid  '     piquo  ent.     I  te  had 

I  I n  draw  n 

— by  the  man  th  re  1    fore  him  on  hi 
hi ;  fiicnd  ;  now,  he 
I,  a  madman. 
'•  Why,    curse    me,   Titmouse,   if   I 


can  make  op  my  mind  what  to  do  to 
you  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I — I  suppose 
you're  going  n  ad,  or  gone  r.iad,  and  I 
must  forgive  you.  But  get  away  with 
you— out  with  you,  or— or— I'll  call 
in " 

"Forgive  me  — forgive  me,  dear 
llucky  !  Don't  send  me  away—  I  shall 
go  and  drown  myself  if  you  do." 

"What  the  d— 1  do  I  care  if  you  do  ? 
You'd  much  better  have  gone  and  done 
il  before  you  came  here.  Nay,  be  off 
and  do  it  now,  instead  of  blubbering 
here  in  this  way." 

"  Go  on  !  11  i t  away — it's  doing  me 
good — the  worse  tho  better  !  "  sobbed 
Titmouse. 

"Conic,  come — none  of  this  noise 
here.     I'm  tired  of  it." 

"But,  pray,  don't  send  mc  away 
from  you.  I  shall  go  straight  to  the 
devil  if  you  do.  I've  no  friend  hut 
you,  llucky.  Yet  I've  been  such  a 
villain  to  you!— Bui  it  quite  put  the 
devil  into  me,  when  all  of  a  sudden  I 
found  it  was   you." 

"Mc  ! — Why,  what  ar«you  after?" 
interrupted  Huckaback,  with  an  air  of 
,  wonder. 

"Oh  dear,  dear!"  groaned  Tit- 
mouse ;  "if  I've  been  a  brute  to  you, 
which  is  quite  true,  you've  been  the 
ruin  of  me  clean  !  I'm  clean  done  for, 
Hack.  Cleaned  out!  You've  done 
my  busini  ss  for  me  ;  knocked  it  all  i  u 
the  head.  I  sha'n't  never  hear  any 
more  of  it — they've  said  as  much  in 
their  letter — they  say  that  you've 
called " 

Huckaback  now  began  to  have  a 
glimmering  no!  ion  of  his  having  been, 

in  so son  iderable  d<  gree,  i  onnei  la  d 

witli  tho  mischief  of  the  day— an  un- 
coil nt   in  it.     lie  audibly 
drew  in  his  breath,  a-;  it  were,  as  ho 
b  and  in-  neiiy  recollected 
his  visit  to  Mesi  n  .  Quirk,  I  lammon, 
and  Snap;  and  adverted  more  particu- 
lo  his  threats,  uttered,   too,  in 
i  line,   and  as  if  l>y  his 
authority.     Whew!  here  was  a  kettle 

QU 

Now,  strange  and  unaccountable  as, 

at  111 ■  i    i  it  may   appc  ir,    I  be 

very   circumstance   which   would 

have  tli"imht  calculated  to  his 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


45 


resentment  against  Titmouse — namely, 
that  he  had  really  injured  Titmouse 
most  seriously,  (if  not  indeed  irre- 
parably,) and  so  ■provoked  the  drubbing 
which  had  just  been  administered  to 
him — had  quite  the  contrary  effect. 
Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  matter  of 
clear  mitigation  was  at  once  converted 
into  matter  of  aggravation.  Were  the 
feelings  which  Huckaback  then  experi- 
enced akin  to  that  which  often  pro- 
duces hatred  of  a  person  whom  one  has 
injured  ?  May  it  be  thus  accounted 
for  ?  That  there  is  a  secret  satisfaction 
in  the  mere  consciousness  of  being  a 
sufferer — a  martyr — and  that,  too,  in 
the  presence  of  a  person  whom  one 
perceives  to  be  aware  that  he  lias 
wantonly  injured  one ;  that  one's 
bruised  spirit  is  soothed  by  the  sight 
of  his  remorse — by  the  consciousness 
that  he  is  punishing  himself  infinitely 
more  severely  than  we  could  punish 
him  ;  and  of  the  claim  one  has  obtained 
to  the  sympathy  of  everybody  who  sees, 
or  may  hear  of  one's  sufferings,  (that 
rich  and  grateful  balm  to  injured  Lel- 
ing.)  But  when,  as  in  the  case  of 
Huckaback,  feelings  of  this  description 
(in  a  coarse  and  small  way,  to  be  sure, 
according  to  his  kind)  were  suddenly 
encountered  by  a  consciousness  of  his 
having  deserved  his  sufferings ;  when 
the  martyr  felt  himself  quickly  sinking 
into  the  culprit  and  offender ;  when, 
I  say,  Huckaback  felt  an  involuntary 
consciousness  that  the  gross  indignities 
which  Titmouse  had  just  inflicted  on 
him,  had  been  justified  by  the  provo- 
cation— nay,  far  less  than  his  mis- 
chievous aud  impudent  interference 
had  deserved  ; — and  when  feelings  of 
this  sort,  moreover,  were  sharpened 
by  a  certain  tingling  sense  of  physical 
pain  from  the  blows  which  he  had 
received  —  the  result  was,  that  the 
sleeping  lion  of  Huckaback's  courage 
was  very  near  awakening. 

"  Trc  half  a  mind,  Titmouse" — said 
Huckaback,  knitting  his  brows,  and 
appearing  inclined  to  raise  his  arm. 
There  was  an  ominous  pause  for  a 
moment  or  two,  during  which  Tit- 
mouse's feelings  also  underwent  a 
slight  altera! ion.  His  allusion  to 
Huckaback's  ruinous  insult  to  Messrs. 


Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  uncon- 
sciously converted  his  remorse  into 
rage,  which  it  rather,  perhaps,  resusci- 
tated. He  rose  from  his  knees.  "Ah!" 
said  he,  in  quite  an  altered  tone,  "you 
may  look  fierce  !  you  may ! — you'd 
better  strike  me,  Huckaback  —  do! 
Finish  the  mischief  you've  begun  this 
day  !  Hit  away — you're  quite  safe," 
— and  he  secretly  prepared  himself  for 
the  mischief  which — did  not  come. 

"You  have  ruined  me!  you  have, 
Huckaback !  "  continued  Titmouse, 
with  increasing  vehemence;  "and  I 
shall  be  cutting  my  throat — nay," 
striking  his  fist  on  the  table,  "  I  will ! " 

"You  don't  say  so!"  exclaimed 
Huckaback,  apprehensively.  "No, 
Titmouse,  don't — don't  think  of  it ;  it 
will  all  come  right  yet,  depend  on't ; 
you  see  if  it  don't !  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  it's  all  done  for— it's  all 
up  with  me  !  " 

' '  But  what's  been  done  ? — let  us 
hear,"  said  Huckaback,  as  he  passed  a 
wet  towel  to  and  fro  over  his  ensan- 
guined features.  It  was  by  this  time 
clear  that  the  storm  which  had  for 
some  time  given  out  only  a  few  faint 
fitful  flashes  or  flickerings  in  the  dis- 
tance, had  passed  away.  Titmouse, 
with  many  grievous  sighs,  took  out 
the  letter  which  had  produced  the 
paroxysms  I  have  been  describing,  and 
read  it  aloud.  "And  only  see  how 
they've  spelled  your  name,  Huckaback 
— Jook  !  "  he  added,  handing  his  friend 
the  letter. 

"How  particular  vulgar !"  exclaimed 
Huckaback,  with  a  contemptuous  air, 
which,  overspreading  his  features,  half- 
closed  as  was  his  left  eye,  and  swollen 
as  were  his  cheek  and  nose,  would  have 
made  him  a  queer  object  to  one  who 
had  leisure  to  observe  such  matters. 
"And  so  this  is  all  they  say  of  me," 
he  continued.  "  How  do  you  come  to 
know  that  I  've  been  doing  you  a  mis- 
chief ?  All  I  did  was  just  to  look  in, 
as  respectful  as  possible,  to  ask  how 
you  was,  and  they  very  civilly  told 
me  you  was  very  well,  and  we 
parted " 

"  Nay,  now,  that's  a  lie,  Huckaback, 
and  you  know  it!"  interrupted  Tit- 
mouse. 


46 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YKAK. 


"It's  true,  so  help  mo !  "  vehe- 
mently asseverated  Huckaback. 

"  Why,  perhaps  you'll  deny  that 
you  wrote  and  told  me  all  you  said," 
interrupted  Titmouse  indignantly,  feel- 
ing in  his  pocket  for  Huckaback's 
letter,  which  that  worthy  had  at  the 
moment  quite  forgotten  having  sent, 
and  certainly  seemed  rather  nonplussed 
on  being  reminded  of. 

"  Oh — ay,  if  you  mean  that, — hem !  " 
— he.  stammered. 

"Come,  you  know  you're  a  liar, 
Huck — but  it's  no  good  now  :  liar  or 
no  liar,  it's  all  over." 

"The  jot  and  kettle,  anyhow,  Tit, 
as  far  as  that  goes — but  let's  spell  over 
this  letter  ;  we  haven't  studied  it  yei  ; 
I'm  a  hand,  rather,  at  getting  at  what's 
said  in  a  letter! — Come" — and  they 
drew  their  chairs  together,  Huckaback 
reading  over  the  letter  slowly,  alone  ; 
Titmouse's  eyes  travelling  incessantly 
from  his  friend's  countenance  to  the 
letter,  and  so  back  again,  to  gather 
what  might  be  the  eifect  of  its  perusal. 

"  There's  a  glimpse  of  daylight  yet, 
Titty!"  said  Huckaback,  as  he  con- 
cluded reading  it. 

"Now!  Is  there  really  ?  Do  tell 
me,  Hucky " 

"  Why,  first  and  foremost,  how  un- 
common polite  they  are,  (except  that 
they  haven't  manners  enough  to  spell 
my  name  right) " 

"Really—and  so  they  arc!"  ex- 
claimed Titmouse,  rather  elatedly. 

"And  then,  you  see,  there's  another 
thing— if  they'd  meant  to  give  the 
thing  the  go-by  altogether,  what  could 
have  been  easier  than  to  have  said  so  ? 
— but  they  haven't  said  anything  of 
the  sort,  so  they  don't  mean  to  give  it 
all  up." 

"Lord,  Huck!  what  would  I  give 
for  such  a  head  as  yours  !  What  you 
say  is  cmite  true,"  said  Titmouse,  still 
more  cheerfully. 

"To  be  sure,  they  do  say  there's  an 
obstacle — an  oh  tai  le,  yon  see — nay,  it's 
obstacles,  which  is  several,  and  that" 
Titmou  e's  face  felL 

"But  they  Bay  again,  tint  it's — it's 
— curse  their  big  words  they  say  it's 
— to  be  got  over  in  1 : 

"Well-  that'  '  l  it?'* 


"To  be  sure  it  is;    and  a'n'l  any- 
thing better  than  nothing  ?    But  then, 
\    here's   a   stone    in    the    other 
pockot— they  say  there's   a    circv.m- 
■  ■ ! — Don't  youhate  circumstances, 
Titty?— I  do." 

"So  do  I  ! — What  docs  it  mean? 
I've  often  heard — isn't  it  a  thing? 
And  that  may  be — anything." 

"Oh,  there's  a  great  dif — hem! 
And  they  go  on  to  say  it's  happened 

since  you  was  there  " 

"  Curse  me,  then,  if  that  don't  mean 
you,  Huckaback  !  "  interrupted  Tit- 
mouse, with  returning  anger. 

"No,  that  can't  he*  it;  tiny  said 
they'd  no  control  over  the  circum- 
stance ; — now  they  had  over  me  ;  for 
they  ordered  me  to  the  door,  and  I 
went ;  a'n't  that  so,  Titty  1 — Lord, 
how  my  eye  does  smart,  to  be  sure  !  " 
"And  don't  J  smart  all  over,  insido 
and  out,  if  it  come  to  that  ? "  enquired 
Titmouse  dolefully. 

"There's  nothing  particular  in  tho 
rest  of  the  letter — only  uncommon 
civil,  and  saying  if  anything  turns  up 
you  shall  hear." 

"/could  make  that  out  myself — so 
there's  nothing  in  that " — said  Tit- 
mouse  quickly. 

"Well — if  it  is  all  over — what  a 
pity !  Such  things  as  we  could  have 
done,  Titty,  if  we'd  got  the  thing — 
eh  ? " 

Titmouse  groaned  at  this  glimpse  of 
the  heaven  he  seemed  shut  out  of  for 
ever. 

"Can't  you  find  anything — nothing 
at  all  comfortable-like,  in  the  letter  I 
be  i  nquired  with  a  deep  sigh. 

Huckaback  again  took  up  the  L  tier 
and  spelled  it  over.     "  Well,"  said  he, 
striving  to  give  himself  an  appearance 
of  thinking,  "  the                       Qg  in  it 
that,  after  all,  I  don't  seem  quite  to 
get  to  the  botl  im  of    they've  seem* 
ingly  taken  a  d<  il  of  pains  with  it." 
[And  undoubtedly  it  wa  i  a  document 
bad  been  pretty  well  con  idered 
by  its  framers  before  being    enl   out ; 
though,   probably,    they  had   hardly 
antii  ipati  d   its  being  so   e i   after- 
wards   subjected    to  the  scrutiny   i  f 
ike  a  lit'            '     I  :  whii  h  W(  re  now 
1  upon  it.] 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


47 


"And  then,  again,  you  know  they 
are  lawyers  ;  and  do  they  ever  write 
anything  that  hasn't  got  more  in  it 
than  anybody  can  find  out  ?  These 
gents  that  wrote  this,  they're  a  trick 
too  keen  for  the  thieves  even — and 
how  can  we — hem  ! — but  I  wonder  if 
that  fat,  old,  bald-headed  gent,  with 
sharp  eyes,  was  Mr.  Quirk — — " 

"To  be  sure  it  was,"  interrupted 
Titmouse,  with  a  half  shudder. 

"Was  it?  Well,  then,  I'd  advise 
Old  Nick  to  look  sharp  before  he 
tackles  that  old  gent,  that's  all !  " 

"Give  me  Mr.  Gammon  for  my 
money — such  an  uncommon  gentle- 
manlike— he's  quite  taken  to  me -" 

1 '  Ah,  that,  I  suppose,  was  him  with 
the  black  velvet  waistcoat  and  white 
hands !  But  he  can  look  stern,  too, 
Tit !  You  should  have  seen  him  ring, 
when — hem ! — But  what  was  I  saying 
about  the  letter  ?  Don't  you  see  they 
say  they'll  be  sure  to  write  if  anything 
turns  up  ? " 

"So  they  do,  to  be  sure!  Well— 
I'd  forgot  that!"  interrupted  Tit- 
mouse, brightening  up. 

"Then,  isn't  there  their  advertise- 
ment in  the  Flash  ?  They  hadn't  their 
eye  on  anything  when  they  put  it 
there,  I  dare  say  ! — They  can't  get  out 
of  that,  anyhow  !  " 

"I  begin  to  feel  all  of  a  sweat, 
Hucky ;  I'm  sure  there's  something 
in  the  wind  yet ! "  said  Titmouse, 
drawing  nearer  still  to  his  comforter. 
"And  more  than  that — would  they 
have  said  half  they  did  to  me  last 
night—" 

"  Eh  !  hollo,  by  the  way  !  I've  not 
heard  of  what  went  on  last  night !  So 
you  went  to  'em  ?  Well — tell  us  all 
that  happened — and  nothing  but  the 
truth,  besiireyou  don't ;  come,  Titty  ! " 
said  Huckaback,  snuffing  the  candle, 
and  then  turning  eagerly  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"Well — they'd  such  a  number  of 
queer-looking  papers  before  them,  some 
with  old  German-text  writing,  and 
others  with  zig-zag  marks — and  the}' 
were  so  uncommon  polite — they  all 
three  got  up  as  I  went  in,  and  made 
me  bows,  one  after  the  other,  and  said, 
'Yours    most    obediently,    Mr.    Tit- 


mouse,' and  a  great  many  more  such 
things." 

"  Well— and  then  ? " 

"Why,   Hucky,   so  help  me ! 

and  'pon  my  soul,  that  old  gent,  Mr. 
Quirk,  told  me" — Titmouse's  voice 
trembled  at  the  recollection  —  "he 
says,  '  Sir,  you're  the  real  owner  of 
Ten  Thousand  a-year.' " 

"  Lawks  !  "  ejaculated  Huckaback, 
opening  wider  and  wider  his  eyes  and 
ears  as  his  friend  went  on. 

"  '  And  a  title — a  lord,  or  something 
of  that  sort  —  and  you've  a  great 
many  country  seats  ;  and  there's  been 
£10,000  a-year  saving  up  for  you  ever 
since  yoii  was  born — and  heaps  of 
interest.'" 

"Lord,  Tit!  you  take  my  breath 
away,"  gasped  Huckaback,  his  eyes 
fixed  intently  on  his  friend's  face. 

"Yes  ;  and  they  said  I  might  many 
the  most  beautifulest  woman  that  ever 
my  eyes  saw,  for  the  asking." 

"You'll  forget  poor  Bob  Huck- 
aback, Tit !  "  murmured  his  friend 
despondingly. 

"Not  I " 

"Have  jrou  been  to  Tag-rag's  to- 
day, after  hearing  all  this  ? " 

[The  thermometer  seemed  to  have 
been  plunged  out  of  hot  water  into 
cold — Titmouse  was  down  to  zero  in  a 
trice.] 

"Oh!— that's  it!  'Tis  all  gone 
again  !  What  a  fool  I  am  !  We've 
clean  forgot  this  cursed  letter — and 
that  leads  me  to  the  end  of  what  took 
place  last  night.  That  cursed  shop 
was  what  we  split  on  ! " 

" Split  on  the  shop  !  eh?  What's 
the  meaning  of  that  ? "  enquired  Huck- 
aback, with  eager  anxiety. 

"Why,  that's  the  thing,"  continued 
Titmouse,  in  a  faltering  tone,  and  with 
a  depressed  look — "That  was  what  I 
wanted  to  know  myself ;  for  they  said 
I'd  better  go  back!!    Solsaid,  'Gents,' 

said  I,  '  I'll  be if  I'll  go  back  to 

the  shop  any  more  ; '  and  1  snapped 
my  fingers  at  them — so  !  (for  you  know 
what  a  chap  I  am  when  my  blood's 
up.)  And  they  all  turned  gashly 
pale  —  they  did,  upon  my  life  —  you 
never  saw  anything  like  it !  And  one 
of  them  said  then,  in  a  humble  way, 


48 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


'Wouldn't  I  please  to  go  back  to  the 
shop,  just  for  a  day  or  two,  till  things  is 
got  to  rights  a  hit.1  '  Not  a  day  nor  a 
minute  ! '  says  I,  in  an  immense  rage. 
'We  think  you'd  better,  really,'  said 
they.  'Then,'  says  J,  'if  that's  your 
plan,  curse  me  if  1  won't  cut  with  you 
all,  and  i  '11  employ  some  one  else  ! ' 
and — would  you  believe  me  ? — out  I 
went,  hang  !  into  the  street !!  " 

"You did,  Tit!!" 

"  They  shouldn't  have  given  me  so 
much  brandy  and  water  as  they  did  ;  1 
didn't  well  know  what  I  was  about, 
what  with  the  news  and  the  spirits  !  " 

"And  you  went  into  the  street?" 
enquired  Huckaback,  with  a  kind  of 
horror. 

"  1  did,  indeed." 

"They'd  given  you  the  sperrits  to 
see  what  kind  of  a  chap  you'd  be  if 
you  got  the  property — only  to  try  you, 
depend  on  it !  " 

"  Lord  !  I — I  dare  say  they  did  !  u 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  elevating  his  head 
with  sudden  amazement ;  totally  for- 
getting that  that  same  brandy  and 
water  he  hud  asked  for — "and  me 
never  to  think  of  it  at  the  time  !  " 

"  Now  are  you  quite  sure  you  wasn't 
in  a  dream  last  night,  all  the  while  S  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  i  wish  1  had  been — I  do, 
indeed,  I lucky  !  " 

"  Well — you  went  into  the  street — 
what  then?"  enquired  Huckaback, 
with  a  sigh  of  exhausted  attention. 

"  Why,  when  I'd  got  there,  1  was 
fit  to  bite  my  tongue  off,  as  one  may 
suppose  ;  but,  just  as  I  was  a-turning 
to  go  in  again,  who  should  come  up 
to  me  but  Mr.  Gammon,  saying,  he 
humbly  hoped  there  was  no  offence." 

"Oh,  glorious!  So  it  was  all  set 
right  again,    then — ell  ?" 

"  Why — 1 — 1  can't  quite  exactly  say 
that  much,  cither — but — when  1  went 
back,  (being  obligated  by  Mr.  Gammon 
bi  bag  .so  pressing,)  the  other  two  was 
sitting  as  pale  as  death  ;  .and  thoi 
Mr.  Gammon  and  me  went  on  our  km  - 
tn  the  old  g  nt,  it  wasn'1  anj  u  le  for 

;     n  I  all  thai  be  could  be  got 
tosayw:  ;  s  I  might  look  in 

again  to-night  —  (but  they  first  made 
ii  year  a  solemn  oath  on  the  Bible 
i       !■  to  tell  any  one  anytl  ing  about 


the  fortune)  —  and  then  —  you  went, 
Huckaback,  and  you  did  the  business  ; 
they  of  course  concluding  I'd  sent 
you!" 

"Ob,  bother!  that  can't  be.  Don't 
you  see  how  civilly  they  speak  of  ni6 
in  their  letter  ?  They're  afraid  of  me, 
you  may  depend  on  it.  By  the  way, 
Tit,  how  much  did  you  promise  to 
come  down,  if  you  got  the  thing?" 

"  Comedown  ! — 1 — really — by  Jove, 
I  didn't !  No— I'm  sure  1  didn't !  "— 
answered  Titmouse,  as  if  new  light 
had  burst  in  upon  him. 

"  Why,  Tit,  I  never  seed  such  a 
goose  !  That's  it,  depend  upon  it  — 
it's  the  whole  thing  !  That's  what 
they're  driving  at,  in  the  note!  — 
W  hy,  Tit,  where  was  your  wits  ?  D'ye 
think  such  gents  as  them — great  law- 
yers, too — will  work  for  nothing? — ■ 
You  write  and  tell  them  you  will  come 
down  handsome  —  say  a  couple  of 
hundreds,  besides  expenses  —  Gad! 
'twill  set  you  on  your  pins  again, 
Titty!— Hot  me!  now  I  think  of  it, 
if  I  didn't  dream  last  night  that  you 
was  a  .Member  of  Parliament  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort." 

"A  Member  of  Parliament!  And 
so  I  shall,  if  all  this  turns  up  well." 

"You  see  if  my  dream  don't  come 
true!  You  see,  Titty,  I'm  always 
a-thinking  of  you,  day  and  night. 
Never  was  two  fellows  that  was  such 
close  friends  as  we  wad  from  the  begin- 
ning." 

[They  had  been  acquainted  with 
each  other  about  a  year.] 

"  Ilucky,  what  a  cruel  scamp  I  was 
to  behave  to  you  in  the  way  1  did— 
curse  me,  if  1  couldn't  cry  to  see  your 
eye  bunged  up  in  that  way  !  " 

"Phol  dear  Titty,  i  knew  you 
Loved  me  all  the  whili — and  meant  no 
harm  ;  you  wasn't  yourself  when  yon 
ditl  it — and  b  des,  I  deserved  ten 
times  more.  If  you  had  killed  me  I 
should  have  liked  you  us  much  as 
ever !  " 

■  "(  j  our  hand,  Hucky  !     Let's 

Me  another  !  "  cried  Titmouse 
excitedly :  and  their  hands  were 
quickly  lucked  together. 

"  If  we  don't  mismanage  the  thing, 
we  shall  be  all  right  yet.  Titty  ;  but 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


49 


you  -won't  do  anything  without  speak- 
ing to  me  first — will  you,  Titty  ?  " 

"  The  thoughts  of  it  all  going  right 
again  is  enough  to  set  me  wild,  Hucky  ! 
— But  what  shall  we  do  to  set  the 
thing  going  again?  " 

"  Quarter  past  one  !  "  quivered  the 
voice  of  the  paralytic  watchman  be- 
neath, startling  the  friends  out  of 
their  excited  colloquy ;  his  warning 
being  at  the  same  time  silently 
seconded  by  the  long-wicked  candle, 
burning  within  half  an  inch  of  its 
socket.  They  hastily  agreed  that  Tit- 
mouse should  immediately  write  to 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  a 
proper  [i.e.  a  most  abject]  letter, 
solemnly  pledging  himself  to  obey 
their  injunctions  in  everything  for 
the  future,  and  offering  them  a  hand- 
some reward  for  their  exertions,  if 
successful. 

""Well — good-night,  Huck  !  good- 
night," said  Titmouse,  rising.  "I'm 
not  the  least  sleepy — I  sha'n't  sleep  a 
wink  all  night  long  !  I  shall  sit  up 
to  write  my  letter — you  haven't  got  a 
sheet  of  paper  here,  by  the  way  ? — 
I've  used  all  mine."  [That  was,  he 
had,  some  months  before,  bought  a 
sheet  to  write  a  letter,  and  had  so 
used  it.] 

Huckaback  produced  a  sheet,  some- 
what crumpled,  from  a  drawer.  "  I'd 
give  a  hundred  if  I  had  them  ! "  said 
he;  "I  sha'n't  care  a  straw  for  1he 
hiding  I've  got  to-night — though  I'm 
n  leetle  sore  after  it,  too — and  'what 
the  deuce  am  I  to  say  to-morrow  to 

Messrs.  Diaper " 

"  Oh,  you  can't  hardly  be  at  a  loss 
for  a  lie  that'll  suit  them,  surely  ! — So 
good-night,  Hucky — good-night !  " 

Huckaback  wrung  his  friend's  hand, 
and  was  in  a  moment  or  two  alone. 
"  Haven't  my  fingers  been  itching  all 
the  while  to  be  at  the  fellow  !  "  ex- 
el  umed  he,  as  he  shut  the  door. 
"  But,  somehow,  I've  got  too  soft  a 
sperrit,  and  can't  bear  to  hurt  any 
one  ; — and  then — if  the  chap  gets  his 
£10,000  a-year— why— hem  !  Titty 
a'n't  such  a  bad  fellow,  in  the  main, 
after  all." 

If  Titmouse  had  been  many  degrees 
higher  in  the   grade    of    society,    lie 


would  still  have  met  with  his  Kuclca- 
back  ; — a  trifle  more  polished,  perhaps, 
but  hardly  more  quicksighted  or 
effective  than,  in  his  way,  had  been 
the  vulgar  being  he  had  just  quitted. 

Titmouse  hastened  homeward.  How 
it  was  he  knew  not ;  but  the  feelings 
of  elation  with  which  he  had  quitted 
Huckaback  did  not  last  long  ;  they 
rapidly  sunk  in  the  cold  '  night-air, 
lower  and  lower,  the  further  ho  got 
from  Leicester  Square.  He  tried  to 
recollect  wlmt  it  was  that  had  made 
him  take  so  very  ditferent  a  view  of 
his  aii'airs  from  that  with  which  he 
had  entered  Huckaback's  room.  He 
had  still  a  vague  impression  that  they 
were  not  desperate  ;  that  Huckaback 
had  told  him  so,  and  somehow  proved 
it ;  but  how  he  now  knew  not — ho 
could  not  recollect.  As  Huckaback 
had  gone  on  from  time  to  time,  Tit- 
mouse's little  mind  seemed  to  him  to 
comprehend  and  appreciate  what  was 
s:ud,  and  to  gather  encouragement 
from  it ;  but  now — consume  it ! — he 
stopped — rubbed  his  forehead — what 
the  deuce  was  it  ?  By  the  time  that 
he  had  reached  his  own  door,  he  felt 
iu  as  deplorable  and  despairing  a 
humour  a3  ever.  He  sat  down  to 
write  his  letter  at  once  ;  but,  after 
many  vain  efforts  to  express  his  mean- 
ing— his  feelings  being  not  in  the  least 
degree  relieved  by  the  many  oaths  he 
uttered— he  at  length  furiously  dashed 
his  pen,  point-wise,  upon  the  table, 
and  thereby  destroyed  the  only  imple- 
ment of  the  sort  which  he  possessed. 
Then  he  tore,  rather  than  pulled  off, 
his  clothes  ;  blew  out  his  candle  with 
a  furious  puff!  and  threw  himself  on 
his  bed — but  in  so  doing  banged  the 
back  of  his  head  against  the  back  of 
the  bed — and  which  sulfered  most,  for 
some  time  after,  probably  Mr.  Tit« 
mouse  was  best  able  to  tell. 

Hath,  then — oh,  Titmouse  !  fate  1 
to  undergo  much  ! — the  blind  jado 
Fortune,  in  her  mad  vagaries — she, 
the  goddess  whom  thou  hast  so  long 
foolishly  worshipped — at  length  cast 
her  sportful  eye  upon  thee,  and  singled 
thee  out  to  become  the  envy  of  mil- 
lions of  admiring  fools,  by  reason  of 
the  pranks  she  will  presently  make 

E 


50 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


theo  exhibit  for  her  amusement!  If 
this  bo  indeed,  as  at  present  it 
promises,  her  intent,  .she  truly,  to 
tolmly  watching  hex  m  ivemcnts,  ap- 
pears resolved  first  to  wreak  her  Bpite 
upon  thee  to  the  uttermost,  and  make 
thee  pass  through  intense  sufferings  I 
Oh  mu  !  Oh  me  !  Alas  ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  means  by  which  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Caminon,  and  Snap  became  possess,. 1 
of  the  important  information  which 
put  them  into  motion,  as  we  have 
seen,  to  find  out  by  advertisement  one 
yet  unknown  to  them,  it  will  not  be 
necessary,  for  some  time — and  which 
will  prove  to  have  originated  in  a 
very  remarkable  accident — for  me  to 
explain.  Theirs  was  a  keen  house, 
truly,  and  dealing  principally  in  the 
criminal  line  of  business  ;  and  they 
would  not,  one  may  be  sure,  have 
lightly  committed  themselves  to  their 
present  extent,  namely,  in  inserting 
such  an  advertisement  in  the  news- 
papers, and,  above  all,  going  so  far  in 
their  disclosures  to  Titmouse.  Their 
prudence  in  the  latter  step,  however, 
was  very  questionable  to  themselves 
even ;  and  they  immediately  after- 
wards deplored  together  the  precipita- 
tion with  which  Mr,  Quirk  had  com- 
municated to  Titmouse  the  nature  and 
extent  of  his  possible  good  fortune. 
It  was  Mr.  Quirk's  own  doing,  how- 
ever, and  after  as  much  expostulation 
as  the  cautious  Gammon  could  venture 
to  use.  I  say  they  had  not  lightly 
taken  tip  the  affair  ;  they  had  not 
"acted  unadvisedly."  They  were 
fortified,  first,  by  the  opinions  of  Mr, 
Mortmain,  an  able  and  experi 

ttcer,  who  thus  wound  up  an 
abstrusely  learned  opinion  on  the 
Voluminous  "<  "  which  had  been 
submitted  to  him  : — 

"•  *  Under  all  these  circumstances, 
and  assuming  as  above,  I  am  decidedly 

of  opinion  that  the  titl«  to  tlw  estate 


in  question  is  at  this  moment  not  in 
their  present  possessor,  (who  repre- 
sents the  younger  branch  of  the 
Dreddlington  family,)  but  in  the 
Bndants  of  Stephen  I  Ireddlington, 
through  the  female  line  ;  which  brings 
us  to  Gabriel  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 
This  person,  however,  seems  not  t» 
have  been  at  all  aware  of  the  existence 
of  his  rights,  or  he  could  hardly  have 
been  concerned  in  the  pecuniary 
arrangements  mentioned  at  fol.  Z'i  pf 
the  case.  Probably  something  may 
be  heard  of  his  heir  by  making  careful 
enquiry  in  the  neighbourhood  where 
he  was  last  heard  of,  and  issuing 
advertisements  for  his  heir-at-law  ; 
care,  of  course,  being  taken  not  to  be 
so  specific  in  the  terms  of  such 
advertisements  as  to  attract  tho  noti  e 
of  A.  Ik,  (the  party  now  in  poa 
sion.)  If  such  person  should,  by  the 
means  above  suggested,  be  discovered, 
1  advise  proceedings  to  be  commenced 
forthwith,  under  the  advice  of  some 
gentleman  of  experience  at  the  com- 
mon-law bar. 

"Mouldy  Mortmain. 

41  Lincoln's  Inn, 

January  19,  18 — ." 

This  was  sufficiently  gratifying  to 
the  "house  ;  "  but,  to  make  assurance 
doubly  sure,  before  embarking  in  so 
harassing  and  expensive  an  enterprise 
— one  which  lay  a  good  deal,  too, 
without  the  sphere  of  their  practice, 
which,  as  already  mentioned,  Mas 
chiefly  in  criminal  law — the  same  aisc 
(without  Mr.  Moil  main's  opinion)  was 
laid  before  a  younger  conveyancer, 
who,  having  much  less  business  than 
Mr.  Mortmain,  would,  it  was  thought, 
"look  into  th  illy,"  thong!; 

ceiving  only  one-third  of  the  fee  which 
had  bei  □  paid  to  Mr.  Mortmain.  And 
Mr.  Fussy  Frankpledge— that  was 

his  name  —  did  '"look  into  the  i 
fully;"  and  in  doing  bo,  turned  over 
two-thirds  of  his  little  library;— and 
also  gleaned  -by  note  and  verbally — 
opinions  upon  the  subject  of  Bome 
half-aoz  n  of  his  "  learned  friends  ;  " 
to  say  nothing  of  the  magnificent  air 
with  which  he  indoctrinated  hi- eager 
and  confiding  pupils  upon  the  subject; 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


51 


At  length  his  imp  of  a  clerk  bore  the 
precious  result  of  his  master's  labours 
to  Saffron  Hill,  in  the  shape  of  an 
"  opinion,"  three  times  as  long  as,  and 
indescribably  more  difficult  to  under- 
stand than,  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Mort- 
main ;  and  which,  if  it  demonstrated 
anything  beyond  the  prodigious  cram 
which  had  been  undergone  by  its  writer 
for  the  purpose  of  producing  it,  demon- 
strated this — namely,  that  neither  the 
party  indicated  by  Mr.  Mortmain,  nor 
the  one  then  actually  in  possession, 
had  any  more  riqht  to  the  estate  than 
the  aforesaid  Mr.  Frankpledge  ;  but 
that  the  happy  individual  so  entitled 
was  some  third  person.  Messrs.  Quirk 
and  Gammon,  a  good  deal  flustered 
hercat,  hummed  and  hawed  on  perus- 
ing these  contradictory  opinions  of 
counsel  learned  in  the  law  ;  and  the 
proper  result  followed — i.  e.  a  "  con- 
sultation," which  was  to  solder  up 
all  the  differences  between  Mr.  Mort- 
main and  Mr.  Frankpledge,  or,  at  all 
events,  strike  out  some  light  which 
might  guide  their  clients  on  their 
adventurous  way. 

Now,  Mr.  Mortmain  had  been  Mr. 
Quirk's  conveyancer  (whenever  such 
a  functionary's  services  had  been  re- 
quired) for  about  twenty  years  ;  and 
Quirk  was  ready  to  suffer  death  in 
defence  of  any  opinion  of  Mr.  Mort- 
main. Mr.  Gammon  swore  b}r  Frank- 
pledge, who  had  been  at  school  with 
him,  and  was  a  "rising  man."  Mort- 
main belonged  to  the  old  school  — 
Frankpledge  steered  by  the  new  lights. 
The  former  could  point  to  some  forty 
cases  in  the  Law  Reports,  which  had 
been  ruled  in  conformity  with  his  pre- 
viously given  opinion,  and  some  twenty 
which  had  been  overruled  thereby  ; 
the  latter  gentleman,  although  he  had 
been  only  live  years  in  practice,  had 
written  an  opinion  which  had  led  to  a 
suit — which  had  ended  in  a  difference 
of  opinion  between  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench  and  the  Common  Pleas  ;  the 
credit  of  having  done  which  was,  how- 
ever, some  time  afterward,  a  little  bit 
tarnished  by  the  decision  of  a  Court  of 
Error,  without  hearing  the  other  side, 
aga  inst  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Frankpledge. 
But ■ 


Mr.  Frankpledge  quoted  so  many 
cases,  and  went  to  the  bottom  of  every- 
thing, and  gave  so  much  for  his  money 
—and  was  so  civil ! — 

Well,  the  consultation  came  off,  at 
length,  at  Mr.  Mortmain's  chambers, 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  A 
few  minutes  before  that  hour,  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Gammon  were  to  be  seen  in 
the  clerk's  room,  in  civil  conversation 
with  that  prim  functionary,  who  ex- 
plained to  them  that  he  did  all  Mr. 
Mortmain's  drafting  —  pupils  were  so 
idle  ;  that  Mr.  Mortmain  did  not  fcore 
out  much  of  what  he  (the  aforesaid 
clerk)  had  drawn ;  that  he  noted  up 
Mr.  Mortmain's  new  cases  for  him  in 
the  reports,  Mr.  M.  having  so  little 
time  ;  and  that  the  other  day  the  Vice 
Chancellor  called  on  Mr.  Mortmain — 
with  several  other  matters  of  that  sort, 
calculated  to  enhance  the  importanco 
of  Mr.  Mortmain  ;  who,  as  the  clerk 
was  asking  Mr.  Gammon,  in  a  good- 
natured  way,  how  long  Mr.  Frank- 
pledge had  been  in  practice,  and 
where  his  chambers  were  —  made  his 
appearance,  with  a  cheerful  look  and 
a  bustling  gait,  having  just  walked 
down  from  his  house  iu  Queen's  Square, 
with  a  comfortable  bottle  of  old  port 
on  board.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr. 
Frankpledge  arrived,  followed  by  his 
little  clerk,  bending  beneath  two  bags 
of  books,  (unconscious  bearer  of  as 
much  law  as  had  well-nigh  split  thou- 
sands of  learned  heads,  and  broken 
tens  of  thousands  of  hearts,  in  the 
making  of,  being  destined  to  have  a 
similar  but  far  greater  effect  in  the 
applying  of,)  and  the  consultation 
began. 

As  Frankpledge  entered,  he  could 
not  help  casting  a  sheep's  eye  towards 
a  table  that  glistened  with  such  an 
array  of  "papers,"  (a  tasteful  arrange- 
ment of  Mr.  Mortmain's  clerk  before 
every  consultation  ;)  and  down  sat 
the  two  conveyancers  and  the  two 
attorneys.  I  devoutly  wish  I  had 
time  to  describe  the  scene  at  length  ; 
but  greater  events  are  pressing  upon 
me.  The  two  conveyancers  fenced 
with  one  another  for  some  time 
very  guardedly  and  good-humour- 
edly  ;  pleasant  was  it  to  observe  the 

E  2 


b-1 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


conscious  condescension  of  Mortmain, 
the  anxious  energy  ami  volubility  of 
Fr  i  I  p]  ]  .  When  Mr.  Mortmain 
said  anything  that  seemed  weighty 
or  pointed,  Quirk  looked  with  an 
elated  air,  a  quick  triumphant  glance, 
at  Gammon;  who,  in  his  turn,  when- 
ever Mr.  Frankpledge  quoted  an  "old 

"  from  Bendloe,  Godsbolt,  or  the 
Year  Books,  (which,  having  always 
piqued  himself  on  his  almost  exclu- 
sive  acquaintance   with   the    modern 

s,  he  made  a  point  of  doing,) 
g  Lzed  at  Quirk  with  a  smile  of  placid 
superiority.  Mr.  Frankpledge  talked 
almost  the  whole  time;  Mr.  Mort- 
main, immovable  in  the  view  of  the 
case  which  lie  had  taken  in  his 
"opinion,"  listened  with  an  atten- 
tive, good-natured  air,  ruminating 
pleasantly  the  while  upon  the  qua- 
lity of  the  port  he  had  been  drink- 
ing, (the  first  of  the  bin  which  he 
had  tasted)  and  upon  the  decision 
which  the  Chancellor  might  come  to 
on  a  case  brought  into  court  on  his 
advice,  and  which  had  been  ai 
that  afternoon.  At  last  Frankpledj  e 
unwittingly  fell  foul  of  a  favourite 
crotchet  of  Mortmain's— and  at  it 
they  went,  hammer  and  tongs,  for 
nearly  twenty  minutes,  (it  had  no- 
thing whatever  to  do  with  the  - 
they  were  consulting  upon.)  In  the 
end,  Mortmain  of  course  adhered 
to  his  points,  and  Frankpledge  en- 
trenched himself  in  his  books;  each 
slightly  yielded  to  the  views  of  the 
other  on  immaterial  points,  (or  what 
could  have  appeared  tho  use  of  the 
consultation?)  but  did  that  which 
both  had  resolved  upon  doing  from 
the  first,  i.  c.  st irking  to  his  origi- 
nal opinion.  Both  had  talked  an 
amazing  deal  of  deep  law,  which 
had  at  least  one  effect,  vi/.  it  fairly 
drowned  both  Quirk  and  Gamn 
who  as  they  went  home,   with   not 

(it   must   Ik:   owned)    I  |"  :- 

ceptions  in   the   world   of  what  h  id 
ing  on,  (though,  before  going 
to  the  ■  li  had  )■ 

known    s  mething   about    the    ease,) 
I    cat  h    Btoutly   by  his    convey- 
ancer's opinion,  i  ai  h  protesting  i  hat 
hi     b    1    Q<  \   i     bceu    once    mi  [i  d 


Quirk  by  Mortmain,  or  Gammon  by 
Frankpledge — and  each  resolved  to 
give  his  man  more  of  the  convey- 
ancing business  of  the  house  than  h« 
hod  before.  I  grieve  to  add,  that 
they  parted  that  night  with  a  trillo 
less  of  cordiality  than  had  been  their 
wont.  In  the  morning,  however,  this 
little  irritation  and  competition  had 
passed  away  ;  and  they  agreed,  before 
giving  up  the  ease,  to  take  tho  final 
opinion  of  Mr.  TkESAYLE — the  great 
Mr.  Tresayle.  lie  was,  indeed,  a 
wonderful  conveyancer  —  a  perfect 
miracle  of  real-property  law-li  arning. 
lie  had  had  such  an  enormous  prac- 
tice for  forty-live  years,  that  for  tho 
last  ten  he  had  never  put  his  nose 
out  of  chambers  for  pure  want  of 
time,  and  at  last  of  inclination  ;  and 
had  been  so  conversant  with  Norman 
French  and  law  Latin,  in  the  old 
English  letter,  that  he  had  aln 
entirely  forgotten  how  to  write,  tho 
modern  English  character.  His  opin- 
ions made  their  appearance  in  three 
different  kinds  of  handwriting.  First, 
that  none  but  he  and  his  >.  hi  clerk 
could  make  out ;  secondly,  one  that 
qoi  e  but  he  himself  could  read;  and 
thirdly,  one  that  neither  he,  nor  his 
clerk,  nor  any  one  on  earth,  could  de- 
cipher.    The  use  of  any  one  of  these 

;  depended  on — the  difficulty  of 
the  case  to  be  answered.  If  it  were. 
an  easy  one,  the  answer  was  very 
judiciously  put  into  No.  I. ;  if  rather 
difficult,  it,  of  course,  went  into  No. 
II.;  and  if  exceedingly  difficult,  (and 
.  1  o  important,)  it  was  very  properly 
thrown  into  No.  111.  ;  being  a  ques- 
tion that  really  ought  not  to  have 
1 n  asked,  and  did  nol   de    rve  an 

er.  The  fruit  w  ithin  these  un- 
couth shells,   however,    was    preeioiis. 

Mr.  1  w  was  supreme  over 

■  1  e.  It  was  currently 
reported  thai  Lord  Eldon  even  (who 
was  him  ..lint,  d  with 

such  subjects)  reverently  deferred  to 
l he  authoi ity  of  Mr.  Iresayle  ;  and 
would  lie  winking  and  knitting  his 
"V  eyebrows  half  the  night,  if 
he  thought  that  M  r.  Tresayh  's  opin- 
ion on  a  ci  and  hi  own  differed. 
This  was  the  gnat  authority  to  \,  bom, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


53 


as  in  the  last  resort,  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap  resolved  to  appeal. 
To  his  chambers  they,  within  a  day  or 
two  after  their  consultation  at  Mr. 
Mortmain's,  dispatched  their  case, 
with  a  highly  respectable  fee,  and 
a  special  compliment  to  his  clerk, 
hoping  to  hear  from  that  awful  quar- 
ter within  a  month — which  was  the 
earliest  average  period  within  which 
Mr.  Tresayle's  opinions  found  their 
way  to  his  patient  but  anxious  clients. 
It  came  at  length,  with  a  note  from 
Mr.  Trim,  his  clerk,  intimating  that 
they  would  find  him,  i.  e.  the  afore- 
said Mr.  Prim,  at  his  chambers  the 
next  morning,  prepared  to  explain 
the  opinion  to  them  ;  having  just  had 
it  read  over  to  him  by  Mr.  Tresayle, 
for  it  proved  to  be  in  No.  II.  The 
opinion  occupied  about  two  pages ; 
and  the  handwriting  bore  a  strong 
resemblance  to  Chinese  or  Arabic, 
with  a  quaint  intermixture  of  the 
uncial  Greek  character — it  was  im- 
possible to  contemplate  it  without  a 
certain  feeling  of  awe  !  In  vain  did 
old  Quirk  squint  at  it,  from  all  cor- 
ners, for  nearly  a  couple  cf  hours, 
(having  first  called  in  the  assistance 
of  a  friend  of  his,  an  old  attorney 
of  upwards  of  fifty  years'  standing  ;) 
nay — even  Mr.  Gammon,  foiled  at 
length,  could  not  for  the  life  of  him 
refrain  from  a  soft  curse  or  two. 
Neither  of  them  could  make  any- 
thing of  it — (as  for  Snap,  they  never 
showed  it  to  him  ;  it  was  not  within 
his  province — i.e.  the  Insolvent  Debt- 
ors' Court,  the  Old  Bailey,  the  Clerk  - 
enwell  Sessions,  the  Police  Offices,  the 
inferior  business  of  the  Common  Law 
Courts,  and  the  worrying  of  the  clerks 
of  the  office — a  department  in  which 
he  was  perfection  itself.) 

To  their  great  delight,  Mr.  Tresayle's 
opinion  completely  corroborated  that 
of  Mr.  Mortmain,  (neither  whose  nor 
Mr.  Frankpledge^  had  been  laid  be- 
fore him.)  Nothing  could  be  more 
terse,  perspicuous,  and  conclusive 
than  the  great  man's  opinion.  Mr. 
Quirk  was  in  raptures,  and  immedi- 
ately sent  out  for  an  engraving  of 
Mr.  Tresayle,  which  had  lately  come 
out,  for  which  he  paid  5s.,  and  ordered 


it  to  be  framed  and  hung  up  in  his 
own  room,  where  already  grinned*  a 
quaint  resemblance,  in  black  profile, 
of  Mr.  Mortmain.  In  special  good-i 
humour,  he  assured  Mr.  Gammon, 
(who  was  plainly  somewhat  crest- 
fallen about  Mr.  Frankpledge,)  that 
everybody  must  have  a  beginning ; 
and  even  he  himself  (Mr.  Quirk)  had 
been  once  only  a  beginner. 

Once  fairly  on  the  scent,  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Gammon  soon  began, 
secretly  but  energetically,  to  push 
their  enquiries  in  all  directions.  They 
discovered  that  Gabriel  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, having  spent  the  chief  portion 
of  his  blissful  days  as  a  cobbler  at 
Whitehaven,  had  died  in  London, 
somewhere  about  the  year  17 — -.  At 
this  point  they  stood  for  a  long  while, 
in  spite  of  two  advertisements,  to 
which  they  had  been  driven  with  the 
greatest  reluctance,  for  fear  of  attract- 
ing the  attention  of  those  most  inter- 
ested in  thwarting  their  efforts.  Even 
that  part  of  the  affair  had  been 
managed  somewhat  skilfully.  It  was 
a  stroke  of  Mr.  Gammon's  to  advertise 
not  for  "  Heir-at-Law,"  but  "  XeM  of 
Kin,"  as  the  reader  has  seen.  The 
former  might  have  challenged  a  notice 
of  unfriendly  curiosity,  which  the  lat- 
ter was  hardly  calculated  to  attract. 
At  length  —  at  the  "third  time  of 
asking"  —  up  turned  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, in  the  way  which  we  have 
seen.  His  relationship  with  Mr. 
Gabriel  Tittlebat  Titmouse  was  in- 
disputable ;  in  fact,  he  was  that  "de- 
ceased person's"  son  and  heir-at-law. 

The  reader  may  guess  the  chagrin 
and  disgust  of  Mr.  Gammon  at  the 
appearance,  manner,  and  character  of 
the  person  whom  he  fully  believed, 
on  first  seeing  him  at  Messrs.  Tag- 
rag's,  to  be  the  rightful  owner  of  the 
fine  estates  held  by  one  who,  as 
against  Titmouse,  had  no  more  real 
title  to  them  than  had  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  ;  and  for  whom  their  house  was 
to  undertake  the  very  grave  respon- 
sibility of  instituting  such  proceedings 
as  would  be  requisite  to  place  Mr. 
Titmouse  in  the  position  which  they 
believed  him  entitled  to  occupy  — ■ 
having  to  encounter  a  hot  and  des- 


54 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR, 


peratc  opposition  at  every  point,  from 
those  who  had  nine-tenths  of  the  law 
— to  wit,  2M>ssession — on  their  side,  on 
which   they   stood   as   upon   a  rock ; 
and  with  immense  means  for  carrying 
on  the  war  defensive.     That   Messrs. 
Quirk,   Gammon,  and   Snap    did  not 
contemplate     undertaking     all     this, 
without    having   calculated   upon  its 
proving  well  worthy  their  while,  was 
only   reasonable.      They  were    going 
voluntarily  to   become  the  means  of 
conferring  immense  benefits  upon  one 
who  w-as  a  total  stranger  to  them — 
who  had  not  a  penny  to  expend  upon 
the    prosecution   of    his   own   rights. 
Setting  aside  certain  difficulties  which 
collected    themselves   into    two    awk- 
ward words,  Maintenance  and  Cham- 
1TUTY,  and  stared  them  in  the   face 
whenever  they  contemplated  any  ob- 
vious  method   of    securing    the    just 
reward  of  their  enterprise  and  toils — 
setting  aside  all  this,  I  say,  it  might 
turn   out,    only   after   a  ruinous    ex- 
penditure had  been  incurred,  that  the 
nigh  authorities  which  had  sanctioned 
their  proceedings,   in   point  of  law, 
had  expressed  their  favourable  opin- 
ions   on    a    slate    of    facts,    which, 
however    satisfactorily    they    looked 
on     paper,    could    not    be    properly 
substantiated,    if   keenly    sifted,    and 
determinedly  resisted.     All  this,  too 
— all  their  time,  labour,  and  money, 
to   go   for   nothing — on   behalf   of   a 
vulgar,    selfish,     ignorant,     presump- 
tuous,  ungrateful    puppy,    like    Tit- 
mouse.    Well  indeed,  therefore,  might 
Mr.  Gammon,  as  we  have  seen  he  did, 
give  himself    and  partners  a  forty- 
eight  hours'  interval  between  his  in- 
terview   with    Titmouse    and     formal 
introduction  of   him  to  the   firm,   in 
which   to  consider  their  position  and 
mode  of  procedure.     The  taste  of  his 
quality    which    that    first    interview 
afforded    them   all — so  far  surpassing 
all  that  the  bitter  description  of  him 
given  to  them  by  Mr.  Gammon  had 
prepared  them  for— filled  them  with 
Inexpn  just,  and  would  have 

induced  them  to  throw  up  the  v 
affair — so  getting  rid  both  of  it  and 
him  together.    But  then,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  wei 


advantages,  both  of  a  professional  and 
even  directly  pecuniary  kind,  which 
it  would   have   been   madness   indeed 
for  any  office  lightly  to  throw  away. 
It   was   really,   after  all,  an  unequal 
struggle  between  feeling  and  interest. 
If  they  should  succeed  in  unseating 
the  present  wrongful  possessor  of  a 
very  splendid  property,   and  putting 
in   his   place   the   rightful  owner,  by 
means  alone  of  their  own  professional 
ability,    perseverance,   and  heavy  pe- 
cuniary  outlay,    (a  fearful    consider- 
ation,   truly,    but    Mr.    Quirk    had 
scraped  together  some  thirty  thousand 
pounds  !)  what  recompense  could  ba 
too   great  for  such   resplendent    scr- 
vices  ?    To  say  nothing  of   the  eclat 
which  it  would  gain   for  their  office, 
in  the  profession  and  in  the  world  at 
large,  and  the  substantial  and  perma- 
nent  advantages,    if,    as   they    ought 
to  be,  they  were  intrusted  with  tho 
general  management  of  the  property 
by    the   new   and   inexperienced   and 
confiding  owner — ay,   but   there   was 
the  rub  !     What  a  disheartening  and 
disgusting    specimen     of    such    new 
owner   had   disclosed    itself    to   their 
anxiously  expecting  but   soon  recoil- 
ing eyes  —  always,  however,  making 
due  allowances  for  one  or  two  cheering 
indications,  on  Mr.  Titmouse's   part, 
of  a   certain   rapacious   and  litigious 
humour,  which  might  pleasantly  and 
profitably  occupy   their  energies  for 
some  time   to  come!     Their  position 
and  interests  had   long   made    them 
sharp  observers  ;    but  when   did   ever 
before,    low  and   disgusting   qualities 
force  themselves  into  revolting  promi- 
nence, as  his  had  done,   in    the  very 
moment  of   an  expected   display  of 
the  better  feelings  of  human  nature  — 
such  as  enthusiastic  gratitude'!     They 
had  in  their  time  had  to  deal  with 
Bome  pleasant  specimens  of  humanity, 
to  be  sure  ;  but  when  with  any  more 
odious  and  impracticable  than  Tittle- 
bat   Titm  i:   •    t'n.  atened    to    prove 
himself  J    What  hold  could  they  get 
upon  Buch  a  character  as  his  ?     Be- 
neath all  liia  co  ad  weakness, 
there  was  a  glimmer  of  low  cunning 
which  might  sulliee  to  keep  their  su- 
perior and  prai  I  i  ed  m  tutonci  a  in  full 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


55 


These  were  difficulties,  cheer- 
less enough  in  the  contemplation, 
truly  ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  partners 
could  not  hear  the  idea  of  escaping 
from  them  by  throwing  up  the  affair 
altogether.  Then  came  the  question 
— How  were  they  to  manage  Titmouse  ? 
— how  acquire  an  early  and  firm  hold 
of  him,  so  as  to  convert  him  into  a 
capital  client?  His  fears  and  his  inter- 
ests were  obviously  the  engines  with 
•which  their  experienced  hands  were 
to  work ;  and  several  long  and  most 
anxious  consultations  had  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  had  on 
this  important  matter.  The  first 
great  question  with  them  was  —  To 
■what  extent,  and  when,  they  should 
acquaint  him  with  the  nature  of  his 
expectations. 

Gammon  was  for  keeping  him  com- 
paratively in  the  dark,  till  success  was 
within  reach  :  during  that  interval, 
(which  might  be  a  long  one,)  by  al- 
ternately stimulating  his  hopes  and 
fears  ;  by  habituating  him  to  an  entire 
dependence  on  them  ;  by  persuading 
him  of  the  extent  of  their  exertions 
and  sacrifices  on  his  behalf — they 
might  do  something;  mould  him  a 
little  into  shape  fit  for  their  purposes  ; 
and  persuade  him  that  his  affairs  must 
needs  go  to  ruin  but  iu  their  hands. 
Something  like  this  was  the  scheme  of 
the  cautious,  acute,  and  placid  Gam- 
mon. Mr.  Quirk  (with  Avhom  had 
originated  the  whole  discovery)  thought 
thus  : — tell  the  fellowT  at  once  the  whole 
extent  of  what  we  can  do  for  him,  viz., 
turn  a  half- starving  linen-draper's 
shopman  into  the  owner  of  £10,000 
a-year,  and  of  a  great  store  of  ready 
money.  This  will,  in  a  manner,  stun 
him  into  submission,  and  make  him  at 
once  and  for  all  what  we  want  him  to 
be.  He  will  immediately  fall  prostrate 
with  reverent  gratitude — looking  at  us, 
moreover,  as  three  gods,  who  at  our 
•will  can  shut  him  out  of  heaven. 
"That's  the  way,"  said  Mr.  Quirk; 
and  Mr.  Quirk  had  been  forty  years  in 
practice — had  made  the  business  what 
it  was — still  held  half  of  it  in  his  own 
hands,  (two-thirds  of  the  remaining 
half  being  Gammon's  and  the  residue 
Snap's  :)  and  Gammon,  moreover,  had 


a  very  distinct  perception  that  the 
funds  for  carrying  on  the  war  would 
come  out  of  the  tolerably  well-stored 
pockets  of  their  senior  partner.  So, 
after  a  long  discuss-on,  he  openly 
yielded  his  opinion  to  that  of  Mr. 
Quirk — cherishing,  however,  a  very 
warm  respect  for  it  in  his  own  bosom. 
As  for  Snap,  that  distinguished  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  was  very  little  consulted 
in  the  matter  ;  which  had  not  yet  been 
brought  into  that  stage  where  his 
powerful  energies  could  come  into 
play.  He  had  of  course,  however, 
heard  a  good  deal  of  what  was  going 
on ;  and  knfw  that  erelong  there  would 
be  the  copying  out  and  serving  of  tho 
Lord  knows  how  many  copies  of  de- 
clarations in  ejectment,  motions  against 
the  casual  ejector,  and  so  forth — so  far 
at  least  as  he  was  "up  to"  all  those 
quaint  and  anomalous  proceedings.  It 
had,  therefore,  been  at  length  agreed 
that  the  communication  to  Titmouse, 
on  his  first  interview,  of  the  full  extent 
of  his  splendid  expectations,  should 
depend  upon  the  discretion  of  Mr. 
Quirk.  The  reader  has  s.jen  the  unex- 
pected turn  which  matters  took  upon 
that  important  occasion  ;  and  if  it 
proved  Quirk's  policy  to  be  somewhat 
inferior  in  point  of  discretion  and  long- 
sightedness to  that  of  Gammon,  still  it 
must  be  owned  that  the  latter  had 
cause  to  admire  the  rapid  generalship 
with  which  the  consequences  of  Quirk's 
false  move  had  been  retrieved  by  him 
— not  ill  seconded  by  Snap.  What 
could  have  been  more  judicious  than 
his  reception  of  Titmouse,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  being  led  in  again  by  th« 
subtle  Gammon  ? 

The  next  and  greatest  matter  was, 
how  to  obtain  any  hold  upon  such  a 
person  as  Titmouse  had  shown  himself, 
so  as  to  secure  to  themselves,  in  the 
event  of  success,  the  remuneration  to 
which  they  considered  themselves  en- 
titled. Was  it  so  perfectly  clear  that, 
if  he  felt  disposed  to  resist  it,  they 
could  compel  him  to  pay  the  mere 
amount  of  their  bill  of  costs  ? 

Suppose  he  should  turn  round  upon 
them,  and  have  their  Bill  taxed — 
Quirk  grunted  with  fright  at  the  bare 
thought.     Then  there  was  a  slapping 


56 


TE^  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


quiddam  honorarium  extra — undoubt- 
edly fur  that  they  must,  they  feared, 
trust  to  the  honour  and  gratitude  of 
Titmouse;  and  a  pretty  taste  of  his 
quality  they  had  already  expe 
Such  a  disposition  as  his,  to  ha\ 
r  lyupon  for  the  prompt  settlement  of 
a  bill  of  thousands  of  pounds  of  costs  ! 
and,  b  ssides  that,  to  have  it  to  look  to 
for  the  payment  of  at  least  some  five 
or  perhaps  ten  thousand  pounds  dou- 
c  (//•— nay,  and  this  was  not  all.  Mr. 
Quirk  had,  as  well  as  Mr.  Gimmon, 
cast  many  an  anxious  eye  on  the  fol- 
lowing passages  from  a  certain  work 
entitled  Blackstone's  Com.n  ntarics: — 

"  Maintenance  is  an  officious  in- 
termeddling in  a  suit  that  no  way 
belongs  to  one,  by  'maintaining*  or 
assisting  either  party  with  money,  or 
otherwise,  to  prosecute  or  defend  it.  *  * 
It  is  an  offence  against  public  justice, 
as  it  keeps  alive  strife  and  contention, 
and  perverts  the  remedial  process  of 
the  law  into  an  engine  of  oppression.  *  * 
The  punishment  by  common-law  is  fine 
and  imprisonment,  and  by  statute  32 
Ibn.  VIII.  c.  9,  a  forfeiture  of  £10! 

"  Champerty — (campi  partUio) — is 

a  species  of  Maintenance,  and  punished 
in  the  same  manner;  being  a  bargain 
with  a  plaintiff  or  defendant  'cam} 
parti  ri,'  to  divide  the  land,  or  other 
matter  sued  for,  between  them,  if  they 
prevail  at  law;  whereupon  the  cham- 
pertor  is  to  carry  on  the  suit  at  his 
own  expense.  *  *  These  pests  of  civil 
tsociety,  that  are  perpetually  endeav- 
ouring to  disurb  the  repo  e  of  their 
neighbours,  and  officiously  interfering 
in  other  men's  quarrels,  even  at  the 
hazard  of  their  own  fortunes,  were 
severely  animadverted  on  by  the 
Roman  law  ;  and  they  were  punished 
by  the  forfeiture  of  a  third  part  of 
their  goods,  and  perpetual  infamy."* 

These  Were  pleasant  passages  sure- 
ly ! 

Many  were  the  conversations  ami 
con  which  the  partners  had 

had  .  Mortmain  eel  Frank- 

pie  I  ,  upon  1      interest* 

jug  i  r  thero  were  any 

Le  of  at  on  ■ 

*  Black  a,  vol.  ivi  pp. 

134S. 


against  tho  ingratitude  of  Titmouse, 
and  protecting  themselves  against  tha 
penalties  of  the  law.  It  made  old  Mr. 
Quirk's  bald  head,  even,  Hush  all  over 
whenever  he  thought  of  their  1 'ill  being 
taxed,  or  contemplated  himself  tho 
inmate  of  a  prison,  (above  all,  at  hid 
advanced  time  of  life,)  with  mournful 
leisure  to  meditate  upon  the  misdeeds 
that  had  sent  him  thither,  to  which 
profitable  exercise  the  legislature  would 
have  specially  stimulated  him  by  a 
certain  fine  above  mentioned.  As  for 
Gammon,  he  knew  there  must  be  a 
way  of  doing  the  thins  Bomehow  or 
another;  for  his  friend  Frankpledge 
felt  infinitely  less  difficulty  in  the  v.  iy 
than  Mortmain,  whom  he  considered  a 
timid  and  old-fashioned  practitioner. 
The  courts,  said  Mr.  Frankpledge, 
were  now  setting  their  faces  strongly 
against  the  doctrine  of  Maintenance, 
as  being  founded  on  a  bygone  state  of 
things  :  cessanie  ratione  ccssat  ct  ipsa. 
was  his  favourite  maxim.  There 
was  no  wrong  without  a  remedy,  he 
said  ;  and  was  there  not  a  wrong  in 
the  case  of  a  poor  man  wrongfully  de- 
1  of  his  own  ?  And  how  could 
this  be  remedied,  if  the  old  law  of 
.Maintenance  stood  like  a  bugbear  in 
the  way  of  humane  and  spirited  prac- 
titioners? Was  no  one  to  be  able  to 
take  up  the  cause  of  the  oppressed, 
encouraged  by  the  prospect  of  an  ample 
;>e  ?  If  it  was  said — let  the 
claimant  sue  in  formd  pea  hut 

then  he  must  swear  that  he  is  not 
worth  five  pounds;  ami  a  man  may 
not  he  aide  to  take  that  oath,  and  yet 
he  unequal  to  the  commencement  of  a 
suit  requiring  the  out!  iy  of  thousands. 
Moreover,  a  pretty  pro  pect  it  was  for 
a  h  a  suitor,  (in  ,)  if 

ttould  happen  to  he  non-suited — to 

he   "  put  to  his  election,  whether  to  he 

whipped  or  pay  the  co  I  ."*  Thus 
ned  within  himself  that  :i  itute 
m,     Mr.     Frankpledge  ;    ami    at 

length  Bal  i  ified  himself  that  he  h  i  1 
d   aii   in  itrument  *\  mid 

•'  ne  ■  se  "—  that  "  won!  1  hold 

r."  To  the  best  of  my  ;  ion, 

*  Blachitone,  vol.  Hi.  p    100,  where  it  ia 
stated,  however,  that  "that]  now 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


57 


it  was  a  bond,  conditioned  to  pay  tho 
sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  to  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  within  two 
months  of  Titmouse's  being  put  into 
possession  of  the  rents  and  profits  of 
the  estate  in  question.  The  condition 
of  that  bond  was,  as  its  framer  believed, 
drawn  in  a  masterly  manner ;  and  his 
draft  was  lying  before  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  on  the  Wednesday 
morning,  (i.  e.  the  day  after  Titmouse's 
interview  with  them,)  and  had  suc- 
ceeded at  length  in  exciting  the  appro- 
bation of  Mr.  Quirk  himself ;  when — 
whew  ! — down  came  a  note  from  Mr. 
Frankpledge,  to  the  effect  that,  ' '  since 
preparing  the  draft  bond,"  he  had 
"had  reason  slightly  to  modify  his 
original  opinion, ' '  owing  to  his  ' '  having 
lit  upon  a  late  case,"  in  which  an 
instrument,  precisely  similar  to  the  one 
which  he  had  prepared  for  his  admiring 
clients,  had  been  held  "totally  inef- 
fectual and  void  both  at  law  and  in 
equity."  I  say,  Mr.  Frankpledge^ 
note  was  to  that  effect ;  for  so  ingeni- 
ously had  he  framed  it — so  effectually 
concealed  his  retreat  beneath  a  little 
cloud  of  contradictory  autborities,  like 
as  the  ink-fish,  they  say,  eludeth  its 
pursuers — that  his  clients  cursed  the 
law,  not  their  draftsman  :  and,  more- 
over, by  prudently  withholding  the 
name  of  the  "  late  case,"  he  at  all 
events,  for  a  while,  had  prevented 
their  observing  that  it  was  senior  to 
some  eight  or  ten  cases  which  (inde- 
fatigable man  !)  he  had  culled  for  them 
out  of  the  legal  garden,  and  arrayed 
on  the  back  of  his  draft.  Slightly 
disconcerted  were  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Gammon,  it  may  be  believed,  at  this 
new  view  of  the  "result  of  the  author- 
ities." "  Mortmain  is  always  right !  " 
said  Quirk,  looking  hard  at  Gammon  ; 
who  observed  simply  that  one  day 
Frankpledge  would  be  as  old  as  Mort- 
main then  was  —  by  which  time 
(thought  he)  I  also  know  where  you 
will  be,  my  old  friend,  if  there's  any 
truth  in  the  Scriptures!  In  this 
pleasant  frame  of  mind  were  the  part- 
ners, when  the  impudent  apparition 
of  Huckaback  presented  itself,  in  the 
manner  which  has  been  described. 
Huckaback's    commentary  upon    the 


disgusting  text  of  Titmouse  overnight, 
(as  a  lawyer  would  say,  in  analogy  to 
a  well-known  term,  "Coke  upon  Lit- 
tleton,") produced  an  effect  upon  their 
minds  which  may  be  guessed  at.  It 
was  while  their  minds  were  under  these 
two  soothing  influences,  i.  e.  of  the 
insolence  of  Huckaback  and  the  vacil- 
lation of  Frankpledge,  that  Mr.  Gam- 
mon had  penned  the  note  to  Titmouse, 
(surely,  under  the  circumstances,  one 
of  extraordinary  temper  and  forbear- 
ance, )  which  had  occasioned  Titmouse 
the  agonies  which  I  have  been  attempt- 
ing faintly  to  describe  ;  —  and  that 
Quirk,  summoning  Snap  into  tho 
room,  had  requested  him  to  give 
orders  for  denial  to  Titmouse  if  he 
should  again  make  his  appearance  at 
the  office ;  which  injunction  Snap 
forthwith  delivered  in  the  clerks' 
room,  in  a  tone  and  manner  that  were 
a  very  model  of  the  imperative  mood. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  Mr.  Quirk, 
(who  was  a  man  that  stuck  like  a 
limpet  to  a  rock  to  any  point  which 
occurred  to  him,)  in  poring  over  that 
page  in  the  fourth  volume  of  Black- 
stone's  Commentaries,  where  were  to 
be  found  the  passages  which  have  been 
already  quoted,  (and  which  both  Quirk 
and  Gammon  had  long  had  oil'  by 
heart,)  as  he  sat  one  day  at  dinner, 
at  home,  whither  he  had  taken  tho 
A'olume  in  question,  fancied  he  had  at 
last  hit  upon  a  notable  crotchet,  which, 
the  more  he  thought  of,  the  more  he 
was  struck  with  ;  determining  to  pay 
a  visit  in  the  morning  to  Mr.  Mort- 
main. The  spark  of  light  that  had 
twinkled  till  it  kindled  in  the  tinder 
of  his  mind,  was  struck  by  his  hard 
head  out  of  the  following  sentence  of 
the  text  in  question  : — 

"A  man  may,  however,  maintain 
the  suit  of  his  near  kinsman,  servant, 
or  roon  neighbour,  out  of  charity 
and  compassion,  with  impunity  ;  other- 
tvise,  the  punishment  is,"  &c.  &c* 

Now,  it  seemed  to  Mr.  Quirk,  that 
tbe  words  which  I  have  placed  in 
italics  and  small  capitals,  exactly  met 
the  case  of  poor  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 
He  stuck  to  that  view  of  the  case,  till 
he  almost  began  to  think  that  he  really 

•  lilockstone's  Commentaries,  vol,  iv.  p.  135. 


58 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


had  a  kind  of  a  sort  of  a  charity  and 
compassion  for  poor  Tittlebat — kept 
out  of  his  rights — tyrannized  over  by 
a  vulgar  draper  in  Oxford  Street — 
where,  too,  no  doubt,  he  was  half- 
starved. — "It's  a  great  blessing  that 
one's  got  the  means — and  the  inclina- 
tion, to  serve  one's  poor  neighbours  " 
— thought  Quirk,  as  he  slowly  swal- 
lowed another  glass  of  the  wine  that 
maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man — and 
tUso softens  it  ; — for  the  more  he  drank, 
the  more  and  more  pitiable  became  his 
mood — the  more  sensitive  was  he  to 
compassionate  suggestions  ;  and  by 
the  time  that  lie  had  finished  the 
decanter,  he  was  actually  in  tears. 
These  virtuous  feelings  brought  their 
own  reward,  too — for,  from  time  to 
time,  they  conjured  up,  as  it  were,  the 
faint  rainbow  image  of  a  bond  con- 
ditioned for  the  payment  of  Ten 
Thousand  Pounds  ! 

To  change  the  metaphor  a  little — 
by  the  time  that  old  Quirk  had 
reached  his  office  in  the  morning,  the 
heated  iron  had  cooled  ;  if  his  heart 
had  retained  any  of  the  maudlin  soft- 
ness of  the  preceding  evening,  the 
following  pathetic  letter  from  Tit- 
mouse might  have  made  a  very  deep 
impression  upon  it,  and  fixed  him,  in 
the  benevolent  and  disinterested  mind 
of  the  old  lawyer,  as  indeed  his  '<poor 
li)">ur."  The  following  is  an  exact 
copy  of  it.  It  had  been  written  by 
Titmouse,  all  out  of  his  own  head  ; 
and  with  his  own  hand  had  he  left  it, 
at  a  late  hour  on  the  night  before. 

"  To  Messrs.  Queue,  Gamon,  and 
Shape. 

•'Gents, 
"  Y»"  Esteem'd  Favour  lies  now  he- 
fore  Me,  which'/;/'//  Say  have  Given 
i:  e   '■■!"'  b  I  loncea  a,    eein?  I  Thou 
it  was  All  Made  up  betwixt  us  That 
was  of  Such  an  /'///<  re  on 

Tne  day  eight  (ultimo)  w'>  1  mos_1 
humbly  Own 

all  alone  and  mtin  lyoi  My  <  >\\  u  Fault, 
and  Not  in  the  I.  ost  lour'a  whicli 
behaved  to  me,  Mil  i  say,  In  the  moi  I 

R,    peetl'ul  and  superior  manner  that 

was  possible  to  think  Of,  fox  1  truly 


Say  I  never  was  In  the  Company  of 
Such  Imminent  and  Superior  Gents 
before  In  my  Life  wh  will  take  my 
Oath  sincerely  Of,  Gents.  Please  to 
consider  the  Brandy  (wh  do  think  was 
Uncommon  Stiff)  such  a  (lustrum  As  I 
Was  In  before,  to,  w'i  was  Evident  to 
All  of  Us  there  then  Assemblid  and 
very  initial  like  to  be  the  Case  Seeing 
I  have  nevir  known  what  Peas  of 
Mind  was  since  I  behaved  in  Such  a 
Oudacious  waywh  truly  was  the  case 
I  can't  Deny  to  Such  Gents  as  Your- 
selfs  that  were  doing  me  such  Good 
Fortune  And  Kindness  to  mo  as  it 
would  Be  a  Dreadful  sin  and  shame 
(such  as  Trust  1  can  neve:-  be  Guilty 
of)  to  be  (wh  am  not)  and  never  Can 
Be  insensible  Of,  Gents  do  Consider 
all  this  Favourably  because  of  my 
humble  Amends  \\'»  ]  here  Make  with 
the  greatest  Trouble  in  my  Mind  that 
I  have  Had  Ever  Since,  it  was  all  of 
the  Sperrits  1  Tooke  wh  made  me  Go 
On  at  such  a  Pate  wa  was  always  (lug 
to  Assure  yr  most  respo  house)  the 
Case  Since  my  birth  when  I  took 
Sperrits  never  so  little  Since  I  had  tho 
Meazleswhcn  I  was  3  Years  Old  as  I 
Well  Pecollect  and  hope  it  will  bo 
Born  in  Mind  what  is  Often  Said,  and 
I'm  Sure  I've  read  it  Somewhere  I 
that  People  that  Is  Drunk  Always 
speaks  the  Direct  Coni  of  their 

True  and  Peal  Thoughts,  (wh  am  I 
tain  never  was  any  Thing  Truer  in  my 
ease)  so  as  I  get  the  Money  or  "What 
not,  do  whatever  you  Like  A\h  are, 
quite  welcome  to  Do  if  you  please,  and 
No  questions  Asked,  don't  Mind  sav- 
ing by  The  Way  It  sli:ill  Be  As  Good 
E200  note  in  The  way  of  your 
1,'espe.  II,, use  if  I  Get  the  Estate  i  t 
w'i  am  much  in  Want  of.  Mr.  Gamon 
(wh  is  the  most  Upright  gent  that 
ever  1  came  across  in  All  nay  Life)  will 
tell  you  that  I  Was  Quite  <'ut  up 
when  he  came  After  me  in  that  kind 
Way  and  told  him  Then  how  1  loved 
yr  il  House  ai  ,1  would  do  all 

In  My  power  to  Serve  You,  whi<  I, 
Sill  lon't,  1  was  in  Such  n  i  ige  w  ith 
that  Fi  llow  1 1 1,  's  only  in  a  ,v 
in   Tottenham   <  t  j;,,a<l)    Huckaback 

which    is     his    tun;    name    it     was    all 
audacious  thing,  and  hav«  given  hiin 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


59 


such  a  Precious  Good  hiding  last  Night 
as  you  never  saw  when  on  his  Bendid 
Knees  He  asked  the  pardon  of  your 
Respectable  House,  sayg  nothing  Of 
Me  w*»  wd  not  allow  because  1  said  1 
would  Not  Forgive  Him  because  he 
had  not  injured  me :  But  you,  wh  I 
wonder  at  his  Impudence  in  Calling  on 
Professional  Gents  like  you,  if  1  get 
The  Estate  shall  never  cease  to  Think 
well  of  you  and  mean  While  how  full 
of  Trouble  I  am  Often  Thinking  Of 
Death  which  is  the  End  of  Every 
Thing  And  then  in  that  Case  who  will 
the  Property  Go  to  Seeing  I  Leave 
never  a  Brother  or  Sister  Behind  me. 
And  Therefore  Them  That  wd  Get  it  I 
Feel  Sure  of  wd  Not  do  So  Well  by 
you  (if  You  will  Only  believe  Me)  So 
Gents.  This  is  All  at  present  That  I 
will  Make  so  Bold  to  trouble  you  With 
About  my  Unhappy  Affairs  Only  to 
say  That  am  used  most  Intolerably 
Bad  now  In  The  Shop  quite  Tyranicall 
And  Mr.  Tag-Eag  as  Set  Them  All 
Against  Me  and  I  shall  Never  Get 
Another  Situat11  for  want  of  a  Cliai* 
which  he  will  give  me  say?  nothg  at 
Present  of  the  Sort  of  Victules  wh  give 
me  Now  to  Eat  Since  Monday  last, 
For  Which  am  Sure  the  Devil  must 
have  Come  In  to  That  Gentleman  (Mr. 
Tag-rag,  he  was  only  himself  in  a 
Situation  in  Holborn  once,  gettg  the 
Business  by  marryg  the  widow  wh  won- 
der At  for  he  is  nothing  Particular  to 
Look  At. )    I  am  yrs 

Humbly  to  Command  Till 
Death  (always  Humbly  Begging  par- 
don for  the  bad  Conduct  whwas  guilty 
of  when  In  Liquor  Especially  On  an 
Empty  Stomach,  Having  Taken  No- 
thing all  that  Day  excepting  what  I 
could  not  Eat,) 

"  Your's  most  Respy, 

"Tittlebat  Titmouse. 

"P.S.  Will  Bring  That  young  Man 
with  Tears  In  his  Eyes  to  Beg  yr  par- 
don Over  again  If  You  Like  wh  will 
Solemnly  Swear  if  Required  That  he 
did  It  all  of  His  own  Head  And  that 
Have  given  It  him  For  it  in  the  Way 
That  is  Written  Above  And  humbly 
Trust  You  Will  make  Me  So  happy 
Once  more  by  Writing  To  Me  (if  it  is 


only  a  Line)  To  say  You  Have  Thought 
No  more  of  it.  T.  T.  No  9  Closet  C*. 
Oxford  Street.     11/7/1S — " 

This  touching  epistle,  I  was  saying, 
might  have  brought  tears  into  Mr. 
Quirk's  eyes,  if  he  had  been  used  to 
the  melting  mood,  which  he  was  not ; 
having  never  been  seen  to  shed  a  tear 
but  once — when  five-sixths  of  his  little 
bill  of  costs  (L.196,  Ins.  4d.)  were 
taxed  off  in  an  action  on  a  Bill  of 
Exchange  for  L.20.  As  it  was,  ho 
tweedled  the  letter  about  in  his  hands 
for  about  rive  minutes,  in  a  musing 
mood,  and  then  stepped  with  it  into 
Mr.  Gammon's  room.  That  gentle- 
man took  the  letter  with  an  air  of 
curiosity,  and  read  it  over ;  at  every 
sentence  (if  indeed  a  sentence  there  was 
in  it)  bursting  into  soft  laughter. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha  !"  he  laughed  on  con- 
cluding it — "a  comical  gentleman, 
Mr.  Titmouse,  upon  my  honour  !  " 

"Funny— isn't  it  rather?"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Quirk,  standing  with  his 
hands  fumbling  about  in  his  breeches 
pockets. 

"  What  a  crawling  despicable  little 
rascal !— ha,  ha,  ha  !  " 

"Why — I  don't  quite  say  that, 
either,"  said  Quirk,  doubtingly — "I 
— don't  exactly  look  at  it  in  that 
light !  " 

"  My  dear  sir ! "  exclaimed  Gammon, 
leaning  back  in  his  chair,  and  laugh- 
ing rather  heartily,  (at  least  for  him.) 

"You  can't  leave  olf  that  laugh  of 
yours,"  said  Quirk,  a  little  tartly; 
"but  I  must  say  I  don't  see  anything 
in  the  letter  to  laugh  at  so  particularly. 
It  is  written  in  a  most  respectful  man- 
ner, and  shows  a  proper  feeling  to- 
wards the  house." 

"Ay!  see  how  he  speaks  ofme!" 
interrupted  Gammon,  with  such  a 
smile !  — 

"And  doesn't  he  speak  so  of  me? 
and  all  of  us  ?  " 

"  He'll  let  the  house  tread  on  him 
till  he  can  tread  on  the  house,  I  dare 
say." 

"But  you  must  own,  Mr.  Gammon, 
it  shows  we've  licked  him  into  shape  a 
bit— eh  ? " 

"  Oh,   it's    a    little    vile    creeping 


60 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


reptile  now,  and  so  it  will  be  to  the 
end  of  the  chapter — of  our  proi 
it  gs  ;  ami  when  we've  done  every- 
thing— really,  Mr.  Quirk!  if  one 
apt  to  lose  one's  temper,  il  would  be 
to  see  such  a  tiling  as  that  put  into 
possession  of  such  a  fortune." 

"That  may  be,  Mr.  Gammon  ;  bu1  1 
really— hem  ! — trust — I've — a   higher 

('<  i  Jing  !— To  right— the  injured " 

He  could  get  no  further. 

"Hem  !  "  exclaimed  Gammon. 

The  partners  smiled  at  one  another. 
.A  touch,  or  an  attempted  touch  at 
<  dnterest  'ness! — and  at  Quirk's  time 
of  life  ! 

"But  he's  now  in  a  humour  for 
training,  at  all  events — isn't  he?" 
exclaimed  Quirk — "we've  something 
now  to  go  to  work  upon — gradually." 

"Isn't  that  a  leaf  out  of  my  book, 
Mr.  Quirk  ?  —  isn't  that  exactly 
what " 

"  Well,  wrll — what  does  it  signify?" 
interrupted  Quiik,  rather  petulantly — 
"  I've  got  a  crotchet  that'll  do  for  i  . 
yet,  about  the  matter  of  law,  ami 
make  all  righl  and  tight — so  I'm  going 
to  Mortmain." 

"I've  got  a  little  idea  of  my  own 
of  that  sert,  Mr.  Quirk,"  said  Gam- 
mon— "  I've  got  an  extract  from  Co- 
Litt — .  I  can't  imagine  how  either  of 
thmi  could  have  missed  it  ;  and,  as 
Frankpledge  dines  with  me  to-day, 
we  shall  talk  it  all  over.  But,  by  the 
way,  Mr.  Quirk,  I  should  say,  with 
all  deference,  that  we'd  take  no  more 
notice  of  this  fellow  till  we've  got 
SOlim  screw  tight  enough " 

"  Why — all  that  may  be  very  well  ; 
but  y<ni  Bee,  G  immon,  the  fellow 
Eeems  the  real  heir,  after  ail  ami  if 
Tie  don't  get  it,  no  one  can  ;  and  if  he 
don't— vc  don't  !  eh?" 

"There's a  verygreal  deal  of  force 
in  thai  obsi  rvat  ion,  Mi-.  Quirk," 

■I   emphatic  dly  :-   and,    toler- 
ably well  pleased   with  one  another, 

[f  Quirl    n 
pared  to  an  old  Qle,  Gammon  was  the 
oil! — so  they  got  on,  in   the   u 
very  wdl  together.      Ii  h  irdb 
what  was  the  resul!  of  their  interviews 
with  their   two  < iom eyan<  •  i  .     They 
met  the  next  moi   i  g  on  ordinary 


business  ;  find  as  each  made  no  allu- 
sions whatever  to  the  "crotchet"  of 
day  before,  it  may  he  safely 
inferred  that  each  had  been  satisfied 
by  his  conveyancer  of  having  found 
out  a  mare's  nest. 

"I  think,  by  the  way,"  said  Mr. 
Gammon  to  Mr.  Quirk,"  before  they 
parted  on  the  previous  evening,  "it 
may  be  as  well,  all  things  considered, 
to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the 
Fellow's  note — ehJ  —  Can't  do  any 
harm,  you  know,  and  civility  costs 
nothing — hem  !  " 

"The  very  thing  I  was  thinking 
of,"  replied  Quirk,  as  he  always  did 
on  hearing  any  suggestion  from  Mr. 
Gammon.  So  by  that  night's  post 
was  dispatched  (post-paid)  the  follow- 
ing note  to  Mr.  Titmouse  : — 

"Messrs.    Quirk,     Gammon,     and 

Snap  hive  the  pleasure  of  acknow- 

ing  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Titmou  e's 

polite  Letter  of  last  night's  date;  and 

beg  that  he  will  not  di 
himself  about  the  little  incident  lh  it 
occurred  at  then  oflice  on  Tue  day 
at,  and  which  they  assure,  him 
they  have  quite  forgotten.  They 
made  all  allowances,  however  t 
feelings  suffered  at  the  time.  They 
beg  Mr.  T.  will  give  them  credit  for 
not  losing  sight  of  his  interests,  to  the 
best  of  their  ability;  obstructed  as 
they    are,     however,    by    num.  - 

olties.  If  they  should  be 
in  any  degree  hereafter  over*  om< 
may  rest  assured  of  their  promptly 
communicating  with  him  ;  and  till 
then  they  trust  Mr.  T.  will  not  in- 
convenience himself  by  calling  on,  or 
writing  to  them. 

"Saffron  llill,  Voth  July,  IS—. 

"P.S.— Messrs.  Q.  G.  and  S.  regret 
to  hear  thai  any  unpleasant ne  is  has 
arisen  <(  tammon  could  hardly  v  i:l 
Mm.:)  between  M r.  Titmou  e  and 

his  friend  Mr.  1 1  icl  Lebag]  ■,  \\  ho,  they 

are  him,   man 
inter,  si    in  behalf  of  .Mi'.  T.,  and  e.,n- 

I  himself  with  the  creates!   ]  .  - 
ty  on  die  occa  ion  •>! 
upon   Mc    rs.   Q.   (\.   ami   S.     They 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


61 


happened  at  that  moment  to  be 
engaged  in  matters  of  the  "highest 
importance  ;  which  will,  they  trust, 
explain  any  appearance  of  abruptness 
they  might  have  exhibited  towards 
that  gentleman.  Perhaps  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse will  be  so  obliging  as  to  intimate 
as  much  to  Mr.  Hickerbag. " 

There  was  an  obvious  reason  for 
this  polite  allusion  to  Huckaback. 
Gammon  thought  it  veiy  possible  that 
that  gentleman  might  be  in  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's confidence,  and  exercise  a 
powerful  influence  over  him  hereafter  ; 
and  which  influence  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap  might  find  it  well 
worth  their  while  to  secure  beforehand. 

The  moment  that  Titmouse,  with 
breathless  haste,  had  read  over  this 
mollifying  document,  which  being 
directed  to  his  lodgings  correctly,  he 
obtained  as  soon  as  he  had  reached  his 
lodgings,  after  quitting  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
about  ten  o'clock,  he  hastened  to  his 
friend  Huckaback.  That  gentleman 
(who  seemed  now  virtually  recognised 
by  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap 
as  Titmouse's  confidant)  shook  his 
head  ominously,  exclaiming — "  Blar- 
ney,  blarney ! "  and  a  bitter  sneer 
settled  on  his  disagreeable  features, 
till  he  had  read  down  to  the  post- 
script ;  the  perusal  of  which  effected 
a  sudden  change  in  his  feelings.  He 
declared,  with  a  great  oath,  that 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap 
were  "perfect  gentlemen,"  and  would 
"  do  the  right  thing,  Titmouse  might 
depend  upon  it ; "  an  assurance  which 
greatly  cheered  Titmouse,  to  whose 
keen  discernment  it  never  once  oc- 
curred to  refer  Huckaback's  altered 
tone  to  the  right  cause,  viz.  the 
lubricating  quality  of  the  postscript ; 
and  since  Titmouse  did  not  allude  to 
it,  no  more  did  Mr.  Huckaback, 
although  his  own  double  misnomer 
stuck  a  little  in  his  throat.  So 
eiToctual,  indeed,  had  been  that  most 
skilful  postscript  upon  the  party  whom 
it  had  been  aimed  at,  that  he  exerted 
himself  unceasingly  to  revive  Tit- 
mouse's confidence  in  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap  ;  and  so  far  suc- 
ceeded, that  Titmouse  returned  to  his 


lodgings  at  a  late  hour,  a  somewhat 
happier,  if  not  a  wiser  man  than  ho 
had  left  them.  By  the  time,  how- 
ever, that  he  had  got  into  bed,  having 
once  more  spelled  over  the  note  in 
question,  he  felt  as  despondent  as 
ever,  and  thought  that  Huckaback 
had  not  known  what  he  had  been 
talking  about.  He  also  adverted  to 
an  apjMrcntly  careless  allusion  by 
Huckaback  to  the  injuries  which  had 
been  inflicted  upon  him  by  Titmouse 
on  the  Wednesday  night :  and  which, 
by  the  way,  Huckaback  determined  it 
should  be  no  fault  of  his  if  Titmouso 
easily  forgot !  He  hardly  knew  why 
— but  he  disliked  this  particularly. — • 
"Whom  had  he,  however,  in  the  world, 
but  Huckaback?  In  company  with 
him  alone,  Titmouse  felt  that  his 
pent-up  feelings  could  discharge  them- 
selves. Huckaback  had  certainly  a 
wonderful  knack  of  keeping  up  Tit- 
mouse's spirits,  whatever  cause  ho 
fancied  ho  might  really  have  for 
depression.  Jn  short,  he  longed  for 
the  Sunday  morning — ushering  in  a 
day  of  rest  and  sympathy.  Titmouse 
would  indeed  then  have  to  look  back 
upon  an  agitating  and  miserable  week, 
what  with  the  dismal  upsetting  of  his 
hopes,  in  the  manner  I  have  described, 
and  the  tyrannical  treatment  he  ex- 
perienced at  Tag-rag  and  Co.'s. 

Mr.  Tag-rag  began,  at  length,  in 
some  degree,  to  relax  his  active  exer- 
tions against  Titmouse,  simply  because 
of  the  trouble  it  gave  him  to  keep 
them  up.  He  attributed  the  pallid 
cheek  and  depressed  manner  of  Tit- 
mouse entirely  to  the  discipline  which 
had  been  inflicted  upon  him  at  the 
shop,  and  was  gratified  at  perceiving 
that  all  his  other  young  men  seemed, 
especially  in  his  presence,  to  have 
imbibed  his  hatred  of  Titmouse.  What 
produced  in  Tag-rag  this  hatred  of 
Titmouse  ?  Simply  what  had  taken 
place  on  the  Monday.  Mr.  Tag-rag's 
dignity  and  power  had  been  doggedly 
set  at  nought  by  one  of  his  shopmen, 
who  had  since  refused  to  make  the 
least  submission,  or  offer  any  kind  of 
apology.  Such  conduct  struck  at  the 
root  of  subordination  in  his  establish- 
ment.   Again,  thero  is  perhaps  nothing 


62 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


in  the  world  so  calculated  to  enrage  a 
petty  and  vulgar  mind  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  malignity,  aa  the  calm  per- 
severing defiance  of  an  inferior,  whom 
it  strives  to  despise,  while  it  is  only 
which  it  at  the  same  time  feels 
to  he  the  case.  Tag-rag  now  and  then 
looked  towards  Titmouse,  as  he  stood 
behind  the  counter,  as  if  lie  could  have 
murdered  him.  Titmouse  attempted 
o:ice  or  twice,  during  the  week,  to 
ohtain  a  situation  elsewhere,  hut  in 
vain.  He  could  expect  no  character 
from  Tag-rag ;  and  when  the  10th  of 
August  should  have  arrived,  what  was 
to  become,  of  him  ?  These  were  the 
kind  of  thoughts  often  passing  through 
his  mind  during  the  Sunday,  which 
he  and  Huckaback  spent  together  in 
unceasing  conversation  on  the  one 
absorbing  event  of  the  last  week. 
Titmouse,  poor  little  puppy,  had 
dressed  himself  with  just  as  much 
care  as  usual ;  but  as  he  was  giving 
the  finishing  touches  at  his  toilet, 
pumping  up  grievous  sighs  every  half 
minute,  the  sum  of  his  reflections 
might  be  stated  in  the  miserable 
significance  of  a  quaint  saying  of  Poor 
Eichard's — "  How  hard  is  it  to  make 
an  empty  sack  stand  upright !  " 

Although  the  sun  shone  as  vividly 
and  beautifully  as  on  the  preceding 
Sunday,  to  Titmouse's  saddened  eye 
there  Beemed  a  sort  of  gloom  every- 
where. Up  and  down  the  Park  he 
and  Huckaback  walked,  towards  the 
close  of  the  afternoon  ;  b  .t  Titmouse 
had  not  so  clastic  a  strut  as  before. 
He  felt  empty  and  sinking.  Every- 
body seemed  to  know  what  a  sad 
pretender  he  was:  and  they  quitted 
the  magic  circle  much  earlier  than 
had  been  usual  with  Titmouse.  What 
with  the  fatigue  of  a  long  day's 
saunter,  the  vexation  of  having  had 
hut  a  hasty,  inferior,  and  unrefivshing 

meal,    v,  hich    did     ]-'>;    d  u  i  rve    the 

name  nf  dinner,  and   their  n    pi. 

though!  .  both  Beamed  depressed  as 
they  walked  along  the  Btreel  ■■.  A I 
length  th  y  arrived  at  the  open  door 
of   a    gloomy-looking  building,    into 

Which    two    or    three    sad    and    prim- 

looking  people  were  entering.     At:,  r 

Walking   a    few  pOCCS  past  the  door — 


"Do  you  know,  Huck,"  said  Tit- 
mouse, stopping,  "  I've  often  thought 
that — that  —  there's    something    in 

"To  be  sure  there  is,  for  those  that 
like  it — who  doubts  it  ?  It's  all  very 
well  in  its  place,  no  doubt,"  replied 
Huckaback  with  much  surprise,  which 
increased,  as  he  felt  himself  slowly 
being  swayed  round  towards  the  build- 
ing in  question.  "  Bui  what  of  that  ?" 
"Oh,  nothing  ;  1ml  -hem  !  hem!  " 
replied  Titmouse,  sinking  his  voice  to 
a  whisper — "a  touch  of — religion  — 
would  not  be  so  much  amiss,  just  now, 
I  feel — uncommon  inclined  that  way, 
somehow. ' ' 

"Religion's  all  very  well,  Titty, 
dear! — for  them  that  has  much  to  be 
thankful  for  ;  but  devil  take  me  !  what 

have  either  you  or  me  to  lie " 

"  But,  Huck— how  dp  you  know  but 
we  might  get  something  to  he  thankful 
for,  by  praying  ? — I've  often  hoard  of 
great  things  ; — Come." 

Huckaback  stood  for  a  moment 
irresolute,  twirling  about  his  cane,  and 
Looking  rather  distastefully  towards 
the  dingy  building.  "To  be  sure," 
said  he,  faintly.  Titmouse  drew  him 
nearer  ;  but  he  suddenly  started  back. 
— "No  !  oh,  'tis  only  a  meeting-house, 
Tit!  Curse  Dissenters,  how  I  hate 
'em  !  No — I  won't  pray  in  a  meeting- 
house, let  me  he  had  as  I  may.  Give 
me  a  regular-like,  respectable  church, 
with  a  proper  steeple,  and  parson,  and 
pray,  is,  and  all  thai." 

Titmouse  Becretly  acknowledged  tho 
force  of  these  observations  ;  and  the 
intelligent  and  piou  ly disposed  couple, 
with  perhaps  a  just,  but  certainly  u 
Bomewhat  sudden  regard  for  orthodoxy, 
were  not  long  before  they  hail  found 
their  way  into  a  church  w  lure  evening 
service  was  being  performed.  They 
ascended  the  g  dlery  stair  ;  and  Beciug 
no  reason  to  he  ;i  ihamod  of 
church,  down  tli<  y  both  went,  with 
loud  clattering  Bteps  ami  a  hold  air, 
into  the  very  central  seat  ill  the  front 
of  tie  g  illery,  which  happened  to  he 
-lit.  Titmouse  paid  a  moi  t  e  tem« 
plary  attention  to  what  was  going  on, 
kneeling,  i  i'  ting,  ami  standing  w  ith 
;  pro]  riety,  in  the  proper  places,' 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


63 


joining  audibly  in  the  responses,  and 
keeping  his  eyes  pretty  steadily  on  the 
prayer-book,  which  he  found  lying 
there.  He  even  rebuked  Huckaback 
for  whispering  (during  one  of  the  most 
solemn  parts  of  the  service)  that  "there 
was  a  pretty  gal  in  the  next  pew  !  " — 
He  thought  that  the  clergyman  was  an 
uncommon  fine  preacher,  and  said  some 
things  that  he  must  have  meant  for 
him,  Titmouse,  in  particular. 

"  Curse  me,  Hucky ! "  said  he 
heatedly,  c.z  soon  as  they  had  quitted 
the  church,  and  were  fairly  in  the 
street — "  Curse  me  if — if — ever  I  felt 
so  comfortable-like  in  my  mind  before, 
as  I  do  now — I'll  go  next  Sunday 
again." 

"Lord,  Tit,  you  don't  really  mean 
— it's  deuced  dull  work  !  " 

"  Hang  me  if  I  don't,  though  !  and 
if  anything  should  come  of  it — if  I  do 
but  get  the  estate — (I  wonder,  now, 
where  Mr.  Gammon  goes  to  church.  I 
should  like  to  know ! — I'd  go  there 
regularly) — But  if  I  do  get  the  thing — 

you  see  if  I  don't " 

"Ah,  I  don't  know  ;  it's  not  much 
use  praying  for  money,  Tit ;  I've  tried 
it  myself,  once  or  twice,  but  it  didn't 
answer !  " 

"I'll  take  my  oath  you  was  staring 
at  the  gals  all  the  while,  Hucky  !  " 

"Ah,  Titty!"  exclaimed  Hucka- 
back, and  winked  his  eye,  and  put  the 
tip  of  his  forefinger  to  the  tip  of  his 
nose,  and  laughed. 

Titmouse  continued  in  what  he 
doubtless  imagined  to  be  a  devout 
frame  of  mind,  for  several  minutes 
after  quitting  the  church.  But  close 
by  the  aforesaid  church,  the  devil  had 
a  thriving  little  establishment,  in 
the  shape  of  a  cigar-shop  ;  in  which 
a  showily-dressed  young  Jewess  sat 
behind  the  counter,  right  underneath 
a  glaring  gas-light— with  a  thin  stripe 
of  greasy  black  velvet  across  her  fore- 
head, and  long  ringlets  that  rested  on 
her  shoulders — bandying  slang  with 
two  or  three  other  such  puppies  as 
Titmouse  and  Huckaback.  Our  friends 
entered  and  purchased  a  cigar  a-piece, 
which  they  lit  on  the  spot ;  and  after 
each  of  them  had  exchanged  an  impu- 
dent wink  with  the  Jewess,  out  they 


went,  puffing  away— all  the  remains  of 
their  piety  !     When  they  had  come  to 
the  end   of  their  cigars  they  parted, 
each  speeding  homeward.     Titmouse, 
on   reaching  his  lodgings,  sunk   into 
profound  depression.     He  felt  an  awful 
conviction  that  his  visit  to  the  cigar- 
shop  had  entirely  spoilt  the  effect  of 
his  previous  attendance  at  the  church, 
and  that,  if  so  disposed,  he  might  now 
sit  and  whistle  for  his  ten  thousand 
a-year.    Thoughts  such  as  these  drove 
him  nearly  distracted.     If,  indeed,  he 
had   foreseen   having   to   go   through 
such  another  week  as  the  one  just  over, 
I  think  it  not  impossible  that  before 
the  arrival  of  the  ensuing  Sunday,  Mr. 
Titmouse  might  have  afforded  a  little 
employment  to  that  ancient  but  gloomy 
functionary,  a  coroner,  and  his  jury. 
At  that  time,  however,  inquests  of  this 
sort  were  matter-of-fact  and  melancholy 
affairs   enough ;    which   I  doubt  not 
would  have  been  rather  a  dissuasive 
from  suicide,  in  the  estimation  of  one 
who  might  be  supposed  ambitious  of 
the  eclat  of  a  modern  inquest ;  where, 
indeed,  such  strange  antics  are  played 
by  certain  new  performers  as  would 
suffice  to  revive  the  corpse,  (if  it  were 
a  corpse  that  had  ever  had  a  spark  of 
sense  or  spirit  in  it,)  and  make  it  kick 
the  coroner  out  of  the  room.     But  to 
one  of  so  high  an  ambition  as  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  how  delightful  would  it  not 
have    been,    to    anticipate    becoming 
(what   had  been  quite  impracticable 
during  life)  the  object  of  public  atten- 
tion after  his  death — by  means  of  a 
flaming  dissertation  by  the  coroner  on 
his  own  zeal  and  spirit — the  nature 
and  extent  of  his  rights,  powers,  and 
duties  ; — when  high  doctors  are  brow- 
beaten, the  laws  tet  at  defiance,  and 
public  decency  plucked  by  the  beard, 
ami  the  torn  and  bleeding  hearts  of  sur- 
viving relatives  still  further  agonized 
by  an  exposure,  all  quivering  under  the 
recent  stroke,  to  the  gaping  vulgar! 
Indeed,   I  sometimes  think  that  the 
object  of  certain  coronirs,  now-a-days, 
is  twofold  ;   first,   public — to   disgust 
people  with  suicide,  by  showing  what 
horrid  proceedings  will  take  place  over 
their  carcasses  ;  and  secondly,  private 
— to  get  the  means  of  studying  anatomy 


C4 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAR, 


by  postmortems,  which  the  said  coroner 
never  could  procure  in  his  own  prac- 
tice ;  which  enables  us  to  account  for 
some  things  one  has  lately  seen,  viz. 
that  if  a  man  come  to  liis  death  by 
means  of  a  waggon  crashing  his] 
the  coroner  institutes  an  exact  examin- 
ation of  the  lungs  and  heart.  I  take 
it  to  be  getting  now  into  anile — the 
propriety  whereof,  some  people  think, 
cannot  be  doubted  —  namely,  that 
bodies  ought  now  to  be  opened  only  to 
prove  that  they  ought  not  to  hare  been 
opened ;  an  inquest  must  be  held,  in 
order  to  demonstrate  that  it  need  not 
have  been  held,  except  that  certain 
fees  thereby  find  their  way  into  the 
pocket  of  the  aforesaid  coroner,  which 
would  otherwise  not  have  done  so.  In 
short,  such  a  coroner  as  I  have  in  my 
eye  may  be  compared  to  a  great  ape 
squatting  on  a  corpse,  furiously  chat- 
tering and  spitting  at  ail  around  it; 
and  I  am  glad  that  it  hath  at  last,  had 
wit  enough  first  to  shut  the  door  before 
proceeding  to  its  horrid  tricks. 

Touching,  by  the  way,  the  moral  of 
suicide,  it  is  a  way  which  some  hive 
of  cutting  the  Gordian  knot  of  the 
difficulties  of  life  ;  which  having  been 
done,  possibly  the  very  first  thing  thai 
is  made  manifest  to  the  spirit,  after 
taking  its  mad  leap  in  the  dark,  is — 
how  very  easily  the  ;aid  knot  might 
hare  been  untied;  nay,  that  it  was 
on  tlir,  very  point  of  being  untied,  if 
the  impatient  spirit  had  stayed  only  a 
moment  longer: — a  dismal  dis  iovctj 
which  may  excite  ineffable  grief  al  tb  ■ 
folly  and  horror  of  the  crime  of  which 
such  spirit  has  been  guilty,  lint  ah  ! 
it  is  too  late!  The  triumphant  fiend 
has  secured  his  victim  ! 

I  said  it  was  not  impossible  that  MY. 
Titmouse   might,  under   the   .  ircum- 
stances  alluded  to,  have  done  the  deed 
which  ha  -  calle  I  forth  the  above 
natural  and  profound  refli  but, 

upon  the  whole,  it.  i-;  hardly  j 
for  h  ;  so  he  wou'd 

iuty,  by 
deprfa  ing  it  of  an  enlightened  and  in- 
valuable memb  r ;  (  ,)  inflict 
great  indignity  on  his  ]  recious  b 
of  which,  during  life,  lie  had  always 
taken  the  most  affectionate  can-,   by 


consigning  it  to  burial  in  a  cross  road, 
at  night  time,  with  a  stake  run  throu  h 
it,*  and  moreover  peril  the  little  soul 
that  had  just  leaped  out  of  it,  by  not 

havi;  bui  i  ;!  Servi  e  said  over  his 

said  remains  ;  and  (lastly)  lose  all 
chance  of  enjoying  Ten  Thousand  a- 
Year— at  least  upon  earth.  I  own  I 
was  a  little  startled  (as  I  dare  say  was 
the  reader)  at  a  passage  of  mournful 
significance  in  Mr.  Titmouse's  last 
[i  tter  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  ami 
Snap,  viz. — "How  full  of  trouble  I 
am,  often  thinking  of  death,  which  is 
the  end  of  everything  ;  "  but  on  c 
fully  considering  the  context,  I  am 
disposed  to  think  that  the whble was 
only  a  device  of  Titmouse's,  either  to 
rouse  the  fears,  or  stimulate  the  feel- 
ings,  or  exi  ite  the  hopes,  of  the  three 
arbiters  of  his  destiny  to  whom  it  was 
addressed.  Mr.  Gammon,  he  thought, 
might  be  thereby  moved  to  pity  ;  while 
.Mi.  Quirk  would  probably  be  operated 
upon  by  fars,  lest  the  sad  contin- 
gency pointed  at  might  deprive  the 
house  of  one  who  would  richlyrepay 
their  exertions;  and  by  hopes  of  in- 
definite ■  [e,  if  they  could  by 
any  means  previ  nt  its  happening.  1 
often  qui  sti  med  Titmouse  on 
the  subject,  but  he  would  only  wink 
his  eye,  and  say  that  he  "  knew  vltat 
at"  OS  well  as  anyone!  That 
gi  ntl  mi  □  n  tilhj  aly  scru- 
tinize, and  carefully  weigh  every  ex- 
pression in  that  letter,  ridiculous  as 
it  was,  and  contemptible  as,  1  fear,  is 
showed  its  writer  to  be,  is  certain  ;  but 
it  did  not  occur  to  them  to  compare 
with  it,  at  least,  the  spirit  and  inten- 
tion of  their  own  ail  W6T  to  it.  Did 
the  latter  document  contain  less  cun- 
ning and  insincerity,  because  it  was 
couched  in  somewh  it  superior 
ology  1  'I  ley  could  com  I  al  their  Bl 
and  over-reaching  .  while  p 
Titam  u  ie  expo;  ed  all  his  little  mi 
Ledness  and  hypocrisy,  simply 
lie   had   noi                  I     how    to 

com  e  il  i:  indeed  a 

hail  Ie  lor  the   \,  i\   s  tme  object, 
between  unequal  combatants.      Each 

•  'i  i  f  treatlo  [  the  romaina  of  a 

.  by  Act  i  I  at. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


65 


was  trying  to  take  the  other  in.  If 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  de- 
spised and  loathed  the  man  to  whom 
they  exhibited  such  anxious  courtesy, 
Titmouse  hated  and  feared  those  whom 
his  interests  compelled  him  for  a  while 
to  conciliate.  Was  there,  in  fact,  a 
pin  to  choose  between  them — except, 
perhaps,  that  Titmouse  was,  in  a 
manner,  excused  by  his  necessities  ? — 
But,  in  the  mean  while,  his  circum- 
stances were  becoming  utterly  desper- 
ate. He  continued  to  endure  great 
suffering  at  Mr.  Tag-rag's  during  the 
day — the  constant  butt  of  the  ridicule 
and  insult  of  his  amiable  companions, 
and  the  victim  of  his  employer's  vile 
and  vulgar  spirit  of  hatred  and  oppres- 
sion. His  spirit,  (such  as  it  was,)  in 
short,  was  very  nearly  broken.  Though 
he  seized  every  opportunity  that  offered, 
to  enquire  for  another  situation,  he  was 
unsuccessful ;  for  all  whom  he.  applied 
to  spoke  of  the  strict  character  they 
should  require,  "before  taking  a  new 
hand  into  their  establishment."  His 
occupation  at  nights,  after  quitting 
the  shop,  was  twofold  only— either  to 
call  upon  Huckaback,  (whose  sym- 
pathy, however,  he  was  exhausting 
rapidly,)  or  solace  his  feelings  by 
walking  down  to  Saffron  Hill,  and 
lingering  about  the  closed  office  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap — 
there  was  a  kind  of  gratification  even 
in  that !  He  once  or  twice  felt  flustered 
even  on  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  old 
housekeeper  returning  from  some  little 
errand.  How  he  would  have  rejoiced 
to  get  into  her  good  graces,  and  accom- 
pany her  into  even  the  kitchen — when 
he  would  be  on  the  premises  at  least, 
and  conversing  with  one  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  those  who  he  believed 
«ould,  with  a  stroke  of  their  pens, 
turn  this  wilderness  of  a  world  into  a 
paradise  for  him  !  But  he  dared  not 
make  any  overtures  in  that  quarter,  for 
fear  of  their  getting  to  the  notice  of 
the  dreaded  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap. 

At  length,  no  more  than  three  or 
four  shillings  stood  between  him  and 
utter  destitution  ;  and  the  only  person 
in  the  world  whom  he  could  apply  to 
for  even  the  most  trivial  assistance,  was 


Huckaback — whom,  however,  he  knew 
to  be  scarcely  any  better  off  than  him- 
self ;  and  whom,  moreover,  he  felt  to 
be  treating  him  more  and  more  coldly, 
as  the  week  wore  on  without  his  hear- 
ing of  any  the  least  tidings  from  Saffron 
Hill.  Huckaback  evidently  felt  now 
scarcely  any  interest  or  pleasure  in  the 
visits  of  his  melancholy  friend,  and 
was  plainly  disinclined  to  talk  about 
his  affairs.  At  length  he  quite  turned 
up  his  nose  with  disgust,  whenever 
Titmouse  took  out  the  well-worn  note 
of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
which  was  almost  dropping  in  pieces 
with  being  constantly  carried  about  in 
his  pocket,  taken  in  and  out,  and  folded 
and  unfolded,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
ning over  its  contents,  as  if  there 
might  yet  linger  in  it  some  hitherto 
undiscovered  source  of  consolation. 
Poor  Titmouse,  therefore,  looked  at  it 
on  every  such  occasion  with  as  eager 
and  vivid  an  interest  as  ever ;  but  it 
was  glanced  at  by  Huckaback  with  a 
half-averted  eye,  and  a  cold,  drawling, 
yawning  ' '  Ya — a — as — I  see — I — dare 
— say  ! "  As  his  impressions  of  Tit- 
mouse's bright  prospects  were  thus 
being  rapidly  effaced,  his  smarting 
recollection  of  the  drubbing  he  had 
received  became  distincter  and  more 
frequent ;  his  feelings  of  resentment 
more  lively,  and  not  the  less  so,  be- 
cause the  expression  of  them  had  been 
stilled,  (while  he  had  considered  the 
star  of  Titmouse  to  be  in  the  ascend- 
ant,) till  the  time  for  setting  them 
into  motion  and  action  had  gone  by. 
In  fact  the  presence  of  Titmouse, 
suggesting  such  thoughts  and  recol- 
lections, became  intolerable  to  Hucka- 
back ;  and  Titmouse's  perceptions 
(dull  as  they  naturally  were,  but  a 
little  quickened  by  recent  suffering) 
gave  him  more  and  more  distinct 
notice  of  this  circumstance,  at  the 
precise  time  when  he  meditated  ap- 
plying for  the  loan  of  a  few  shillings. 
These  feelings  made  him  as  humble 
towards  Huckaback,  and  as  patient  of 
his  increasing  rudeness  and  ill-humour, 
as  he  felt  abject  towards  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap ;  for,  unless  he 
could  succeed  in  wringing  some  trifling 
loan  from   Huckaback,    (if  ho  really 

F 


66 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


had  it  in  his  power  to  advance  him 
anything,)  he  could  not  conjecture 
what  was  to  bee  une  of  him.  various 
faint  but  unadroit  hints  and  feelers  of 
his  had  been  thrown  away  ;  for  Hucka- 
back either  did  not,  or  could  not, 
comprehi  ml  them.  But  at  length  a 
sii  Iden  and  fearful  pressure  compelL  d 
him  to  speak  out.  Gripe,  the  collector, 
called  one  morning  for  the  poor's  rates 
due  from  Mrs.  Squallop,  (Titmouse's 
landlady,)  and  cleaned  her  out  of 
almost  every  penny  of  ready  money 
which  she.  had  by  her.  This  threw 
the  good  woman  upon  her  resoui 
to  replenish  her  empty  pocket — and 
down  she  came  upon  Titmouse — or 
rather,  up  she  vent  to  him  ;  for  his 
heart  sunk  within  him  one  night  on 
his  return  from  the  shop,  having  on  y 
just  taken  off  his  hat  and  lit  his  candle, 
as  he  heard  the  fat  old  termagant's 
well-known  heavy  step  ascending  the 
stairs,  and  approaching  nearer  ami 
Bearer  to  his  door.  Her  loud  impera- 
tive single  knock  vibrated  through  his 
heart,  and  he  was  ready  to  drop. 

"Oh,  Mrs.  Squallop!  How  d'ye 
do,  Mrs.  Squallop?"  commenced  Tit- 
mouse faintly,  when  he  hid  op 
the  door  ;  "  Won't  you  take  a  chair?  " 
offering  to  the  panting  dame  almost 
the  only  chair  lie  had. 

"No— I  a'n't  come  to  stay,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  because,  d'ye  see,  in  co 
you've  got  a  pound,  at  least,  ready  for 
me,  as  you  promised  long  s 
nevermore  welcome  ;  there's  old  ( rripe 
been  lure  to-day,  and  had  his  hodious 
i  '  3 — ('drat  the  poor,  say  I  !  them  as 
can't  work  should  starve  ! — rates  is  a 
robbery!)  —  but  howsomdever  he's 
tied  mc  out  to-day  ;  so,  in  coorse, 
1  come  up  to  you.     Got  it  ?" 

"I — I — I — 'pon  my  life,  Mrs.  Squal- 
lop, I'm  uncommon  sorry " 

"')),,  bother  your  sorrow,  Mr.  Tit- 
mous  '.  -out  with  the  needful,  for  I 
can't  stop  p  davering  here." 

"I — I    can't,    so    help   me  !" 

gasped  Titmou  ••,  with   Ihe  calmi 
of  desperation. 

"  You  can'1  !     And  marry,  sir,  why 
not,  may  I  7nake  bold  to  ask?"  en- 
quired Mrs.  Squallop  after  a  moment' 
pause,  strii  big  Lo  i  hoi.''  down  her  i 


"  P'r'aps  you  can  get  blood  out  of  a 
stone,  Mrs.  Squallop ;  it's  what  I 
can't,"  replied  Titmouse,  striving  to 
w  his  courage  up  to  the  sticking 
place,  to  encounter  one  who 
plainly  bent  upon  mischief.  "  I've 
got  two  shillings  —  there  tiny  are," 
throwing  them  on  the  table;  "and 
cuss  me  if  I've  auother  rap  in  the 
world  ;  there,  ma'am  !  " 

"You're  a  liar,  then,  that's  flat!" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Squallop,  slapping  her 
hand  upon  the  table,  with  a  violence 
that  made  the  candle  quiver  on  it,  and 
almost  fall  down.  "  You  have  the 
rrnncc,"  said  she,  commencing 
address  she  had  been  preparing  in 
her  own  mind  ever  since  Mr.  Gripe 
had  quitted  her  house,  "to  stand 
there  ami  tell  me  you've  got  nothing 
in  the  world  but  them  two  ih 
rlcugh!  Out  on  you,  you  oudacioua 
fellow! — you  jack-a-dandy  !  You  tell 
:  e  you  haven't  got  more  than  them 
two  shillings,  and  yet  turns  out  every 
Sunday  morning  of  your  life  like  a 
lord,  with  your  pins,  and  your  rings, 
and  your  chains,  and  your  tine  coat, 
and  your  gloves,  and  your  spurs,  and 
yourdandyi  ane — ough  !  you  whipper- 
snapper]  You're  a  cheat — you  re  a 
swindler,  jack-a-damly!  You're  the 
tempt  of  the  whole  court,  you  are, 
y<  a  jack  a-dandy  !  You've  gol  all  my 
rent  on  your  back,  and  have  had  < ■•. 
Sunday  for  three  I  .  you  chi 

— you  low  fellow!  —  you  ungrateful 

p  !  You're,  a-robbing  the  wid 
and  fatherless!  hook  at  me,  and  my 
six  fatherless  children  down  there,  you 
:>ol  tor-nothing,  nasty,  proud  puppy  ! 
— eugh  !  it  makes  me  sick  to 
You  dress  yourself  out  like  my  lord 
mayor!     Y'ou've  bought  a  gold  chain 

•   -   i'.  ';t,    you    ' 
You  dress  yourself  out ?— Ha,  ha! — 
you're  a  nasty,  mean-]            .  liumpty- 
dumpty,  carroty- headed " 

"  You'd  bet  irr  not  say  that  again, 
Mi  .  Squallop,"  quoth  Titmouse,  with 
i 

•    it    again  !  —  ha,    ! 

I  [oighty-toighty,  carroty-haired  jack- 

a-dandy!  — - Why.you  hop-o-my-lhumbl 

think   I    won't  b;  y   what  vet  I 

choose,  and  in  my  own  hous.;  ?  Sfou'ra 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAIl. 


G7 


a  Titmouse  by  name  and  by  nature  ; 
there  a'n't  a  cockroach  crawling  down- 
stairs that  a'n't  more  respectable-like 
and  better  behaved  than  yon.  You're 
a  bimpudent  cheat,  and  dandy,  and 
knave,  and  a  liar,  and  a  red-haired 
rascal — and  that  in  your  teeth  !  Ough  ! 
Your  name  stinks  in  tbe  court.  You're 
a-taking  of  everybody  in  as  will  trust 
you  to  a  penny's  amount.  There's  poor 
old  Cox,  the  tailor,  with  a  sick  wife 
and  children,  whom  j'ou've  cheated 
this  many  months,  all  of  his  not 
having  spirit  to  summons  you  !  But 
Til  set  him  upon  you  ;  you  see  if  I 
don't — and  I'll  have  my  own,  too,  or 
I  wouldn't  give  that  for  the  laws !  " 
shouted  Mrs.  Sqttallop,  at  the  same 
time  snapping  her  fingers  in  his  face, 
and  then  pausing  for  breath  after  her 
eloquent  invective. 

"Now,  what  is  the  use,"  said  Tit- 
mouse gently,  being  completely  cowed 
— "  now,  what  good  cam,  it  do  to  go  on 
in  this  way,  Mrs.  Squallop  l  " 

"Missus  me  no  missus,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, but  pay  me  my  rent,  you  jack- 
a-dandy  !  You've  got  my  rent  on 
your  back,  and  on  your  little  finger ; 
and  I'll  have  it  off  you  before  I've 
done  with  you,  I  warrant  you.  I'm 
your  landlady,  and  I'll  sell  you  up  ; 
I'll  have  old  Thumbscrew  here  the 
first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  distrain 
everything,  and  you,  too,  you  jackdaw, 
if  any  one  would  buy  you,  which  they 
won't !  I'll  have  my  rent  at  last : 
I've  been  too  easy  with  you,  you  un- 
grateful chap  ;  for,  mark,  even  Gripe 
this  morning  says,  'Haven't  you  a 
gentleman  lodger  up  above  ?  get  him 
to  pay  you  your  own,'  says  he  ;  and  so 
I  will.  I'm  sick  of  all  this,  and  I'll 
have  my  rights  !  Here's  my  son,  Jem, 
a  far  better-looking  chap  than  you, 
though  he  hasn't  got  hair  like  a  sandy 
mop  all  under  his  chin,  and  he's 
•bligated  for  to  work  from  one  wei  k's 
end  to  another,  in  a  paper  cap  and 
fustian  jacket  ;  and  you — you  painted 
jackanapes  !  But  now  I  have  got  you, 
and  I'll  turn  you  inside  out,  though  I 
know  there's  nothing  in  you !  But 
I'll  try  to  get  at  your  fine  coats,  and 
spurs,  and  trousers,  your  chains  and 
pins,   aud  make  something  of  them 


before  I've  done  with  yon,  you  jack-a- 
dandy  !  " — and  the  virago  shook  her 
fist  at  him,  looking  as  though  she  had 
not  yet  uttered  even  half  that  was  in 
her  heart  towards  him. 

[Alas,  alas,  unhappy  Titmouse, 
much-enduring  son  of  sorrow !  I  per- 
ceive that  you  now  feel  the  sharpness 
of  an  angry  female  tongue  ;  and  indeed 
to  me,  not  in  the  least  approving  of 
the  many  coarse  and  heart-splitting 
expressions  which  she  uses,  it  seems, 
nevertheless,  that  she  is  not  very  far 
oil'  the  mark  in  much  that  she  hath 
said  ;  for,  in  truth,  in  your  conduct 
there  is  not  a  little  that  to  me, 
piteously  inclined  towards  you  as  I  am, 
yet  appeareth  obnoxious  to  the  edge 
of  this  woman's  reproaches.  But 
think  not,  0  bewildered  and  not- 
with-sufficient-distinctness-discerning- 
the-nature-of-things  Titmouse  !  that 
she  hath  only  a  sharp  and  bitter 
tongue.  In  this  woman  behold  a 
mother,  and  it  may  he  that  she  will 
soften  before  you,  who  have  plainly, 
as  I  hear,  neither  father  nor  mother. 
Oh  me  !] 

Titmouse  trembled  violently ;  his 
lips  quivered  ;  and  the  long  pent-up 
tears  forced  their  way  at  length  over 
his  eyelids,  and  fell  fast  down  his 
cheeks. 

"  Ah,  you  may  well  cry  ! — you  may  ! 
But  it's  too  late  ! — it's  my  turn  to  ciy 
now  !  Don't  you  think  that  I  feel  for 
my  own  flesh  and  blood,  that  is  my 
six  children  ?  And  isn't  what's  mine 
theirs  ?  And  aren't  you  keeping  the 
fatherless  out  of  their  own  ?  It's  too 
bad  of  you — it  is !  and  you  know  it 
is,"  continued  Mrs.  Squallop,  vehe- 
mently. 

"  They've  got  a  mother — a  kind — 
good  ■ —  mother  —  to  take  —  care  of 
them,"  Titmouse  sobbed  ;  "  but  there's 
been  no  one  in  the — the — world  that 
cares  a  straw  for  me — this  twenty — 
years  !  "     He  fairly  wept  aloud. 

"  Well,  then,  mere's  the  pity  for 
you.  If  you  had,  they  wouldn't  have 
let  you  make  such  a  puppy  of  yourself 
— and  at  your  landlady's  expense,  too. 
You  know  you're  a  fool,"  said  Mrs. 
Squallop,  dropping  her  voice  a  little  ; 
for  she  was  a  MOTHER,  after  all,  and 

F  2 


G8 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


sho  knew  that  what  poor  Titmouse 
had  just  stated  was  quite  true.  She 
tried  hard  to  feed  the  lire  of  her  wrath, 
by  forcing  into  her  thoughts  every 
aggravating  topic  against  Titmouse 
that  she  could  think  of ;  hut  it  became 
every  moment  harder  and  harder  to  do 
so,  for  she  was  consciously  softening 
rapidly  towards  the  weeping  and  miser- 
little  object,  ou  whom  she  had 
been  heaping  such  violent  and  bitter 
abuse.  He  was  a  great  fool,  to  be  sure 
— he  was  very  fond  of  line  clothes — he 
knew  no  better — he  had,  however,  paid 
his  rent  well  enough  till  lately — he  was 
a  very  quiet,  well-disposed  lodger,  for 
all  she  had  known — he  had  given  her 
youngest  child  a  pear  not  long  ago. 
Eeally,  thought  Mrs.  Squallop,  I  may 
have  gone  a  Icctle  too  far. 

"  Come — it  a'n't  no  \ise  crying  in 
this  way.  it  won't  put  money  into 
your  pocket,  nor  my  rent  into  mine. 
Vuii  know  you've  wronged  me,  and  1 
must  be  paid,"  she  added,  but  in  a 
.still  lower  tone.  She  tried  to  cough 
away  a  certain  rising  disagreeable 
sensation  about  her  throat,  that  kept 
increasing ;  fur  Titmouse,  having 
turned  his  back  to  hide  the  extent 
of  his  emotions,  seemed  half-choked 
with  suppressed  sobs. 

"  So  you  won't  speak  a  word — not  a 
word — to  the  woman  you've  injured 
so  much?"  enquired  Mrs.  Squallop, 
trying  to  assume  a  harsh  tone  ;  hut 
her  eyes  were  a  little  obstructed  with 
tears. 

"  1 — I — can't  speak,"  sobbed  Tit- 
mouse— "I — I  feel  ready  to  drop — 
everybody  hates  me  "■ — here  he  paused; 
and  for  some  moments  neither  spoke. 
"  I've  been  kept  on  my  legs  the  whole 
day  about  the  town  by  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
and  had  no  dinner.  I — I — wish  J  was 
I!  I  do! — you  may  take  all  I 
here  it  is," continued  Titmouse, 
with  his  foot  pushing  towards  Mrs. 
Squallop  the  old  hair  trunk  that  con- 
lainedall  his  little  finery.  "Iaha'n'l 
want    them    much    Longer,   for    I'm 

turned  out  of  my  situation." 

This  was  too  much  for  Mrs.  Squallop, 
and  she  was  obliged  to  wipe  her  full 
eyes  with  the  corner  of  her  apron, 
without   ; aying  a  word.     Jier  heart 


smo'e  her  for  the  misery  she  had  in- 
dicted on  one  who  seemed  quite  broken 
down.  Pity  suddenly  (lew,  fluttering 
his  wings — soft  dove  ! — into  her  heart, 
and  put  to  flight  in  an  instant  all  hex 
enraged  feelings.  "Come,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse," said  she,  in  quite  an  altered 
tone,  "never  mind  me;  I'm  a  plain- 
spoken  woman  enough,  I  dare  say — 
and  often  say  more  than  I  mean — 
for  I  know  I  a'n't  over  particular  when 
my  blood's  up  —  but  —  lord  !  —  I  —  I 
wouldn't  hurt  a  hair  of  your  head, 
poor  chap  ! — for  all  1'vo  said — no,  not 
for  double  the  rent  you  owe  me. 
Come  !  don't  go  on  so,  Mr.  Titmouse — 
what's  the  use  ? — it's  all  quite — over — 
I'm  so  sorry  —  Lud !  if  I'd  really 
thought" — she  almost  sobbed  — 
"you'd  been  so — so — why,  I'd  have- 
waited  till  to-morrow  night  before  I'd 
slid  a  Word.  But,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
since  you  haven't  had  any  dinner, 
won't  you  have  a  mouthful  of  some- 
thing— a  bit  of  bread  and  cheese  ? — 
I'll  soon  fetch  you  up  a  bit,  and  a 
drop  of  beer — we've  just  had  it  in  for 
our  suppers." 

"No,  thank  you — I  can't — I  can't 
cat !  "  sobbed  Titmouse. 

"  Oh,  bother  it,  but  you  shall !  I'll 
go  down  and  fetch  it  up  in  half-a- 
minute,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Squal- 
lop !  "  And  out  of  the  room  and  down- 
stairs she  bustled,  glad  of  a  moment  to 
reCOV(  r  herself. 

"  Lord-a-mercy  !  "  said  she,  on  en- 
tering her  room,  to  her  eldest  daughter 
and  a  neighbour  who  had  just  come  in 
to  supper — and  while  she  hastily  cut  a 
thick  hunch  of  bread,  and  a  good  slice 
id'  cheese — "there  I've  been  a-rating 
that  poor  little  chap,  up  at  the  top 
room,  (my  dandy  lodger,  you  know,) 
like  anything- — and  I  really  don't 
think  lie's  had  a  morsel  of  victuals  in 
his  belly  this  precious  day  ;  and  I've 
made  him  cry,  poor  soul !  as  if  Ids 

i..  Pour  us  out  half 
a  pint  of  that,  beer,  Sally — a  good  half 
pint,  mind  !      I'm  going  to  take  it.  up- 

rs  directly.     I've  gone  a  deal  too 

far  with  him,  I  do  think;  but  it's  all 
id'  that  nasty  old  Gripe;  I've  been 
wrong  all  the  day  ihrougfa  it !    How  I 

hate    the  sight  of  old  Cripo  1     "What 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


03 


odious-looking  people  they  do  get  to 
collect  the  rates  and  taxes,  to  be  sure  ! 
— Poor  chap,"  she  continued,  as  she 
wiped  out  a  plate  with  her  apron,  and 
put  into  it  the  bread  and  cheese,  with 
a  knife — "  he  ofi'e^ed  me  a  chair  when 
I  went  in,  so  uncommon  civil-like,  it 
took  a  good  while  before  I  could  get 
myself  into  the  humour  to  give  it  him 
as  1  wanted.  And  he's  no  father  nor 
mother,  (half  of  which  lias  happened 
to  you,  Sal,  and  the  rest  will  happen 
one  of  these  days,  you  kuow  !)  and  he's 
not  such  a  very  bad  lodger,  after  all, 
though  he  does  get  a  little  behind-hand 
now  and  then,  and  though  he  turns 
out  every  Sunday  like  a  lord,  poor  fool 
— as  my  poor  husband  usedto  say,  'with 
a  shining  back  and  empty  belly.'  " 

"But  that's  no  reason  why  honest 
people  should  be  kept  out  of  their 
own,  to  feed  his  pride,"  interposed  her 
neighbour,  a  skinny  old  widow,  who 
had  never  had  chick  nor  child,  and 
was  always  behind-hand  with  her  own 
rent ;  but  whose  effects  were  not  worth 
distraining  upon.  "I'd  get  hold  of 
some  of  his  fine  crincum-crancums 
and  gimcracks,  for  security  like,  if  I 
were  you.     I  would,  indeed." 

"  Why — no,  poor  soul — I  don't 
hardly  like  :  he's  a  vain  creature,  and 
puts  everything  he  can  on  his  back, 
to  be  sure  ;  but  he  a'n't  quite  a  rogue, 
neither." 

"Ah,  ha,  Mrs.  Squallop — you're 
such  a  simple  soul ! — Won't  my  fine 
gentleman  make  off  with  his  finery 
after  to-night  ? " 

"Well,  I  shouldn't  have  thought 
it !  To  be  sure  he  may  !  Really,  there 
can't  be  much  harm  in  asking  him  (in 
a  proper  kind  of  way)  to  deposit  one 
of  his  fine  things  with  me,  by  way  of 
security — that  ring  of  his,  you  know 
—eh?— Well,  I'll  try  it  anyhow," 
said  Mrs.  Squallop,  as  she  set  off  up- 
stairs. 

"  I  know  what  /  should  do,  if  so  be 
he  was  a  lodger  of  mine,  that's  all," 
said  her  visitor,  (as  Mrs.  Squallop 
quitted  the  room,)  vexed  to  find  th  ir 
supper  so  considerably  and  unexpect- 
edly diminished,  especially  as  to  the 
pot  of  porter,  which  she  strongly 
suspected  would  not  be  replenished. 


"  There,"  said  Mrs.  Squallop,  setting 
down  on  the  table  what  she  had 
brought  for  Titmouse,  "there's  a  bit 
of  supper  for  you  ;  and  you're  welcome 
to  it,  I'm  sure,  Mr.  Titmouse." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you— I  can't 
eat,"  said  he,  casting,  however,  upon 
the  victuals  a  hungry  eye,  which  belied 
what  he  said,  while  in  his  heart  he 
longed  to  be  left  alone  with  them  for 
about  three  minutes. 

"Come,  don't  be  ashamed — fall  to 
work — it's  good  wholesome  victuals," 
said  she,  lifting  the  table  near  to  the 
edge  of  the  bed,  on  the  side  of  which 
he  was  sitting,  and  taking  up  the  two 
shillings  lying  on  the  table — "and 
capital  good  beer,  I  warrant  me; 
you'll  sleep  like  a  top  after  it." 

"You're  uncommon  kind,  Mrs. 
Squallop  ;  but  I  shan't  get  a  wink  of 
sleep  to-night  for  thinking " 

"Oh,  bother  your  thinking!  Let 
me  begin  to  see  you  eat  a  bit.  Well, 
I  suppose  you  don't  like  to  eat  and 
drink  before  me,  so  I'll  go."  [Here 
arose  a  sudden  conflict  in  the  good 
woman's  mind,  whether  or  not  she 
would  act  on  the  suggestion  which  had 
been  put  into  her  head  down-stairs. 
She  was  on  the  point  of  yielding  to 
the  impulse  of  her  own  good-natured, 
though  coarse  feelings  ;  but  at  last — ] 
"I — I — dare  say,  Mr.  Titmouse,  you 
mean  what's  right  and  straightfor- 
ward," she  stammered. 

"  Yes,  Mrs.  Squallop — you  may  keep 
those  two  shillings  ;  they're  the  last 
far  tiling  I  have  left  in  the  whole 
world." 

"No — hem!  hem! — ahem!  I  was 
just  suddenly  a-thinking — now  can't 
you  guess,  Mr.  Titmouse?" 

"  What,  Mrs.  Squallop  ? "  enquired 
Titmouse,  meekly  but  anxiously. 

"Why — suppose  now — if  it  were 
only  to  raise  ten  shillings  with  old 
Balls,  round  the  corner,  on  one  of 
those  fine  things  of  yours — your  ring, 
say."  [Titmouse's  heart  sank  within 
him.]  "Well,  well — never  mind — ■ 
don't  fear,"  said  Mrs.  Squallop,  ob- 
serving him  suddenly  turn  pale  again. 
"I — I  only  thought — but  never  mind  ! 
it  don't  signify — good-night !  we  can 
talk  about  that  to-morrow — good-night 


TO 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


— a  good  night's  rest  to  you,  Mr. 
Titmouse!"  and  the  next  moment  he 
heard  her  heavy  step  descending  the 
ral  minutes  had  elapsed 
bi  fore  he  could  recover  from  the  agita- 
tion into  which  he  had  been  thrown 
by  her  last  proposal ;  hut  within  ten 
minutes  of  her  quitting  the  1 
there  stood  bi  fore  him,  on  the  table, 
an  cmji/y  plate  ami  jug. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

"The  beast!  the  fat  old  toad!" 
thought  he,  the  instant  that  he  had 
finished  masticating  what  had  been 
supplied  to  him  by  real  charity  and 
d-nature, — "the  vulgar  wretch  ! — 
the  nasty  canting  old  hypocrite  ! — I 
saw  what  she  was  driving  at  all  the 
while'  !-  She  had  her  eye  on  my  ring  ! 
— SheM  1m\  e  me  pawn  it  a1  old  Balls's 
—ha,  ha!— Catch  me  !  that's  all!— 
n  shillings  a-week  for  this  nasty 
hole  !—  I'll  he  bound  1  pay  nearly  half 
the  rent  of  the  whole  house-  the  old 
cormorant  !  —  out  of  what  she 
from  me!  How  1  hate  her!  More 
than  luilf  my  salary  goes  into  her 
greasy  pocket !  Cuss  me  if  I  couldn't 
have  kicked  her  down-stairs— porter, 
bread  aud  cheese,  and  all — while  she 
was  standing  ■  l  here  ! — A  snivel- 

ling old  beldam  !— Pawn  my  ring!  ! 
■ — Lord  !  I  " — Here  he  began  to  un- 
dress. "Ha!  I'm  up  to  her;  she'll 
be  coming  here  to-morrow,  with  thai 
devil  Thumbscrew,  to  distrain,  I'll  be 
sworn.  "\\Yil — I'll  take  care  of  ti 
anyhow  ;  "  and,  kneeling  down  and 
unlocking  his  trunk,  he  took  out  of 
it  his  guard-chain,  breast-pin,  Btuds, 
and  ring,  carefully  folded  them  up  in 
paper,  them   in    his 

!\a  d  that 
forth  their  ni  jhl  ly  restinj    |  lould 

1  ■     under  his  pillow  ;  while  during  the 

tnpany  h 
whil  r  he  went.     Nexl   he  be- 

thought him  i  If  of  1 1  i    two  or  three 
Important  papers  to  \.  bi<  h  li  r.  ' 

Dion  had  referred  ;  and,  with  tremulous 


eagerness,  read  them  over  once  or 
twice,  but  without  being  able  to 
extract  from  them  the  slightest  clue 
to  their  nal  character  and  bearing. 
Then  he  folded  them  up  in  a  h 
sheet  of  writing-paper,  whii  h  he  pro- 
ceeded to  stitch  carefully  beneath 
lining  of  his  waistcoal  :  after  which  he 
blew  out  his  .  and  with  a 

heavy  it   into  bed.     For  some 

u  nts  at'o-r  he  had  blown  out  the 
candle  did  the  image  of  i  remain  on 
his  aching  and  excited  retina;  and 
just  so  long  did  the  thoughts  of  ten 
thousand  a-year  dwell  on  his  fancy, 
lading,  however,  quickly  away  amid 
the  thickening  gloom  of  doubts,  and 
fears,  and  miseries,  which  op] 
him.  Tlr.re  belies,  stretched  on  his 
bed,  a  wretched  figure,  lying  on  hi3 
breast,  his  head  buried  beneath  his 
feverish  arms.  Anon,  he  turns  round 
upon  his  back,  stretches  his  wearied 
limbs  to  their  uttermost,  folds  his 
arms  on  his  breast,  then  buries  them 
beneath  the  pillow,  under  his  head. 
Now  he  turns  on  his  right  side,  then 
on  his  left — presently  he  starts  up, 
and  with  muttered  curse  shakes  his 
little  pillow,  Hinging  it  down  angrily. 
He  cannot  ship — he  cannot  rest — ho 
cannot  keep  still.     Bursting  with  irri- 

ity,  he  gets  out  o!  td  si  sps 

to  the  window,  which  opening  wide, 

ight  gush  of  his 

hot  face  for  a  moi       '   or  two.     His 
wearied  eye  looks  upward  and  behi 
the    moon    shining   overhead   in  cold 
splendour,  turning  the  clouds  to  gold 
as  they  Hit  past  her,  and   shedding  a 

ned   lustre    upon    the    tiled    roofs 
and  irregular  chil  ts—  the  only 

objects  visible  to  him.  No  sound  is 
heard,  but  occasionally  the  dismal  cry 
of  a  disappointed  cat,  the  querulous 

■  of  1  he  watchman,  and  the  i 
of  the  rumbling  hubbub  of    Oxford 
Street.      <)   miserable  Til  '     of 

whaf  avail  is  it  for  thee  thus  to  Gx 

thy  sorrowful  lack-lustre  eye  upon  the 

Queen  of  N  ight ! 

•  *  •  « 

At.  that  moment  there  happened  to 

be  also  gazing  at  the  same  glorious 

objci  t,    but    at    some    two    hundred 

miles' distanco  from  London,  a  sumo- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


71 


what  'different  person,  with  very  dif- 
ferent feelings,  and  in  very  different 
circumstances.      It  was  one    of   the 
angels   of  the   earth— a  pnre-hearted 
and  very  beautiful  girl ;  who,  after  a 
day  of  peaceful,  innocent,  and  charit- 
able   employment,    and    having    just 
quitted  the  piano,  where  her  exquisite 
strains  had  soothed  and  delighted  the 
kclinga  of  her  brother,  harassed  with 
political  anxieties,  had  retired  to  her 
chamber  for  the  night.    A  few  moments 
before  she  was  presented  to  the  reader, 
she  had  extinguished  her  taper,  i.nd 
dismissed  her  maid  without  her  having 
discharged  more  than  half  her  accus- 
tomed   duties— telling   her    that   she 
should  finish  undressing  by  the  light 
of  the  moon,  which  then  poured  her 
soft  radiance  into  every  corner  of  the 
spacious  but  old-fashioned  chamber  in 
which  she   sat.     Then  she  drew  her 
chair  to  the  window-recess,  and  push- 
ing open  the  window,  sat  before   it, 
half-undressed  as  she  was,   her  hail- 
dishevelled,  her  head  leaning  on  her 
hand,  gazing  on  the  scenery  before  her 
with    tranquil    admiration.      Silence 
reigned  absolutely.     Not  a  sound  is- 
sued from  the  ancient  groves  which 
spread  far  and  wide  on  all  sides  of  the 
fine  old  mansion  in  which  she  dwelt — 
solemn  solitudes,  not  yet  less  soothing 
than  solemn !     Was  not  the  solitude 
enhanced    by  a  glimpse  she   caught 
of  a  restless  fawn,  glancing  in  the  dis- 
tance across  the  avenue,  as  he  silently 
changed  the  tree  under  which  he  slept  ? 
— Then  the  gentle  breeze  would  enter 
her  window,  laden  with  sweet  scents  of 
which  he  had  just  been  rifling  the  coy 
flowers  beneath,  in  their  dewy  repose, 
tended  and  petted  during  the  day  by 
her  own   delicate  hand  !— Beautiful 
moon  ! — cold  and  chaste  in  thy  skyey 
palace,  studded  with  brilliant  and  "in- 
numerable gems,  and  shedding  down 
thy  rich  and  tender  radiance  upon  this 
lovely  seclusion — was  there  upon  the 
whole  earth  a  more  exquisite  counte- 
nance then  turned  towards  thee  than 
hers  ? — Wrap  thy  white  robe,  dearest 
Kate,  closer  round  thy  fair  bosom,  lest 
the  amorous  night-breeze  do  thee  hurt, 
for  he  groweth  giddy  with  the  sight 
of   thy   charms !      Thy  rich   tresses, 


half-uncurled,   are  growing  damp— so 
it  is  time  that  thy  blue  eyes  should 
seek    repose.      Hie    thee,    then,    my 
love  ! — to  yon  antique  couch,  with  its 
quaint  carvings   and   satin    draperies 
dimly  visible    in    the    dusky  shade, 
inviting   thee   to    sleep:    and   having 
first  bent  in  cheerful  reverence  before 
thy  Maker— to  bed  !— to  bed  !— sweet 
Kate,  nothing  disturbing  thy  serene 
thoughts,  or  agitating  that  beautiful 
bosom.  —  Hush  !    hush  !  —  Now    she 
sleeps  !     It  is  well  that  thine  eyes  are 
closed  in  sleep  ;  for  behold— see  ! — 
the   brightness  without  is  disappear- 
ing;  sadness  and   gloom  are  settling 
on   the  face  of  nature  ;   the  tranquil 
night  is  changing  her  aspect ;  clouds 
are  gathering,    winds    are    moaning; 
the   moon  is   gone  : —but   sleep   on, 
sweet  Kate — sleep   on,  dreaming  not 
of  dark   days  before  thee— Oh,    that 
thou  couldst  sleep  on  till  the  bright- 
ness returned ! 

***** 

After    having  stood    thus    leaning 
against  the  window  for  nearly  half  an 
hour,    Titmouse,    heavily  sighing,  re- 
turned to   bed— but  there  he   tossed 
about    in    wretched    restlessness    till 
nearly   four   o'clock   in  the  morning. 
If  he  now  and   then  sank  into  for- 
getfulness  for  a   while,    it   was   only 
to  be  harassed  by  the  dreadful  image 
of  Mrs.    Squallop,  shouting  at  him, 
tearing  his  hair,  cuffing  him,  flinging 
a  pot  of  porter  in  his  face,  opening 
his  boxes,  tossing  his  clothes  about, 
taking  out  his  invaluable  ornaments  ; 
by  Tag-rag  kicking  him  out  of  the 
shop ;  and   Messrs.  Quirk,   Gammon, 
and  Snap  clashing  past  him  in  a  fine 
carriage,  with  six  horses,  and  paying 
no  attention  to  him  as  he  ran  shout- 
ing and  breathless  after  them  ;  Huck- 
aback following,  kicking  and  pinching 
him   behind.      These    were    the    few 
little  bits  of  different  coloured  glass  in 
a  mental  kaleidoscope,  which,  turned 
capriciously  round,  produce  those  in- 
numerable fantastic  combinations  out 
of  the  simple  and  ordinary  events  of 
the  day,  which  we  call  dreams— tricks 
of  the  wild  sisters  Fancy,  when  sober 
Reason  has  left  her  seat  for  a  while. 
But  this  is  fitter  for  the  Eoyal  Society 


72 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


than  the  bedroom   of  Tittlebat   Tit- 
mouse ;  and  I  beg  the  reader's  pardon. 

About  six  o'clock,  Titmouse,  rose 
and  dressed  himself;  and,  slipping 
noiselessly  and  swiftly  down- stairs, 
and  out  of  the  court,  in  order  to  avoid 
all  possibility  of  encountering  his 
landlady  or  his  tailor,  soon  found 
himself  in  Oxford  Street.  Not  many 
people  were  stirring  there.  One  or 
two  men  who  passed  him  were  smoking 
their  morning's  pipe,  with  a  half- 
awakened  air,  as  if  they  had  onlyjusl 
got  out  of  a  snug  bed,  in  which  they 
always  slept  every  moment  that  they 
lay  upon  it.  Titmouse  almost  envi,  d 
them  !  What  a  squalid  figure  he 
looked  as  he  paced  up  and  down,  till 
at  length  he  saw  the  porter  of  Messrs. 
Tag-rag  and  Co.  opening  the  shop-door. 
He  soon  entered  it,  and  commenced 
another  joyous  day  in  that  delightful 
establishment.  The  amiable  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  continued  unaltered. 

"You're  at  liberty  to  take  yourself 
off,  sir,  this  very  day — this  moment, 
sir  ;  and  a  good  riddance,"  said  he, 
bitterly,  during  the  course  of  the  day, 
after  demanding  of  Titmouse  how  he 
dared  to  give  himself  such  sullen  airs  ; 
"and  then  we  shall  see  how  charming 
easy  it  is  for  gents  like  you  to  get 
another  sitiwation,  sir!  Your  looks 
and  manner  is  quite  a  recommenda- 
tion, sir !  If  I  was  you,  sir,  I'd  raise 
my  terms  !  You're  worth  double  what 
1  give,  sir !  "  Titmouse  made  no 
reply.  "  What  do  you  mean,  sir,  by 
not  answering  me — eh,  sir  ?  "  suddenly 
demanded  Tag-rag,  with  a  look  of 
fury. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you'd  have  me 
say,  sir.  "What  am  I  to  say,  sir  ? " 
enquired  Titmouse,  with  a  sigh. 

"What,  indeedl     1  should  like  to 

h  you  !     Say,  indeed  !     Only  Bay 

a  word — and  out  you  go,  neck  and 

;..     Attend  to  that  old  ladj 

in,  sir.     And  mind,  sir,  I've  got  my 

.hi  you  !  "     Til  mou      did  as  he 

was  bid  ;  and  Tag-rag,  a  bland  Bmile 

:  uddenly    beaming   in    his   atl  ra<  tive 

1   down  towards  the 

lady-customers, 

whom  ho  observed  alighting  bom  a 

carriage  ;  and  at  that  moment  you 


would  have  sworn  that  he  was  one  i  f 
the  kindest-hearted,  Bweetest-tempered 

men  in  the  world. 

When  at  length  this  day  had  com  i 
to  a  close,  Titmouse,  instead  of  repair- 
ing to  his  lodgings,  set  off,  with  a 
heavy  heart,  to  pay  a  visit  to  his 
llent  friend  Huckaback,  whom  lie 
knew  to  have  received  his  quarter's 
salary  the  day  before,  and  from  whom 
he  faintly  hoped  to  succeed  in  extort- 
ing  some  trilling  loan.  "  If  you  want 
to  Lam  the  value  of  money,  try  to 
<>w  some,"  says  Toor  Richard — 
and  Titmouse  was  now  going  to  learn 
that  useful  but  bitter  lesson.  Oh, 
how  disheartening  was  Mr.  Hucka- 
back's reception  of  him  !  That  gentle- 
man, in  answering  the  modest  knock 
of  Titmouse,  suspecting  who  was  his 
visitor,  opened  the  door  but  a  little 
way,  and  in  that  little  way,  with  his 
hand  on  the  latch,  he  stood,  with 
a  plainly  repulsive  look. 

"Oh!  it's  you,  Titmouse,  is  it?" 
he  commenced,  coldly. 

"  Yes.  I — I  just  want  to  speak  a 
word  to  you — only  a  word  or  two, 
JIu  ky,  if  you  aren't  busy?" 

"Why,  1  was  just  going  to  go — 
but  what  d'ye  want,  Titmouse?"  he 
enquired,  in  a  freezing  manner,  not 
stirring  from  where  he  stood. 

"Let  me  come  inside  a  minute," 
implored  Titmouse,  feeling  as  if  his 
heart  were  really  dropping  out  of  him  : 
and,  in  a  most  ungracious  manner, 
Huckaback  motioned  him  in. 

"Well,"  commenced  Huckaback, 
with  a  chilling  distrustful  look. 

"Why,  lluck,  I  know  you're  a 
good-natur/d  chap — you  couldn't,  just 
for  a  short  time,  lend  me  ten  shill " 

"  No,  curse  me  if  1  can  :  and  th 
flat!  "  briskly  interrupted  Bud 
finding  his  worst  suspicions  confirmed. 

"Why,    Hucky,    wasn't   you   only 
rday  paid  your  salary  ? " 

"Well! — suppose    I    was? — what 

e  a  monstrous  i 1  hand, 

Titmouse!  J  never!  !  So  I'm  to  lend 
to  you,  when  I'm  starving  myself! 
I've  received  such  a  Lot,  haven't  i !  " 

"J  thoughtwe'd  always  been  friends, 

Hucky," Said  Titmouse  faintly;  "and 
SO    We   shouldn't    mind    helping   ono 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


73 


another  a  bit !  Don't  you  remember, 
I  once  lent  you  half-a-crown  ? " 

"  Half-a-crown  I — and  that's  nine 
months  ago  ! ' ' 

"  Do,  Hucky,  do  !  Ton  my  soul, 
I've  not  a  sixpence  in  the  whole  world. " 

"  Ha,  ha  !  A  pretty  chap  to  borrow  ! 
You  can  pay  so  well !  By  George, 
Titmouse,  you're  a  cool  hand  !  " 

"  If  you  won't  lend  me,  I  must 
starve." 

"Go  to  my  uncle's."  [Titmouse 
groaned  aloud.]  "  Well — and  why 
not?  "What  of  that?"  continued 
Huckaback,  sharply  and  bitterly.  "  I 
dare  say  it  wouldn't  be  the  first  time 
you've  done  such  a  trick  no  more  than 
me.  I've  been  obligated  to  do  it. 
"Why  shouldn't  you  ?  A'n't  there  that 
ring  ? " 

"Oh,  Lord!  oh,  Lord!  that's  just 
what  Mrs.  Squallop  said  last  night." 

"Whew!  She's  down  on  you,  is 
she  !  And  you  have  the  face  to  come 
to  me  !  You — that's  a-going  to  be 
sold  up,  come  to  borrow  !  Lord,  that's 
good,  anyhow  !  A  queer  use  that  to 
make  of  one's  friends  ; — it's  a  taking 
them  in,  I  say  !  " 

"  Oh,  Huck,  Huck,  if  you  only 
knew  what  a  poor  devil — — " 

"Yes,  that's  what  I  was  a-saying  ; 
but  it  a'n't  'poor  devils'  one  lends 
money  to,  so  easily,  I  warrant  me  ; 
though  you  a'n't  such  a  poor  devil — 
you're  only  shamming  !  Where's  your 
guard-chain,  your  studs,  your  breast- 
pin, your  ring,  and  all  that  ?  Sell 
'em  !  if  not,  anyhow,  pawn  'em- 
Can't  eat  your  cake  and  have  it ;  fine 
back  must  have  empty  belly  with  us 
sort  of  chaps." 

"  If  you'll  only  be  so  uncommon 
kind  as  to  lend  me — this  once — ten 
shillings,"  continued  Titmouse  in  an 
imploring  tone,  "I'll  bind  myself,  by 
a  solemn  oath,  to  pay  you  the  very 
first  moment  I  get  what's  due  to  me 

from  Tag-rag  &  Co." Here  he  was 

almost  choked  by  the  sudden  recol- 
lection that  he  had  almost  certainly 
nothing  to  receive. 

"  You've  some  property  in  the  moon, 
too,  that's  coining  to  you,  you  know  ! " 
said  Huckaback  with  an  insulting 
61181  r. 


_"  I  know  what  you're  driving  at," 
said  poor  Titmouse  ;  and  he  continued 
eagerly,  "and  if  anything  should 
ever  come  up  from  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gam " 

"Yough!  Faugh!  Pish!  Stuff!" 
burst  out  Huckaback,  in  a  tone  of  con- 
tempt and  disgust;  "never  thought 
there  was  anything  in  it,  and  now 
knoio  it !  It's  all  my  eye,  and  all 
that ! " 

"  Oh,  Hucky,  Hucky  !  You  don't 
say  so  !  "  groaned  Titmouse,  bursting 
into  tears;  "you  did  not  always  say 
so." 

"It's  enough  that  I  say  it  now, 
then  ;  will  that  do  ?  "  interrupted 
Huckaback,  impetuously. 

"  Oh,  Lord,  Lord  !  what  is  to  be- 
come of  me  ? "  cried  Titmouse,  with  a 
face  full  of  anguish. 

[At  this  moment,  the  following  was 
the  course  of  thought  passing  through 
the  mind  of  Mr.  Huckaback  : — It  is 
not  certain  that  nothing  will  come  of 
the  fellow's  aifair  with  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap.  It  was  hardly 
likely  that  they  would  have  gone  as 
far  as  Titmouse  represented  (lawyers 
as  they  were),  unless  they  had  seen 
very  substantial  grounds  for  doing  so. 
Besides,  even  though  Titmouse  might 
not  get  ten  thousand  a-year,  he  might 
yet  succeed  in  obtaining  a  very  splen- 
did sum  of  money  :  and  if  he  (Hucka- 
back) could  but  get  a  little  slice  out  of 
it,  Titmouse  was  now  nearly  desperate, 
and  would  promise  anything ;  and  if 
he  could  but  be  wheedled  in  to  giving 
anything  in  writing — Well,  thought 
Huckaback,  I'll  try  it,  however  !] 

"Ah,  Titmouse,  you're  civil  enough 
now,  and  would  23rom^se  anything," 
said  Huckaback,  appearing  to  hesi- 
tate ;  but  when  you  got  your  money 
you'd  forget  everything  about  it " 

"  Forget  my  promise  !  Dear  Hucky  ! 
only  try  me — do  try  me  but  once, 
that's  all !  Ton  my  precious  life,  ten 
shillings  is  worth  more  to  me  now 
than  a  hundred  pounds  may  be  by- 
and-by." 

"Ay,  so  you  say  now;  but  d'ye 
mean  to  tell  me,  that  if  I  was  now  to 
advance  you  ten  shillings  out  of  my 
poor  little  salary,"  cor.tinr.ed  Hucka- 


74 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


back,  apparently  carelessly,  "  you'd, 
for  i  p  ly  me  ahundred  poun  Is 

out  of  your  thousands  ?  " 

"Oh,  Lord  !  only  you  try  me — do 
try  me  .1  Til  mou  rly. 

"Oh,    I    dare    say,"     in 
Huckaback,  smiling  incredulously,  and 
chinking  money  in  his  trou 

Titmouse  heard  it,  and  (as 
the  phrase  is)  his  teeth  watered  ;  and 
he  immedial  :ly  swore  such  a  tremen- 
dous oath  as  I  dare  not  set  down  in 
writing,  that  if  Huckaback  would  that 
evening  lend  him  ten  shillings,  Tit- 
mouse would  give  him  one  hundred 
pounds  out  of  the  very  first  monies  he 
got  from  the  i  state. 

"Ten  shillings  is  a  slapping  slice 
out  of  my  little  salary — I  shall  have, 
by  George,  to  go  without  a  many 
things  I'd  intended  g<  tting  ;  it's  worth 
ten  pounds  to  me,  just  now." 

"  Why,  dear  Hueky  !  'ponmy  soul, 
'tis  worth  a  hundred  to  vie!  Mrs. 
Squallop  will  sell  me  out,  bag  and 
bag  i  .  if  I  don't  give  her  something 
to-morrow  !  " — 

"Well,  if  I  really  thought— would 
you  mind  giving  me,  now,  a  bit  of 
black  and  white  for  it?" 

"  I'll  do  anything  you  like  ;  only  let 
me  feel  l  he  (en  shillings  inmyfingers  !" 

"  Well,  no  sooner  said  than  done, 
if  you're  a  man  of  your  word," 
Huckaback,  in  a  trice  producing  a  hit 
of  paper,  and  a  pen  and  ink.  "So, 
only  just  for  the  fun  of  it;  but — 
d  !  whatstutf! — I'm  only  bargain- 
ing for  a  hundred  pounds  of  moon- 
chine.  Ha,  ha!  I  shall  never  see  tin- 
colour  of  your  money,  not  I  ;  so  1  may 
as  well  say  two  hundred  when  I'm 
about  it,  as  one  hundred " 

"Why,  hem  !  Two  hundred,  Huck, 
u  rather  a   lar  •  ;   one   hun- 

t's odds  enough,  I'm  sun- !  "  quoth 
Titn  kly. 

"  P'r'aps,  Tit,  you  forgi  t  the  I 
yi  a     -m\ e   me   the   i  day," 

J I  k 

"S  Hey, 

the  law  of  j  ou,  wh  it  a  sight 
(,f  damages  1  should  have  —  three 
hu    ' i  d  pounds  at  l<  a  t  !  " 

1  evi  n   vet  he  L- 


"Well,  then!"    said   Huckaback, 
dinging  down    his  pen,   "suppose  I 
them  yet " 

"Come,  com.',  Hucky,  'tis  all  past 
and  gone,  all  1  hat " 

"Is  it?  AVell,  I  never!  I  shall 
lever  be  again  the  same  man  I  was 
before  that  'ere  licking.  I've  a  sort 
of  a — a — of  a — feeling  inside,  as  if — 
my  breast  was — I  shall  carry  it  to  my 
grave — curse  me  if  I  sha'n't !  " 

[It  never  once  occurred  to  Titmouse, 
not  having  his  friend  Mr.  Gammon  at 
his  elbow,  that  the  plaintiff  in  the 
action  of  Huckaback  v.  Titnu) 
might  have  been  slightly  at  a  loss  for 
a  witness  of  the  assault ;  but  some- 
thing quite  as  good  in  its  way — a 
heaven-sent  suggestion — did  occur  to 
him.] 

"Ah,"  said  Titmouse  suddenly, 
"  that's  true  ;  and  uncommon  sorry  am 
I  ;  hut  still,  a  hundred  pounds  is  a 
hundred  pounds,  and  a  large  sum  for 
the  use  of  ten  shillings,  and  a  licking  ; 
but  never  you  think  it's  all  moonshine 
about  my  business  with  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap!  You  should 
have  heard  what  I've  heard  to- 
day from  those  gents  ;  hem !  but  I 
won't  split  again  either." 

"Eh  ?    What?     Hi  ard  from  those 

gents  at  Saffron   Hill?"  interrupted 

Huckaback  briskly;    "come,   Titty, 

out  with  it — out  with  il  ;   no  secrets 

.Is,  Titty !  " 

"No,  I'll  be  hanged  if  1  do— I  won't 
spoil  it  all  again  ;  and  now,  sine,-  ['ve 
let  out  as  mm  h,  whi<  h  I  didn't  mean 
i  >  do,  I'll  tell  you  sun  lae— ten 

shillings  is  no  use  to  me,  1  must  have 
id." 

"Titty,  Titty!"  exclaimed  Hucka- 
back, with  una;'!',  cted  concern. 

"And  won't  give  more  than  fifty 
foT  it  w  hen  1  ,  e    my  property  eit] 

[Huckabai  k  wbj 

with  I  air  buttoned  up 

h  contaim  d  the 

ptiation 
ill  ai  an  end,  for  that  Til 
new  terms  wore  quite  out  of  i : 
tion ;]    "fa-  J  know  where  1  can  gut 
Is  ea  ily,  only  1  ]ik*  to 

"  Von  :■.  ■■  n't  -  much  like  a 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


75 


friend  to  one  as  has  always  been  a  fast 
friend  of  yours,  Titty  !  A  pound  ! — I 
haven't  got  it  to  part  with,  that's  flat ; 
so,  if  that's  your  figure,  why,  you  must 
even  go  to  your  other  friend,  and  leave 
poor  Hucky  !  " 

"Well,  I  don't  mind  saying  only 
ten  shillings,"  quoth  Titmouse,  fear- 
ing that  he  had  been  going  on  rather 
too  fast. 

"Ah,  that's  something  reasonable- 
like,  Titty  !  and  to  meet  you  like  a 
friend,  I'll  take  fifty  pounds  instead  of 
a  hundred  ;  but  you  won't  object  now 
to — you  know — a  deposit ;  that  ring 
of  yours, — well,  well !  it  don't  signify, 
since  it  goes  against  you  :  so  now,  here 
goes,  a  bit  of  paper  for  ten  shillings, 
ha,  ha !  "  and  taking  a  pen,  after  a 
pause,  in  which  he  called  to  mind  as 
much  of  the  phraseology  of  money  se- 
curities as  he  could,  he  drew  up  the 
following  stringent  document : — 

"Know  all  Men  That  you  are  Bound 
to  Mr.  R.  Huckaback  Promising  The 
Bearer  (on  Demand)  To  'P.ay  Fifty 
Pounds  in  cash  out  of  the  Estate,  if 
you  Get  it.     (Value  received.) 

"(Witness,)  22d  July,  18—. 
"K.  Huckaback." 

"There,  Titty — if  you're  an  honest 
man,  and  would  do  as  you  would  be 
done  by,"  said  Huckaback,  after  sign- 
ing his  own  name  as  above,  handing 
the  pen  to  Titmouse,  "  sign  that ;  just 
to  show  your  honour,  like — for,  in 
course,  I  sha'n't  ever  come  on  you  for 
the  money — get  as  much  as  you  may." 

A  blessed  thought  occurred  to  poor 
Titmouse  in  his  extremity,  viz.  that 
there  was  no  stanty  on  the  above  in- 
strument, (and  he  had  never  seen  a 
promissory-note  or  bill  of  exchange 
without  one ;)  and  he  signed  it  instantly, 
with  many  fervent  expressions  of  gra- 
titude. Huckaback  received  the  valu- 
able security  with  apparently  a  careless 
air ;  and  after  cramming  it  into  his 
pocket,  as  if  it  had  been  in  reality  only 
a  bit  of  waste  paper,  counted  out 
ten  shillings  into  the  eager  hand  of 
Titmouse ;  who,  having  thus  most 
unexpectedly  succeeded  in  his  mission, 
soon  afterwards  departed — each  of  this 
pair    of   worthies    fancying    that    he 


had  succeeded  in  cheating  the  other. 
Huckaback,  having  very  cordially 
shaken  Titmouse  by  the  hand,  heartily 
damned  him  upon  shutting  the  door 
on  him  ;  and  then  anxiously  perused 
and  re-perused  his  "security,"  wonder- 
ing whether  it  was  possible  for  Titmouse 
at  any  time  thereafter  to  evade  it,  and 
considering  by  what  means  he  could 
acquaint  himself  with  the  progress  of 
Titmouse's  affairs.  The  latter  gentle- 
man, as  he  hurried  homeward,  dwelt 
for  a  long  while  upon  only  one  thought 
— how  fortunate  was  the  omission  of 
his  friend  to  have  a  stamp  upon  his 
security  !  When  and  where,  thought 
he,  was  it  that  he  had  heard  that 
nothing  would  do  without  a  stamp  ? 
However,  he  had  got  the  ten  shillings 
safe  ;  and  Huckaback  might  wait  for 
his  fifty  pounds  till — but  in  the  mean 
while  he,  Titmouse,  seemed  to  stand  a 
fair  chance  of  going  to  the  dogs  ;  the 
ten  shillings,  which  he  had  just  ob- 
tained with  so  much  difficulty,  were 
to  find  their  way  immediately  into  the 
pockets  of  his  landlady,  whom  it  might 
pacify  for  a  day  or  two,  and  what 
quarter  was  he  now  to  look  to  for  the 
smallest  assistance  ?  What  was  to 
become  of  him  ?  Titmouse  was  a 
miserable  fool ;  but  thoughts  such  as 
these,  in  such  circumstances  as  his, 
would  force  themselves  into  the  mind 
of  even  a  fool !  How  could  he  avoid— 
oh,  horrid  thought ! — soon  parting 
with,  or  at  least  pawning,  his  ring  and 
his  other  precious  trinkets  ?  He  burst 
into  a  perspiration  at  the  mere  thought 
of  seeing  them  hanging  ticketed  for 
sale  in  the  window  of  old  Balls  !  As 
he  slowly  ascended  the  stairs  which 
led  to  his  apartment,  he  felt  as  if  he 
were  following  some  unseen  conductor 
to  a  dungeon. 

He  was  not  aware  that  all  this  while, 
although  he  heard  nothing  from  them, 
he  occupied  almost  exclusively  the 
thoughts  of  those  distinguished  prac- 
titioners in  the  law,  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap.  They,  in  common 
with  Huckaback,  had  an  intense  desire 
to  share  in  his  anticipated  good  fortune, 
and  determined  to  do  so  according  to 
their  opportunities.  The  excellent 
Huckaback  (a  model  of  a  usurer  on  a 


VG 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


small  scale)  had  promptly  and  adroitly 
seized  hold  of  the  very  first  opportunity 
that  presented  itself,  for  securing  a 
little  return  hereafter  for  the  ten 
lings,  with  which  ho  had  so  generously 
p  irted  when  he  could  so  ill  afford  it  ; 
while  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  were  racking  their  brains,  and, 
from  time  to  time,  those  of  Messrs. 
Mortmain  and  Frankpledge,  todiscover 
some  instrument  strong  and  large 
enough  to  cut  a  fat  slice  for  themselves 
out  of  the  fortune  they  were  endeavour- 
ing, for  that  purpose,  to  put  within 
the  reach  of  Mr.  Titmouse.  A  rule  of 
three  mode  of  statin1,'  tin-  matter  would 
be  thus  :  as  the  inconvenience  of  Huck- 
aback's parting  with  his  ten  shillings 
and  his  waiver  of  damages  for  a  very 
cruel  assault,  were  to  his  contingi  nl 
gain,  hereafter,  of  fifty  pounds;  so 
were  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap's  risk,  exertions,  outlay,  and 
benefit  conferred  on  Titmouse,  to  their 
contingent  gain  of  ten  thousand 
pounds.  The  principal  point  of  differ- 
ence between  them  was — as  to  the  mode 
of  securing  their  future  recompense  ; 
in  which  it  may  have  been  observed 
by  the  attentive  reader,  with  respect 
to  the  precipitancy  of  Huckaback  and 
he  itatmg  caution  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  that  —  "thus 
j  ', "  {e.g.  Huckaback)  "rushed  in 
where  angels"  (i.  e.  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap)  "feared  to  tread." 
Lei  i  not,  bowei  er,  for  a  moment, 
insinuate  t  na1  I  oth  these  parties  were 
actuated  by  only  one  motive,  i.  e.  to 
make  a  prey  of  this  little  monkey 
millionnairc  that  was  to  be.  'Tis  true 
that  Huckaback  appears  to  have  driven 
rathi  r  a    lend  bargain  with  his  dis- 

md  almost  ever] 
that,  being  similarly  situated, 
0  \  ices  as  Titmovj 

i     Huckaback,    will    find 
himself   called   upon    to   pay  pretty 
nearly  tl                                         bul 
it  was  at  I                               odi  ffect ; — 
for  the  Bpei  ific  interest  in  Tit  mo 
re  pro  pi  rity,  ai  quired  by  1  tack- 
le,   quickened    his    energies 
a  his  wits  in  the  servi 
frii  nd.      But   for   thi  i,   indeed,   it  is 
probable  thai   Mr.   I lu  1  d | 


would  have  become  as  hopelessly  dosed 

against  Titmouse  as  was  that  of  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap.  Some. 
two  or  three  nights  after  the  little 
transaction  between  the  two  friends 
which  I  have  been  describing,  Huck- 
aback called  upon  Titmouse,  and  after 
greeting  him  rather  cordially,  told  him 
that  he  had  come  to  put  him  up  to  a 
trick  upon  the  Saffron  Hill  people, 
that  would  tickle  them  into  a  little 
activity  in  his  affairs.  The  trick  w  s — 
the  sending  a  letter  lo  those  gentlemen 
calculated  to  —  but  why  attempt  to 
characterize  it  ?  I  have  the  original 
document  lying  before  me,  which  was 
sent  hy  Titmouse  the  very  next  morn- 
ing to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Sua])  ;  and  here  follows  a  verbatim 
copy  of  it :  — 

"No.  0,  Closet  Court, 

ord  Street. 
"  To  Messrs.  Quirk  &  Co. 
"Gents, — Am  Sorry  to  Trouble  You, 
But  Being  Drove  quite  desperate  at  my 
Troubles  (which  have  brot  mo  to  my 
Last  Penny  a  Week  ago)  and  Mrs. 
Squallop  my  Landlady  wd  distrain  on 
.Me  only  that  There  Is  nothing  to  dis- 
train on,  Am  Determined  to  Go  Abroad 
in  a  Week's  Time,  and  shall  Never 
come  Any  .More  back  again  with  Great 
Grief  w&  Is  What  I  now  Write  To  tell 
You  Of  (Hoping  you  will  please  Take 
No  notice  of  It)  So  Need  give  Your- 
selves No  Further  Concern  with  my 
I  i  riis  Seeing  The  Estate  i  i  No1  To 
Be  Had  and  Am  Sorry  you  Sic'-  Have 
Had  so  Much  trouble  with  My  A  Hairs 
wh  c4  not  Help.  Slid  have  Much 
liked  The  Thing,  only  it  Was  Not 
worth  Stopping  For,  or  Would,  luit 
It  Was  dot  God's  Will  be  Done 
which  if,  will.     Ilav  r  raj   id  a  Tj 

ty  Future  Prospects  \\!i  am  <  lertain 
There  is  Nothing  In)  from  a  True 
Frit  nit "  [need  it  I  d  at  whose 

;       e  words  found  their  way 
into  the  lei  ter  f]  "  w&  was  ccrtaii 
uncommon  inconveni  nt  to  That  Pei 
Bui  I  le  u'1  do  Anything  to  I  *o  me  goi  d 
A    hi  '. ' a  going  to  raise  .\  Little 

More  from  a  '  lent  That  does  7 
'  Nature  wh  will  help  me  with  I 
in  (  Abroad  (which  ]  Lao    I 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


77 


Never  mean  to  Return  from).  Have 
fixedfor  the  10th  To  Go  on  wh  Day  Shall 
Take  leave  Of  Mr.  Tag-rag  (who  on  my 
Return  Shall  be  glad  to  See  Buried  or 
in.  the  Workhouse).  Have  wrote  This 
letter  Only  to  Save  Yr  Respectable 
Selves  trouble  wh  Trust  You  w<l  not 
have  Taken. 

"And  Remain, 
"Gents, 
"Yr  humble  Unworthy  servant, 
"T.  Titmouse. 

"  P.S. — Hope  you  will  Particularly 
Remember  me  to  Mr.  Gammon.  What 
is  to  become  of  me,  know  nothing, 
being  so  troubled.  Am  Humbly  De- 
termined not  to  employ  any  Gents  in 
This  matter  except  yr  most  Respecta- 
ble House,  and  shd  be  most  Truly  Sorry 
to  Go  Abroad  whh  am  really  Often 
th hiking  of  in  Earnest.  (Unless  some- 
thing Speedily  Turns  Up,  favourable), 
T.  T.— Slid  like  (By  the  way)  to  know 
if  you  shd  be  so  Disposed  what  yr 
respa  house  w<i  take  for  my  Chances 
Down  {Out  and  out)  In  a  Round  Sum 
{Ready  Money)  And  hope  if  they 
Write  It  will  be  by  Next  Post  or  Shall 
be  Gone  Abroad." 

Old  Mr.  Quirk,  as  soon  as  he  had 
finished  the  perusal  of  this  skilful 
document,  started,  a  little  disturbed, 
from  his  seat,  and  bustled  into  Mr. 
Gammon's  room  with  Mr.  Titmouse's 
open  letter  in  his  hand. — "Gammon," 
said  he,  "just  cast  your  eye  over  this, 
will  you  ?  Really,  we  must  look  after 
Titmouse,  or  he'll  be  gone  !  "  Mr. 
Gammon  took  the  letter  rather  eager- 
ly, read  deliberately  through  it,  and 
then  looked  up  at  his  fidgety  partner, 
who  stood  anxiously  eyeing  him,  and 
smiled. 

"Well,  Gammon,  I  really  think — 
eh?     Don't  you " 

"Upon  my  word,  Mr.  Quirk,  this 
nearly  equals  his  former  letter  ;  and  it 
also  seems  to  have  produced  on  you 
the  desired  effect." 

"  Well,  Gammon,  and  what  of  that  ? 
Because  my  heart  don't  happen  to  be 
quite  a  piece  of  flint,  you're  always — " 

' '  You  might  have  been  a  far  wealth- 
ier man  than  you  are  but  for  that  soft 


heart  of  yours,  Mr. Quirk," — said  Gam- 
mon with  a  bland  smile.  (!) 

"  I  know  I  might,  Gammon — I  know 
it.  I  thank  my  God  I'm  not  so  keen 
after  business  that  I  can't  feel  for  this 
poor  soul — really,  his  state's  quite 
deplorable  !  " 

"  Then,  my  dear  sir,  put  your  hand 
into  your  pocket  at  once,  as  I  was 
suggesting  last  night,  and  allow  him  a 
weekly  sum." 

"A — hem!  hem!  Gammon" — said 
Quirk,  sitting  down,  thrusting  his 
hands  into  his  waistcoat  pockets,  and 
looking  very  earnestly  at  Gammon. 

"Well,  then,"  replied  that  gentle- 
man, shrugging  his  shoulders,  in 
answer  to  the  mute  appeal — "write 
and  say  you  ivon't — 'tis  soon  done,  and 
so  the  matter  ends." 

"Why,  Gammon,  you  see,  if  ho 
goes  abroad,"  said  Quirk,  after  a  long 
pause — "we  lose  him  for  ever." 

"  Pho  ! — go  abroad  !  He's  too  much 
for  you,  Mr.  Quirk — he  is  indeed,  ha, 
ha!" 

"You're  fond  of  a  laugh  at  my 
expense,  Gammon  ;  it's  quite  pleasant 
— you  can't  think  how  I  like  that 
same  laugh  of  yours  !  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Quirk — 
but  you  really  misunderstand  me  ;  I 
was  laughing  only  at  the  absurd  incon- 
sistency of  the  fellow  :  he's  a  most 
transparent  little  fool,  and  takes  us 
for  such.  Go  abroad!  Ridiculous 
pretence  ! — In  his  precious  postscript 
he  undoes  all — he  says  he  is  only  often 
thinking  of  going — pshaw  ! — That  the 
wretch  is  in  great  distress,  is  very  pro- 
bable ;  but  it  must  go  hard  with  him 
before  he  either  commits  suicide  or 
goes  abroad,  I  warrant  him  :  I've  no 
fears  on  that  score — but  there  is  a 
point  in  the  letter  that  may  be  worth 
considering — I  mean  the  fellow's  hint 
about  borrowing  money  on  his  pros- 
pects." 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure — the  very  thing 
that  struck  me."  [Gammon  faintly 
smiled.]  "I  never  thought  much 
about  the  other  part  of  the  letter — all 
stuff  about  going  abroad — pho  ! — But 
to  be  sure,  if  he's  trying  to  raise  money, 
he  may  get  into  keen  hands. — Do  you 
really  think  he  has?" 


13 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


"Oh  no — of  course  it's  only  a  little 
lie  of  his— or  he  must  have  found  out 
some  greater  fool  than  himself,  which 
I  had  not  supposed  possible.  Bat 
however  that  may  be,  I  really  think, 
Mr.  Quirk,  it's  high  time  that  we 
should  take  some  decided  step." 

"Well, — ys,  it  may  be,  "said  Quirk, 
slowly — "and  I  must  say  that  Mort- 
main encouraged  me  a  good  deal  the 
day  before  yesterday." 

"Well,  and  you  know  what  Mr. 
Frankpledge " 

"  Oh,  as  to  Frankpledge — hem  !  " 

"What  of  Mr.  Frankpledge,  Mr. 
Quirk?"  enquired  Gammon,  rather 
tartly. 

"There  !  There  !  —Always  the  way 
— but  what  does  it  signify  ?  Come, 
come,  Gammon,  we  know  each  other 
too  well  to  quarrel  I — I  don't  mean 
anything  disrespectful  to  Mr.  Frank- 
pledge, but  when  Mortmain  has  been 
one's  conveyancer  these  twenty  years, 
and  never  once — hem  ! — but,  however, 
he  tells  me  that  we  are  now  standing 
on  sure  ground,  or  that  he  don't  know 
what  sure  ground  is,  and  sees  no  ob- 
jection to  our  even  taking  preliminary 
steps  in  the  matter,  which  indeed  I 
begin  to  think  it  high  time  to  do! — 
And  ;is  for  seem  ing  ourselves  in  respect 
of  any  advances  to  Titmouse — he  sug- 
ts  our  taking  a  bond,  conditioned 
— say,  for  the  payment  of  £500  or 
£1000  on  demand,  under  cover  of 
which  one  might  advance  him,  you 
know,  just  such  sums  as,  and  when 
we  pleased  ;  one  could  stop  when  one 
thought  fit ;  one  could  begin  with 
three  or  four  pounds  a-we<  k,  and  in- 
crease as  his  prospects  improved — 
eh ! " 

"You  know  Tvc  no  objection  to 
i  an  arrangement ;  but  consider, 
Mr.  'mirk,  we  must  have  patience  ;  it 
will  take  a  long  while  to  get  our  ver- 
dict, you  know,  and  ]  mg  to 
seen-'  it.  afterv ards ;  and  this  h,< 
little  wretch  all  the  while  on  our  ha 
what  the  deuce  to  do  with  him,  1  really 
don't  know  !  " 

'•  Humph,  humph  !  "grunted  Quirk, 
1  ing  ver)  \   and  uneasily  at 

Gammon. 


suppose  he  should  get  dissatisfied  with 
the    amount   of    our    advances,    ami. 
knowing  the  state  and  prospects  of 
cause,  should  then  turn  restive  ?" 

"  Ay,  confound  it,  Gammon,  all  that 
should  be  looked  to,  shouldn't  it  1 " 
interrupted  Quirk,  with  an  exceedingly 
chagrined  air. 

"To  be  sure,"  continued  Gammon 
thoughtfully;  "by  that  time  he  may 
got  substantial  friends  about  him, 
whom  he  could  persuade  to  become 
security  to  us  for  further  and  past 
advances." 

"Nay,  now  you  namo   the  thing, 
:u  'ii  ;  it  was  what  I  was  thinking 
of  only  the  other  day  :  "  he  dro] 
his  voice — "Isn't  there  one  or  two  of 
our  own  clients,  hem  ! " 

"Why,  certainly,  there's  old  Fang  ; 
I  don't  think  it  impossible  he  m 
be  induced  to  do  a  little  usury — it's 
all  he  lives  for,  .Air.  Quirk;  and  tho 
security  is  good  in  reality,  though 
perhaps  not  exactly  marketabl  ." 

"Nay;  but,  on  second  thoughts, 
why  not  do  it  myself,  if  anything  can 
be  made  of  it?" 

"That,  however,  will  be  for  futuro 
consideration.  In  the  mean  time, 
we'd  better  send  for  Titmouse,  and 
manage  him  a  little  man — discreetly, 
eh  ?  We  did  not  exactly  hit  it  off  last 
time,  did  we,  Mr.  Quirk?"  said  Gl  - 
iiion,     smiling     rather     i  lly. 

"  We  must  keep  him  at  Tag-rag's,  if 
the  1 !  i.  be  done  for  the  present, 

at  all  evi  nts." 

"To  be  sure  ;  he  couldn't  then  come 
buzzing  about  us,  like  a  gad-fly  ;  he'd 
drive  us  mad  in  a  week,  I'm  sure." 

"Oh,  I'd  rather  give  up  everything 
than  submit  to  it.  It  can't  be  difli 
for  US,  I  should  think,  to  bind  him  to 
our  own  terms-  to  mit  a  bridle  in  tho 
!  mouth  ?  Lei  as  ay  that  we  in- 
n  his  signing  an  undertaking  to 
ad  implicitly  according  to  our  direc- 
tions in  everything." 

"Ay,  to   lie   sure;    on  pain  of  our 
ntly  turning  him   to   the    right 
about.     I  fancy  it  w  ill  do  now  \  " 

"  And,  now,  Mi'.  Ql  1  G  mi- 

nion, with  as  mil.  h  of  pereinpl 

til  his   tone   as   he  COUld   Venture  u 

i.  Quirk,  "you  really  mi:  t  do  mo 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


79 


the  favour  to  leave  the  management  of 
this  little  wretch  to  me.  You  see,  he 
seems  to  have  taken — Heaven  save  the 
mark  ! — a  fancy  to  me,  poor  fellow  ! — 
and — and — it  must  be  owned,  we  mis- 
carried Badly,  the  other  night,  on  a 
certain  grand  occasion — eh  ? " 

Quirk  shook  his  head  dissentingly. 

"Well,  then,"  continued  Gammon. 
"one  thing  I  am  determined  on  :  one 
or  the  other  of  us  shall  undertake  Tit- 
mouse, solely  and  singly.  Pray,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  tackle  him  yourself — 
a  disagreeable  duty !  You  know,  my 
dear  sir,  how  invariably  I  leave  every- 
thing of  real  importance  and  difficulty 
to  your  very  superior  tact  and  ex- 
perience." 

"  Come,  come,  Gammon,  that's  a 
drop  of  sweet  oil " 

Quirk  might  well  say  so,  for  he  felt 
its  softening,  smoothing  effects  already. 

"Upon  my  word  and  honour,  Mr. 
Quirk,  I'm  in  earnest.  Pshaw! — and 
you  must  know  it.  I  know  you  too 
well,  my  dear  sir,  to  attempt  to " 

"Certainly,  I  must  say,  those  must 
get  up  very  early  that  can  find  Caleb 
Quirk  napping,"  —  Gammon  felt  at 
that  moment  that  for  several  years  he 
must  have  been  a  very  early  riser. 
And  so  the  matter  was  arranged  in  the 
manner  which  Gammon  had  wished 
and  determined  upon,  i.  c.  that  Mr. 
Titmouse  should  be  left  entirely  to  his 
management ;  and,  after  some  little 
discussion  as  to  the  time  and  manner 
of  the  meditated  advances,  the  part- 
ners parted.  On  entering  his  own 
room,  Quirk  closing  his  door,  stood 
leaning  against  the  side  of  the  win- 
dow, with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
and  his  eyes  instinctively  resting  on 
his  banker's  book,  which  lay  on  the 
table.  He  was  in  a  very  brown  study  : 
the  subject  on  which  his  thoughts  were 
busied  being  the  prudence  or  impru- 
dence of  leaving  Titmouse  thus  in  the 
hands  of  Gammon.  It  might  be  all 
very  well  for  Quirk  to  assert  his  self- 
confidence  when  in  Gammon's  presence, 
but  he  did  not  really  feel  it.  He  never 
left  Gammon  after  any  little  difference 
of  opinion,  however  friendly,  without 
a  secret  suspicion  that  somehow  or 
another  Gammon  had  been  too  much 


for  him,  and  always  gained  his  purposes, 
without  giving  Quirk  any  handle  of 
dissatisfaction.  In  fact,  Quirk  was 
thoroughly  afraid  of  Gammon,  and 
Gammon  knew  it.  In  the  present  in- 
stance, an  undefinable  but  increasing 
suspicion  and  dissatisfaction  forced 
him  presently  back  again  into  Gam- 
mon's room. 

"I  say,  Gammon,  you  understand, 
eh? — Fair  play,  you  know,"  he  com- 
menced, with  a  shy  embarrassed  air, 
ill  concealed  under  a  forced  smile. 

' '  Pray,  Mr.  Quirk,  what  may  be 
your  meaning  ? "  enquired  Gammon 
with  unusual  tartness,  with  an  aston- 
ished air,  and  blushing  violently, 
which  Mras  not  surprising ;  for  ever 
since  Quirk  had  quitted  him,  Gam- 
mon's thoughts  had  been  occupied  with 
only  one  question,  viz.  how  he  should 
go  to  work  with  Titmouse  to  satisfy 
him  that  he  (Gammon)  was  the  only 
member  of  the  firm  that  had  a  real 
disinterested  regard  for  him,  and  so 
cquire  a  valuable  control  over  him. 
Thus  occupied,  the  observation  of 
Quirk  had  completely  taken  Gammon 
aback ;  and  he  lost  his  presence  of 
mind,  of  course  his  temper  quickly 
following.  ' '  Yvrill  you  favour  me,  Mr. 
Quirk,  with  an  explanation  of  your 
extraordinarily  absurd  and  offensive 
observation  ? "  said  he,  reddening  more 
and  more  as  he  looked  at  Mr.  Quirk. 

"You're  a  queer  hand,  Gammon," 
replied  Quirk,  with  almost  an  equally 
surprised  and  embarrassed  air,  for  he 
could  not  resist  a  sort  of  conviction 
that  Gammon  had  fathomed  what  had 
been  passing  in  his  mind. 

""What  did  you  mean,  Mr.  Quirk, 
by  your  singular  observation  just 
now?"  said  Gammon  calmly,  having 
recovered  his  presence  of  mind. 

"Mean?  Why,  that  — we're  both 
queer  hands,  Gammon,  ha,  ha,  ha ! " 
answered  Quirk,  with  an  anxious  laugh. 

"I  shall  leave  Titmouse  entirely — 
entirely,  Mr.  Quirk,  in  your  hands  ; 
I  will  have  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  him.  I  am  quite  sick  of  him 
and  his  affairs  already  ;  I  cannot  bring 
myself  to  undertake  such  an  affair,  and 
that  was  what  I  was  thinking  of, — 
when " 


80 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"Eh?  indeed!  Well,  to  he  sure! 
Only  thinkl"  said  Quirk,  dropping 
his  voice,  looking  to  see  that  the  two 
doors  were  .shut,  and  resuming  1 1 1 . • 
chair  which  he  had  lately  quitted. 
"  What  do  you  think  has  been  occur- 
ring to  me  in  my  own  room,  just  now  ? 
Whether  it  would  suit  us  better  to 
throw  this  monkey  overboard,  put 
ourselves  confidentially  in  communi- 
cation with  the  party  in  possession, 
and  tell  him  that — hem  ! — for  a — eh  .' 
You  understand  ? — a  con-si-de-ra-tion 
— a  suitable  con-si-de-ra-tion." 

"Mr.  Quirk!  Heavens!"  Gam- 
mon was  really  amazed. 

""Well?  You  needn't  open  your 
eyes  so  very  wide,  Mr.  Gammon — 
why  shouldn't  it  be  done  ?  You  know 
we  shouldn't  be  satisfied  with  a  trifle, 
of  course.  But  suppose  he'd  agree  to 
buy  our  silence  with  four  or  five  thou- 
sand pounds,  really,  it's  well  worth 
considering !  Upon  my  soul,  Gam- 
mon, it  is  a  hard  thing  on  him  ;  no 
fault  of  his,  and  it  is  very  hard  for 
him  to  turn  out,  and  for  such  a — 
eugh! — such  a  wretch  as  Titmouse; 
you'd  feel  it  yourself,  Gammon,  if  you 
Were  in  his  place,  and  I'm  sure  you'd 
think  that  four  or  five  thous " 

"  But  is  not  Titmouse  our  Poor 
Nf.igheouk  ?  "  said  Gammon,  with  a 
sly  smile. 

"  Why,  that's  only  one,  way  of  look- 
ing at  ii,  Gammon  !  Perhaps  the  man 
Ave  are  going  to  eject  does  a  vast  d<  al 
of  good  with  the  property  ;  certainly 
!.  hears  a  very  high  name  in  the 
county— and  fancy  Titmouse  with  ten 
thousand  a-year  ! " 

"  Mr.  Quirk,  Mr.  Quirk,  it's  not  to 
he  thought  of  for  a  moment — not  for 
a  moment,"  interrupted  Gammon 
Beriously,  and  even  somewhat  peremp- 
torily— "nothing  should  persuadi 
to  he  any  patty  to  such " 

At  this  moment  Snap  hurst  into  tin- 
room  with  a  heati  <1  appearance,  and  a 


•■  I  id  v.  Grub " 

[Tlii ,  was  :.  :;;•;>  pel  a<  lion  of  poor 
Snap's:  it  was  for  slander  uttered  by 
the  defendant  (a  I  the 

plaintiff,   (a    wato 

v.  i :  1 1 


having.Mc  mange,  on  account  of  which 
a  woman  refused  to  marry  him.] 

"1'itch  v.  Grub — just  been  tried  at 
Guildhall.  "Witness  bang  tip  to  the 
mark  —  words  and  special  damage 
proved  ;  slapping  speech  from  £ 
Shout.  Verdict  for  plaintiff— but  only 
one  farthing  ;  and  Lord  "Widdringtou 
said,  as  the  jury  had  given  one 
farthing  for  damages,  he  would  give 
him  another  for  costs,*  and  that  would 
make  a  halfpenny ;  on  which  the 
defendant's  attorney  tendered  me — a 
halfpenny  on  the  spot.  Laughter  in 
court — move  for  new  trial  first  day  of 
next  term,  and  tip  his  lordship  a 
rattler  in  the  next  Sunday's  Flash  .'" 

"Mr.  Quirk,  once  for  all,  if  these 
kind  of  actions  are  to  go  on,  I'll  leave 
the  firm,  come  what  will."  [It 
flickered  across  his  mind  that  Titmouse 
would  be  a  capital  client  to  start 
with  on  his  own  account.]  "  I  protest 
our  names  will  quite  stink  in  the 
profession." 

"Good,  Mr.  Gammon,  good!" 
interposed  Snap,  warmly  ;  "your  little 
action  for  the  usury  penalties  the  other 
day  came  oif  so  uncommon  well !  " 

"Let  me  tell  you,  Mr.  Snap,"  inter- 
rupted Gammon,  reddening 

"l'ho!  Cornel  Can't  be  helped— 
fortune  of  the  war," — interrupted  the 
head  of  the  firm, — "  Js  Pitch  solvent/ 
— of  course  we've  security  for  costs 
out  of  pocket." 

Now,  the  fact  was,  that  poor  Snap 
had  picked  up  Pitch  at  one  of  the 
police  offices,  and,  in  his  zeal  for 
business,  had  undertaken  his  case  on 
pure  speculation,  relying  on  the  ap- 
•  ;t  strength  of  the  plaintiff's  case 
— Pitch  being  only  a  waterman  at- 
tached   to    a     coach-stand.       Winn, 

*  I  suppose  myself  to  be  alluding  here  to 

a  very  oppressive  statute,  paused  to  clip  the 

or  such        tlemen  us  Mr.  Snap,  liy 

>i  it  is  cieieteil  th.it,  in  ne1 1.  ma  for 
slander,  if  the  jury  find  a  verdict  under 
forty  shillings,  e.  </.  as  in  11:i?  e.-ise  in  the 
:!iii  :',  lie  plaintiff  shall  ho 
entitle  l  t  in 
as  much  i  ,  «.  e,   am 

i  t  court  v. 

I  o,a 
Btillmorostriri  en  mode, 

which,  'tis  to  be  hoped,  will  put  down  tin 

■  ce. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


81 


therefore,  tlie  very  ominous  question 
of  Mr.  Quirk  met  Snap's  ear,  he 
suddenly  happened  (at  least,  he 
thought  so)  to  hear  himself  called  for 
from  the  clerk's  room,  and  bolted  out 
of  Mr.  Gammon's  room  rather  un- 
ceremoniously. 

"  Snap  will  be  the  ruin  of  the  firm, 
Mr.  Quirk,"  said  Gammon,  with  an 
air  of  disgust.  "But  I  really  must 
get  on  with  the  brief  I'm  drawing  : 
so,  Mr.  Quirk,  we  can  talk  about 
Titmouse  to-morrow !  " 

The  brief  he  was  drawing  up  was 
for  a  defendant  who  was  going  to  non- 
suit the  plaintiff,  (a  man  with  a  large 
family,  who  had  kindly  lent  the 
defendant  a  considerable  sum  of 
money,)  solely  because  of  the  want  of 
a  stamp. 

Quirk  differed  in  opinion  with  Gam- 
mon, and,  as  he  resumed  his  seat  at 
his  desk,  he  could  not  help  writing 
the  words,  "Quirk  and  Snap,"  and 
thinking  how  well  such  a  firm  would 
sound  and  work — for  Snap  was  verily 
a  chip  of  the  old  block  ! 

There  will  probably  never  be  want- 
ing those  who  will  join  in  abusing  and 
ridiculing  attorneys  and  solicitors. 
"Why  ?  In  almost  every  action  at  law, 
or  suit  in  equity,  or  proceeding  which 
may,  or  may  not,  lead  to  one,  each 
client  conceives  a  natural  dislike  for 
his  opponent's  attorney  or  solicitor. 
If  the  plaintiff  succeeds,  he  hates  the 
defendant's  attorney  for  putting  him 
(the  said  plaintiff)  to  so  much  expense, 
and  causing  him  so  much  vexation 
and  danger  ;  and,  when  he  comes  to 
settle  with  his  own  attorney,  there  is 
not  a  little  heart-burning  in  locking 
at  his  bill  of  costs,  however  reasonable. 
If  the  plaintiff  fails,  of  course  it  is 
through  the  ignorance  and  unskilful- 
ness  of  his  attorney  or  solicitor  ;  and 
he  hates  almost  erpialiy  his  own  and 
his  opponent's  attorney.  Precisely  so 
is  it  with  a  successful  or  unsuccess- 
ful defendant.  In  fact,  an  attorney 
or  solicitor  is  almost  always  obliged 
to  be  acting  adversely  so  soma  one 
of  whom  he  at  once  makes  an 
enemy ;  for  an  attorney's  weapons 
must  necessarily  be  pointed  almost 
invariably  at    our  pockets !      lie   is 


necessarily,  also,  called  into  action  in 
cases  when  all  the  worst  passions  of 
our  nature — our  hatred  and  revenge, 
and  our  self-interest — are  set  in  motion. 
Consider  the  mischief  that  might  be 
constantly  done  on  a  grand  scale  in 
society,  if  the  vast  majority  of  attor- 
neys and  solicitors  were  not  honour- 
aide  and  able  men !  Conceive  them, 
for  a  moment,  disposed  everywhere  to 
stir  up  litigation,  by  availing  them- 
selves of  their  perfect  acquaintance 
with  almost  all  men's  circumstances — 
artfully  inflaming  irritable  and  vin- 
dictive clients,  kindling,  instead  of 
stifling,  family  dissensions,  and 
fomenting  public  strife  —  why,  were 
they  to  do  only  a  hundredth  part  of 
what  it  is  thus  in  their  power  to  do, 
our  courts  of  justice  would  soon  be 
doubled,  together  with  the  number  of 
our  judges,  counsel,  and  attorneys ; 
new  jails  must  be  built  to  hold  the 
ruined  litigants — and  the  insolvent 
court  enlarged,  and  iu  constant  session 
throughout  the  year. 

But  not  all  of  this  body  of  honour- 
able and  valuable  men  are  entitled  to 
this  tribute  of  praise.  There  are  a 
few  Quirks,  several  Gammons,  and 
many  Snaps,  in  the  profession  of  the 
law — men  whose  characters  and  doings 
often  make  fools  visit  the  sins  of 
individuals  upon  the  whole  species ; 
nay,  there  are  far  worse,  as  I  have 
heard  —  but  I  must  return  to  roT . 
narrative. 

On  Friday  night,  the  28th  July, 
18 — ,  the  state  of  Mr.  Titmouse's 
affairs  was  this  ;  he  owed  his  landlady 
£1,  9s.  ;  his  washerwoman,  Gs.  ;  his 
tailor,  £1,  8s. — in  all,  three  guineas ; 
besides  10s.  to  Huckaback,  (for  Tittle- 
bat's notion  was,  that  on  re-payment 
at  any  time  of  10s.,  Huckaback  would 
be  bound  to  deliver  up  to  him  the 
document  or  voucher  which  he  had 
given  him,)  and  a  weekly  accruing 
rent  of  7s.  to  his  landlady,  besides 
some  very  small  sums  for  washing, 
tea,  bread,  and  butter,  &c.  To  meet 
these  serious  liabilities,  he  had — not 
one  farthing. 

On  returning  to  his  lodgings  that 
night,  he  found  a  line  from  Thumb- 
screw, his  landlady's  broker,  informing 

a 


82 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


him  that,  unless  by  ten  o'clock  on  the 
next  morning  his  arrears  of  rent  were 
paid,  he  Bhould  distrain,  and  she 
would  also  give  him  notice  to  quit  at 

I  of  1  lie  week  :  that   nothi 
could  induce  her  him  furl 

time.  !!-■  sat  down  in  dismay  on 
ing  this  threatening  document; 
and,  in  silting  down,  his  eye  fell  on  a 
bit  of  paper  lying  on  the  lloor,  which 
must  have  been  thru  t  under  the  >' 
From  the  marks  on  it,  it  was  evident 
that  he  must  have  trod  upon  it  in 
entering.  11  proved  to  be  a  summons 
from  the  Court  of  Requests,  for  £1,  8s. 
due  to  Job  Cox,  his  tailor.  He  de- 
posited it  mechanically  on  the  table; 
and  for  a  minute  he  dared  hardly 
he. 

This  seemed  something  really  like 
a  ert 

After   a    silent   agony   of    half  an 
hour's   duration,    he    rose    trembling 
from  his  chair,  blew  out  his  candle, 
and,  in  a  few  minutes'  time,  mi 
have  been  seen  standing  with  a  | 

d  face  before  the  window 
of  old  Balls,  the  pawnbroker,  peeling 
the    suspended     articles- 
watches,  sugar-tongs,  rings,  brood 
spoons,   pins,    bracelets,    knives 
forks,    seals,     chains,     &c. — to 
whether  i  ny  one  an  old  B 

were  within.  Having  at  leu 
watchi  d  out  a  very  pal-  and  wret  : 
looking  woman,  Titmouse  entered  to 
take  her  place  ;  and  aft.-r  inter- 
changing a  few  faltering  words  with 
the  white-haired  and  hard-hearted  old 
pawnbrokt  r,  produced  his  guard-chain, 
Lis  breast-pin,  and  his  ring,  and 
obtained  three  pounds  two  shillings 
ami  sixpence  on  the  security  of  them. 
With  this  sum  he  slunk  out  of  the 
on  '  fc>x,  his  t  rilor, 
rembling  old   creditor   the 


full   amount   of  his   claim    (£1, 
c  with  4s.,  th     • 
mons — .simp! 

wor  I,  i  t  he 
i 
he    d   ilt    with     Mrs.    E  [V 
]  a  dlady — not  uttering  i  '•   in 

i    h(  r     ! 

dips  beta     i. 
■  i    till    tl  I    came    1 


them,  while  his  heart  seemed  bursting 
within  him.  Then  lie  walked  up- 
stairs, with  a  desperate  air  —  with 
eighteenpence  in  his  pocket — all  his 
-his  washerwoman 
yet  unpaid — his  rent  going  on — several 
other  little  matters  unsettled  ;  and 
the  10th  of  August  approaching,  when 
he  expected  to  be  dismissed  penniless 
from  Mr.  Tag-rag's,  and  thrown  on  his 
own  resources  for  subsistence.  When 
he  had  regained  his  room,  and,  having 
shut  the  door,  had  re-seated  himself 
at  his  table,  be  felt  for  a  moment  as 
if  he  could  have  yelled.  Starvation 
and  Despair,  two  fiei  ted  sit- 

ting beside  him  in  shadowy  ghastli- 
mss,  chilling  and  palsying  him — 
petrifying  bis  heart  within  him. 
WHAT  was  he  to  do  ?  "Why  bad  he 
been  born  ?  "Why  was  he  so  much 
more  persecuted  and  miserable  than 
any  one  else  ?  Visions  of  his  ring,  his 
t-pin,  lus  studs,  stuck  in  a  bit  of 
.  with  their  price  written  ab 
them,andhai  posed  to  his  view 

in  old  Balls'  window,  almost  frenzi  d 
him.      Thoughts    sueb    as    these    at 
hi         i  to  suggest   others  of  a 
lire.     *  *  *     The  means 
were  at  that  instant  within  bis  reach. 
*  *  *  A   sharp    knock    at   the   door 
startled  him  out  of  the  stupor  into 
which  he   was  sinking.     He  listened 
fa-  a  moment,  as  if  hi'  w<  :v  not  certain 
•  the  sound,  wis  a  r  al  en.'.     There 
d  a  ton-weij  ht  upon  his  h 
which  a  mighty  sigh  could  lift  for  an 
instant,  hut  not  remove  ;   ami  he  was 
in  the  ad  of  heaving  a  second  Buch 

,  as  he  languidly  opened  th.'  • 
— !•:■.  pei  I  inter  Mr.  Thumb- 

screw, or  some  of  his  myrmidons,  i 
mi:  ht  n<>t  km"..-  of  his  recent  settle- 
ment with  his  landla 

"Is  this  Mr.— Tit— Titmouse's?" 
ateel-lookinj  nan. 

'•  3T<  s,"  |,|!  ed  'i        >i 
"  Are  you  Mr.  'J  <" 

"  Yes,"    he  faintly 

I       iv. 
"Oh — I  have  brought   |  I 

non,  of  tin-  firm 
of  ',  i     mmon,  i 

on  11  ill,"  said  the  b1  ranger, 
•    his  words   Bhot   a 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YE  All. 


83 


flash  of  light  into  a  little  abyss  of 
sorrow  before  him.  "He  begged  me 
to  give  this  letter  into  your  own  hands, 
and  said  he  hoped  you'd  send  him  an 
answer  by  the  lirst  morning's  post." 

"Yes — oh — I  see — certainly — to  be 
sure — with  pleasure — how  is  Mr.  Gam- 
mon ? — uncommon  kind  of  him — very 
humble  respects  to  him — take  care  to 
answer  it,"  stammered  Titmouse  in  a 
breath,  hardly  knowing  whether  he 
was  standing  on  his  head  or  his  heels, 
and  not  quite  certain  where  he  was. 

"Good  evening,  sir,"  replied  the 
stranger,  evidently  a  little  surprised 
at  Titmouse's  manner,  and  withdrew. 
Titmouse  shut  his  door.  With  pro- 
digious trepidation  of  hand  and  flutter 
of  spirits,  he  opened  the  letter — an 
enclosure  meeting  his  eyes  in  the 
shape  of  a  bank-note. 

"  Oh  Lord  !  "  lie  murmured,  turning 
white  as  the  sheet  of  paper  he  held. 
Then  the  letter  dropped  from  his  hand, 
and  he  stood  as  it'  stupefied  for  some 
moments ;  but  presently  rapture  darted 
through  him  ;  a  five-pound  bank-note 
was  in  his  hand,  and  it  had  been 
enclosed  in  the  following  letter  : — 

"  35  Thavics'  Inn,  29th  July,  18—. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Titmouse, 

"Your  last  note,  addressed  to  our 
firm,  has  given  me  the  greatest  pain, 
aud  I  hasten,  on  my  return  from  the 
country,  to  forward  you  the  enclosed 
trifle,  which  I  sincerely  hope  will  be 
of  temporary  service  to  you.  May  1 
beg  the  favour  of  your  company  on 
Sunday  evening  next,  at  seven  o'clock, 
to  take  a  glass  of  wine  with  me  ?  I 
shall  be  quite  alone  and  disengaged  ; 
and  may  have  it  in  my  power  to  make 
you  some  important  communications, 
concerning  matters  in  which,  I  assure 
you,  I  feel  a  very  deep  interest  on 
your  account.  Begging  the  favour  of 
an  early  answer  to-morrow  morning, 
I  trust  you  will  believe  me,  ever,  my 
dear  sir,  your  most  faithful  humble 
servant, 

"Oily  Gammon. 
"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq." 

The  first  balmy  drop  of  the  long- 
expected  golden  shower  had  at  length 


fallen  upon  the  panting  Titmouse. 
How  polite  —  nay,  how  affectionate 
and  respectful — was  the  note  of  Mr. 
Gammon  t  and,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life,  he  saw  himself  addressed 

"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esquire." 

If  his  room  had  been  large  enough  to 
admit  of  it,  Titmouse  would  have 
skipped  round  it  again  and  again  in 
his  frantic  ecstacy.  Having  at  length 
read  over  and  over  again  the  blessed 
letter  of  Mr.  Gammon,  he  hastily 
folded  it  up,  crumpled  up  the  bank- 
note in  his  hand,  clapped  his  hat  on 
his  head,  blew  out  his  candle,  rushed 
down-stairs  as  if  a  mad  dog  were  at 
his  heels,  and  in  three  or  four  minutes' 
time  was  standing  breathless  before 
old  Balls,  whom  he  almost  electrified 
by  asking,  with  an  eager  and  joyous 
air,  for  a  return  of  the  articles  which 
he  had  only  an  hour  before  pawned 
with  him  ;  at  the  same  time  laying 
down  the  duplicates  and  the  bank- 
note. The  latter,  old  Balls  scrutinized 
with  most  anxious  exactness,  and  even 
suspicion — but  it  seemed  perfectly  un- 
exceptionable ;  so  he  gave  him  back 
his  precious  ornaments,  and  the  change 
out  of  his  note,  minus  a  trifling  sum 
for  interest.  Titmouse  then  started 
off  at  top  speed  to  Huckaback  ;  but  it 
suddenly  occurring  to  him  as  possible 
that  that  gentleman,  on  hearing  of  his 
good  fortune,  might  look  for  an  im- 
mediate repayment  of  the  ten  shillings 
he  had  recently  lent  to  Titmouse,  ho 
stopped  short — paused — and  returned 
home.  There  he  had  hardly  been 
seated  a  moment,  when  down  he  pelted 
again,  to  buy  a  sheet  of  paper  and  a 
waf.r  or  two,  to  write  his  letter  to  Mr. 
Gammon  ;  which  having  obtained,  he 
returned  at  the  same  speed,  almost 
overturning  his  fat  landlady,  who 
looked  after  him  as  if  he  were  a  mad 
cat  scampering  up  and  down-stairs, 
and  fearing  that  he  had  gone  suddenly 
crazy.  The  note  he  wrote  to  Mr. 
Gammon  was  so  exceedingly  extrava- 
gant, that,  candid  as  I  have  (I  trust) 
hitherto  shown  myself  in  the  deline- 
ation of  Mr.  Titmouse's  character,  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  give  the  said 
letter  to  the  reader — making  all  allow- 

G  2 


84 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


ances  for  the  extraordinary  excitement 
of  its  writer. 

Sleep,  that  night  and  morning, 
found  and  left  Mr.  Titmouse  the  as- 
sured exulting  master  of  Ten  Thou- 
BAND  a-Yk.yk.  Of  this  fact,  the 
oftener  he  read  Mr.  Gammon's  letter, 
the  stronger  became  his  convictions. 
'Twas  undoubtedly  rather  a  large  in- 
ference from  small  premises  ;  but  it 
secured  him  unspeakable  happiness, 
for  a  time,  at  a  possible  cost  of  future 
disappointment  and  misery,  which  he 
did  not  pause  to  consider.  The  fact 
is,  that  logic  (according  to  Dr.  Watts, 
the  right  use  of  reason)  is  not  a  prac- 
tical art.  No  one  regards  it  in  actual 
life  ;  observe,  therefore,  folks  on  all 
hands  constantly  acting  like  Tittlebat 
Titmouse  in  the  case  before  us.  His 
conclusion  was — that  he.  had  become 
the, certain  master  of  ten  thousand  a- 
year ;  his  premises  were  what  the 
reader  has  seen.  I  do  not,  however, 
mean  to  say,  that  if  the  reader  be  a 
youth  hot  from  the  University,  he 
may  not  be  able  to  prove,  by  a  very 
refined  ami  ingenious  argument,  that 
Titmouse  was,  in  what  he  did  above, 
a  fine  natural  logician  ;  for  I  recollect 
that  some  great  logician  hath  demon- 
strated, by  a  famous  argument,  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  world  :  and 
no  one  that  I  have  heard  of,  hath  ever 
1 n  able  to  prove  the  contrary. 

By  six  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
Titmouse  had,  with  his  own  hand, 
dropped  his  answer  into  the  letter-box 
upon  the  door  of  Mr.  Gammon's 
chambers  in  Thavies'  Inn  ;  in  which 
answer  he  had,  with  numerous  ex- 
]  ion  iof  profound  respect  and  grati- 
tude, accepted  Mr.  Gammon's  polite 
invitation.  A  very  happy  man  fit; 
Titmoui  e,  as  he  rcturni  a  to  <  l 
Street ;  entering  Messrs.  Tag-rag's 
premises  with  alacrity,  just  as  they 
were  bi  ing  i  i"  tied,  and  vol  i 
his  a  ■  in  numerous  thing 

j  oi  d  bis  usu  il  province,  with 

1  ;   as  if  con 

Hi  it  by  doii  g  :  o  he  was  |  jrati- 
fyi        M            Q      I  ,  <  ramn 

Snap,  v.  bo  kj  v.  ish<  a  upon  thject 

I               .■. .       EIc    ■  '    nn- 

wont  I  pod- 


nature  throughout  the  day,  that  one 
of  his  companions,  a  serious  youth,  in 
a  white  neckerchief,  black  clothes,  and 
with  a  sanctified  countenance  —  tho 
only  professing  pious  person  in  tho 
establishment  —  took  an  occasion  to 
ask  him,  in  a  mysterious  whisper, 
"whether  lie  had  not  got  converted;" 
and  whether  he  would,  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  accompany  the  speaker 
to  a  room  in  the  neighbourhood,  where 
he  (the  youth  aforesaid)  was  going  to 
conduct  an  exhortation  and  prayer 
meeting  !  Titmouse  refused — but  not 
without  a  few  qualms  ;  for  luck  cer- 
tainly seemed  to  he  smiling  on  him, 
and  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  be  grateful 
for  it ;  but  then,  be  at  Length  reflected, 
the  pi'oper  place  for  that  sort  of  thing 
would  be  a  regular  church — to  which 
he  resolved  to  go.  This  change  of 
manners  Tag-rag,  however,  looked  upon 
asassumed  only  to  affront  him  :  seeing 
nothing  but  impertinence  ami  defiance 
in  all  that  Titmouse  .lid — as  if  tho 
nearer  Titmouse  got  to  the  end  of  his 
bondage  —  i.  <•.  the  10th  of  August — tho 
lighter  hearted  he  grew.  He  resolved 
lously  to  keep  his  counsel;  to 
avoid  even  —  at  all  events  for  the 
present — communicating  with  Ruck- 
le. 
On  the  ensuing  Sunday  he  rose  at 
an  earlier  hour  than  usual,  and  took 
nearly  \\\ ice  as  long  a  time  as  usual  to 
dress — by  reason  of  his  often  falling 
into  many  delightful  reveries.  by 
eleven  o'clock  he  might  have  been 
seen  entering  the  gallery  of  St.  An- 
drew's Church,  Holborn  j  where  he 
considered  that  doubtless  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, who  lived  in  the  neighbourhood, 
might  attend.  He  asked  thl'i  e  or  four 
pew-op'  mi  j,  both  below  and  above,  if 
they  knew  which  was  Mr.  Gammon's 
pew--  Mi-.  Gammon  of  Thavies'  Inn; 
not  dre  iming  of  i  "ing 

to  the  pew,  but  of  sitting  in  so] 
that  commanded  a  view  of  it.     Mr. 

■  .  I  need  loudly  say,  Wl 
own  there  no  one  hid  ever  lien  d 
of  such  a  person  :  nevertheless  Tit- 
mou  .  albeit  a  little  galled  at  1"  ii 
in  spite  of  liis  elegant  appearance, 
slipped  into  a  back  pew,  remained — ■ 
lit  .  wandi  n  d  grievously 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


85 


the  whole  time.  The  service  over,  he 
sauntered  in  the  direction  of  Hyde 
Park,  to  saunter  in  which  he  seemed 
now  to  have  a  sort  of  claim.  How 
soon  might  he  become,  instead  of  a 
mere  spectator  as  heretofore,  a  partaker 
in  its  glories  !  The  dawn  of  the  day  of 
fortune  was  on  his  long-benighted  soul ; 
and  he  could  hardly  subdue  hi  3  excited 
feelings.  Punctual  to  his  appointment, 
as  the  clock  struck  seven  he  made  his 
appearance  at  Mr.  Gammon's,  with  a 
pair  of  span-new  white  kid  gloves 
on,  and  was  speedily  ushered,  a  little 
flurried,  by  a  comfortable -looking 
elderly  female  servant,  into  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's room.  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
dressed  just  as  when  he  was  first  pre- 
sented to  the  reader,  sallying  forth 
into  Oxford  Street.  Mr.  Gammon, 
who  was  sitting  reading  the  Sunday 
Flash  at  a  table  on  which  stood  a 
couple  of  decanters,  several  wine- 
glasses, and  two  or  three  dishes  cf 
fruit,  rose  .and  received  his  distin- 
guished visitor  with  the  most  delight- 
ful affability. 

"  I  am  most  happy,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
to  see  you  in  this  friendly  way,"  said 
he,  shaking  him  by  the  hand. 

"  Oh,  don't  name  it,  sir,"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse rather  indistinctly,  and  hastily 
running  his  hand  through  his  hair. 

"I've  nothing,  you  see,  to  offer  yon 
but  a  little  fruit,  and  a  glass  of  fair 
port  or  sherry." 

"Particular  fond  of  them,  sir,"  re- 
plied Titmouse,  endeavouring  to  clear 
his  throat ;  for  in  spite  of  a  strong 
ell'ort  to  appear  at  his  ease,  he  was 
unsuccessful  ;  so  that,  when  Gammon's 
keen  eye  glanced  at  the  bedizened 
figure  of  his  guest,  a  bitter  smile 
passed  over  his  face,  without  having 
been  observed.  "  This,"  thought  he, 
as  his  eye  passed  from  the  ring  glitter 
ing  on  the  little  finger  of  the  right 
hand,  to  the  studs  and  breast-pin  in 
the  shirt  front,  and  thence  to  the 
guard-chain  glaring  entirely  outside  a 
damson-coloured  satin  waistcoat,  and 
the  spotless  white  glove  which  yet 
glistened  on  the  left  hand — "  This  is 
the  writer  of  the  dismal  epistle  of  the 
other  day,  announcing  his  desperation 
and  destitution  !  " 


"Your health,  Mr.  Titmouse  ! — help 
yourself!"  said  Mr.  Gammon,  in  a 
cheerful  and  cordial  tone  ;  Titmouse 
pouring  out  a  glass  only  three-quarters 
full,  raised  it  to  his  lips  with  a  slight- 
ly tremulous  hand,  and  returned  Mr. 
Gammon's  salutation.  When  had 
Titmouse  tasted  a  glass  of  wine  be- 
fore ? — a  reflection  occurring  not  only 
to  himself,  but  also  to  Gammon,  to 
whom  it  was  a  circumstance  that 
might  be  serviceable. 

"You  see,  Mr.  Titmouse,  mine's 
only  a  small  bachelor's  establishment, 
and  I  cannot  put  my  old  servant  out 
of  the  way  by  having  my  friends  to 
dinner" — [quite  forgetting  that  the 
day  before  lie  had  entertained  at  least 
six  friends,  including  Mr.  Frankpledge 
— but,  the  idea  of  going  through  a 
dinner  with  Mr.  Titmouse  /] 

And  now,  0  inexperienced  Titmouse  I 
unacquainted  with  the  potent  qualities 
of  wine,  I  warn  you  to  be  cautious  how 
you  drink  many  glasses,  for  you  cannot 
calculate  the  effect  which  they  will 
have  upon  you  ;  and,  indeed,  methinks 
that  with  this  man  you  have  a  game 
to  play  which  will  not  admit  of  much 
wine  being  drunk.  Be  you,  therefore, 
on  your  guard ;  for  wine  is  like  a 
strong  serpent,  who  will  creep  unper- 
ceivedly  into  your  empty  head,  and 
coil  himself  up  therein,  until  at  length 
he  moves  about — and  all  things  are  as 
naught  to  you  ! 

"  Oh,  sir,  'pon  my  honour,  beg  you 
won't  name  it — all  one  to  me,  sir  ! — 
Beautiful  wine  this,  sir." 

' '  Pretty  fair,  I  think  —  certainly 
rather  old  ; — but  what  fruit  will  you 
take — currants  or  cherries  ? " 

"Why— a— I've  so  lately  dined," 
replied  Titmouse,  alluding  to  an  ex- 
ceedingly slight  repast  at  a  coffee-shop 
about  two  o'clock.  He  would  have 
preferred  the  cherries,  but  did  not  feel 
quite  at  his  ease  how  to  dispose  of  the 
stones  nicely— gracefully — so  he  took 
a  very  few  red  currants  upon  his  plate, 
and  eat  them  slowly,  and  with  a 
modest  air. 

"Well,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  commenced 
Gammon  with  an  air  of  concern,  "I 
was  really  much  distressed  by  your 
last  letter." 


86 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"Uncommon  glad  to  hear  it,  sir — 
knew  ymi  would,  sir— you're  so  kind- 
hearted  ; — all  quite  true,  sir!  " 

"I  had  no  idea  that  you  were  re- 
duced to  such  straits,"  said  Gammon 
in  a  sympathizing  tone,  but  settling 
his  eye  involuntarily  on  the  ring  of 
Titmouse. 

"  Quite  dreadful,  sir — 'pon  my  soul, 
dreadful ;  and  such  usage  at  Mr.  Tag- 
rag's  !  " 

"  But  you  mustn't  think  of  going 
abroad — away  from  all  your  friends, 
Mr.  Titmouse." 

"Abroad,    sir!"    interrupted    Tit- 
mouse with  anxious  but  subdued  ea 
ness ;  "neverthoughtofsucha thing! " 

"Oh!  1—1  thought " 


"There  isn't  a  word  of  truth  in  it, 
sir;  and  if  you've  heard  so,  it  must 
have  been  from  that  oudacious  fellow 
that  called  on  you — he's  such  a  liar — 
if  you  knew  him  as  well  as  J  do,  sir!  " 
said  Titmouse  with  a  confidi  nt  air, 
quite  losing  sight  of  his  letter  to 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap — 
"  Xo,  sir — shall  Btay,  and  stick  to 
friends  that  stick  to  me." 

"Take  another  glass  of  wine,  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  interrupted  Gammon  cor- 
dially, and  Titmouse  obeyed  him;  but 
while  he  was  pouring  it  out,  a  sudden 
recollection  of  his  letter  flashing  aci 
his  mind,  satisfied  him  thtt  be  Btood 
detected  in  a  fiat  lie  before  Mr.  Gam- 
mon; and  he  blushed  scarlet. 

'•  1  >o  you  like  the  sherry  ? "  enquired 
Gammon,  perfectly  aware  of  what  was 
pa  sing  through  the  mind  of  his  gu  it, 

I   wishing  to  divert  bis  thoughts. 
Titmouse  answered  in  the  affirmative  : 
and  proceoded  to  pour  forth  such  a 
number  of  apologies  for  his  own  be- 
haviour at  Saffron  Hill,  and  that  of 
Huckaback  on   the  subsequent  occa- 
I  ram  in  on  found  it  difficult  to 
stoj',             d  over  again  a    uring  him 
thai  oil   hi  (1    bei  n  forgiven  ami  for- 
ton.     W  hen  i               came  to  the 
e  of  lie  five  pounds 

'•  I  lon't  mi  ntion  it,  my  dear  sir," 
interrupb  I   Ga  amon    very    blandly ; 
"  it.  gave  me,  1  a    ure  j  ou,  I  i 
satii  taction  to  a  ad   it,  than   yon   i 

!  hope  it  has  a.  little  ro- 
I  rout" 


"I  think  so,  sir!  I  was,  'pen  my 
life,  on  my  very  last  legs." 

"When  things  come  to  the  worst, 
they  often  mend,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  1 
told  Mr.  Quirk  (who,  to  do  him  justice, 
came  at  last  into  my  views)  that,  how- 
ever premature,  and  perhaps  imprudent 
it  might  lie  in  us  to  go  so  far,  I  could 
not  help  relieving  your  present  neces- 
sities,  even  out  of  my  own  resources." 

[Oh,  Gammon,  Gammon  !] 

"  How  uncommon  kind  of  you,  sir  I  " 
dmed  Titmouse. 

"Not  in  the  least,  my  dear  sir — 
(pray  fill  another  glass,  Mr.  Titmouse  !) 
Yuii  see  Mr.  Quirk  is  quite  a  man  of 
business — and  our  profession  too  often 
affords  instances  of  persons  Wl 
hearts  contrail  as  their  purses  expand, 
Mr.  Titmouse  —  ha!  ha!  Indeed, 
those  who  make  their  money  as  hard 
as  Mr.  Quirk,  are  apt  to  be  slow  at 
parting  with  it,  ami  very  BUspi  LOUS." 

"Well,  I  hope  no  offence,  sir;  but 
really  I  thought  as  much,  directly  I 
saw  that  old  gent." 

"Ah  —  but  now  he  is  embarked, 
heart  and  soul,  in  the  affair." 

"No  1  la  In:  really,  sir  ?  "  enquired 
Titmouse,  eagerly. 

"  That  is,"  replied  Gammon  quickly, 
"so  long  as  I  am  at.  bis  elbow,  urging 
him  on — for  he  wants  some  one  who — 
hem  !  In  fact,  my  dear  sir,  ever  since 
1  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  tie1 
discovery,  which  happily  brought  us 
acquainted  with  each  other,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse," [it  was  old  Quirk  who  bad 
made  the  discovery,  and  Gammon  bad 
for  a  long  time  thrown  cold  water  on 
it,]  "i  have  been  doing  all  1  could 
with  him,  and  I  trust  I  may 
have  at  last  got  the  thing  into 
shape." 

••  I'll  take  my  oath,  sir,"  said  Tit- 

dly,    "  I    never  was   so 

much  struck  with  any  one  in  all  my 

bom    days    as    1    was    with    you,    sir, 

when  you  Hist  came  to  my  emp — to 

.Mr.    Tag-rag's,    sir — Lord,    Bir,    how 

uncommon  Bharpyou  seemed  ! "    Gam- 

smiled  with  a  deprecating 

lipp  d    his    w  ine   in    E  but 

AeetllcSS    ill    the    i  v- 

i    nt    hia  countenance.      Poor 
I  mbl  ,  hopes,  and  fears, 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


87 


were  rapidly  subsiding  into  a  reverence 
for  Gammon !  *  *         *         * 

"I  certainly  quite  agree  with  Mr. 
Quirk,"  said  Gammon  presently,  "that 
the  difficulties  in  our  way  are  of  the 
most  serious  description.  To  speak, 
for  an  instant  only,  of  the  risk  we 
ourselves  incur  personally — would  you 
believe  it,  my  dear  Mr.  Titmouse  ? — 
in  such  a  disgraceful  state  are  our 
laws,  that  we  can't  gratify  our  feelings 
by  taking  up  your  cause,  without 
rendering  ourselves  liable  to  imprison- 
ment for  Heaven  knows  how  long,  and 
a  fine  that  would  be  ruin  itself,  if  we 
should  be  found  out !  " 

Titmouse  continued  silent,  his  wine- 
glass in  his  hand  a:  rested  in  its  way  to 
his  mouth  ;  which,  together  with  his 
eyes,  were  opened  to  their  widest  ex- 
tent, as  he  stared  with  a  kind  of  terror 
upon  Mr.  Gammon.  —  "Are  we,  then, 
unreasonable,  my  dear  sir,  in  entreat- 
ing you  to  be  cautious — nay,  in  insist- 
ing on  your  compliance  with  our  wishes, 
in  all  that  we  shall  deem  prudent  and 
necessary,  when  not  only  your  own 
best  interests,  but  our  characters, 
liberties,  and  fortunes  are  staked  on 
the  issue  of  this  great  enterprise  ?  I 
am  sure,"  continued  Gammon,  with 
great  emotion,  "you  will  feel  for  us, 
M  r.  Titmouse.  I  see  you  do  !  "  Gam- 
mon put  his  hand  over  his  eyes,  in 
order,  apparently,  to  conceal  his 
emotion,  but  really  to  observe  what 
effect  he  had  produced  upon  Tit- 
mouse. The  conjoint  influence  of 
Gammon's  wine  and  eloquence  not  a 
little  agitated  Titmouse,  in  whose  eyes 
stood  tears. 

"I'll  do  anything — anything,  sir," 
he  almost  sobbed. 

"Oh  !  all  we  wish  is  to  be  allowed 
to  serve  you  effectually  ;  and  to  enable 
us  to  do  that " 

"Tell  me  to  get  into  a  soot-bag,  and 
lie  hid  in  a  coal-hole,  and  see  if  I  won't 
do  it ! " 

"What !  a  coal-hole  ?  Would  you, 
then,  even  stop  at  Tag-rag  and  Co.'s  ? " 

"  Ye-e-e-e-s,  sir — hem  !  hem  !  That 
is,  till  the  tenth  of  next  month,  when 
my  time's  up." 

"  Ay  !  —  ay  !  —  oh,  I  understand  ! 
Another  glass,    Mr.    Titmouse,"  said 


Gammon,  pouring  himself  out  some 
more  wine  ;  and  observing,  while  Tit- 
mouse followed  his  example,  that  there 
was  an  unsteadiness  in  his  motions  of 
a  very  different  description  from  that 
which  he  had  exhibited  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  evening  —  at  the 
same  time  wondering  what  the  deuce 
they  should  do  with  him  after  the 
tenth  of  August. 

"  You  see,  /have  the  utmost  confi- 
dence in  you,  and  had  so  from  the  first 
happy  moment  when  we  met ;  but  Mr. 

Quirk  is  rather  sus In  short,  to 

prevent  misunderstanding  (as  he  says, ) 
Mr.  Quirk  is  anxious  that  you  should 
give  a  written  promise."  (Titmouse 
looked  eagerly  about  for  writing  ma- 
terials. )  ' '  No,  not  now,  but  in  a  day 
or  two's  time.  I  confess,  my  dear  Mr. 
Titmouse,  if  /might  have  decided  on 
the  matter,  I  should  have  been  satis- 
fied with  your  verbal  promise  ;  but,  I 
must  say,  Mr.  Quirk's  grey  hairs  seem 
to  have  made  him  quite — eh  ?  you 
understand  ?  Don't  you  think  so,  Mr. 
Titmouse  ? " 

"To  be  sure  !  'pon  my  honour,  Mr. 
Gammon  !  "  replied  Titmouse  ;  not 
very  distinctly  understanding,  how- 
ever, what  he  was  so  energetically 
assenting  to. 

"I  dare  say  you  wonder  why  wo 
wish  you  to  stop  a  few  months  longer 
at  your  present  hiding-place — at  Tag- 
rag's?" 

"Can't,  possibly! — after  the  tenth 
of  next  month,  sir,"  replied  Titmouse, 
eagerly. 

"  But  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  fire  off 
our  guns  against  the  enemy — Lord, 
my  dear  sir,  if  they  could  only  find 
out,  3rou  know,  where  to  get  at  you — 
you  would  never  live  to  enjoy  your 
ten  thousand  a-year  !  They'd  either 
poison  or  kidnap  you — get  you  out  of 
the  way,  unless  you  keep  out  of  their 
way :  and  if  you  will  but  consent  to 
keep  snug  at  Tag-rag's  for  a  while, 
who'd  suspect  where  you  was  ?  We 
could  easily  arrange  with  your  friend 
Tag-rag  that  you  should " 

"My  stars!  I'd  give  something  to 
hear  you  tell  Tag-rag — why,  I  wonder 
what  he'll  do  !  " 

"Make  you  very  comfortable,  and 


83 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


let  you  have  your  own  way  in  every- 
thing— that  you  may  rely  upon  !  " 
"Go  to  the  play,  for  instance,  wh(  n- 

ever  I  want,   and  do  all  that  sort  of 
thing  ? " 

"Nay,  try  !  anything! — And  us  for 
money,  I've  persuaded  Mr.  Quirk  to 
consent  to  our  advancing  you  a  certain 
sum  per  week,  from  the  present  time, 
while  the   cause  is  going   on," — (Tit- 
mouse's heart  began  to  beat  fast,) — 
"in  order  to  place  you  above  absolute 
inconvenience  ;  and  when  you  consider 
the  awful  sums  we  shall  have  to  dis- 
burse —  cash    out    of    pocket  —  (the 
tongues  of  counsel,  you  know,  are  set 
on  gold  springs,  and  only  gold  keys 
open  their  lips!) — for  court-fees,  and 
other  indispensable  matters,  I  should 
candidly  say  that  four  thousand  pounds 
of  hard  cash  out  of  pocket,  advanci  d 
by  our   firm  in  your  case,   would  be 
the  very  lowest."    (Titmouse  stared  at 
him  with  an  expression  of  stupid  won- 
der.)    "Yes — four  thousand  pounds, 
Mr.  Titmouse,  at  the  very  least— the 
very  least."     Again  he  paused,  keenly 
scrutinizing  Titmouse's  features  by  the 
light  of  the  caudles,  which  just  then 
were   brought  in.     "You   seem  sur- 
prised, Mr.  Titmouse." 

<<  "Why — why — where's  all  the  money 
to  come  from,  sir  ? "  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse, aghast 

"Ali  !  that  is  indeed  a  fearful  ques- 
tion," replied  Gammon,  with  a  very 
Berious  air;  "but  at  my  request,  our 
firm  Ins  agreed  to  make  the  necessary 
advances;  and  also  (for  /  could  not 
bear  the  sight  of  your  distress,  Mr.  Tit- 
mou  I)  to  supply  your  necessities 
liberally  in  the  mean  time,  as  I  was 
saying. ' 

'"  Won't  you  take  another  glass  of 
wine,  Mr.  Gammon  V  suddenly  en- 
quire! Titmouse,  with  a  confident  air. 

"  With  all  my  heart,  .Mr.  Titmouse  ! 
I'm  deli)  hted  that  you  approve  of  it. 
I  paid        -ugh  for  it,    I  can  warrant 

you." 

"  ( if  ever  I  tasted  such  wine  ! 

Tie  ..Dim. mi  !      i ! i  -     i'"    hi  i  L-1 

Hr.  Gammon  li               -let's  drink 

— .  dr  !  " 

"  With  all  my  heart,  my  dear  sir— 

with   all   my  1  eart.      Bn          !  >  the 


thing — amen  !  "  and  Gammon  drained 
his  glass  ;  so  did  Titmouse.  "  Ah  ! 
Mr.  Titmouse,  you'll  soon  have  wine 
enough  to  float  a  frigate — and  indeed 
what  not — with  ten  thousand  a-year?" 
"And  all  the  back-rents,  you  know 
—ha,  ha !  " 

"Yes — to  be  sure  ! — the  back-rents  ! 
The  sweetest  est. ite  that  is  to  be  found 
in  all  Yorkshire  !  Gracious,  Mr. 
Titmouse  !  "  continued  Gammon,  with 
an  excited  air— "What  may  you  not 
do  ?  Go  where  you  like— do  what  you 
like— get  into  Parliament — marry  some 
love'.y  woman  !  " 

"Lord,  Mr.  Gammon! — you  a'n't 
dreaming  ?  Nor  I  ?  But  now,  in  course, 
you  must  be  paid  handsome  for  your 
trouble  ! — Only  say  how  much — Name 
your  sum  !  What  you  please !  You 
only  give  me  all  you've  said." 

'*'  For  my  part  I  wish  to  rely  entirely 
on  your  mere  word  of  honour.  Be- 
tween gentlemen,  you  know — my  dear 

sir 

"  You  only  try  me,  sir." 
"But  you  see,  Mr.  Quirk's  getting 
old,  and  natuially  is  anxious  to  provide 
for  those  whom  he  will  Lave  behind 
him — and  so  Mr.  Snap  agreed  with  him 
— two  to  one  against  me,  Mr.  Titmouse 
— of  course  they  carried  the  day — two 
to  one." 

"  Only  say  the  figure,  sir  !  "  cried 
Titmouse,  eagerly. 

"A  single  year's  income,  only — ten 
thou  and  pounds  will  hardly" 

"Ten  thousand  pounds!  By  jingo, 
that  is  a  slice  out  of  the  cake!  Oh, 
Lord  ! "  quoth  Titmouse,  looking 
aghast. 

"A  mere  crumb,  my  dear  sir! — a 
trifle  !  Why,  we  are  going  to  give  you 
that  sum  at  least  ever]  year— and  hi- 
de, d  it  was  si  ted  to  our  linn,  that 


;  von   ga\  e  us  at  least  a  sum  of 
twenty-five  thousand  pounds — in   I 

re  recommended  to  look  out  for 
some  oth<  r  heir." 

'•oli  dear  !  oh,  Mr.  Gammon,"  cried 
Titraoi  ao,  ha  toy  —  "  it's  not  to  be 
thou  '  I  of,    ir  !  " 

'•  So  1  said  ;  and  08  for  throwing  it 

Up — ;,,  be  Bure  we  Bhall  have  ourselves 

1,.  Imi  row  la.  the 

|  !         'id  fur 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


89 


at  least  ten  thousand  pounds,  we  can- 
not raise  a  farthing." 

"  Well — curse  me,  if  you  sha'n't  do 
what  you  like ! — Give  me  your  hand, 
and  do  what  you  like,  Mr.  Gammon  !  " 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  How  I 
like  a  glass  of  wine  with  a  friend  iu 
this  quiet  way  ! — you'll  always  find  me 
rejoiced  to  show " 

"  You  hand  !  By  George— Didn't  I 
take  a  liking  to  you  from  the  first  ? 
But  to  speak  my  mind  a  bit — as  for 
Mr.  Quirk — excuse  me — but  he's  a  cur 
—  cur — cur — mudg — mudg  —  mudg  — 
eon — hem  !  " 

"  Hope  you've  not  been  so  impru- 
dent, my  dear  Titmouse, "  threw  in  "Mr. 
Gammon,  rather  anxiously,  "as  to  bor- 
row money — eh  1 " 

"  Devil  knows,  and  devil  cares  !  No 
Btamp,  I  know — hangup  to  the  mark  " 
— here  he  winked  an  eye,  and  put  his 
finger  to  his  nose — "wide  awake — 
Huck — uck — uck — uck  !  how  his  name 
sti — sticks.  Your  hand,  Mr.  Gammon 
■ — here — this,  this  way — what  are  you 
bobbing  your  head  about  for  ?  Ah,  ha  ! 
— The  Moor — 'ponmylife  ! — how  funny 
— it's  like  being  at  sea — up,  down — oh 
dear  ! " — he  clapped  his  hand  to  his 
head. 

[Pythagoras  has  finely  observed,  that 
a  man  is  not  to  be  considered  dead 
drunk  till  he  lies  on  the  floor,  and 
stretches  out  his  arms  and  legs  to 
prevent  his  going  lower.] 

See-saw,  see-saw,  up  and  down,  up 
and  down,  went  everything  about  him. 
Now  he  felt  sinking  through  the  floor, 
then  gently  rising  to  the  ceiling.  Mr. 
Gammon  seemed  getting  into  a  mist, 
and  waving  about  the  candles  in  it. 
Mr.  Titmouse's  head  swam  ;  his  chair 
seemed  to  be  resting  on  the  waves 
of  the  sea. 

"I'm  afraid  the  room's  rather  close, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  hastily  observed  Gam- 
mon, perceiving,  from  Titmouse's  sud- 
den paleness  and  silence,  but  too  evident 
symptoms  that  his  powerful  intellect 
was  for  a  while  paralysed.  Gammon 
started  to  the  window  and  opened  it. 
Paler,  however,  and  paler  became  Tit- 
mouse. Gammon's  game  was  up  much 
eooner  than  he  had  calculated  on. 

"  Mrs.  Brown  !    Mrs.  Brown  !  order 


a  coach  instantly,  and  tell  Tomkins  " 
— that  was  the  inn  porter — "to  get  his 
son  ready  to  go  home  with  this  gentle- 
man— he's  not  very  well."  He  was 
obeyed.  It  was,  in  truth,  all  up  with 
Titmouse — at  least  for  a  while. 

As  soon  as  Gammon  had  thus  got  rid  of 
his  distinguished  guest,  he  ordered  the 
table  to  be  cleared  of  the  glasses,  and 
tea  to  be  ready  within  half  an  hour. 
He  then  walked  out  to  enjoy  the  cool 
evening  ;  on  returning,  sat  pleasantly 
sipping  his  tea,  now  and  then  dipping 
into  the  edifying  columns  of  the 
Sunday  Flash,  but  oftener  ruminating 
upon  his  recent  conversation  with  Tit- 
mouse, and  speculating  upon  certain 
possible  results  to  himself  personally  ; 
and  a  little  after  eleven  o'clock,  that 
good  man,  at  peace  with  all  the  world 
— calm  and  serene — retired  to  repose. 
He  had  that  night  rather  a  singular 
dream  ;  it  was  of  a  snake  encircling  a 
monkey,  as  if  in  gentle  and  playful 
embrace.  Suddenly  tightening  its  folds 
a  crackling  sound,  was  heard ;  the 
writhing  coils  were  then  slowly  un- 
wound— and,  with  a  shudder,  he  beheld 
the  monster  licking  over  the  motion- 
less figure,  till  it  was  covered  with  a 
viscid  slime.  Then  the  serpent  began 
to  devour  its  prey ;  and,  when  gorged 
and  helpless,  behold,  it  was  immediately 
fallen  upon  by  two  other  snakes.  To 
his  disturbed  fancy,  there  was  a  dim 
resemblance  between  their  heads  and 
those  of  Quirk  and  Snap — they  all 
three  became  intertwisted  together — ■ 
and  writhed  and  struggled  till  they  fell 
over  the  edge  of  a  dark  and  frightful 
precipice  —  he  woke — thank  God  !  it 
was  only  a  dream. 


"When, 
Gammon' 
Titmouse 
morning, 
ordinary 
ebriety. 
perfectly 


CHAPTER  V. 

after  his  return  from  Mr. 
s  chambers,  at  Thavies'  Inn, 
woke  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
he  was  labouring  under  the 
effects  of  unaccustomed  m- 

His  mouth  and  lips  were 
parched  ;  there  was  a  horrid 


90 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


weight  pressing  on  his  aching  eyes,  and 
upon  his  throbbing  head.      His  pi 
Beamed  undulating  beneath  him,  ami 
everything    swimming    around   him  : 
but  when,  to  crown  the  whole,  he  was 
roused  from  a  momentary  nap  by  the 
insupportable  —  the     loathed     impor- 
tunities  of    Mrs.    Squallop,    that    he 
would  just  sit  rip  ami  partake  of  fchre 
thickrounds  of  hot  buttered  toast,  and 
a  great  basin  of  smoking  tea,   which 
would  do  him  so  much  good,  and  settle 
his   stomach— at    all  events,    if    he  d 
only  have  a  thimbleful  of  gin  in  it — 
-poor   Titmouse    was    fairly    overcome. 
He   lay  in   bed  all  that  day,  during 
which  he  underwent  very  severe  sutf  i> 
ings  ;  and  it  was  not  till  towards  night 
that   he  began  to  have  anything  like 
a  distinct  recollection  of  the  evening  he 
had  spent  with  Mr.  Gammon  ;  who,  1  y 
the  way,  had  sent  one  of  the  clerks, 
during  "the  afternoon,  to  enquire  after 
him.  °He  did  not  get  out  of  bed  on 
the,  Tuesday  till  past  twelve  o'clock, 
when,  in  a  very  rickety  condition,  In' 
made  his  appearance  at   the   shop    of 
Messrs.  Tag-rag  and  Co. ;  on  approach- 
ing which  be  felt  a  sudden   I 

from  mingled  apprehension  and 

disgust. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  sir? — 
You're  no  longer  in  my  employment, 
sir,"  exclaimed  Tag-rag,  ingto 

speak  calmly,  as  he  hurried  down  Hie 
shop,  white  with  rage,  to  meet  Tit- 
mouse, and  planted  himself  right  in  the 
way  of  hislanguidand  i  allid  shopman. 

"  Sir  ! "  faintly  exclaimed  Titmouse, 
with  his  hat  in  his  hand. 

"  Very  much  obliged,  sir— very  !  by 
the  offer  of  your  valuable  services,' 
said  Tag-rag.  "But — that's  the  way 
out  again,  sir— that!— there!— good 

morning,  sir— g I   morning,   sir  I— 

,.    .  -and  he  egged  on 

.11,  ■  had  go1  bim  I  urly  into 

the  >'  r" 

strai  F  from 

ting  kick.     Titm  i  !    for  a 

mora  tremblin 

in  a  bewildered  m 
bop:  but  Tag-rag  again  making 
his  appearance,  Titmouso  slowly  walked 
away  and  returned  to  hi    I  Ob 

that  Mr.  Gammon  bad  witnessed  the 


goene — thought  he — and  so  have  been 
Batisfied  that  it  had  been  Tag-rag  who 
lnd  put  an  end  to  his  service,  not  he 
himself  who  had  quitted  it! 

The  next  day,  about  the  same  hour, 
Mr.  Gammon  made  his  appearance 
at  the  establishment  from  which  Tit- 
mouse had  been  expelled  so  sum- 
ily,  and  enquired  for  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
who  presently  presented  himself — and 
recognising  Mr.  Gammon,  who  natur- 
ally reminded  him  of  Titmouse, 
changed  colour  a  little. 

"What  did  you  please  to  want, 
sir?"  enquired 'Mr.  Tag-rag,  widi  a 
would-be  resolute  air,  twirling  round 
his  watch-key  with  some  energy. 

"  Only  a  few  minutes'  conversation, 
sir,  if  you  please,"  said  Mr.  C  amnion, 
with  such  a  significant  manner  as  a 
little  disturbed  Mr.  Tag-rag;  who, 
with  an  ill-supported  sneer,  bowed 
very  low,  and  led  the  way  to  his  own 
•  room.  Having  closed  the  door, 
he,  with  an  exceedingly  civil  air,  beg- 
ged Mr.   Gammon  to  be  seated;    and 


occupied   the  chair  opposite  to 

him,  and  a. wailed  the  issue  with  ill- 
ety. 
•■  I  am  very  Borry,   Mr.   Tag-rag, 
commenced   <•  tminon,  with  his  usual 
inner,  "that  any 
mderstanding  I  have  arisen 

,  you  ami  Mr.  Titmot 
"You're  a  lawyer,  sir,  I  suppose?' 
Mr.    ('.amnion    bowed.       "Then   you 
must  know,  sir,  that  there  are  always 
two  sides  to  a 

<<  Yes— you  are  i  ight,  Mr.  Tag-T 
and,  having  already  heard   Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's version,  may  1    be   favoured 
with  your  a  icounl  of  your  i  -  for 

ng  him  ?     For  he  toll  i  ua  that 
miss  d  him  suddenly 
from  iploymeHt,  without  giving 

lam  ■■  " 

"So  I  'HI.  !  what  of  that? 

tnghis  head  with 
acto 
1 ""  t 
a  drunken,    idle,    im 

impcrtinenl 

••  1 1,,  you  seriou!  !y  charge  him  with 
being  Buch  a  character,  ami  can  you 

our   charges,    Mr.    Tag-rag  \ 
I  enquired  Gammon,  gravely. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR, 


91 


"  Prove  'cm !    yes,   sir,  a   hundred 
so  will  all  my  young 


times   over ; 
men  ! " 

"And  in 
Tag-rag?" 

"Ok!   he 
That's   why 


a   court   of  justice,  Mr. 

is  going  to  law,  is  he  ? 
you're  come  here  —  ah, 
ha  ! — when  you  can  make  a  silk  purse 
out  of  a  sow's  ear,  you  may  get  your 
bill  out  of  Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse  ! — 
ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Tag-rag,  hoping 
thereby  to  conceal  how  much  he  was 
really  startled. 

"Well— that's  our  look-out,  Mr. 
Tag-rag  :  to  Mr.  Titmouse,  his  charac- 
ter is  as  valuable  as  Mr.  Tag-rag's  is 
to  him.  In  short,  he  has  placed  him- 
self in  our  hands,  and  we  are  resolved 
to  go  on  with  the  case,  if  it  cost  us  a 
hundred  pounds — we  are  indeed,  Mr. 
Tag-rag." 

""Why — he's  not  a  penny  in  the 
world  to  go  to  law  with  !  "  exclaimed 
Tag-rag,  with  an  air  of  mingled  won- 
der,  scorn,  and  alarm. 

"  But  you  forget,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  that 
if  Mr.  Titmouse's  account  should  turn 
out  to  be  correct,  it  will  be  yoitr 
pocket  that  must  pay  all  the  expenses, 
amounting  probably  to  twenty  times 
the  sum  which  the  law  may  award  to 
Mr.  Titmouse." 

"Lair,  sir  !  —  It's  not  justice  !  —  I 
hate  law. — Give  me  common  sense 
and  common  honesty  !  " 

"  Both  of  them  would  condemn 
your  conduct,  Mr.  Tag-rag  ;  for  I 
have  heard  a  full  account  of  what 
Mr.  Titmouse  has  suffered  at  your 
hands — of  the  cause  of  your  sudden 
warning  to  him,  and  your  still  more 
sudden  dismissal  of  yes.terday.  Oh, 
Mr.  Tag-rag !  upon  my  honour,  it 
won't  do  — not  for  a  moment — and 
should  you  go  on,  rely  upon  what  I 
tell  you,  that  it  will  cost  you  dear." 

"And  suppose,  sir,"  said  Tag-rag, 
in  a  would-be  contemptuous  tone — 
"1  should  have  witnesses  to  prove 
all  I've  said — which  of  us  will  look 
funny  then,  sir  ?  " 

"Which,  indeed!  However,  since 
that  is  your  humour,  I  can  only  assure 
you  that  Mr.  Titmouse  defies  you  to 
prove  any  misconduct  on  his  part. 
We  have   taken  up   his   cause,  and, 


as   you   may  perhaps   find,   we   shall 
not  easily  let  it  drop." 

"  I  mean  no  offence,  sir,"  said  Tag- 
rag,  in  a  mitigated  tone;  "but  I 
must  say,  that  ever  since  you  first 
came  here,  Titmouse  has  been  quite 
another  person.  He  seems  not  to 
know  who  I  am,  nor  to  care  either— 
and  he's  perfectly  unbearable." 

"My  dear  sir,  what  has  he  said  or 
done? — that,  you  know,  is  what  you 
must  be  prepared  to  prove." 

"Well,  sir!  and  which  of  us  is 
likely  to  be  best  off  for  witnesses  ? — 
Think  of  that,  sir  —  I've  eighteen 
young  men " 

"We  shall  chance  that,  sir,"  replied 
Gammon,  shrugging  his  shoulders  : 
"  but  again,  I  ask,  what  did  you  dis- 
miss him  for  ?  and  I  request  a  plain, 
straight-forward  answer. " 

"What  did  I  dismiss  him  for? — 
Haven't  I  eyes  and  ears  ? — First  and 
foremost,  he's  the  most  odious-man- 
nered fellow  I  ever  came  near — and — 
he  hadn't  a  shirt  to  his  back  when  I 
first  took  him — the  ungrateful  wretch  ! 
— Sir,  it's  not  against  the  law,  I  sup- 
pose, to  hate  a  man  ; — and  if  it  isn't, 
how  I  hate  Titmouse  !  " 

"Mr.  Tag-rag "  — said  Gammon, 
lowering  his  voice,  and  looking  very 
earnestly  at  his  companion — "can  I 
say  a  word  to  you  in  confidence — iho 
strictest  confidence  ?" 

"What's  it  about,  sir?"  enquired 
Tag-ra?,  with  an  apprehensive  air. 

"I  dare  say  you  may  have  felt,  per- 
haps, rather  surprised  at  the  interest 
which  I — in  fact  our  office,  the  office 
of  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  in 
Saffron  Hill — appear  to  have  taken 
in  Mr.  Titmouse." 

' '  Why,  sir,  it's  your  look-out  to 
see  how  you're  to  be  paid  for  what 
you're  doing — and  I  dare  say  lawyers 
generally  keep  a  pretty  sharp  look-out 
in  that  direction." 

Gammon  smiled,  and  continued — 
"It  may,  perhaps,  a  little  surprise  you, 
Mr.  Tag-rag,  to  hear  that  your  pT  sent 
(ought  I  to  say,  your  late?)  shopman, 
Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  is  at  this 
moment  probably  the  very  luckiest 
man  in  this  kingdom." 

"Why — you  don't  mean  to  say  he's 


92 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAH. 


drawn  a  prize  in   the  lottery  ?# —ex- 
claimed Tag-rag,  pricking  up  his  ears. 
"Pho!  my'dearsir,  that  is  a  mere 
trifle  compared  with  the  good  fortune 

that  has  befallen  him.  I  solemnly 
assure  you  that  I  believe  he  will  turn 
out  to  be  the  undoubted  owner  of  an 
estate  worth  at  least  ten  thousand  a- 
year,  besides  a  vast  accumulation  of 
ready  money !  " 

"Ten  thousand  a-year,  sir!  —  My 
Titmouse  !  —  Tittlebat  Titmouse  !  — 
Tun  thousand  a-year  !  "  filtered  Tag- 
rag,  after  a  pause,  having  gone  as  pale 
as  death. 

"  1  have  as  little  doubt  of  the  fact, 
as  I  have  that  you  yesterday  turned 
him  out  of  doors,  Mr.  Tag-rag  !       _ 

"  But— who  could  have  dreamt  it  ? 
How  was— really,  Mr.  Gammon  !— 
how  was  I  to  know  it  ? " 

"That's  the  fact,  however,  said 
Gammon,  shruggisg  his  shoulders. 
Tag-rag  wriggled  about  in  his  chair, 
put  Ids  hands  in  and  out  of  his 
pockets,  scratched   his   head,  and  eon- 


young  gentleman— the  very  amialkst 
young  gentleman  I— ever— came  near. 
I  always  thought  there  was  something 
uncommon  superior-like  in  his  looks.' 

•'  Yes-  1  think  he  it  o(  rather  an 
amiable  turn,"  observed  Gammon, 
with  an  expressive  smile — "and  so 
intelligent -" 

"Intelligent!    Mr.   Gammon!    you 

should    only   have   known   him    as    I 

have  known  him  !— Well,  to  be  sure  ! 

—Lord  !     His  only  fault  was,  that  ho 

was  above  his  business  ;  but  when  one 

comes  to  think  of  it,  how  could  it  bo 

otherwise?       From    the    time    1    first 

clapped  eyes  on  him— I — I — knew  he 

was— a  superior  article— quite  superior 

—you  know  what  I  mean,   sir  Y — Ho 

couldn't  help   it,   of   course  !— to   be 

snrc_he   never  was   much   liked    by 

the  other  young  men  ;   but  that  was 

jealousy !— all  jealousy;    I  saw  that 

all    the  while."     Here   he  looked    at 

the   door,  and   added   in  a  very  low 

tone     "Many    sleepl    i    ai 

their  bad  treatment  of  Mr.  Titmousi 


tinned  staring  open-mouthed  at  tne 
hearer  of  such  astounding  intelligence. 
"Perhaps,  however,  all  this  is  meant 
as  a  joke,  sir,"— said  he— "And  if  so 

—  it's— it's— a  very " 

"It's  one  of  his  solicitors  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  make  the  dis- 
covery, that  tells  you.  1  repeat  what 
I  have  already  told  you,  Mr.  Tag-raj  . 
that  an  estate  of  ten  thousand  a-year 

is  I  he  very  least " 

"Why,  that's  two  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds,  sir  !  "—exclaimed  Tag- 
rag,  with  an  awe-struck  air. 

"  At  the  very  least " 

"  Lord,  Mr.  Gammon  1— Excuseme, 
sir,  but  how  did  you  find  it  out?" 

"  Mere  accident — a  mere  accidental 
discovery,  sir,  in  the  course  of  other 
professional  enquiries!  "  , 

"And  dues  Mr.  Titmouse  know  it* 
«  p. ,  ee  the  <  iy  after  that  on 

which  1  called  on  him  here  !"  replied 
1  m  point  dly.  . 

■•  Vuii  dmi'i  say  mi  !  "— exelaimed 
-I  .  ,.ragj  and  then  continued  Bill  ul  foT 
,    irly  half  a  minute,  evidently  amazed 

boyond  all  power  o!  i  "'• 

"  Well,"     at  length  he  observed 
HlwiU  he's  the  most  amiable 


cost  me!-  Even  I,  now  and  then, 
used  to  look  and  speak  sharply  to 
him— just  to  keep  him,  as  it  ware, 
down  to  the  mark  of  the  others— he 
was  so  uncommon  handsome  and  gen- 
teel in  his  manner,  sir.  Hang  me,  if 
I  didn't  tell  Mrs.  Tag-rag  the  very 
first  day  he  came  to  me,  that  he  was 
a  gentleman  born— or  ought  to  have 

been  one." 

Now,  do  you  suppose,  acute  reader, 
that  Mr.  Tag-rag  was  insincere  in  all 
this?    By  no  means.     He  spoke  the 
real  dictates  of  his  heart,  unaware  of 
the  sudden  change  which  had  taken 
place  in  his  feelings.     It  certainly  has 
an  ugly  look  of  improbability     but  it 
was  the  nature  qf  the  beast ;  his  eye  sud- 
denly caught  a  glimpse  of  the  gol 
calf,  and  he  instinctively  fell  down 
and   worshipped  it.     "We  I       I    all 
events,"  said  Mr.  Gammon,  scarcely 
able  to  keep  a  serious  exprei 
hisface-  ■"  though  he's  not  lived  mi 

ntleman  hitherto,  yel  he  will 
live  for  the  future  lil  i 

',  man— and  spend  his  money  I 

one,  too."  _ 

.'  [_I— dare  Bay    he  will !— 1  won- 
derhow  be  uriMget  throu]   i     q     fter 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


93 


of  it ! — what  do  you  think  he'll  do, 
sir  ? 

"  Heaven  only  knows — he  may  very 
shortly  do  just  what  he  likes  !  Go  into 
the  House  of  Commons,  or " 

"  Lord,  sir  ! — I  feel  as  if  I  shouldn't 
be  quite  right  again  for  the  rest  of  the 
day  ! — I  own  to  you,  sir,  that  all  yes- 
terday and  to-day  I've  been  on  the 
point  of  going  to  Mr.  Titmouse's  lodg- 
ings   to    apologize    for — for Good 

gracious  me  !  one  can't  take  it  all  in 
at  once — Ten  thousand  a-year  ! — Many 
a  lord  hasn't  got  more — some  not  as 
much,  I'll  be  bound  ! — Dear  me,  what 
will  he  do  !— Well,  one  thing  I'm  sure 
of — he'll  never  have  a  truer  friend  than 
plain  Thomas  Tag-rag,  though  I've 
not  always  been  a-flattering  him — 1 
respected  him  too  much  ! — The  many 
little  things  I've  borne  with  in  Tit- 
mouse, that  in  any  one  else  I'd  have 
- — But  why  didn't  he  tell  me,  sir  ?  We 
should  have  understood  one  another 
in  a  moment."  —  Here  he  paused 
abruptly  ;  for  his  breath  seemed  sud- 
denly taken  away,  as  he  reviewed  the 
series  of  indignities  which  he  had 
latterly  inflicted  on  Titmouse  —  the 
kind  of  life  .which  that  amiable 
young  gentleman  had  led  in  his 
establishment. 

Never  had  the  keen  Gammon  en- 
joyed anything  more  exquisitely 
than  the  scene  which  I  have  been 
describing.  To  a  man  of  his  practical 
sagacity  in  the  affairs  of  life,  and 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  nothing 
could  appear  more  ludicrously  con- 
temptible than  the  conduct  of  poor 
Tag-rag.  How  differently  are  the  minds 
of  men  constituted  !  How  Gammon 
despised  Tag-rag ! 

"Now,  may  I  take  it  for  granted, 
Mr.  Tag-rag,  that  we  understand  each 
other?"  enquired  Gammon. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Tag-rag  meekly. 
"But  do  you  think  Mr.  Titmouse 
will  ever  forgive  or  forget  the  little 
misunderstanding  we've  lately  had  ? 
If  I  could  but  explain  to  him  how 
I  have  been  acting  a  part  towards  him 
— all  for  his  good  !  " 

"You  may  have  opportunities  for 
doing  so,  if  you  are  really  so  disposed, 
Mr.  Tag-rag ;   for   I  have  something 


seriously  to  propose  to  you.  Circum- 
stances render  it  desirable  that  for 
some  little  time  this  important  affair 
should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible  ; 
and  it  is  Mr.  Titmouse's  wish  and 
ours — as  his  confidential  professional 
advisers — that  for  some  few  months 
he  should  continue  in  your  establish- 
ment, and  apparently  in  your  service 
as  before." 

"In  my  service! — my  service!" 
interrupted  Tag-rag,  opening  his  eyes 
to  their  utmost.  "  I  sha'n't  know  how 
to  behave  in  my  own  premises  !  Have 
a  man  with  ten  thousand  a-year  be- 
hind my  counter,  sir  ?  I  might  as 
well  have  the  Lord  Mayor !  Sir,  it 
can't — it  can't  be.  Now,  if  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse chose  to  become  a  partner  in 
the  house — ay,  there  might  be  some- 
thing in  that — he  needn't  have  any 
trouble — be  only  a  sleeping  partner." 
Tag-rag  warmed  with  the  thought, 
"lteally,  sir,  that  wouldn't  be  so  much 
amiss — would  it  ?  "  Gammon  assured 
him  that  it  was  out  of  the  question  ; 
and  gave  him  some  of  the  reasons  for 
the  proposal  which  he  (Mr.  Gammon) 
had  been  making.  While  Gammon 
fancied  that  Tag-rag  was  paying  pro- 
found attention  to  what  he  was  saying, 
Tag-rag's  thoughts  had  shot  far  a-head. 
He  had  an  only  child' — a  daughter, 
about  twenty  years  old — Miss  Tabitha 
Tag-rag  ;  and  the  delightful  possibility 
of  her  by-and-by  becoming  Mrs.  Tit- 
mouse, put  her  amiable  parent  into 
a  perspiration.  Into  the  proposal  just 
made  by  Mr.  Gammon  he  fell  with 
great  eagerness,  which  he  attempted 
to  conceal  —  for  what  innumerable 
opportunities  would  it  not  afford  him 
for  bringing  about  the  desire  of  his 
heart — for  throwing  the  lovely  young 
couple  into  each  other's  way,— endear- 
ing them  to  each  other  !  Oh,  delight- 
ful !  1 1  really  looked  almost  as  if  fate 
had  determined  that  the  thing  should 
come  to  pass!  If  Mr.  Titmouse  did 
not  dine  with  him,  Mrs.,  and  Miss 
Tag-rag,  at  Satin  Lodge,  Clapham,  on 
the  very  next  Sunday,  it  should,  Tag- 
rag  resolved,  be  owing  to  no  fault  ol 
his.—  Mr.  Gammon  having  arranged 
everything  exactly  as  he  had  desired, 
and  having  again  enjoined  Mr.  Tag- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt 


94 

r„    to    absolute  Becrecy,   took   his 

departure.  Mr.  Tag-r^,  in  his  «©te- 

at,     thrust     out    Ins    hand     and 

that  of  0.  «,  whwh  waa 

funded  towards  hir,  ?™1 

l     i„  iMMtlv    Tag-rag  attended  him 
and  reluctantly.    i>'.^i;o  ., 

with  extreme  obsequiousness  to  tne 
door;  and  on  hi.  departure  walked 
back  rapidly  to  his  own  room,  and  sat 

down  for  nearly  half  an _  hour -m  deep 
thought.  Abruptly  using,  at  lengWi, 
he  clapped  his  hat  on  his  head,  and 
SyuS  Sat  he  should  soon  be  b 
ffied  out  to  call  upon  Ins  future 
SS-law,  full  of  affectionate  anxiety 
SoncTrning  his  h-alth-and  vowing 
within  himself,  that  henceforth  it 
shS  betlie  study  of  his  life  to  make 

is  daughter  and  Titmouse  happj  ! 
There  colld  be  no  doubt  of  the  reality 
of  the  event  just  communicated  to 
him  by  Mr.  Gammon  >  for  he  was  one 
S  a  well-known  firm  of  solicitors; 
}1C  had  had  an  interview  on  un- 
porS  business"  with  Titmou 
fortnight  ago,  and  that  could  havi 
I  >  tat     the    prod 

Sent  jut  communicated  to  himself 
Such  things  had  happened  to  others 
_why  not    to  Tittlebat    Titmouse? 
In  short,  Tag-rag   had  no  doubt  on 


the  matter. 

He  found  Titmouse  not  at  home 
so  he  left  a  most   particularly   civil 
.  |    Lfadozen  times  repeated, 
w\th^rs.Squallop(towhomalsohe 

waaspeciall  to  the  effe dr that 

be,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  ahould  be  only  too 

happy  to  see   Mr.  Titmonse  at  Wo. 
875,  Oxford  Street,  whenever  it  might 

Siithis  convenience;  tha  hehad 
Bomething  very  particular  to  say  to 
him  about  the  unpleasant  and  un- 
occurrenee  ol  yesterday, 
thai   be  was  most  deeply  concerned  to 

hear  of  Mr.  Til      i 

0US  tolearnfrom  '  tha 

he  I  ,, 

wl 

5«g  |       Squallop 

Jd  not  help  rutti 

i  that  shrew, 
thing  waa    h.   the   wind   about  Mr. 
Kouse;"    a,  her   reflect 

Bcencaahehadhadwithhim,  and  which 


she  was  now  ready  cut  irrfy  to  forget  and 
forgive.  Having  thus  done  all  that 
at  pWnt  waa  in  his  power  to  for 
the  thing,  the  anxious  and  excited 
Tatf-rae  returned  to  Ins  shop;  on 
entering  which,  one  Lutestring,  his 
principal  young  man,  eagerly  apprised 
him  of  a  claim  which  he  had,  as  he 

imagined,    only  the  moment   before 
Wished  to  the  thanks  ol  Mr.  Tag- 
rag,  by   having   "bundled  off,  neck 
and   crop,    that   hodious  ^rnous*, 
who,  about  five  minutes  before,  had, 

it  seemed,  had  the  "impudei to 

at  himself  at  the  shop-door,  and 

walk  in  as  if  nothing  had  happened!! 

[Titmouse  had  so  presented  hrmseJi, 

n  consequence   of  a   call   from   Mr. 

Gammon,  immediately  after  his  inter- 

view  with  Tag-rag.] 

«.y(m_-order.-d  — Mr.  Titmouse- 
off n»  exclaimed  Tag-rag,  starting 
back  aghast,  and  stopping  his  volnbl* 

«0f  course,  six  after  what  hap- 
pen! a  yester- "  . 

--Who  authorized  you,  Mr.  Lute- 
string*"  enquired  Tag-rag,  striving 
S  choke  down  the  rage  that  WW 
rising  within  him.  , 

-Why,    sir,    I     really    suppo     1 

th-YoiT  supposed!    You're  a  m 
dling,   impertinent,    disgusting-— 
Suddeidy  nis  face  waa  overspread  witB 

smiles,    as   three    or    four    elegantlj 

d  customers  entered,  wl 
received  with  profuse  obeisancea    But 
when   their  backa  were    turned, 
directed    a    lightning    look    tow 
Lutestring,  and  retreated  once  more 
tphisroom.tomeditoteontheagi 

ing  eventa  of  the   Usl    hour.      1 
extraordinary  alteration  in  Mr.    I 

ur was  attributed^  hu 

shopmen  to  his  h» 

eneS  ou1   of  hi    wit.    b3    the  tin 

r  was;  and  more tl 

future  occasion.  .     A.v  a\a 

rp^ice  af  terwards  during  the  daj  dia 

U  at  Titmouse's  I 

I  and   on   returning  the 

third ti felt  not  a  1. til-,  disquieted. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAH. 


lie  determined,  however,  to  call  the 
first  thing  on  the  ensuing  morning  ;  if 
he    should    then    fail   of    seeing    Mr. 
Titmouse,  he  was  resolved  to   go   to 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap— 
and  besides,  address  a  very  affectionate 
letter  to  Mr.  Titmouse.     How  totally 
changed  had  become   all  his  feelings 
towards  that    gentleman   within   the 
last   few  hours  !     The   more   Tag-ra"- 
reflected  on  Titmouse's  conduct,0  the 
more  he    saw   in    it   to   approve    of. 
How  steady  and  regular  had  he  been 
in  his  habits  !  how  civil  and  obliging  ! 
how  patient  of  rebuke  !  how  pleating 
in    his   manners   to    the    customers  7 
Surely,  surety,  thought  Tag-rag,  Tit- 
mouse can't  have  been  four  long  years 
in  my  employ  without  getting  a— sort 
of  a— feeling— of  attachment  to  me — 
he'd  have  left  long  ago  if  he  hadn't  ! 
It  was  true  there  had  now  and  then 
been   tiffs   between    them  ;    but   who 
could  agree  always  ?     Even  Mrs.  Tag- 
rag  and  he,  when  they  were  courting, 
often  fell  out  with  one  another.     Tag- 
rag   was    now   ready   to    forget    and 
forgive  all — he  had  never  meant  any 
harm  to  Titmouse.     He  believed  that 
poor   Tittlebat  was  an   orphan,   poor 
soul !  alone  in  the  wide  world — noiv 
he  would  become  the  prey  of  designing 
strangers.     Tag-rag  did   not  like  the 
appearance  of  Gammon.      No   doubt 
that  person  would  try  and  ingratiate 
himself  as  much  as  possible  with  Tit- 
mouse !     Then  Titmouse  was  remark- 
ably good-looking.      "  I  wonder  what 
Tabby  will  think   of  him  when   she 
sees  him  !  "     How  anxious  Tittlebat 
must  be   to   see   her — Ms  daughter ! 
How  could  Tag-rag  make  Tittlebat's 
stay  at  his  premises  (for  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  believe  that  on  the 
morrow   he   could  not  set  all  right, 
and  disavow  the  impudent  conduct  of 
Lutestring)  agreeable  and  delightful  ? 
He  would  discharge  the  first  of  his 
young  men  that  did  not  show   Tit- 
mouse   proper    respect.      What    low 
lodgings    poor    Tittlebat     lived     in! 
Why  could  he  not  take  up  his  quar- 
ters at  Satin  Lodge  ?      They  always 
had  a  nice  spare  bed-room.     Ah  !  that 
would  be  a  stroke  !     How  Tabby  could 
endear  herself  to  him  !     What  a  num- 


95 

ber  of  things  Mrs.  Tag-rag  could  do  to 
make  him  comfortable  ! 

About  seven  o'clock  Tag-rag  quitted 
his  premises  in  Oxford  Street,  for  his 
country   house  ;    and,    occupied    with 
these  and  similar  delightful  and  anx- 
ious thoughts  and  speculations,  hurried 
along   Oxford   Street  on  his  way  to 
the  Olapham  stage,  without  thinking 
of    his    umbrella,    though    it   rained 
fast.     When  he  had  taken  his  place 
on  the  coach-box,  beside  old  Crack  (as 
he  had  done  almost  every  night   for 
years,)  he  was  so  unusually  silent  that 
Crack  naturally  thought  that  his  best 
passenger  was  going  to  become  bank- 
rupt, or  compound  with  his  creditors, 
or  something  of  that  sort.     Mr.  Tag- 
rag  could  hardly  keep  his  temper  at 
the  slow  pace  old  Crack  was  driving 
at— just   when    Tag-rag    could    have* 
wished    to    gallop    the    whole    way. 
Never  had  he  descended  with  so  much, 
briskness,  as  when  the  coach  at  length 
drew  up  before  the  little  green  gate, 
which    opened    on     the     nice     little 
gravel  walk,  which  led  up  to  the  little 
green  wooden  porch,  which  sheltered 
the   slim   door  which   admitted    you 


into  Satin  Lodge 


As  Tag-rag  stood 


for   a  moment  wiping  his"  wet  shoes 
upon  the  mat,  he  could  not  help  ob- 
serving,   for   the    first    time,   by   the 
inward  light  of  ten  thousand  a-year, 
how  uncommon   narrow  the   passage 
was  ;  and  thinking  that  Satin  Lodge 
would  never  do,  when  he  should   be 
the  father-in-law  of  a  man  worth  ten 
thousand  a-year,   he   could   easily  let 
that  house  and  take  a  larger  one.     As 
he   hung  his   hat  upon   the  peg,  the 
mischievous    insolence   of   Lutestring 
occurred   to  him  ;    and   he   deposited 
such  a  prodigious,  but  half-suppressed 
execration      upon     that     gentleman's 
name,    as    must    have     sunk    a    far 
more   buoyant   sinner  many  fathoms 
deeper  than  usual  into  a  certain  hot 
and  deep  place  that  shall  be  nameless. 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Tag-rag  were  sitting 
in  the  front  parlour,  intending  to  take 
tea   as   soon  as   Mr.    Tag-rag    should 
have   arrived.     It   was    not    a    large 
room,  but  furnished  prettily,  accord- 
ing to  the  taste  of  the  owners.     There 
was  only  one  window,  and  it  had  a 


96 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEJLR. 


flaunting  white  summer  curtain.     The 

walls    were    ornamented    with    three 
pictures,  in  slight  gilt  frames,   being 
portraits  of  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  rag- 
rag:  and  I  do  not  wish  to  say  more 
ofthesc  pictures,  than  that  in  each  d 
them  the  dress  was  donewith  singular 
exactness  and  fidelity— the  faces  seem- 
ing to  have  been  painted  in,  in  order 
tonset  off  and  complete  the  pctun »  d 
the   dress.      The   skinny   Utile    Miss 
Tag-rag  sat  at  the  worn-out,  Jingling 
pfcmoforte,  playing-oh,    horrid    and 
tloleful  sound  l-TheJBattUoJ  Prague. 
Mrs.    Tag-rag,  a  fat,  showily-dressed 
woman  of  ahout  fifty,  her  cap  havin 
a    prodigious     number     of    artificial 
flowers  in  it,  sat  reading  a  profitable 
volume,   entitled   "  Groans  from   the 
Bottomless    Pit   to  Awaken    Sleeping 
Sinners,"    by     the     Rev.     Dismal 
Hokkok— a  very  rousing  young  d» 
Benting  preacher  lately  come  intc .that 
neighbourhood,  and  who  had  almost 
frightened   into   ids  half  the  women 
and    children,    and    one   or  two   old 
men,  of  his  congregation  ;  giving  out, 
amongst    several    similarly    cheering 
intimations,  that  they  must  all  neces- 
sarily he  damned  unle  s  they  imme- 
diately set  ahout  making  them 
as  miserable  as  possible  in  this  world. 
Onlv    the    Sunday    before,    he     bad 
pointed    out,    With    awful    force    and 
distinctness,    how    cards    and  novels 
were  the  devil's  traps  to  catch  souls  ,  | 
and  balls  and  theatres  short  and  easy 

CUHe°had~proved  to  his  trembling 
female  hearers,  in  effect,  that  there 
was  onlv  one  way  to  heaven— tnrougn 
his  chapel;  that  the  only  safe  mode  d 
spending    their    time    on   earth    was 
Ling  such    blessed  works   as    that 
Which   he    had    just    pub  .shed,    and 
eoing  to  prayeT-meetings  almost  daily. 
But  when,  a  Sunday  or  two  before,  he 
preached  a  funeral  sermon,  to      im- 
prove  the   death  "-such    t» 
Impressive  phrase-of  a  Miss  Sr, 

(who  had  kept  a.  i  library  in 

the  neighbourhood ;)  and  who,  ha 
been  to  the  theatre  on  the   Ora 
night,  f  Qill-of  a  bowel  attack 

on'  th-    Friday,    and    was  a      We- 
less   corpse  when  the  next  Babbath 


dawned,"-you  might  have ,  heard  a 
beetle  sneeze  within  any  of  the  vails, 
all  over  the  crowded  chapel.  Two 
thirds  of  the  women  present,  strucK 
with  the  awful  judgment  m  on  the 
deceased  Miss  Snooks,  made  solemn 
vows  never  again  to  enter  the  accursed 

walls  of  a  theatre;  many  determii 
no  longer  to  subscribe  to  the  circu- 
lating library,  ruining  their  precious 
souls  with  light  and  amusing  reading  ; 
and  almost  all  resolved  forthwith  to 
become  active  members  of  a  sort ;  d 
religious    tract    society     which    Mr. 
Horror   had  just   established  m   the 
neighbourhood,    for    the    purpose   of 
riving    the  sick  and    starving   poor 
%iritual  food,  in  the  shape  of  tracts 
'},[.  ilv   written    by  himself,)    which 
might    "  wean   their   affections   away 
froni  this  vain  world,"  and  "fix  them 
on  better  things,"    rejoiong,    in    the 
mean  while,  in    the   bitti  *  of 

Institution.  All  this  sort  of  thing 
Mr.  Horror  possibly  imagined  to  be 
;n„.illg  the  cause  of  real  rekgionl 
In  short,  he  had  created  a  sort  d 
spiritual  fever  about  the  place,  which 
was  then  just  at  its  height  in  worthy 

Mrs.  Tag-rag. 

"Well,   Dollv,   how  are   you    to- 
night ! "  enquired  Tag-rag,   with   un- 


usual  briskness,  on  entering  the  room. 
"Tolerable,  thank  you,  Tag,  re- 
plied Mrs.  Tag-rag  mournfully,  witA 
a  sigh,  closing  the  cheerful  volume 
she  had  been  perusmg-ithavxng  been 

recommended   the   preceding    Sup< 
from  the  pulpit  by  its  pious  and  gifted 

author,    Mr.   Horror,  to  be  read  and 
prayed    over    every    day    by     every 
ber  of  his  congregation 
«  \nd  how  are  you,  Tabby  1     said 
Tag-rag,     addre  sing     hi  iter. 

.«,  erne 'and  kiss  me,  you  little  slut- 
come  ! "  _     ,  . 

"No,  1  shan't,  pa!     Do  let  m< 
on  with  my  practising  "- 
twang!  wen;  fernal  keys.     _ 

..  ,,  ,  ,.   neaTj  Tab!     Come  and  kiss 

mC)  you  little  minx " 

"Really,  pa,   how  provol 
as  I  am  in  the  middle  o     he 
of  the    Wounded  I    1   shant— that  a 

fl<  f   " 

1     The  doating  parent  could  not,  how- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


97 


ever,  bo  denied  ;  bo  ho  stepped  to  the 
piano,  put  his  arm  around  his  dutiful 
daughter's  neck,  kissed  her  fondly, 
and  then  stood  for  a  moment  behind 
her,  admiring  her  brilliant  execution 
of  The  Trumpet  of  Victory.  Having 
changed  his  coat,  and  put  on  an  old 
pah  of  shoes,  Tag-rag  was  comfortable 
for  the  evening. 

"Tabby  plays  -wonderful  well, 
Dolly,  don't  she  ? "  said  Tag-rag,  as 
the  tea  things  were  being  brought  in, 
by  way  of  beginning  a  conversation, 
while  he  drew  his  chair  nearer  to  his 
wife. 

' '  Ah  !  I'd  a  deal  rather  see  her 
reading  something  serious — for  life  is 
short,  Tag,  and  eternity's  long." 

"  Botheration  !— Stuff !— Tut !  " 

"  You  may  find  it  out  one  day,  my 
dear,  when  it's  too  late — " 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Dolly,"  said 
Tag-rag  angrily,  "you're  coming  a 
great  deal  too  much  of  that  sort  of 
thing — my  house  is  getting  like  a 
Methodist  meeting-house.  I  can't 
bear  it, — -I  can't !  "What  the  deuce 
is  come  to  you  all  in  these  parts, 
lately  ? "  Mr.  Tag-rag  had  been  in- 
duced, some  three  years  before,  to 
quit  the  Church  of  England  and  take 
up  with  Mr.  Dismal  Horror ;  but  his 
zeal  by  no  means  kept  pace  with  that 
of  his  wife. 

"Ah,  Tag-rag,"  replied  his  wife, 
with  a  sigh,  "  I  can  only  pray  for  you 
— I  can  do  no  more " 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Tag-rag,  with  an 
air  of  desperate  disgust,  thrusting  his 
hands  into  his  pockets,  and  stretching 
his  legs  to  their  utmost  extent  under 
the  table.  "I'll  tell  you  what,  Mrs. 
T.,"  he  added,  after  a  while,  "too 
much  of  one  thing  is  good  for  nothing  ; 
you  may  choke  a  dog  with  pudding  ; 
- — I  sha'n't  renew  my  sittings  at  Mr. 
Horror's." 

"Oh,  dear,  dear  pa,  do!  That's  a 
love  of  a  pa !  "  interposed  Miss  Tag- 
rag,  twirling  round  on  her  music-stool. 
"All  Clapham's  running  after  him — 
he's  quite  the  rage !  There's  the 
Dugginses,  the  Tips,  the  Jones,  the 
Maggots— and,  really,  Mr.  Horror  does 
preach  such  dreadful  things,  it's  quite 
delightful  to  look  round  and  see  all 


the  people  with  thefr  eyes  and  mouths 
wide  open — and  ours  is  such  a  good 
pew  for  seeing— and  Mr.  Horror  is 
such  a  bee— yeautifui  preacher,— isn't 
he,  ma  ? " 

"Yes,  love,  he  is— but  I  wish  I 
could  see  you  profit  by  him,  and  pre- 
paring for  death " 

"  Why,  ma,  how  can  you  go  on  in 
that  ridiculous  way  ?  You  know  I'm 
not  twenty  yet !  " 

"Well,  well!  poor  Tahby !  "  hero 
Mrs.  Tag-rag's  voice  faltered — "a  day 

will  come,  when " 

"  Play  me  the  Devil  among  (lie 
Tailors,  or  Copenhagen  Waltz,  or 
something  of  that  sort,  Tabby,"  said 
her  father  furiously,  "or  I  shall  be 
sick  !— I   can't  bear   it !     Curso   Mr. 

Hor " 

"  Well !— Oh,  my  !— I  never !— Mr. 
Tag-rag !  "  exclaimed  his  astounded 
wife. 

"  Play  away,  Tab,  or  I'll  go  and  sit 
in  the  kitchen  !  They're  cheerful 
there!  The  next  time  I  come  across 
Mr.  Horror,  if  I  don't  give  him  a  bit 
of  my  mind"— here  he  paused,  and 
slapped  his  hand  with  much  energy 
upon  the  table.  Mrs.  T.g-rag  wiped 
her  eyes,  sighed,  and  resumed  her 
book.  Miss  Tag-rag  began  to  mako 
tea,  her  papa  gradually  forgetting  his 
rage,  as  he  fixed  his  dull  grey  eyes 
fondly  on  the  pert  skinny  countenanco 
of  his  daughter. 

"By  the  way,  Tag,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  suddenly,  but  in  the 
same  mournful  tone,  addressing  her 
husband,  "you  haven't  of  courso 
forgot  the  flowers  for  my  new 
bonnet  ? " 

"  Never  once  thought  of  it,"  replied 
Tag-rag,  doggedly. 

"You  haven't!  Good  gracious! 
what  am  I  to  go  to  chapel  in  next 
Sunday  !  "  she  exclaimed,  with  sudden 
alarm,  closing  her  book,  "and  our 
seat  in  the  very  front  of  the  gallery  ! 
— bless  me  !  I  shall  have  a  hundred 
eyes  (in  me  !  " 

"Now  that  you're  coming  down  a 
bit,  and  dropped  out  of  the  clouds, 
Dolly,"  said  her  husband,  much  re- 
licved,  "I'll  tell  you  a  bit  of  news 

that  will,  I  fancy,  rather " 

II 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


98 

"Como!  what  is  it,  Tag?"  eagerly 

enquired  his  wife.  t,M«, 

"What  should  you  say  of  a  chance 

ofa  certain  eomehody"  (hero  he  looked 

unutterable  things   at  his  da ughte 

"that    shall    be    nameless,    becoming 
mistress  of  ten  thousand  a-year  < 

,<  W L  "  _  Mrs.  Tag-rag  changed 
colour-"  has  any  one  fallen  in  love 

■with  Tab?"  .,       m       f 

"  What  should  you  say,  Mrs.  1.,  01 
our  Tab  marrying  a  man  witn  ten 
thousand  a-year?  There's  for  you  I 
Isn't  tMt  better  than  all  your — —  n 

"  Oh,  Tag,  don't  say  that ;  but 
here  she  hastily  turned  down  the  leal 
of  Groans  from  the  Bottomless  1  it,  ana 
tossed  that  inestimable  work  upon  the 
sofa-"  do  tell  me,  lovy!  what  are 
von  talking  about  ?  . 

*  "What  Indeed,  Dolly '.-I'm  going 
to   have  him    here    to    dinner    next 

"'Uili2''Tag-rag  having  heen  listening 
With  breathless  eagerness  to  this  little 
colloquy  between  her  prudent  ai id 
axniaffi  parents,  unconscious  of  what 
she  was  about,  poured  all  the  tea  ^o 

the  sugar-basin,  instead  of  hei  papas 

^"Tlavo  Who,  dear  Tag?"  enquired 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  impatiently. 

"Who?  why  whom  but  my  little- 
bat  Titmouse  1!  You've  seen  him, 
and  heard  me  speak  of  una  often,  you 

know— —  .  ii 

«  what  [—that  odious,  nasty- 

"Hush,  hush!"  involuntarily  ex- 
claimed Tag-rag,  %rith  an  apprehensive 

tlil— "That's  all  past  and  gone-  jW 
ahvavs  a  little  too  hard  on  lnm  .^ -.I  ; 
at  all  events,  he's  turned  up  all  o  a 
sudden  master  of  ten  thousand  a-year. 
He  ha  ,  indeed-mav  this  piece  ot 
toas1  choke  me  if  hehasnt! 

'-rag  and  her  .laughter  sat 

«\V]  b  Tah,Taggy1 

enquired  fib  Ml  ■   '  ,  „.f 

''■oh     1      I        ;         ■  "'  '  ''"'V 

exactly  think  tluU  "'«"{ 

LHe  will  see  her,  you  know,  next 
Sunday.'  ,  .      , .. 

Ego  then  he's  positively  coming* 
enquired  Mrs.  Tag-rag  with  a  fluttered 

uir. 


»Y c s — I've  n0    doubt." — (I'll 

discharge       Lutestring      to-morrow, 
thought  Tag-rag  with  a  sharp  inward 

spasm.)  ,.  ... 

"  But  aren't  we  counting  our  c  nek- 
ens  Tagev,  before  they're  hatched? 
If  Titmouse  is  all  of  a  sudden  become 
such  a  catch,  he'll  be  snapped  upm  a 
minute,  you  know,  of  course-— 

"Why,  you  see,  Dolly— were  first 
in  the  market,  I'm  sure  of  that-hia 
attorney  tells  me  he's  to  be  kept  quite 
snug  and  quiet  under  mVf>  caro  for 
months,  and  see  no  one— — 

"My  gracious!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Tag-rag,  holding  up  both  her  hands— 
"  if  that  don't  look  like  a  special  inter- 
position of  Providence,  now— - 

"So  I  thought,  Tabby,  while  Mr. 
Gammon  was  telling  me  !  "  replied  her 

husband.  _,        -. 

"  \h  Tac,  there  are  many  ot   em,  u 

we  were  only  to  ho  on  the  look-out  fox 

them ! "  .  ,      .    .       i   i ,, 

"I  see  it  all!  It's  designed  by 
Providence  to  get  them  soon  together  I 
\\  hen  once  Mr.  Titmouse  gets  sight  ot 
Tabby,  and  gets   into  her  Compauy- 

eh!  Tab,  lovyl   you  11  do  the  rest, 

hem  !  "  ,  „  „• 

"La,  pa!  how  you  go  on  I  sim- 
pered Miss  Tag-rag. 

"You  must   do  your  part,    laD, 
said  her  father-"  we'll  do  ours.   He  U 
you  may   depend  on  it,  it  you 

manage  well!  " 

"  What  sort  of  a  looking  young  man 
:,  ne  dear  pa  !  "  enquired  Miss   1 
^aSSgTiiid  her  heart  flutter: 

"  Oh,   you    must    havo   seen   him, 

m«  How  should  I  ever  notice  any _o 
0f  the  Lots  of  young  men  at  the  Bnop, 
,a  '-1  don't  at  all  know  him. 

«<  \\  ell     lie's  th.    h  t>  1,">-st 

.    foi    Ins 
ivilandol 
,,      ,        sure!     You  should 
a  how  he  took  with  ladies  oi 

rank  b  — "         .   ,  M      m..^. 

»D(  ir  me,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Tag- 

,  n  anxiou  lyaddr(   sing  her  dauRlitcr, 

«T  hope,  Tabby,  that  Mi        ■      «^ 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAH. 


send  home  your  lilac-coloured  frock 
by  next  Sunday  !  " 

"  If  she  don't,  ma,  I'll  take  care  she 
never  makes  anything  more  for  me, 
that's  poz!"  replied"  Miss  Tag-rag 
earnestly. 

"We'll  call  there  to-morrow,  love, 
and  hurry  her  on,"  said  her  mother  ; 
and  from  that  moment  until  eleven 
o'clock,  when  the  amiable  and  inter- 
esting trio    retired   to    rest,    nothing 
was  talked  of  hut  the  charming  Tit° 
mouse,  and   the  good   fortune  he   so 
richly   deserved,    and    how  long  the 
courtship  was   likely  to   last.      Mrs. 
Tag-rag,  who,  for  the  last  month*  or 
so,  had  always  remained  on  her  knees 
before  getting  into   bed   for  at  least 
ten  minutes,  on  this  eventful  evening 
compressed   her  prayers,  I  regret   to 
say,  into  one  minute  and  a  half's  time, 
(as  for  Tag-rag,  a  hardened  heathen, 
for  all  he  had  taken  to  hearing  Mr. 
Horror,  ho  always  tumbled  praycrless 
into    bed,    the   moment  he   was  un- 
dressed ;)   while,    for  once  in  a  way, 
Miss  Tag-rag,  having  taken  only  half 
an  hour  to  put  her  hair  into  papers, 
popped  into  bed  directly  she  had  blown 
the  candle  out,   without  saying  any 
prayers— or  even  thinking  of  finishing 
the  novel  which  lay  under  her  pillow° 
and  which  she  had  got  on  the  sly  from 
the  circulating  library  of  the  late  Miss 
Snooks.     For  several  hours  she  lay  in 
a  delicious  reverie,  imagining  herself 
become  Mrs.  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  riding 
about  Clapham  in  a  handsome  carriage" 
going  to  the  play  every  night ;  and 
wnat  would  the  three  Miss  Knipr>scs 
say  when    they  heard   of  it— they'd 
burst.     And  such  a  handsome   man, 
too  ! 

She  sunk,  at  length,  into  uncon- 
sciousness, amidst  a  soft  confusion  of 
glistening  white  satin  —  favours  — 
bridesmaids— Mrs.  Tittlebat  Tit— Tit 
— Tit — Tit — mouse. 
>  Titmouse,  about  half  -  past  nine 
o_  clock  on  the  ensuing  morning,  was 
sitting  in  his  little  room  in  a  somewhat 
troubled  humour,  musing  on  many 
things,  and  little  imagining  the  intense 
interest  he  had  excited  in  the  feelings 
of  the  amiable  occupants  of  Satin 
Lodge,    when   a  knock    at    his   door 


99 

startled  him  out  of  his  reverie.    Guess 
ins  amazement  to  see,  on  opening  it 
Mr.  Tag-rag !  ' 

"  Your  most  obedient,  sir  "  com- 
menced that  gentleman,  in  a  subdued 
and  obsequious  manner,  plucking  off 
Jus  hat  the  instant  that  he  saw 
litmouse.  "I  hope  you're  better, 
sir!  — been  very  uneasy,  sir,  about 
you. 

"Please  to  walk  in,  sir,"  replied 
litmouse,  not  a  little  flustered—"  I'm 
better,  sir,  thank  you." 

"Happy  to  hear  it,  sir!— But  am 
also  come  to  offer  humble  apologies  for 
the  rudeness  of  that  upstart  that  was 
so_  rude  to  you  yesterday,  at  my  pre- 
mises— know  whom   1   mean,    eh  ? 

Lutestring— I  shall  get  rid  of  him,  I 

do  think " 

"Thank  you,  sir But— hut- 
when  I  was  in  your  employ " 

"  Was  in  my  employ  !  "■  interrupted 
Tag-rag  with  a  sigh,  gazing  earnestly 
at  him— "It's  no  use  trying  to  hide 
it  any  longer  !  I've  all  along  seen  you 
was  a  world  too  good  for— in  fact, 
quite  above  your  situation  in  my  poor 
shop !  I  may  have  been  wrong,  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  he  continued  diffidently, 
as  he  placed  himself  on  what  seemed 
the  only  chair  in  the  room,  (Titmouse 
sitting  on  a  common  wooden  stool) — 
"  but  I  did  it  for  the  best— eh  ?— don't 
you  understand  me,  Mr.  Titmouse  ? " 
Titmouse  continued  looking  on  the 
floor  incredulously,  sheepishly,  and 
somewhat  sullenly. 

"Very  much  obliged,  sir— but  must 
say  you've  rather  a  funny  way  of  show- 
ing it,  sir.     Look  at  the  sort  of  lifo 

you've  led  me  for  this " 

"Ah!  knew  you'd  say  so !  But  I 
can  lay  my  hand  on  my  heart,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  declare  to  God— I  can, 

indeed,  Mr.  Titmouse "   Titmouse 

preserved  a  very  embarrassing  silence. 
— ' '  SeeI'm  out  of  your  good  books — But 
—won't  you  forget  and  forgive,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ?  I  meant  well.  Nay,  I  hum1  ily 
beg  forgiveness  for  everything  you've 
not  liked  in    me.     Can    I  say  'more  " 


Come,   Mr.   Titmouse,  you've  a  noble 
nature,  and  I  ask  forgiveness  !  "  cried 


Tag-rag    softly    and  "earnestly 
would    have    thought    that    his 

II   2 


you 
life 


100 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


depended  on  his  Buccess  in  what  he 
was  doing !  . 

•  ♦You — you  ought  to  do  it  before 
the  whole  shop,  if  you're  in  earnest," 
replied  Titmouse,  a  little  relenting— 
"for  they've  all  seen  your  goings  on. 

"Them!— the  brutes  !— the  vulgar 
fellows,  eugh!— you  and  I,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, are  a  Icclle  above  them  !     V  ye 
think  we  ought  to  mind  what  servants 
say?— Only  yon  say  the  word,  and  I 
make  a  clean  sweep  of  'em  all ;  you 
shall  have  the  premises  to  yourself, 
Mr.  Titmouse,  within  an  hour  after 
any  of  those  chaps  shows  you  the  least 
glimmer  of  disrespect." 
3  "Ah!   I  don't  know— you' vo  used 
me  most  uncommon  bad,  'pen  my  soul ! 
—far  worse  than  they  have  —  you  ve 
nearly    broke    my   heart,    sir!      You 
have'!"  ,       , 

"  Will,  my  womankind  at  home  are 
right,    after  all!     They  told  mo  all 
along  1  was  going  the  wrong  way  to 
work,  wh  n  I  said  how  1  tried  to  keep 
your  pride  down,  and  prevent  you  from 
having  your  head  turned  by  knowing 
your  good  looks  !  Over  and  over  again, 
my  little  tdrlhas  said,  with  tears  m  her 
dear  eyes,  'you'll  break  his  spirit,  dear 
papa_if  be  is  handsome,  wasn't  it 
God  that  made  him  so  ? '  "     The  little 
frost-work  which  Titmouse  had  thrown 
around  his  heart,  began  to  melt  like 
snow    under  sunbeams.       "Ah,    Mr. 
Titmouse,  Mr.  Titmouse  !    the  women 
are   always    right,   and    we're    always 
Wrong,"  continued  Tag-rag  earnestly. 
perceiving  his  advantage.     "  Upon  my 
soul,  I  could  kick  myself  for  my  stu- 
pidity,  and  cruelty  too!' 

"Ah,  I  should  think  so!  l^o  one 
knows  what  I've  suffered  I  And  now 
that  I'm— I  suppose  you've  heard  it 
a\[t  sir?— what's  in  the  wind— and  all 

thatl"  M  . 

"Yes,  sir— Me.  Gammon  (thai  most 
respectable  gentleman)  and  I  have  had 
a  ]'  \    yesterday  aboul   you,  m 

which  he  did  cerl  only  tell  me  every- 
thing -nothing  like  confidence,  Mr. 
Titl.  ,  .  when  gentleman  meets 
gentleman,  von  know  I  Oh,  Lord! 
the  news  is  really  delightful  1  delight- 
ful '  " 

"  Im't  it,  sir  1 "  eagerly  interrupted 


Titmouse,    his    eyes    glistening    with 
sudden  rapture. 

"Ah!  ten  thous—  I  must  shako 
hands  with  you,  my  dear  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse;" and  for  the  first  time  in 
their  lives  their  hands  touched,  Tag- 
rag  [squeezing  that  of  Titmouse  with 
energetic  cordiality  ;  while  he  added, 
with  a  little  emotion  in  his  torn — 
"Thomas  Tag-rag  may  he  a  plain- 
spoken  and  wrong-headed  man,  Mr. 
Titmouse— but  he's  a  warm,  heart,  I 
assure  you  !  " 

"And  did  Mr.  Gammon  tell  you 
all,  sir?"  eagerly  interrupted  Tit- 
mouse. 

"  Everything  —  everything  ;  quito 
confidential,  I  assure  yon,  fox  he  saw 
the  interest  I  felt  in  you!" 

"  And  did  he  say  about  my— hem  ! 

ch  ?  mystoppinga  few  weeks  Ion 

with  you?"   enquired  Titmouse,  cha- 
grin overspreading  his  features. 

"1  think  he  did,  indeed,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse! He's  quite  bent  on  it,  sir ! 
And  so  would  any  true  friend  of  yours 
Ibe— because  you  see,"— here  he  <!,  - 
ped  his  voice,  and  looked  very  mys- 
teriously at  Titmouse— "in  short,  I 
quite  agree  with  Mr.  Gammon  !  " 

"Do  you  indeed,  sir!"  exclaimed 
Titmouse,  with  rather  an  uneasy  look. 
"1  do,  i  faith!  Why,  they'd  give 
thousands  and  thousands  to  get  you 
out  of  the  way— and  what's  money  to 
them  !  But  they  must  look  very  sharp 
that  get  at  you  in  the  premises  of 
Thomas  Tag-rag,  I  warrant  'em  !  — 
Talking  of  that,  ah,  ha!— it  will  bo  a 
funny  thing  to  see  you,  Mr.  Titmouse 
—Squire  Titmouse— ah,  ha,  ha  !  " 

"  Vuu  won't  hardly  expect  me  to  go 
out  with  goods,  I  suppose,  sir  ?  " 

"Ha,  ha,  ha  I— Ha,  ha,  ha!— Might 
as  well  ask  me  if  I'd  clean  that  b 
Lutestring's  shoes  !     No,  no,  my  dear 
Mr.  Titmouse,  you  and  1  have  '! 
with  each  oth  iterand  Bervai 

it's  only  as  friends  that  we  know  each 
other  now!  — You  may  say  and  do 
whatever  you  like,  and  come  and  go 
when  and  where  yon  like! — It's  true 
it  will  make  my  other  hands  rather 
jealous,  and  get  me  into  trouble;  but 
what  do  I  care  ?  Suppose  they  do  all 
rive  me  warning  for  your  sakoJ     Let 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


101 


'em  go,  say  I !  "  Ho  snapped  his 
fingers  with  an  air  of  defiance.  ' '  Your 
looks  and  manners  would  keep  a  shop 
full  of  customers  —  one  Titmouse  is 
worth  a  hundred  of  them." 

"Ton  my  soul,  you  speak  most 
uncommon  gentlemanlike,  sir,  cer- 
tainly !  "  said  Titmouse,  with  a  little 
excitement — "and  if  you'd  only  always 
■ — but  that's  all  past  and  gone  ;  and 
I've  no  objections  to  say  at  once,  that 
all  the  articles  I  may  want  in  your 
line  I'll  have  at  your  establishment, 
pay  cash  down,  and  ask  for  no  dis- 
count. And  I'll  send  all  my  friends, 
for,  in  course,  sir,  you  know  I  shall 
have  lots  of  them  !  " 

"Don't  forget  your  oldest,  your 
truest,  your  humblest  friend,  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  said  Tag-rag,  with  a 
cringing  air. 

"That  I  won't !  "  replied  Titmouse 
heatedly. 

[It  Hashed  across  his  mind  that  a 
true  and  old  friend  would  be  only  too 
happy  to  do  him  some  such  trifling 
service  as  to  lend  him  a  ten-pound 
note.] 

"Hem! — Now,  are  you  such  a 
friend,  Mr.  Tag-rag?"  cried  he 
sheepishly. 

"Am  I  ?— Can  you  doubt  me ?  Try 
me  !  See  what  I  could  not  do  for  you  ! 
Friead,  indeed  !  "  and  he  looked  quite 
fondly  at  Titmouse. 

' '  Well,  I  believe  you,  sir !  And 
the  fact  is,  a — a — a — you  see,  Mr. 
Tag-rag,  though  all  this  heap  of 
money's  coming  to  me,  I'm  precious 
low  just  now——" 

"Ye—  e  —  e  —  s,  Mr.  Titmouse," 
quoth  Tag-rag  anxiously ;  his  dull 
grey  eye  fixed  on  that  of  Titmouse 
steadfastly. 

"Well — if  you've  a  mind  to  prove 
your  words,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  and  don't 
mind  advancing  me  a  ten -pound 
note " 

' '  Hem  !  "  involuntarily  uttered  Tag- 
rag,  so  suddenly  and  violently,  that 
it  made  Titmouse  almost  start  olf  his 
seat.  Then  Tag-rag's  face  flushed  over, 
he  twirled  about  his  watch-key  rapidly, 
and  wriggled  about  in  his  chair  with 
visible  agitation. 

"Oh,  you  aren't   going  to   do  it! 


If  so,  you'd  better  say  it  at  onco," 
quoth  Titmouse,  rather  cavalierly. 

"Why  —  was  ever  anything  so 
unfortunate?"  stammered  Tag-rag. 
"That  cursed  lot  of  French  goods! 
bought  only  yesterday,  to  be  paid  for 
this  very  morning — and  it  will  drain 
me  of  every  penny  !  " 

' '  Ah— yes  !  True  !  Well,  it  don't 
much  signify,"  said  Titmouse  care- 
lessly, running  bis  hand  through  his 
bushy  hair.  "  In  fact,  T  needn't  have 
bothered  au  old  friend  at  all,  now  I 
think  of  it — Mr.  Gammon  says  he's 
my  banker  to  any  amount.  I  beg 
pardon,  I'm  sure " 

Tag-rag  was  in  a  horrid  dilemma. 
He  felt  so  flustered  by  the  suddenness 
and  seriousness  of  the  thing,  that  he 
could  not  see  his  way  plain  in  any 
direction. 

"Let  me  see,"  at  length  he  stam- 
mered ;  and  pulling  a  ready-reckoner 
out  of  his  pocket,  he  affected  to  b3 
consulting  it,  as  if  to  ascertain  merely 
the  state  of  his  banker's  account,  But 
really  desiring  a  few  moments'  time  to 
collect  his  thoughts.  'Twas  in  vain, 
however  ;  nothing  occurred  to  him  ; 
he  saw  no  way  of  escape  ;  his  old  friend 
the  devil  deserted  him  for  a  moment — 
supplying  him  with  no  ready  lie  to 
meet  the  exigency.  He  must,  ho 
feared,  cash  up!  "Well,"  said  he — ■ 
"it  certainly  is  rather  unfortunate, 
just  at  this  precise  moment ;  but  I'll 
step  to  the  shop,  and  see  how  my 
ready-money  matters  stand.  Itsha'n't 
be  a  trifle,  Mr.  Titmouse,  that  shall 


stand  between  us.     15ut — if  I 


mid 


lie  hard  run — perhaps — eh  ?  Would  a 
five-pound  note  do  ? " 

' '  Why  —  a  —  a  —  certainly,  if  it 
wouldn't  suit  you  to  advance  tho 
ten " 

"  I  dare  say,"  interrupted  Tag-rag, 
a  triflo  relieved,  "  I  shall  be  able  to 
accommodate  you.  Perhaps  you'll 
step  on  to  the  shop  presently,  and 
then  we  can  talk  over  matters! — l!y 
the  way,  did  you  ever  see  anything 
so  odd  ?  forgot  the  main  thing  ;  come 
and  take  your  mutton  with  me  at 
Clapham,  next  Sunday— my  woman- 
kind will  be  quite  delighted.  Nay, 
't:s  their  invitation — ha,  ha  !  " 


102 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


"You're  uncommon  polite,"  replied 
Titmouse,  colouring  with  ple^e. 
Here  seemed  the  fust  pale  primrose  of 
the  coming  spring-**  invitation  to 

Ba'i  Tir^liteness-the  favour-,;ill 

be  yours,1  Mr.  Titmouse!    I'm  qnite    =  »£•— £  :„mi,lUlte  ?„. 

proud  .,f  your  coming!  ts.  h 


sudden  appeal  to  his  pockct-the  a* 

Sand   of    an   immediate   outlay   and 

^re-waa  an  instant  pressure,  and 

,.  |VHit.v,.vly.     Immediate  profi 

g  to  Tag-rag-  twas  1 


very  life's  blood  !     He  v     , 
ian  to  his  heart 


truth, 
If  ho 


ojutealonejhaveyouaUtoouralves, 
only  me,  my  wife,  and  daughter-** 
only  child,   Mr.   Titmouse  -such 


ch 


She's  really  often  said  to  me, 

■I  *onder'-but, 1  won  t   ma  ,.; 

you  vain,  oh?  MaylcaUita  fixture 
*  «  Ton  my  life,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  you  re 
monstrous    uncommon    polite.       Its 
true,  I  was  going  to  dine  With  Mi. 

G™ Oh '^!  (I  niean  *°  fl**^ 
^iO^onlrabachek^J^o 
ladies  in  the  ease,  and  all  that     en, 
Mr.  Titmouse?  and  a  yow«0  one  I 
"Well,  thank  you,  sir.     Since  youi 

BO"Tha?fiU~  An  engagement,; 
^SatinLodge-   forS  /■":' 

T-,  -va-,   rising  and    looking  at  his 
',,,.,,  -    „Tini    forme  tobeoff.     See 

you  soon  at 

that  Uttle-matter  of  business,  eh?  You 

understand?     G I  ^vL 

and  shaking  Titmouse  cordiallj  l.j  trie 
1     ,  M  I  fture.    As 

dperplexityabouttoloan 
,r  &ve  pounds.      It  was  truly  like 
Sneezing  five  drops  of  blood  out  of 
JKt      But  what  was  to  be  done  1 
SuKoffend  Titmouse  I  Wig 
he  to  stop,  if  he  once  began?     D 
Mk  for  security'?     Suppose  the  whole 
Xi  should  after  all  turninto 

Now,  consider  the  folly  of  Taj 
Here  was  he  in  all  this  temblc  pucka 

3»ou1   advan  in  ™f  ™j£ 

orrpmrth    of    prospects    and    ch 

5B  ■lv;;r 

turine  '   t  \ 

on 

Section.    Howwasthis?     Lhe 
^ofthefut; 
fortune  of  Ids  daughter  m  ght    1 

v  and  confused  his 

'    l  '    •  ,  ■     Then   aeain,  that  w 
perceptions,      i  n«  ">  .,  • . 

U  contingent  venture-  but  this 


,,  or  could,  at  all  evente,lwva 
..,,     by  way  0    earnestas  it 
a  bil  of  poor  Titmouse  s  heart, 
3o2d\?4mhisdesk,hewou^d 

not  have  cared  so  much ; it  would 
been  a  little  in  hislme  ;-but 
.;  ,-^vasa  FlVE-POTJND  NOTE  going 
out  forthwith,  and  nothing  immediate 
risible,  palpable,  replacing  it.  Oh 
1'itmonse  fiad  unconsciously  pulled 
Ta"-rag's  very  heart-strings  I 

5b^rve,dLriminating.reader,that 

there  is  all  the  difference  m  the  worU 

between  a  Tradesman  and  .M 
,      andi  moreover,  that  it  is  not 

every  irate » that  is :«   ^  • 

".,,,;,  [deration  med 

to  keep  "'  ;l  Perf?c*  lZZ ml 

doubt    and 


which    several 

hearty  curses,  (1  regret  tc .say.)  faded 

Ln  effectually  relieving.     By  the  tame, 

shad  made  his 

;-rag'sshopwtth 

I inning  to  run  the  gauntlet  oi  grin.- 

temptfromtl  ^hs 

Ldeoftl  naJ 

,,,J  on  the  co!  uld 

aeintheveryembarra  Met 

Lt0.     To  the  amazement 
of  all  t,  he  bolted  out  ofauttle 

coSg-house  or  side^om,  hastened 
St  Titmouse  with  outetretched 
iml  Ld  cordial  speech,  drew  him 
.hslittl,  Mlshutth.-.l-r- 

!'  |  aed  Ins  flurried 

25    Sfthat  he  hfl  «• 

ats(with  a  lit  11  "J- 

Lch,  however,  between  friends, 

Nothing)  for  lendingTitmouae 
^  life's  un  --')->• 

Suse  with  iU-d  f* 

Jhe  nve-pound  note  into  his  nocket- 

"even  between  <  *  fnends-- 

,„„■  you  oie,becau   i  we've  confidence 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


in  each  other.     But  if  anything  should 

happen,  those  we  leave  behind  us  " 

Here  he  took  out  of  his  desk,  an  "I. 
0.  U.  £5,"  ready  drawn  up  and  dated 
—  "a  mere  slip— a  word  or  two— is 
satisfaction  to  both  of  us." 

"  Oli  yes,  sir !  yes,  sir !— anything  !  " 
said  Titmouse  ;  and  hastily  taking'tho 
pen  profFered  him,  signed  his  name  ; 
on  which  Tag-rag  felt  a  little  relieved. 
Lutestring  was  then  summoned  into 
the  room,  and  thus  (not  a  little  to  his 
disgust  and   astonishment)  addressed 
by  his   imperious  employer.       "Mr. 
Lutestring,  you  will  have  the  good- 
ness  to    see    that    Mr.    Titmouse    is 
treated  by  every  person  in  my  estab- 
lishment with    the    utmost    possible 
respect.     "Whoever  treats  this  gentle- 
man with  the  slightest  disrespect,  isn't 
any  longer  a  servant  of  mine.     D'ye 
hear  me,  Mr.  Lutestring  ? "  added  Tag- 
rag  sternly,  observing  a  very  si^niS- 
cant  glance  of  intense  hatred  which 
Lutestring  directed  towards  Titmouse. 
"D'ye  hear  me,  sir?" 

"Oh,  yes,  sir  !  yes,  sir!  your  orders 
shall  be  attended  to,"  he  replied,  in 
as  insolent  a  tone  as  he  could  venture 
upon,  and  leaving  the  room,  with  a 
half  audible  whistle  of  contempt,  while 
a  griu  overspread  his  features,  he  had 
within  five  minutes  filled  the  mind  of 
every  shopman  in  the  establishment 
with  feelings  of  mingled  wonder, 
hatred,  and  fear  towards  Titmouse. 
What,  thought  they,  could  have  hap- 
pened ?  What  was  Mr.  Tag-rag  about  ? 
This  was  all  of  a  piece  with  his  rage  at 
Lutestring  the  day  before.  "D— n 
Titmouse  !  "  said  or  thought  every  one 
of  them  ! 

Titmouse,  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  felt,  as  may  be  imagined,  but 
little  at  his  ease  ;  for — to  say  nothing 
of  his  insuperable  repugnance  to  the 
discharge  of  any  of  his  former  duties  ; 
his   uneasiness  under  the   oppres 


103 

hair;    for   Heaven   eeemed   to  have 
suddenly  given  him  the  long-coveted 
means  of  changing  its  detested  hue  ; 
and  the  next  was  an  eyeglass,  without 
which,  he  had  long  felt  his  appearance 
and  appointments  to  be  painfully  in- 
complete.      Early   in   the    afternoon, 
therefore,  on  the  readily-admitted  plea 
of  important  business,  he  obtained  the 
permission  of  the  obsequious  Mr  Tag- 
rag  to  depart  for  the  day ;  and  instant  ly 
directed   his  steps  to  the  well-known 
shop  of  a  fashionable   perfumer  and 
perraqmer,    in    Bond     Street  — well 
known  to  those,  at  least,  who  were  in 
the  habit  of  glancing  at  the  enticin* 
advertisements     in    the    newspapers! 
Having  watched  through  the  window 
till  the  coast  was  clear,  (for  he  felt  a 
natural  delicacy  in  asking  for  a  hair 
dye  before   people  who  could  in  an 
instant  perceive  his  urgent  occasion 
for  it  )  he  entered  the  shop,  where  a 
welhdressed  gentleman  was  sitting  be- 
hnm   the   counter  reading.     He"  was 
handsome  ;  and  his  elaborately  curled 
hair  was  of  a  heavenly  black  (so  at 
least  Titmouse  considered  it)  that  was 
better   than  a  thousand   printed   ad- 
vertisements  of  the   celebrated  fluid 
which  formed   the   chief  commodity 
there  vended.    Titmouse,  with  a  little 
hesitation,  asked  this  gentleman  what 
was   the  price  of  their  article    "for 
turning  light   hair  black  "—and  Was 
answered— "  only  seven  and  sixpence 
for  the  smaller-sized   bottle."      One 
was  in  a  twinkling  placed  upon  the 
counter,  where  it  lay  like  a  miniature 
mummy,  swathed,  as  it  were,  in  mani- 
fold  advertisements.       "You'll   find 
the  fullest  directions  within,  and  testi- 
monials from  the  highest  nobility  to 
the  wonderful  efficacy  of  the  '  Cyano- 

CHAITANTHIiOPOPOIOX.'  "  * 


civilities  of  Mr.  Tag-rag;  and  the 
evident  disgust  towards  him  enter- 
tained by  his  companions  ;  many  most 
important  considerations  arising  out 
of  recent  and  coming  events  — his 
altering  circumstances— were  moment- 
arily forcing  themselves  upon  his  at- 
tention.    The  first  of  these  was  his 


This  fearful-looking  word,  I  wish  to  in- 
form my  lady  readers,  is  an  original  ami 
itrous  amalgamation  of  throe  or  four 
Greek  words  —  Kvavo^ruTavSpio^oTTnioii' — de- 
-a  fluid  "that  can  render  the  human 
."  Whenever  a  barber  or  perfumer 
determineson  trying  to  puff  off  some  viii 
mis  imposition  of  this  .sort,  strange  t<> 
he  goes  to  some  starving  scholar,  and  gives 
him  half-a-crown  to  coin  a  word  like  tho 
above,  that  shall  bo  equally  unintelligible 
and  unpronounceable,  and  therefore  at* 
tractive  and  popular. 


101 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"  Xure  it  will  do,  6ir  ? "  enquired 
Titmouse  anxiou  ly. 

"Is  my  hair  dark  enough  to  your 
task',  sir?"  said  the  gentleman,  with 
a  calm  and  bland  manner — "because 
I  owe  it  entirely  to  this  invaluable 
specific. " 

"Do  you,  indeed,  sir?"  enquired 
Titmouse":  adding,  with  a  sigh,  "but, 
between  ourselves,  look  at  mine!" — 
and,  lifting  off  his  bat  fur  a  moment, 
he  exhibited  a  great  crop  of  bushy, 
carr>  iy  hair. 

"Whew  !  rather  ugly  that,  sir !  " — 
exclaimed  the  gentleman,  looking  very 
serious — "What  a  curse  it  is  to  be 
born  with  such  hair,  isn't  it  ?" 

"Ton  my  life  1  think  so,  sir!" 
answered  Titmouse  mournfully  ;  "  and 
do  you  really  say,  sir,  that  this  what's- 
its-name  turned  yours  of  that  beautiful 
black  ? " 

"Think?  Ton  my  honour,  s-ir, — 
certain  ;  no  mistake,  I  assure  you  !  I 
was  fretting  myself  into  my  grave 
ahout  the  colour  of  my  hair!  Why, 
sir,  there  was  a  nobleman  in  here  (I 
don't  like  to  mention  names)  the  other 
day,  with  a  head  that  seemed  as  if  it 
had  been  dipped  into  water,  and  then 
powdered  with  brick  dust;  but — I 
assure  you,  the  Cyanochaitanthropo- 
poion  was  too  much  for  it — it  turned 
black  in  a  very  short  time.  Yon 
Bhould  have  seen  his  lordship's  ecstasy 
— [the  speaker  saw  that  Titmouse 
would  swallow  anything  ;  so  he  went 
on  with  a  confident  air] — and  in  a 
month's  time  he  had  married  a  beauti- 
ful woman  whom  he  had  loved  from  a 
child,  hut  who  had  vowed  she  could 
never  bring  herself  to  marry  a  man 
with  such  a  head  of  hair." 

"  How  1  it  take  to  do  all 

this,     sir?"     interrupted     Titmouse 
rly,  with  a  beat  Lng  h<  art. 

••  Somel  noes  three 

day i.     In  four  da;   '  ii ,  I'll  answer 

it,  your  mot  t  intin 

u.    Mywifo  did  not  know 
i.i  ■  for  n  long  while,  and  wouldn't  b  I 
me  salute  her     ha,  ba  !  "    I  rero  another 
omer  entered  ;  and  Titmouse,  lay- 
ing <iov,  ii  the  five-pound  note  he  had 
d  oul  of  '  put  the  won- 

der-working phial  into  his  pocket,  and 


on  receiving  his  change, departed,  burst- 
ing with  eagerness  to  try  the  effects  of 
the  C'yanoehaitanthropopoion.  "With- 
in half  an  hour's  time  he  might  have 
hern  seen  driving  a  hard  bargain  with 
a  pawnbroker,  for  a  massive- looking 
eye-glass,  which,  as  it  hung  suspended 
in  the  window,  he  had  for  months  cast 
a  longing  eye  upon  ;  and  he  eventually 
purchased  it  (his  eyesight,  I  need 
hardly  say,  was  perfect)  for  only  fifteen 
shillings.  After  taking  a  hearty  dinner 
in  a  little  dusky  eating-house  in  Rupert 
Street,  frequented  by  fashionable-lo  !  - 
ing  foreigners,  with  splendid  heads  of 
curling  hairandmoustaeh.es,  he  hastened 
home,  eager  to  commence  the  grand 
experiment.  Fortum  tely,  he  was  un- 
disturbed that  evening.  Having  lit 
his  candle,  and  locked  his  door,  with 
tremulous  lingers  he  open*  d  the  papers 
enveloping  the  little  phial ;  and  glanc- 
ing over  their  contents,  got  so  inflamed 
with  the  numberless  instances  of  its 

acy,  detail,  d  in  brief  but  glowing 

8— as— the  "  Duke  of  ••••«• 

— the  Countesss  of  *****  *  —  the 

Earl  of,  &c.  &c.  &c.  &c. — the  lovely 

Miss ,  the  celebrated  !Sir  Little 

Bull's-eye,  (who  was  so  gratified  that 
he  alb. wed  his  name  to  be  used) — all 
of  whom,  from  having  hair  of  the 
reddest  possible  description,  were  now 
possessed  of  raven-hued  locks" — that 
he  t  brew  down  the  paper,  and  hurriedly 
got  the  cork  out  of  the  bottle.  Having 
turned  up  his  coat-cuffs,  he  commei 
the  application  of  the  Cyanochaitan- 
thropopoion,  rubbing  it  into  his  hair, 
eyebrows,  and  whiskers,  with  all  the 

rgy  he  was  capable  of,  for  upwards 
of  half-an-hour.  Then  he  read  over 
again    every    syllable     on    the     pip.rs 

in  which  th  i  phial  had  been  wrapped  ; 
and  about  eleven  o'clock,  having  given 
sundry  curious  gl  tnces  at  the  glass, 
got  i  ■  citing  hopes  and 

delightful  anxieties  eon  erning  the 
of  i  hi  real  experiment  he  w  is 
trying.  Ho  could  not  i  leep  forsei  era! 
hours.  1  le  dreamed  a  rapt  urous  dri  am 
1  h  bowed  to  a  gentleman  with 
coal-black  hair,  whom  he  fancied  ho 
had  Men  before — and  suddenly  dis- 
covered  thai  he  was  only  looking  at 

hims.  If  in  a  kfl  him. 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


105 


Up  he  jumped— sprung  to  his  little 
glass   breathlessly — but  ah  !   merciful 
Heavens !    he   almost   dropped   down 
dead  !     His  hair  was  perfectly  green — 
there  could  be  no  mistake  about  it. 
He  stood  staring  in  the  glass  in  speech- 
less horror,  his  e3res  and  mouth  dis- 
tended  to   their   utmost,    for  several 
minutes.     Then  he  threw  himself  on 
the  bed,    and    felt    fainting.     Up   he 
presently  jumped  again  in  a  kind  of 
ecstasy — rubbed   his  hair  desperately 
and  wildly  about— again  looked  into 
the  glass — there  it  was,  rougher  than 
before  ;    but  eyebrows,  whiskers,  and 
head — all  were,  if  anything,  of  a  more 
vivid    and    brilliant   green.     Despair 
came  over  him.     "What  had  all  his 
jiast  troubles  been  to  this  ? — what  was 
to  become  of  him  ?    He  got  into  bed 
again,  and  burst  into  a  perspiration. 
Two  or  three  times  he  got  into  and 
out  of  bed,  to  look  at  himself  again — 
on  each  occasion  deriving  only  more 
terrible  confirmation  than  before  of  the 
disaster  that  had  befallen  him.     After 
lying  still  for  some  minutes,  he  got 
out  of  bed,  and  kneeling  down,  tried 
to  say  his  prayers  ;  but  it  was  in  vain 
■ — and  he  rose  half  choked.     It  was 
plain  he  must  have  his  head  shaved, 
and  wear  a  wig — that  was  making  an 
old   man  of  him  at   once.      Getting 
more  and  more  disturbed  in  his  mind, 
he  dressed  himself,  half  determined  on 
starting  off  to  Bond  Street,  and  break- 
ing every  pane  of  glass  in  the  shop 
window  of    the   cruel  impostor  who 
had  sold  him  the  liquid,  that  had  so 
frightfully  disfigured    him.      As    he 
stood  thus  irresolute,   he   heard   the 
step  of  Mrs.  Squallop  approaching  his 
door,    and  recollected    that    he    had 
ordered  her  to  bring  up  his  tea-kettle 
about  that  time.     Having  no  time  to 
take  his  clothes  off,  he  thought  the 
best  thing  he  could  do  would  be  to 
pop  into  bed  again,  draw  his  nightcap 
down  to  his  ears  and  eyebrows,  pretend 
to  be  asleep,  and,  turning  his  back 
towards  the  door,  have  a  chance  of 
escaping  the  observation  of  his  land- 
lady.     No   sooner  thought  of   than 
done.     Into  bed  he  jumped,  and  drew 
the  clothes  over  him — not  aware,  how- 
ever, that  in  his  hurry  he  had  left  his 


legs,  with  boots  and  trousers  on,  ex- 
posed to  view — an  unusual  spectacle 
to  his  landlady,  who  had,  in  fact, 
scarcely  ever  known  him  in  bed  at  so 
late  an  hour  before.  He  lay  as  still 
as  a  mouse.  Mrs.  Squallop,  after 
glancing  with  surprise  at  his  legs, 
happening  to  direct  her  eyes  towards 
the  window,  beheld  a  small  phial,  only 
half  of  whose  dark  contents  were 
remaining— oh  gracious  !— of  course  it 
must  be  poison,  and  Mr.  Titmouse 
must  be  dead  ! — In  a  sudden  fright 
she  dropped  the  kettle,  plucked  the 
clothes  off  the  trembling  Titmouse, 
and  cried  out— "  Oh,  Mr.  Titmouse! 

Mr.  Titmouse!  what  have  you  been " 

"Well,  ma'am,  what  the  devil  do 
you  mean  ?  How  dare  you "  com- 
menced Titmouse,  suddenly  sitting  up, 
and  looking  furiously  at  Mrs.  Squallop. 
An  inconceivably  strange  and  horrid 
figure  he  looked.  He  had  all  his  day 
clothes  on ;  a  white  cotton  nightcap 
was  drawn  down  to  his  very  eyes,  liko 
a  man  going  to  be  hanged  ;  his  face 
was  very  pale,  and  his  whiskers  wero 
of  a  bright  green  colour. 

"  Lard  a-mighty !  "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Squallop  faintly,  the  moment  that  thig 
strange  apparition  presented  itself ;  and, 
sinking  on  the  chair,  she  pointed  with 
a  dismayed  air  to  the  ominous-looking 
object  standing  on  the  window  shelf. 
Titmouse  from  that  supposed  she  had 
found  out  the  true  state  of  the  case. 
"Well — isn't  it  an  infernal  shame, 
Mrs.  Squallop  ? "  said  he,  getting  off 
the  bed,  and,  plucking  off  his  night- 
cap, exhibited  the  full  extent  of  his 
misfortune.  "What  d'ye  think  of 
that ! "  he  exclaimed,  staring  wildly 
at  her.  Mrs.  Squallop  gave  a  faint 
shriek,  turned  her  head  aside,  and 
motioned  him  away. 

"  I  shall  go  mad — I  shall  !  "  cried 
Titmouse,  tearing  his  green  hair. 

"Oh  Lord! — oh  Lord!"  groaned 
Mrs.  Squallo}),  evidently  expecting 
him  to  leap  upon  her.  Presently, 
however,  she  a  little  recovered  her 
presence  of  mind ;  and  Titmouse, 
stuttering  with  fury,  explained  to  her 
what  had  taken  place.  As  he  went 
on,  Mrs.  Squallop  became  less  and 
less   able   to   control  herself,    and  at 


10G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


length  hurst  Into  a  fit  of  convulsive 
laughter,  and  sat  holding  her  hands 
to   her   fat  shaking   sides,    as   it'  she 
i     ltd    have   tumbled  off  her  chair. 
Tifmouse  was  almost  on  the  point  of 
striking  her!      At   length,   howi 
;;t  went  off;  and,  wiping  her 
expressed  the  greatesl  commisera- 
him,  and  proposed  to  go  down 
and  fetch  up  some  soft  soap  and  flan- 
nel,  and  try  what   "a  good   hi 

\  would  do."  Scarce  sooner  said 
than  done — but,  alas,  in  vain.  Scrub, 
scrub — lather,  lather,  did  they  both ; 
but,  the   instant   the  soap-suds  \ 

off,    there   was    the    head   as 
e'r! 
"Oh  murder,  murder!    what  am  I 
to  do,  Mrs.  Squallop!"  groaned  Tit- 
mouse, having  taken  another  look  at 
If  in  the  glass. 
"Why— really  I'd  lie  off  to  a  police- 
oflice,  and  have  'em  all  taken  up,  if  as 
how  I  was  you  .'"  quoth  Mrs.  Squal 

"No  —  See  if  I  don't  take  that 
bottle,  and  make  the  fellow  that  sold 
it  me  swallow  what's  left  —  and  I'll 
smash  in  his  shop  front  besides!" 

"Oh  you  won't — you  mustn't — not 
on  no  account !  Stop  at  home  a 
bit,  and  be  quiet,  it.  may  go  oil'  with 
all  this  washing,  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  Soft  soap  is  an  uncommon 
ing  colours  out — 
but — a — a — excuse,  me,  Mr.  Titmouse 
— why  wasn't  you  satisfied  with 
hair  Cod  Almighty  had  given  you? 
D'ye  think  He  didn't  know  a  deal 
better  than  you  what  was  lust  for 
you?  ]'m  blest  if  I  don't  think  this 
is  a  judgment  on  you." 

"  What's  the  use  of  your  standing 

to   me   in   this  way,   Mrs. 

said  Titmouse,  first  with 

I    then   with    fury   in 

1      manner— "A'n't  1  half  m  id  « 

or  no  judgment — 
v.h.  re'    the  harm  of  my  wanting  black 

That  a'n't  y               hair,  Mrs.  Squal- 
lop- t  uiidi  r- 
;    my   soul!  I've   often 
I                I   it." 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Mr.  himper- 

anccl"  furioti  pial- 

lop,                  a  liar !  >rvc 


what  you've  got !      It  w  a  judgment, 
and  I  hope  it  will  stick  by  you — so  take 

for  jour  sauce,  you  vulgar  fellow  !  " 
(snapping  her  fingers  at  him.)  "Get 
rid  (  f  your  green  hair  if  you  can  !  It's 
only  oar:  instead  of  carrot  routs 

— ami  some  likes  one,  some  the  other — 
ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  " 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Mrs.  Squ " 

he  commenci  d,  but  she  had  gone,  hav- 
med  to  the  door  behind  her 
with  all  her  force;  and  Titmouse  was  left 
in  s  half  frantic  Btate,  in  which 
lie  continued  for  nearly  two  h< 
'  >n<  e  s  ain  he  read  over' the  atroci  >us 
pull's  which  had  overnight  inflated  him 
to  such  a  degree,  and  he  now  saw  that 
they  were  all  lies.  This  is  a  sample 
of  them  : — 

"This  divine  fluid  (as  it  was  enthu- 
siastically styled  to  the  inventor,  hy 
the  lovely  Duchess  of  Doodle)  possesses 
the  inestimable  and  astonishing  quality 
of  changing  hair,  of  whatever  colour, 
to  a  dazzling  jet  black  ;   at  the  f 

parting  to  it  a  rich  glossy  ap- 

ance,    which    wonderfully  contri- 
te the  imposing  tout  enscmbU 

ated  by  those  who  use  it.  That 
well-known  ornament  of  tho  circle  of 
fashion,  the  young  and  lovely  Mrs. 
Fitzfrippery,  owned  to  the  proprietor 
that  to  this  surprising  fluid  it  was  that 
she  was  indebted  tor  those  unrivalled 
raven  ringlets  which  attracted  the 
of  envying  and  admiring  crowds,"  and 
so  forth.  A  little  farther  on  : — "  This 
exquisite  effect  is  not  in  all  cases  pro- 
duced instantaneously;  much  will  of 
■  depend  (as  Ihc  celebrated  M. 
Dupuytren,  of  the  HotelDicu,  al  P 
inforn  inventor)  on  the  ph) 

idiosyncrasy  of  the  party  using  it,"  with 
reference  to  the  i    i 

lolouring  matfe  r  com  tituti 
fluid  in  the  capiil  I 

single  app  uffic<  a  I  tho 

lead  of  red 
to  as   deep  a  black  ;    but,    not    un- 

- 

/    ill:: .all,     |lOW" 

into  a  dt   p 
and  pel  tnanent  bla 

Thi  ■  not  a  little  revived  tho 

drooping    pirits  of  Titmouse.     Acci- 

ever,  an  nsterisk  at  the 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


107 


last  word  in  the  above  sentence,  directed 
his  eye  to  a  note  at  the  bottom  of  the 
page,  printed  in  such  minute  type  as 
baffled  any  but  the  strongest  sight  and 
mo  t  determined  eye  to  read,  and  which 
said  note  was  the  following  : — 

"Though  cases  do,  undoubtedly, 
occasionally  occur,  in  which  the  native 
inherent  indestructible  qualities  of  the 
hair  defy  all  attempts  at  change  or  even 
modification, and  resist  even  this  potent 
remedy  :  of  which,  however,  in  all  his 
experience  "  (the  wonderful  specific  has 
been  invented  for  about  six  months) 
"  the  inventor  has  known  but  very  few 
instances."  But  to  this  exceedingly 
select  class  of  unfortunate  incurables, 
poor  Titmouse,  alas  !  entertained  a 
dismal  suspicion  that  he  belonged  ! 

"Look,  sir!  Look!  Only  look 
here  what  your  cussed  stuff  has  done 
to  my  hair  !  "  said  Titmouse,  on  pre- 
senting himself  soon  after  to  the  gentle- 
man who  had  sold  him  the  infernal 
liquid  ;  and,  taking  off  his  hat,  exposed 
his  green  hair.  The  gentleman,  how- 
ever, did  not  appear  at  all  surprised, 
or  discomposed. 

"  Ah — yes  !  I  see — I  see.  You're  in 
the  intermediate  stage.  It  differs  in 
different  people " 

"Differs,  sir!  I'm  going  mad!  I 
look  like  a  green  monkey — Cuss  me  if. 
I  don't !  " 

"  In  me,  now,  the  colour  was  a  strong 
yellow.  But,  have  you  read  the  explan- 
ations that  are  given  in  the  wrapper  ?  " 

"Head  'em  ?"  echoed  Titmouse  furi- 
ously— "  I  should  think  so !  Much  good 
they  do  one  !  Sir,  you're  a  humbug  ! 
— an  impostor !  I'm  a  sight  to  be 
seen  for  the  rest  of  my  life  !  Look  at 
me,  sir  !  Eyebrows,  whiskers,  and 
all !  " 

"  Rather  a  singular  appearance,  just 
at  present,  I  must  own,"  said  the 
gentleman,  his  face  turning  suddenly 
red  all  over  with  the  violent  effort  he 
was  making  to  prevent  an  explosion  of 
laughter.  He  soon,  however,  recovered 
himself,  and  added  coolly — "If  you'll 
only  persevere " 

"  Persevere  bed d  !  "  interrupted 

Titmouse,  violently  clapping  his  hat 
on  his  head,  "I'll  teach  you  to 
persevere  in  taking  in  the  public  !     I'll 


have  a  warrant  out  against  you  in  no 
time  ! " 

"Oh,  my  dear  sir,  I'm  accustomed 
to  all  this  !  "  said  the  gentleman  coolly. 

"  The — devil — you  —  are  !  "  gasped 
Titmouse,  quite  aghast. 

"  Oh,  often — often,  while  the  liquid 
is  performing  the  first  stage  of  the 
change  ;  but,  in  a  day  or  two  afterwards, 
the  parties  generally  come  back  smil- 
ing into  my  shop,  with  heads  as  black 
as  crows  !  " 

"No!  But  really— do  they,  sir?" 
interrupted  Titmouse,  drawing  a  long 
breath. 

"Hundreds,  I  may  say  thousands, 
my  dear  sir  !  And  one  lady  gave  mo 
a  picture  of  herself,  in  her  black  hair, 
to  make  up  for  her  abuse  of  me  when 
it  was  in  a  puce  colour — Fact,  honour  !  " 

"  But  do  you  recollect  any  one's 
hair  turning  green,  and  then  getting 
black  ? "  enquired  Titmouse  with  trem- 
bling anxiety. 

"Recollect  any?  Fifty,  at  least. 
For  instance,  there  was  Lord  Albert 
Addlehead — but  why  should  I  name 
names  ?  I  know  hundreds !  But 
everything  is  honour  and  confidential 
here!" 

"And  did  Lord  what's-his-name's 
hair  go  green,  and  then  black  ;  and 
was  it  at  first  as  light  as  mine  ? " 

"  His  hair  was  redder,  and  in  conse- 
quence it  became  greener,  and  now  is 
blacker  than  ever  yours  will  be." 

"  Well,  if  I  and  my  landlady  have 
this  morning  used  an  ounce,  we've  used  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  soft  soap  in " 

"  Soft  soap  ' — soft  soap  !  "  cried  out 
the  gentleman  with  an  air  of  sudden 
alarm — "  That  explains  all,"  (he  forgot 
how  well  it  had  already  been  explained 
by  him.)  "By  Heavens,  sir ! — soft  soap ! 
You  may  have  ruined  your  hair  for 
ever  !  "  Titmouse  opened  his  eyes  and 
mouth  with  a  start  of  terror,  it  no*; 
occurring  to  his  reflecting  mind  that 
the  intolerable  green  had  preceded  and 
caused,  not  followed,  the  use  of  the  soft 
soap.  "  Go  home,  my  dear  sir !  God 
bless  you— go  home,  as  you  value  your 
hair  ;  take  this  small  bottle  of  I  >am  as- 
i  ( rs  Cream,  and  rub  it  in  before  it's 
too  late  ;  and  then  use  the  remainder 
of  the " 


108 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YE Alt. 


"Then  you  don't  think  it's  already 
too  late  ? "  enquired  Titmouse  faintly  ; 
and  having  been  assured  to  the  con- 
trary— having  asked  the  price  of  the 
Damascus  cream,  which  was  "  only 
three-and-sixpence,"  (stamp  included) 
— he  paid  it  with  a  rueful  air,  and 
took  his  departure.  He  sneaked  along 
the  streets  with  the  air  of  a  pick- 
pocket, fearful  that  every  one  he  met 
v.  as  an  officer  who  had  his  eye  on  him. 
lie  was  not,  in  fact,  very  far  otf  the 
mark  ;  for  many  a  person  smiled,  and 
stared,  and  turned  round  to  look  at 
him  as  he  went  along. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TlTMOTTSE  slunk  up-stairs  to  his 
room  in  a  sad  state  of  depression,  and 
spmt  the  next  hour  in  rubbing  into 
his  hair  the  Damascus  cream.  He 
rubbed  till  he  could  hardly  hold  his 
anus  up  any  longer,  from  Bheer fatigue. 
Having  risen  at  length  to  mark,  from 
the  glass,  tin  |  rogress  he  had  made, 
he  found  that  the  only  result  of  his 
p'  r  <  \  ering  pxcrl  ions  had  been  to  give 
a  greasy  shining  appearance  to  the 
hair,  that  remained  as  green  as  ev<  r. 
With  a  half-uttered  groan  he  sunk 
down  upon  a  chair,  and  fell  into  a 
sort  of  abstraction,  which  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  sharp  knock  at  his  door. 
Titmouse  started  up,  trembled,  and 
stood  for  a  moment  or  two  irresolute, 
iicing  farfullv  at  the  glass;  and 
then,  opening  the  door,  let  in  Mr. 
Gammon,  who  started  back  a  pace  ot 
two,  as  if  he  h  1  been  bot,  on  catch- 
ing sight  of  the  strange  figure  of  Tit- 
mou  e.    it  was  :  ■      imon 

to  try  fo  check  hi  i  laughter  ;  bo,  I 

r-post,  he  \  ielded 

1"  the  impulse,  and  laughed  w Lthoul 

P  ■  al  I  ast  two  mini! 

■  felt  desperal  Iy  angry,  hut 

how    it  ;    ami    the    timid, 

rueful,  1  air  with  which  he 

regarded  the  dreaded  .Mr.  Gammon, 

only   prolong*  I   and   i  i  ejravati  d 

)  of  thai  gentleman.     When  at 


length  he  had  a  little  recovered  him- 
self, holding  his  left  hand  to  his  side, 
with  an  exhausted  air,  he  entered  tho 
little  apartment,  and  asked  Titmouse 
what  in  the  name  of  heaven  he  had 
been  doing  to  himself:  "  Without 
this"  (in  the  absurd  slang  of  the 
lawyers)  that  he  suspected  most 
vehemently  all  tho  while  quite  well 

what  Titmouse  had  1 a  about;  hut 

ho   wished    to   hear  Titmouse's   own 
accountofthematter!— Titmouse,  not 
daring  to  hesitate,  complied — Gammon 
listening  in  an  agony  of  suppressed 
laughter.     He  looked  as  little  at  Tit- 
mouse as  he  could,  and  was  growing 
a  trifle  more  sedate,  when  Titmouse" 
in  a  truly  lamentable  tone,  enquired, 
"What's  the  good,  Mr.   Gammon,  of 
ten  thousand  a-yearwith  such  a  horrid 
head  tof  hair  as  this?"     On  hearing 
which  Gammon  jumped  off  his  chair, 
started  to  the  window,  and  laughed 
for  .me  or  two  minutes  without  ceasi 
This  was  too  much  for  Titmouse,  who 
presently  cried  aloud  in  a  lamentable 
manner;    and     Gammon,     suddenly 
ceasing  his  laughter,    turned    round 
and   apologized   in  the  most  earnest 
manner;  after   which    lie   uttered    an 
abundance  of  sympathy  for  the  suffer- 
ings which  "  he  deplored  being  unable 
to  alleviate."      He    even    restrained 
himself   when   Titmouse    again    and 
again  asked  if  he  could    not    "have 
the   law"    of  the   man   who   had   so 
imposed   on  him.     Gammon  diverted 
the  thoughts  of  his  Buffering  client,  by 
taking  from  his  pocket  some  very  im- 
posing packages  of  paper,  tied  round 
with   red  tape.     From  time  to  time, 
however,  he  almost  split  his  nose  with 
efforts   to   restrain   his    laughter,   on 
bring  a  fresh  glimpse  of  poor  Tit- 
moii  raid  hair.     Mr.  Gammon 

was  a  man  of  business,  however  ;  ami 
in  the  midst  of  all  this  di  itracting 
excitement,  contrived  to  get  Tit- 
mouse's signature  to  Bundry  papers  of 
no  Hit  Y  consequence  ;  among  A  othi  . 
fin  t,  to  a  bon  l  conditi  »ned  for  the 
E5  10  ;  S(  condly,  anothi  r 
in  agreement 
(Of  whii  h  he  gave  Titmoti  te  an  .  t 

copy)  by  which    Titmouse,    in   con- 
Bideration  of  Messrs.  (.Junk,  Gammon, 


It  was  useless  for  Gammon  to  try  to  check  his  laughter. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


109 


and  Snap  using  their  best  exertions  to 
put  him  in  possession  of  the  estate, 
&c.  &c.,  bound  himself  to  conform  to 
their  wishes  in  everything,  on  pain  of 
their  instantly  throwing  up  the  whole 
affair,  looking  out  for  another  heir-at- 
law  (!)  and  issuing  execution  forth- 
with against  Titmouse  for  all  expenses 
incurred  under  his  retainer.  I  said 
that  Gammon  gave  his  confiding  client 
an  alleged  copy  of  this  agreement ; — 
it  was  not  a  real  copy,  for  certain 
stipulations  appeared  in  each  that 
were  not  intended  to  appear  in  the 
other,  for  reasons  which  were  perfectly 
satisfactory  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap.  When  Gammon  had 
got  to  this  point,  he  thought  it  the 
fitting  opportunity  for  producing  a 
second  five-pound  note.  He  did  so, 
and  put  Titmouse  thereby  into  an 
ecstasy,  which  pushed  out  of  his  head 
for  a  while  all  recollection  of  what  had 
happened  to  his  hair.  He  had  at  that 
moment  nearly  eleven  pounds  in  hard 
cash  !  Gammon  easily  obtained  from 
him  an  account  of  his  little  money 
transactions  with  Huckaback  —  of 
which,  however,  all  he  could  tell  was 
— that  for  ten  shillings  down,  he  had 
given  a  written  engagement  to  pay 
fifty  pounds  on  getting  the  estate. 
Of  this  Gammon  made  a  careful 
memorandum,  explaining  the  atrocious 
villainy  of  Huckaback — and,  in  short, 
that  if  he  (Titmouse)  did  not  look 
very  sharply  about  him,  he  would  be 
robbed  right  and  left ;  so  that  it  was 
of  the  utmost  consequence  to  him 
early  to  learn  how  to  distinguish 
between  false  and  true  friends.  Gam- 
mon went  on  to  assure  him  that  the 
instrument  he  had  given  to  Huckaback 
was  probably,  in  point  of  law,  not 
worth  a  farthing,  on  the  ground  of  its 
being  both  fraudulent  aud  usurious  ; 
and  intimated  something,  which  Tit- 
mouse did  not  very  distinctly  com- 
prehend, about  the  efficacy  of  a  bill 
in  equity  for  a  discovery  ;  which,  at  a 
very  insignificant  expense,  (not  ex- 
ceeding £100,)  would  enable  the 
plaintiff  in  equity  to  put  the  defend- 
ant in  equity,  {i.e.  Huckabick,)  in  the 
way  of  declaring,  on  his  solemn  oath, 
that  he  had  advan  e  1  the  full  sum  <  1' 


lm- 
Tit- 


£50  :  and  having  obtained  this 
portant  and  satisfactory  result, 
mouse  would  have  the  opportunity  of 
disproving  the  statement  of  Hucka- 
back— if  he  could  ;  which  of  course  he 
could  not.  By  this  process,  however, 
a  little  profitable  employment  would 
have  been  afforded  to  a  certain  dis- 
tinguished firm  in  Saffron  Hill— and 
that  was  something — to  Gammon. 

"But,  by  the  way,  talking  of 
money,"  said  Titmouse  suddenly, 
"you  can't  think  how  surprising 
handsome  Mr.  Tag-rag  has  behaved 
to  me !  " 

"  Indeed,  my  dear  sir  !  "  exclaimed 
Gammon,  with  real  curiosity,  "what 
has  he  done  ?  " 

"Advanced  me  five  pounds — all  of 
his  own  head  !  " 

' '  Are  you  serious,  Mr.  Titmouse  ? " 
enquired  Gammon. 

Titmouse  produced  the  change 
which  he  had  obtained  for  Tag-rag's 
five-pound  note,  minus  only  the  prices 
of  the  Cyanochaitanthropopoion,  the 
Damascus  cream,  and  the  eye-glass. 
Gammon  merely  stroked  his  chin  in 
a  thoughtful  manner.  So  occupied, 
indeed,  was  he  with  his  reflections, 
that  though  his  eye  was  fixed  on  the 
ludicrous  figure  of  Titmouse,  which  so 
shortly  before  had  occasioned  him 
such  paroxysms  of  laughter,  he  did 
not  feel  the  least  inclination  even  to  a 
smile.  Tag-rag  advance  Titmouse  five 
pounds  !  Throwing  as  much  smiling 
indifference  into  his  manner  as  was 
possible,  he  asked  Titmouse  the 
particulars  of  so  strange  a  transaction. 
Titmouse  answered  (how  truly  the 
reader  can  judge)  that  Mr.  Tag-rag 
had,  in  the  very  handsomest  way, 
volunteered  the  loan  of  five  pounds ; 
and  moreover  offered  him  any  further 
sum  he  might  require  ! 

""What  a  charming  change,  Mr. 
Titmor.se  !"  exclaimed  Gammon,  with 
a  watchful  eye  and  anxious  smile. 

"  Most  delightful,  'pon  my  soul !  " 

"  Bather  sudden,  too  !—  eh  ?— Mr. 
Titmouse  ? " 

"  Why— no— no  ;  I  should  say,  'pon 
my  life,  certainly  not.  The  fact  is, 
we've  long  misunderstood  each  other. 
lie's  had  an  uncommon  good  opinion 


110 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


-Miss  Tag-rag 


of  mc  all  tho  while — peoplo  have  tried 
to  set  him  against  mc  ;  but  it's  no 
use,  he's  found  them  out — he  told  me 
so  !  And  he's  not  only  said,  but  a 
the  handsome  thing  !  He's  turned 
up,  by  Jove,  a  trump  all  of  a  sadden 
— though  it  long  looked  an  ugly  card." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha! — very! — how  curi- 
ous!" exclaimed  Mr.  Gammon, 
mechanically  revolving  several  im- 
portant matters  in  his  mind. 

"I'm  going,  too,  to  dine  at  Satin 
Lodge,  Mr.  Tag-rag's  country  house, 
next  Sunday. " 

"  Indeed  !  It  will  be  quite  a  change 
for  you,  .Mr.  Tit  mouse  !   ' 

'•  Yes,  it  will,  by  Jove  ;  and — a — a 
— what's  more — there's — hem  !— you 
understand  • " 

"Go  "ii,  I  beg,  my  dear  Mr. 
Titmouse " 

"There's  a  lady  in   the   case — not 
that  she's  said  anything  ;  but  a  uo  L' 
as  good  as  a  wink  to  a  blind  horse — 
eh  .'  Mr.  Gammon  ?  " 

"I  should  think  so 
will  have  money,  of  course?" 

"You've  hit  it!  Lots!  But  I've 
not  made  up  my  mind." 

[I'd    better    undeceive    this    poor 
devil  at  once,  ns  to  this  sordid  wretch 
rag,  (thought  Gammon,)  otherwise 
the  cunning  old  rogue  may  get  a  very 
misi  hold  upon  1dm  !     And  a 

'  in  tin-  case!  The  old  scamp  has 
a  daughter!  Whew  I  this  will  never 
(in  !  Tie  sooner  I  enlighten  my  young 
friend,  the  better — though  at  a  little 
risk.] 

"  It's  very  important  to  bo  able  to 
tell  who  are  real  and  who  false  friends, 
as   I  was  saying  just   now,  my 
Titmouse,"  said  Gammon  seriously. 

"  I  think  so.  Now  look,  for  in- 
stance, there's  (hut  fellow  Huckaback. 
J    liould  .  ay  fa    — " 

"  Pho  !  pho  !  my  dear  sir,  a  mere 
it h   thinkin 
Way  or  I  -.      But,  can't 

:   friend,   who 

"  |  »o  you  mi  :■■  fir.  T  ig-rag 
■•  I    m  ntion    no    aam  s ;    but   it's 
er  o  i'l,  tha  I  wli  □   I  am  bj   'bin;; 
of  hollow-hearted  friend  lioultl 


"The  proof  of  the  pudding— hand- 
some is  that  handsome  does ;  and 
I've  got  £b  of  his  money,  at  any 
rate." 

"Of  course,  ho  took  no  security 
for  such  a  trifle,  between  such  close 
friends  as  you  and  him  \" 

"  Oh — why — now  you  mention  it — 
But  'twas  only  a  line — one  line." 

"I  knew  it,  my  dear  sir,"  inter- 
rupted Gammon  calmly,  with  a  signi- 
t.  smile — "Tag-rag  and  Hucka- 
back, they're  on  a  par — ah,  ha,  ha! 
My  dear  Titmouse,  you  are  too  honest 
and  confiding !  " 

"What  keen  eyes  you  lawyers  have, 
to  be  sure  !  Well — I  never" — he  was 
evidently  somewhat  staggered.  "I — ■ 
I  —  must  say,''  he  presently  added, 
looking  gratefully  at  Gammon,  "I 
think  1  do  now  know  of  a  true  friend, 
that  sent  me  two  five-pound  notes, 
and  never  asked  for  any  security," 

"  My  dear  sir,  you  r.  ally  pain  me  by 
alluding  to  such  a  matter  !  " 

[Oh,  Gammon,  is  not  this  too  had  ! 
What  are  the  papers  which  you  know 
ire  now  in  your  pocket,  signed  only 
this  very  evening  by  Titmouse   | 

"You  are  not  a  match  for  Tag-rag, 
Titmouse  ;  because  he  wa  I  >r  a 

tradesman  — you  are  not.  Do  you 
think  he  would  have  parted  with  his 
£5  but  for  value  received?     Oil,  Tag- 


raj 


-rag 


•>.       e 


I  Ta 

"  1  I  i  ally  begin  to  think,  Mi-. 
Gammon — 'pon  my  soul,  I  do  think 
you're,  light." 

"  Think  ! — Why — for  a  man  of  your 
acuteness — how  could  he  i 
Could  I  he  long  i  oin    ,-   of  insult 

and  tyranny  which  you  Li  ired 

er  him  ;  that  he  should  change  all 
of  a  Budden — just  now,  when " 

"Ay,byJovol  just  when  I'm  com- 
ing into  my  property,"  interrupted 
Titmouse  qui i] 

"  To   1  i  to   bo   sure !      Just 

now,  I  say,  to  make  this  sudden 
change!     Bah  1  bah  !  " 

"  1  hah:  Ta  and  always  did. 

Now,  he's  trying  to  take  me  in,  ju  l 

es  evi  r.  body  ;  hut  I've  f id 

him  out ;  1  won'i  Layout  a  penny  with 
I" 

"  Would    VOU,    do  vou    M  in1  ,    ever 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Ill 


have  seen  tho  inside  of  Satin  Lodge, 
if  you  hadn't -" 

''Why,  I  don't  know;  I  really 
think — hem  !  " 

"  Would  you,  my  dear  sir? — But 
now  a  scheme  occurs  to  me — a  very 
amusing  idea  indeed !  Ah,  ha,  ha  ! — 
Shall  I  tell  you  a  w.;y  of  proving  to  his 
own  face  how  insincere  and  interested 
he  is  towards  you  ?  Go  to  dinner  by  all 
means,  eat  his  good  things,  hear  all 
that  the  whole  set  of  them  have  to 
say,  and  just  before  you  go,  (it  will 
require  you  to  have  your  wits  about 
you,)  pretend,  with  a  long  face,  that 
our  affair  is  all  a  bottle  of  smoke  :  say 
that  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap 
have  told  you  the  day  before  that  they 
had  made  a  horrid  mistake,  and  you 
were  the  wrong  man- " 

"  Ton  my  life,  I— I— really,"  stam- 
mered Titmouse,  "daren't — I  couldn't 
— I  couldn't  keep  it  up — he'd  half  kill 
me.  Besides,  there  will  be  Miss  Tag- 
rag — it  would  be  the  death  of  her,  I 
know." 

"  Miss  Tag-rag !  Gracious  Heavens  ! 
"What  on  earth  can  you  have  to  do 
with  her?  You — why,  if  you  really 
succeed  in  getting  this  fine  property, 
she  might  make  a  very  suitable  wife 
for  one  of  your  grooms — ah,  ha  ! — But 
for  you — absurd  !  " 

"Ah  !  I  don't  know — she  may  be  a 
devilish  fine  girl,  and  the  old  fellow 
will  have  a  tolerable  penny  to  leave 
her — and  a  bird  in  the  hand — eh  ? 
Besides,  I  know  what  she's  all  along 
thought  —  hem  !  —  but  that  doesn't 
signify." 

"Pho!  pho  !  Ridiculous !  Ha, 
ha,  ha !  Fancy  Miss  Tag-rag  Mrs. 
Titmouse  !  Your  eldest  son — ah,  ha, 
ha  !  Tag-rag  Titmouse,  Esq.  Delight- 
ful !  Your  honoured  father  a  draper 
in  Oxford  Street !  "  All  this  might 
be  very  clever,  but  it  did  not  seem  to 
tell  upon  Titmouse,  whose  little  heart 
had  been  reached  by  a  cunning  hint  of 
Tag-rag's,  concerning  his  daughter's 
flattering  estimate  of  Titmouse's  per- 
sonal appearance.  The  reason  why 
Gammon  attacked  so  seriously  a  matter 
which  appeared  so  chimerical  and  pre- 
posterous, was  this  —  that,  according 
to  his  present  plan,  Titmouse  was  to 


remain  for  some  considerable  while  at 
Tag-rag's,  and,  with  his  utter  weak- 
ness of  character,  might  be  worked 
upon  by  Tag-rag  and  his  daughter, 
and  get  inveigled  into  an  engagement 
which  might  be  productive,  hereafter, 
of  no  little  embarrassment.  He  suc- 
ceeded, however,  at  length,  in  obtain- 
ing Titmouse's  promise  to  adopt  his 
suggestion,  and  thereby  discover  the 
true  nature  of  the  feelings  entertained 
towards  him  at  Satin  Lodge.  Ha 
shook  Titmouse  energetically  by  the 
hand,  and  left  him  perfectly  certain, 
that  if  there  was  one  person  in  tho 
world  worthy  of  his  esteem,  and  even 
reverence,  that  person  was  Oily  Gam- 
mon, Esq. 

As  he  bent  his  steps  towards  Saffron 
Hill,  he  reflected  rather  anxiously  on 
several  matters  that  had  occurred  to 
him  during  the  interview  which  I 
Lave  just  described.  On  reaching  tho 
office,  he  was  presently  closeted  with 
Mr.  Quirk,  to  whom,  first  and  fore- 
most, he  exhibited  and  delivered  the 
documents  to  which  he  had  obtained 
Titmouse's  signature,  and  which,  tho 
reader  will  allow  me  to  assure  him, 
were  of  a  somewhat  different  texture 
from  a  certain  legal  instrument  or 
security  which  I  laid  before  him  some 
little  time  ago. 

"Now,  Gammon,"  said  the  old 
jrentleman,  as  soon  as  he  had  locked 
up  in  his  safe  the  above-mentioned 
documents — "Now,  Gammon,  I  think 
we  may  be  up  and  at  'em ;  load  our 
guns,  and  blaze  away,"  and  he  rubbed 
his  hands. 

"Perhaps  so,  Mr.  Quirk,"  replied 
Gammon;  "but  we  must,  for  no 
earthly  consideration,  be  premature  in 
our  operations  !  Let  me,  by  the  way, 
tell  you  one  or  two  little  matters  that 
have  just  occurred  to  Titmouse !  " — 
Then  he  told  Sir.  Quirk  of  the  effects 
which  had  followed  the  use  of  tho 
potent  Cyanochaitanthropopoion,  at 
which  old  Quirk  almost  laughed  him- 
self into  fits.  "When,  however,  Gam- 
mon, with  a  serious  air,  mentioned 
the  name  of  Miss  Tag-rag,  and  his 
grave  suspicions  concerning  her,  Q.iirk 
bounced  up  out  of  his  chair,  almost 
startling  Gammon  out  of  his.     If  ho 


112 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAll. 


had  just  }>con  told  that  his  banker  had 
broke,  ho  could  scarce  have  shown 
more  emotion. 

The  fact  was,  that  he,  too,  had  a 
DAUGHTER — an  only  child — Miss  Quirk 
— whom  he  had  destined  to  become 
Mrs.  Titmouse. 

"A  designing  old  villain! "he  ex- 
claimed at  length,  and  Gammon  agreed 
with  him;  but,  strange  to  say,  with 
all  his  acutences,  never  adverted  to 
the  real  cause  of  Quirk's  sudden  and 
vehement  exclamation.  When  Gam- 
mon told  him  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  open  d  Titmouse's  eyes  to  the 
knavery  of  Tag-rag,  and  the  expedient 
he  had  si  i  for  its  demonstration, 

Quirk  could  have  worshipped  Gammon, 
and  could  not  help  rising  and  shaking 
him  very  energetically  hy  the  hand, 
much  to  his  astonishment.  After  a 
long  consultation,  two  things  were 
agreed  upon  hy  the  partners;  to  look 
out  fresh  lodgings  for  Titmouse,  and 
rcmovo  him  presently  altogether  from 
the  company  and  influence  of  Tag-rag. 
Borne  time  after  they  had  parted,  Quirk 
came  with  an  eager  air  into  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's room,  with  a  most  important 
suggestion  ;  viz.  whether  it  would  not 
be  possible  for  them  to  get  Tag-rag  to 
become  a  surety  to  them,  hy  and  by, 
on  behalf  of  Titmouse  ?  Gammon  was 
delighted  !  —  He  heartily  commended 
Mr.  Quirk's  sagacity,  and  promised  to 
turn  it  about  in  his  thoughts  very 
carefully.  Not  Laving  been  let  en- 
tirely into  Quirk's  policy,  (of  which 
the  reader  lias,  however,  just  had  a 

ipse,)  Mr.  Gammon  di>l  not  Bee  the 
difficulties  which  kepi  Quirk  awake 
almost  all  that  night  ;  viz.  how  to 
protect  Titmouse  from  the  machina- 
tions of  Tag-rag  and  his  daughter,  and 
yet  keep  Tag-rag  sufficiently  interested 
in,  and  intimate  with,  Titmouse,  to 
entertain,  by  and  by,  the  idea  of 
becoming  bu»  ty  for  him  to  them,  the 
",  i.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
withal — how  to  in  i 
Titmouse  all  the  while,  so  as  to  for- 

1  their  objects,  and  also  thai  of 
turning  his  attention  towards  Misj 
QuirK  ;  all  this  formed  really  rathi  c  d 
difficult  prol  li  in  I— Quirk  looked  down 
on  Tag-rag  with  honest   i:;1 


as  a  mean  and  mercenary  fellow,  whose 
unprincipled  schemes,  thank  Heaven  ! 
he  already  saw  through,  and  from 
which  he  resolved  to  rescue  his  i: 
cent  and  confiding  client,  -who  was 
made  for  better  things — to  wil,  Miss. 
Quirk. 

"When  Titmouse  rose  the.  next  morn- 
ing, (Saturday,)  behold — he  found  his 
hair  had  become  of  a  variously  i  h  idi  A 
purple  or  violet  colour  !  Astonishment 
and  apprehension  by  turns  possessed 
him,  as  lie  stared  into  th  gin  },  at 
this  unlooked-for  change  of  colour; 
and    hastily    dressing    nil  ifter 

swallowing  a  very  slight  breakfii  it,  off 
he  went  once  more  to  the  scientific 
establishment  in  Bond  Street,  to  which 
he  had  been  indebted  fo"  his  reci  ut 
delightful  experiences.  The  distin- 
guished inventor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Cyanochaitanthropopoion  was  behind 
the  counter  as  usual — calm  and  confi- 
dent as  ever. 

"  Ah  !  I  see — as  I  said  1  as  I  said  !  " 
quoth  he,  with  a  sort  of  glee  in  Ins 
manner.  "Isn't  it? — coming  round 
quicker  than  usual — Really,  I'm  sell- 
ing more  of  the  article  than  I  can 
possibly  make." 

""Well,"— at  length  said  Titmouse, 
as  soon  as  he  had  recov<  red  from  tho 
surprise  occasioned  by  the  sudden  volu- 
bility with  which  he  had  been  assailed 
on  entering — "then  is  it  really  going 
on  tolerable  well  ? "  taking  off  his  hat, 
and  looking  anxiously  into  a  glass  that 
hung  close  by. 

"  Tol  ruble  well,  my  dear  sir  !  De- 
lightful! Perfect  !  Couldn't  be  better  I 
If  you'd  studied  the  thing,  you'd  know, 
sir,  that  purple  is  the  middle  colour 
between  green  and  black.  Indeed, 
black's  only  purple  and  green  mixed, 
which  explains  the  whole  thing! 
Titmouse  listened  with  infinite  satis- 
faction to  this  philosophieal  statement. 

"Remember,    sir  —  my  hair  is  to 
■  like  yours — eh  J  you  recollect, 
sir?     Honour — that  was  tho  bargain, 
you  know  !  " 

"  I  have  v  ry  little  doubt  of  it,  sir — 
rtain  of  it,  knowing  it  by 
•." 

[The  si  imp  had  been  hired  expressly 
fa-  tho  pi  r  •  e  of  lying  thus  in  sup- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


113 


Eort  of  the  Cyanochaitanthropopoion  ; 
is  own  hair  being  a  natural  black.] 
fc  "I'm  going  to  a  grand  dinner  to- 
morrow, sir,"  said  Titmouse,  "with 
some  devilish  great  people,  at  the  west 
end  of  the  town — eh  ?  you  understand  ? 
will  it  do  by  that  time  ?  "Would  give 
a  trifle  to  get  my  hair  a  shade  darker 
by  that  time—  for — hem ! — most  lovely 
girl — eh  ?  you  understand  the  thing  ? 
— devilish  anxious,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,  you  know  !  " 

"Yes — I  do,"  replied  the  gentle- 
man of  the  shop,  in  a  confidential  tone  ; 
and  opening  one  of  the  glass  doors 
behind  him,  took  out  a  bottle  consider- 
ably larger  than  the  first,  and  handed 
it  to  Titmouse.  "This,"  said  he,  "will 
complete  the  thing ;  it  combines 
chemically  with  the  purple  particles, 
and  the  result  is — generally  arrived  at 
in  about  two  days'  time " 

"  But  it  will  do  something  in  a  night's 
time — eh  ? — surely." 

"I  should  think  so!  But  here  it 
is — it  is  called  the  Tetaragmenon 
Abracadabra." 

"What  a  name!"  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse with  a  kind  of  awe.  "Ton 
honour,  it  almost  takes  one's  breath 
away " 

"  It  will  do  more,  sir  ;  it  will  take 
your  red  hair  away  !  By  the  way,  only 
the  day  before  yesterday,  a  lady  of  high 
rank,  (between  ourselves,  Lady  Caroline 
Carrot,)  whose  red  hair  always  seemed 
as  if  it  would  have  set  her  bonnet  in  a 
blaze — ha,  ha! — came  here,  after  two 
days'  use  of  the  Cyanochaitanthropo- 
poion,  and  one  day's  use  of  this  Teta- 
ragmenon  Abracadabra — and  asked  me 
if  I  knew  her.  Upon  my  soul  I  did 
not,  till  she  solemnly  assured  me  she 
was  really  Lady  Caroline  !  " 

' '  Hoio  much  is  it  ? "  eagerly  enquired 
Titmouse,  thrusting  his  hand  into  his 
pocket,  with  no  little  excitement. 

"  Only  nine-and-sixpence." 

"Oh,  my  stars,  what  a  price! 
Nine-and-six " 

"Ah,  but  would  you  have  believed 
it,  sir?  This  extraordinary  fluid  cost 
a  great  German  chemist  his  whole  life 
to  bring  to  perfection  ;  and  it  contains 
expensive  materials  from  all  tho  four 
corners  of  the  world  !  " 


"That  may  bo  — but  really  — I'vo 
laid  out  a  large  figure  with  you,  sir, 
this  day  or  two !      Couldn't  you  say 

eight  sh "  J 

"  "We  never  abate,  sir  ;   it's  not  our 
style  of  doing  business,"  replied  "the 
gentleman,   in   a   manner  that   quite 
overawed  poor  Titmouse,  who  at  once 
bought   this,  the  third  abomination  ; 
not  a  little  depressed,  however,  at  the 
heavy  prices  he  had  paid  for  the  three 
bottles,  and  the  uncertainty  he  felt  as 
to  the  ultimate  issue.     That  night  he 
was  so  well  satisfied  with  the  progress 
which  the  hair  on  his  head  was  making, 
(for,  by  candle-light,  it  really  looked 
much   darker  than  could   have   been 
expected,)    that    he  resolved — at    all 
events  for  the  present — to  leave  well 
alone  ;    or  at  the  utmost,  to  try  the 
effects  of  the  Tetaragmenon  Abracada- 
bra   only    upon     his    eyebrows    and 
whiskers.     Into  them  he  rubbed  tho 
new   specific ;    which,    on   the  bottle 
being  opened,  surprised  him  in  two 
respects  :  first,  it  was  jicrfectly  colour- 
less ;  secondly,  it  had  a  most  infernal 
smell.     However,  it  was  no  use  hesi- 
tating :  he  had  bought  and  paid  for  it ; 
and  the  papers  it  was  folded  in  gave  an 
account  of  its  success  that  was  really 
irresistible  and  unquestionable.    Away, 
therefore,  he  rubbed  ;    and  when   he 
had  finished,  got  into  bed,  in  humble 
hope  as  to  the  result,  which  would  be 
disclosed  by  the  morning's  light.     But, 
alas  !    would   you  have  believed  it  ? 
WThen  he   looked  at  himself  in  the 
glass,  about  six  o'clock,  (at  which  hour 
he  awoke,)  I  protest  it  is  a  fact,  that 
his   eyebrows  and  whiskers   were  as 
white  as  snow  ;  which,  combining  with 
the  purple  colour  of  the  hair  on  his 
head,   rendered  him  one  of  the  most 
astounding  objects  (in  human  shape) 
the   eye    of   man    had    ever    beheld. 
There  was  the  wisdom  of  age  seated 
in  his  eyebrows  and  whiskers,  unspeak- 
able youthful  folly  in  his  features,  and 
a  purple   crown  of  wonder   on  his 
head. 

P^eally,  it  seemed  as  if  the  devil  were 
wreaking  his  spite  on  Mr.  Titmouse  ; 
nay,  perhaps  it  was  the  devil  himself 
who  had  served  him  with  the  bottles 
in  Bond  Street.      Or  was  it  a  mero 

I 


114 


Ti:X  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


ordinary  servant  of  the  devil — some 
greedy,  impudent,  unprincipled  b\ 
later,  who,  desirous  of  acting  on  the 
approved  maxim — ]■' 
in  r-  vili — had  pitched  on  Tit- 

mouse (s  eing  the  sort  of  person  lie 

what 
duced  n:i  his  hair,  so  as 
the  stuff  was  paid  for,  and  its  effects 
noted?    It  might  possihly have  I 
sport  to  the  gentleman  of  the  si 
hut  it.  was  near  proving  death  to  | 
Titmouse,  who  really  might  have  re- 
solved   on   throwing  himself   out   of 
the  window,  only  that  he  saw  it  was 
not  hi;,'   enough  for  a  bihy  to   get 
through.      Hi-  turned  aghast  at  the 
monstrous  ohject  which  his  little  glass 
presented    to   him;    ami   sunk   down 
upon  the  bed  with  a  feeling  as  if  he 
Were  now  fit  for  death.      As  hefore, 
JUrs.  Squallop  made   her  apj 
with  his  kettle  for  breakfast.    He  was 
sitting  at  the  table  d  and  with 

his  arms  fol  led,  with  a  reckless  air, 
not  at  all  caring  to  conceal  the  new 
ami  still  more  frightful  change  which 
he  had  undergone  .since  .she  saw  him 
last.  Mrs.  Squallop  stared  at  him  for 
a  second  or  two  in  silence  ;  th  m, 
ping  hack  out  of  the  room,  suddenly 
drew  to  the  door,  and  stood  outside, 
laughing  vehemently] 

"I'llkickyou  down-stairs! "  shouted 
Titmouse,  rushing  to  the  door,  pale 
with  fury,  ami  pulling  it  open. 

"Mr.  — Mr.  — Titmouse,  you'll  be 

Che  d  sath  of  me — you  will — you  will!" 

ped  Mrs,,  Squallop,  almost  black  in 

.  and  the  water  running  out  of 

1  lie  kettle,  which  she  was  unconsciously 

holding  in  a  slant.      After  a  while, 

iver,  they  got  reconciled.     Mrs. 

Squallop  had  fancied  he  had  b  en  bul 

rubbing  chalk  on  his  ey  (brows 

whi  ;  and  .  in- 

■  ili  ■  true  state  of  the 

He  implored  her  to  i  ei  '1  out 

for  f  ink  ;    1 

I    1  0 

fl  i  try  a  little 
;      lid— but,  ■ 

tie  □  hour  01 

i 

ir  which  Heaven 


had  thought  fit  to  send  him  into  the 
world  with  !  Alas,  with  what  mourn- 
ful force  Mrs.  Squallop's  words  again 
and  again  recurred  to  him!  To 
that  he  ate  breakfast  would  be  scan 
correct.  He  drank  a  single  cup  of 
cocoa,    and    ate    about    three    inches' 

th   and  thickness  of  a  roll, 
then  put  away  his  breakfast  things  on 

window  shelf.  If  he  had  been  in 
the  humour  to   go    to    church,  how 

I  he  ?    lie  would  have  been  tu 
out  as  an  ohject  involuntarily  exciting 
i  \  *  rybody  to  laughter  ! 

Yet,  poor  soul,  in  this  extremity  of 
misery,  he  was  not  utterly  neg 
for  he  had  that  morning  quite  a  li 

First  came  11  r.  Snap,  who, 
having  quite  as  keen  and  clear  an  eye 
for  his  own  interest  as  his  senior  part- 
ners, had  early  seen  how  capable  was 

.  lintance  with  Titmouse  of  being 
turned  to  his  (Snap's)  great  advan- 
tage. He  had  come,  therefore,  dressed 
\<  ry  stylishly,  to  do  a  little  hit  of 
toadying  on  the  sly,  (on  his  own 

ive    account;)    and    had    brou 
with  him,  for  tie:  edification  of  Tit- 
le,  a  copy  of  that  day's  Sum* 

h,  which  contained  a  long  account 
of  a  Moody  fight  !■.  tween  Birmingham 

ones  and  London  Littlcgo,  for 
£500  a-side  (sixty  rounds   had    been 

lit,    both    men   killed,   and    their 
dshad  bolted  to  Boul 
Snap,  however,  though  he  had  come 
with  the  lest  intentions,  and  the  r 

ous  wish  to  evince  profound  re- 
spect for  the  future  master  of  ten 
thousand  a-year,  was  quite  taken  by 

i  by  the  very  first  glimpse  ho 
got  of  Tii  mouse,  and  could  no!  for  a 
L  d  '  v> hUe  recover  binu  it',     lie  | 

■  to  ask  Titmou  ■  ■  to  dine  with 
him  at  a  tavern  in  the  Strand,  wl. 
was  to  he  capital  singing  in  I 
evening  ;  and  also  to  i 
on  the  ensuing  morning,    to   the  I 

y,   to  1;.-  ir  "a  must    ;,,( 
trial  "  foi  .  in  which  Snap  ■ 

mi>  d   for    the    i 

it,  who  hid  been  married 
living  v., .mi  n.     Si  1  ( ind 

■     I 
•  a  striking  id<  i  of  |  ,':,) 

him  so  mo-  )i,  and 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


IK 


apparently  so  familiarly  concerned 
with  well-known  counsel.  In  his  own 
terse  and  quaint  way,  he  was  explain- 
ing to  Titmousa  the  various  remedies 
he  had  against  the  Bond  Street  im- 
postor, both  by  indictment  and  action 
on  the  case  ;  nay,  (getting  a  little,  how- 
ever, beyond  his  depth,)  he  assured 
the  eager  Titmouse,  that  a  bill  of 
discovery  would  lie  in  equity,  to 
ascertain  what  the  Tetaragmenon  Ab- 
racadabra was  composed  of,  with  a 
view  to  his  preferring  an  iudictment 
against  his  owner,  when  his  learned 
display  was  interrupted  by  a  double 
knock,  and — oh,  mercy  on  us  ! — enter 
Mr.  Gammon.  "Whether  he  or  Snap 
felt  more  disconcerted,  I  cannot  say  ; 
but  Snap  looked  the  most  confused  and 
sneaking.  Each  told  the  other  a  lie, 
in  as  easy,  good-natured  a  way  as  he 
could  assume,  concerning  the  object 
of  his  visit  to  Titmouse.  Thus  they 
were  going  on,  when — another  knock 
■ — and,  "  Is  this  Mr.  Titmouse's  ? "  en- 
quired a  voice,  which  brought  a  little 
colour  into  the  face  of  both  Gammon 
and  Snap  ;  for  it  was  absolutely  old 
Quirk,  who  bustled  breathless  into  the 
room,  on  his  first  visit,  and  seemed 
completely  confounded  by  the  sight  of 
both  his  partners.  What  with  this, 
and  the  amazing  appearance  presented 
by  Titmouse,  Mr.  Quirk  Avas  so  over- 
whelmed that  he  scarce  spoke  a  syl- 
lable. Each  of  the  three  partners  felt 
(in  his  own  way)  exquisite  embarrass- 
ment. Huckaback,  some  time  after- 
wards, made  his  appearance,  but  him 
Titmouse  unceremoniously  dismissed 
in  a  twinkling,  in  spite  of  a  vehement 
remonstrance.  But  presently,  behold 
another  arrival  —  Mr.  Tag-rag,  who 
had  come  to  announce  that  his  car- 
riage, (i.  e.  a  queer,  rickety,  little 
one-horse  chaise,  with  a  tallow-faced 
boy  in  it,  in  faded  livery,)  was  waiting 
to  convey  Mr.  Titmouse  to  Satin 
Lodge,  and  take  him  a  long  drive 
in  the  country !  Each  of  these  four 
worthies  could  have  spit  in  the  other's 
face  :  first,  for  delecting,  and,  secondly, 
for  rivalling  him  in  his  schemes  upon 
Titmouse.  A  few  minutes  after  the 
arrival  of  Tag-rag,  Gammon,  half- 
eholced   with   disgust,    and   despising 


himself  even  more  than  his  fellow- 
visitors,  slunk  off,  followed  almost 
immediately  by  Quirk,  who  was  dying 
to  consult  him  on  this  new  aspect  of 
affairs  which  had  presented  itself. 
Snap  (who,  ever  since  the  arrival  of 
Messrs.  Quirk  and  Gammon,  had  felt 
like  an  ape  on  hot  irons)  very  shortly 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  part- 
ners, having  made  no  engagement 
whatever  with  Titmouse  ;  and  thus 
the  enterprising  and  determined  Tag- 
rag  was  left  master  of  the  field.  He 
had  in  fact  come  to  do  business,  and 
business  he  determined  to  do.  As  for 
Gammon,  during  the  short  time  he 
had  stayed,  how  he  had  endeared 
himself  to  Titmouse,  by  explaining, 
not  aware  that  Titmouse  had  con- 
fessed all  to  Snap,  the  singular  change 
in  the  colour  of  his  hair  to  have  been 
occasioned  simply  by  the  intense  men- 
tal anxiety  through  which  he  had 
lately  passed  !  The  anecdotes  he  told 
of  sufferers,  whose  hair  a  single  night's 
agony  had  changed  to  all  the  colours 
of  the  rainbow  !  Though  Tag-rag  out- 
stayed all  his  fellow-visitors,  in  the 
manner  which  has  been  described,  he 
could  not  prevail  upon  Titmouse  to 
accompany  him  in  his  "  carriage,"  for 
Titmouse  pleaded  a  pressing  engage- 
ment, (i.  e.  a  desperate  attempt  he 
purposed  making  to  obtain  some  ink,) 
but  pledged  himself  to  make  his 
appearance  at  Satin  Lodge  at  tho 
appointed  hour,  (half-past  three  for 
four  o'clock. )  Away,  therefore,  drove 
Tag-rag,  delighted  that  Satin  Lodge 
would  so  soon  contain  so  resplendent  a 
visitor — indignant  at  the  cringing,  sy- 
cophantic attentions  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  against  whom  he 
resolved  to  put  Titmouse  on  his  guard, 
and  infinitely  astonished  at  the  ex- 
traordinary change  that  had  taken 
place  in  the  colour  of  Titmouse's  hair. 
Partly  influenced  by  the  explanation 
which  Gammon  had  given  of  the  phe- 
nomenon, Tag-rag  resigned  himself  to 
feelings  of  simple  wonder.  Titmouse 
was  doubtless  passing  through  stages 
of  physical  transmogrification,  corre- 
sponding with  the  marvellous  change 
that  was  taking  place  in  his  circum- 
stances; —  and   for  all  he   (Tag-n 

i   • 


110 


TEX   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


kni  w,  other  and  more  extraordinary 
changes  were  going  on ;  Titmouse 
might  be  growing  at  the  rate  of  half 
an  inch  a-day,  and  Boon  stand  before 
him  a  man  more  than  six  feet  high  ! 
Considerations  such  as  these  invested 
Titmouse  v.  it K  intense  ami  overpower- 
ing interest  in  the  estimation  of  Tag- 
rag  ;  lioio  could  he  make  enough  of 
him  at  Satin  Lodge  that  day?  If 
ever  that  hardened  sinner  felt  inclined 
to  utter  an  inward  prayer,  it  was  as 
he  drove  home — that  Heaven  would 
array  his  daughter  in  angel  hues  to 
the  eyes  of  Titmouse  ! 

My  f;  iend  Til  I  li  bat  made  his  appear- 
ance at  the  gate  of  Satin  Lodge,  at 
about  a  quarter  to  four  o'clock.  Good 
gracious,  how  he  hud  dressed  himself 
out!  He  considerably  exceeded  his 
appearance  when  first  presented  to  the 
reader. 

Mi  s  Tag-rag  had  been  before  her 
glass  evi  I  '  the  instant  of  her  re- 
turn from  chapel,  up  to  within  ten 
minutes'  time  of  Titmouse's  arrival. 
An  hour  and  a  half  at  leasl  h  id  she 
bestowed  on  her  hair,  disposing  it  in 
little  corkscrew  and  somewhat  scanty 
curls,  that  quite  glistened  in  bear's 
grease,  hanging  on  each  side  of  a  pair 
of  lean  and  sallow  cheeks.  The  colour 
which  ought  to  have  distributed 
itself  over  her  cheeks,  in  roseate  deli- 
,  had  thought  lit  to  collect  itself 
into  the  tip  of  her  sharp  lit  le  nose. 
Hi  r  small  grey  eyes  beamed  with  the 
geutle  and  attractive  expression  that 
v.  perceptible  in  her  father's,  and 
hi  !■  projecting  under  lip  reminded 
everybody  of  that  delicate  feature  in 
her  mother.  She  wa  3  very  1  hort,  and 
her  figure  ratlin-  shinny  and  angular. 
.Sin-  wore  her  lilac-coloured  frock  ; 
hi  r  wai  t  \y  ing  pinched  into  a  degn  e 
that  mad.'  you  think  of  a  tit  of  the 
colic  v.  In  ;.  3  ou  loi  her.    A  long 

red  sash,  tied  in  b  '■  iborate  bow, 

gave  a  very  brilliant  air  to  her  d 

old  chain 
round  h  and  wore  long  white 

gl  \i  :  ;    her   l(  i'i    Land   holding 
pocl  bicf,  win  li   •  be   had 

nted 
the 
jii.i  If  vi  iy    1  li  ndid,  in  a  n  d 


silk  gown  and  staring  head-dress  ;  in 
fact,  she  seemed  on  fire.  As  for  Hr. 
Tag-rag,  whenever  he  was  dressed  in 
his  Sunday  clothes,  he  looked  the 
model  of  a  dissenting  minister ;  in 
his  black  coat,  waistcoat,  and  trousers, 
and  primly-tied  white  neckerchief, 
with  no  shirt-collar  visible.  For  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  had  this  interest- 
ing trio  been  standing  at  their  parlour 
window,  in  anxious  expectation  of 
Titmouse's  arrival ;  their  only  amuse. 
ment  being  the  numberless  dusty 
stage-coaches  driving  every  five  min- 
utes close  past  their  gate,  (which  was 
about  ten  yards  from  their  house,) 
at  once  enlivening  and  ruralizing 
the  scene.  Oh,  that  poor  laburnum 
— laden  with  dust,  drooping  with 
d rough t,  and  evidently  in  the  very 
last  stage  of  a  decline  —  that  was 
planted  beside  the  little  gate  !  T 
rag  spoke  of  cutting  it  down  ;  but 
.Mrs.  and  Hiss  Tag-rag  begged  its  life 
a  little  longer — and  then  thai  subject 
dropped.  How*  was  it  that,  though 
both  the  ladies  had  sat  under  a 
thundering  discourse  from  Mr.  Dis- 
mal Horror  that  morning — they  had 
never  once  since  thought  or  spoke  of 
him  or  his  sermon — never  even  opened 
his  "Gro  mst"  The  reason  was  plain. 
Tiny  thought  of  Titmouse,  who  was 
bringing  "airs  from  heaven  ;"  while 
Horror  brought  only  "blasts  from 
hell" — and  those  they  had  every  day 
in  the  Week,  (his  sermons  on  t lie 
Sunday,  his  "Groans"  on  the  week 
day.)  At  length  Miss  Tag-rag's  little 
heart  fluttered  violently,  for  her  papa 
told   her  that  Titmouse  was  coming 

up    the    road— and    so    he    was.       Not 

dreaming  that   he  could  he   seen,   he 

b1 1  be  ide  the  gate  for  a  moment, 

under  the  melancholy  laburnum  ;  and, 
talcing  a  dirty-looking  silk  handker- 
chief out  of  his  hat,  slapped  it  vigor- 
y  ah  ut  his  boots,  (from  whii  h 
circumstance  it  may  be  inferred  that 
lie  had  walked,)  ana  replaci  d  it  in 
hat.  Tli  n  he  unbul  torn  d  his  sur- 
ly, and  dispo      I 

chain  and  ej  ist  bo  as  to 

li  I   the  tip  only  01  the  latter  be  Been 

of  his  waistcoat  ;  1v\  itched 

up  bis  collars,  plucked  down  his  wri  t- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


117 


bands,  drew  the  lip  of  a  white  pocket- 
handkerchief  out  of  the  pocket  in  the 
breast  of  his  surtout,  pulled  a  white 
glove  half-way  on  his  left  hand  ;  and, 
having  thus  given  the  finishing  touches 
to  his  toilet,  opened  the  gate,  and — 
Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esquire,  the  great 
guest  of  the  day,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  (swinging  a  little  ebony  cane 
about  with  careless  grace)  entered  the 
domain  of  Mr.  Tag-rag. 

The  little  performance  I  have  been 
describing,  though  every  bit  of  it 
passing  under  the  eyes  of  Tag-rag, 
his  wife,  and  his  daughter,  had  not 
excited  a  smile ;  their  anxious  feelings 
were  too  deep  to  be  reached  or  stirred 
by  light  emotions.  Miss  Tag-rag  turned 
very  pale  and  trembled. 

"  La,  pa!  "  said  she  faintly,  "how 
could  you  say  he'd  got  white  eyebrows 
and  whiskers  ?  "Why — they're  a  beauti- 
ful black .' " 

Tag-rag  was  speechless :  the  fact 
was  so— for  Titmouse  had  fortunately 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  little  bottle 
of  ink,  which  he  had  applied  with 
great  effect.  As  Titmouse  approached 
the  house,  (Tag-rag  hurrying  out  to 
opeu  the  door  for  him,)  he  saw  the 
two  ladies  standing  at  the  windows. 
Off  went  his  hat,  and  out  dropped  the 
silk  handkerchief,  not  a  little  discon- 
certing him  for  the  moment.  Tag-rag, 
however,  soon  occupied  his  attention 
id  the  door  with  anxious  civilities, 
shaking  him  by  the  hand,  hanging 
up  his  hat  and  stick,  and  then  intro- 
ducing him  to  the  sitting-room.  The 
ladies  received  him  with  the  most  pro- 
found curtsies,  which  Titmouse  re- 
turned with  a  cpuick  embarrassed  bow, 
and  an  indistinct — "I  hope  you're 
well,  mem?" 

If  they  had  had  presence  of  mind 
enough  to  observe  it,  the  purple  colour 
of  Titmouse's  hair  must  have  surprised 
them  not  a  little  ;  all  they  could  see, 
however,  was — the  angelic  owner  of 
ten  thousand  a-year. 

The  only  person  tolerably  at  his 
ease,  and  he  only  tolerably,  was  Mr. 
Tag-rag  ;  and  he  asked  his  guest- — — 

"  Wash  your  hands,  Titmouse,  be- 
fore dinner  1 "  But  Titmouse  said  he 
had  washed  them  before  he  had  come 


out.  [Tho  day  was  hot,  and  ho  had 
walked  five  miles  at  a  slapping  pace.] 
In  a  few  minutes,  however,  he  felt  a 
little  more  assured  ;  for  it  was  impos- 
sible for  him  not  to  perceive  the  awful 
deference  with  which  he  was  treated. 

"Seen  the  Sunday  Flash,  mem?" 
said  ho  modestly,  addressing  Mrs. 
Tag-rag. 

"I — I — that  is — not  to-day,"  she 
replied,  colouring. 

"Vastly  amusing,  isn't  it?"  inter- 
posed  Tag-rag,  to  prevent  mischief — 
for  he  knew  his  wife  would  as  soon 
have  taken  a  cockatrice  into  her  hand. 

"Ye  —  e  —  s,"  replied  Titmouse, 
who  had  not  even  glanced  at  the 
copy  which  Snap  had  brought  him. 
"An  uncommon  good  fight  T>etwecn 
Birmingham  Big " 

Tag-rag  saw  his  wife  getting  redder 
and  redder.  "  No  news  stirring  about 
Ministers,  is  there  ? "  said  he,  with 
a  desperate  attempt  at  a  diversion. 

"  Not  that  I  have  heard,"  replied 
Titmouse.  Soon  he  got  a  little  further, 
and  said  how  cheerful  the  stages  going 
past  must  make  the  house.  Tag-rag 
agreed  with  him.  Then  there  was 
a  little  pause. 

"  Been  to  church,  mem,  this  morn- 
ing, mem  ? "  timidly  enquired  Tit- 
mouse of  Miss  Tag-rag. 

"Yes,  sir,"  she  replied,  faintly 
colouring,  casting  her  eyes  to  the 
ground,  and  suddenly  pulting  her 
hand  into  that  of  her  mother — with 
such  an  innocent,  engaging  simplicity 
— like  a  timid  fawn  lying  as  close  as 
possible  to  its  dam  !  * 

"  We  always  go  to  cha.pcl,  sir,"  said 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  confidently,  in  spite  of 
a  very  fierce  look  from  her  husband  ; 
"the  gospel  isn't  preached  in  tho 
Church  of  England.  We  sit  under 
Mr.  Horror — a  heavenly  preacher! 
You've  heard  of  Mr.  Horror  ? " 

"Yes,   mem!      Oh,  yes!     Capital 
preacher  !  "  replied  Titmouse,  who  of 
course  (being  a  true  churchman)  had 
never  in  his  life  heard  of  Mr.  Horror, 
or  any  other  dissenter. 
*  "  Vitas  hinnuleo  me  similis,  Chlog, 
Qua;renti  pavidam  montis  aviia 
Matrem. 

et   corde    ct  genibus  tremit." 

Hok.  i.  23. 


118 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YE  All. 


""When  will  dinner  be  ready,  Mrs. 
T.  ?"  enquired  Tag-rag  abruptly,  and 
with  a  very  perceptible  dash  of  stern- 
ness in  his  tone  ;  but  dinner  was  an- 
nounced the  very  next  moment.  He 
took  his  wife's  arm,  and  in  doing  so, 
gave  it  a  Budden  vehement  pressure, 
which,  coupled  with  a  furious  glance, 
explained  to  her  the  extent  to  which 
she  had  incurred  his  anger.  She 
thought,  however,  of  Mr.  Horror,  and 
was  silent. 

Titmouse's  proffered  arm  the  timid 
Miss  Tag-rag  scarcely    touched   with 
the    tip  of  her  linger,  as  she  walked 
beside  him  to  dinner.     Titmouse  soon 
got    tolerably  composed  and  cheerful 
at  dinner  (which  consisted  of  a  little 
piece  of  nice  roast  beef,  with  plenty 
of  horse-radish,  Yorkshire  pudding,  a 
.  d  fowl,  a  plum-pudding  made  by 
Mrs.  Tag-rag,  and  custards  which  had 
been  Bupi  rinti  tided  by  M  iss  1 
and,  to  oblige  his  hospitable  host  and 
hostess,  ate  till  he  was  lit  to  burst, 
Miss    Tag-rag,    though    really    very 
hungry,  ate  only  a  very  small  slice  of 
beef  and  a  quarter  of  a  custard,  and 
drank  a  third  of  a  glass  of  sherry  i 
dinner.    She  never  once  spoke,  except 
in  hurried  answers   to  her  papa  and 
mamma;   and,  sitting  exactly  oppo- 
site Titmouse  (with  only  a  plate  of 
greens  and  a  boiled  fowl  betweenth 
was  continually   colouring  when 
their  eyes  happened  to  encounter 
an  itherj  on  v.  bich  occasion  hers  would 
suddenly  drop,  as  if  overpowered  by 
the  brilliance  of  his.    Titmouse  b 
to  love  her  very  fa- 1.     Aftt  c  the  l 
withdrawn,    you    should    ! 
1   the  way  that  Tag-rag  went  on 
with  Titmouse     I  can  liken  : 
to  n  '   Mil  an  old  fat  spider  and 

a  little  fly, 

"  Will  you  come  into  my  parlour! 
plder  to  the  i'.v  ;  " 

and  it  might  have  been  well  f"r  Tit- 
mouse  t"  have  am  wi  red,  in  the 
language  I  Qy  : — 

■ ,  I   really  feel 

ivy." 

Titmouse,  howevi 

1  facility  Mr.  bard  port 

and  his    "it  blarney  ;   but  nil  tool  i 


have  large  swallows.  When  at  length 
Tag-rag  alluded  to  the  painfully  evi- 
dent embarrassment  of  his  "pool 
Tabby,"  and  said  he  had  "now  found 
out  what  had  been  so  long  the  matter 
with  her,"  [ay,  even  this  went  down,] 
and  hemmed,  and  winked  his  eye,  and 
drained  his  glass,  Titmouse  began  to 
get  flustered,  blushed,  and  hoped  Mr. 
Ta  -lag  would  soon  "join  the  ladies." 
They  did  so  (Tag-rag  stopping  behind 
to  lock  up  the  wine  and  the  remains 
of  the  fruit).  Miss  Tag-] 
over  the  tea-things.  There  wero 
muffins,  and  crumpets,  and  reeking' 
hot  buttered  toast;  Mrs.  Tag-rag 
would  hear  of  no  denial,  so  poor 
Titmouse,  after  the  most  desperate 
resistance,  was  obliged  to  swallow  a 
round  of  toast,  half  a  muffin,  ami  an 
entire  crumpet,  and  four  cups  of  hot 
tea  ;  after  which  he  felt  a  very  painful 
i  Lity,  and  a  miserable 

conviction  that  he  should  be  abl 
eat  and  drink  nothing  more  for  tho 

inder  of  the  w 
After   the   tea-things  had   been   re- 
moved, Tag-rag,  directing  Titmouse's 

ition   to   the    piano,    which    was 

i  (with  some  music  on  it  ready  to 

be  played  from),  asked  him  whet  bcr  he 

liked   music.     Titmouse,    with    great 

ness,  hoped  Miss  T.  would  give. 
Ihem   some    music;     and    she,    after 

out  a  long  and  vigorous  si 
at    length    asked    her    papa    what    it 

sllOUld    he. 

"  The  Latllc  of  Prague,"  said  her 
papa. 

"  Before  Jchoi-ah's  awful  throne," 
hastily  interposed  her  mamma. 

"The  battle,"  sternly  repeated  her 
papa. 

"It's     Sunday     night,     Mr.     T.," 
meekly  rejoined  his  wife. 

"  Which  will  you   have,   Mr.  Tit- 
mmi       "  i    quired  Tag-rag,  \\  itfa 
\f    Prague  written   in    ev< 

feet  urc  of  bis   fat  a.      Titmouse  almost 
burst   into  a  state  of  perspir.it  ion. 

"  A  little  of  both,  s;r,  ifyou  pit 
"  Well,"  rep] 

■  ,        -.'.ill  do.     Split 
■  -  -  eh  '(    < tome,   Tab,   dovi  a 

you.     Titmouse,   wiil    you   turn 
OVi  i  the  music  for  her?" 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


119 


Titmouse  rogo,  and  having  sheepishly 
taken  his  station  beside  Miss  Tag-rag, 
the  performances  commenced  with 
Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne  !  But, 
mercy  upon  us!  at  what  a  rate  she 

^  rattled  over  that  "pious  air."  If  its 
respectable  composer  had  been  present, 
he  must  have  gone  into  a  fit ;  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it — the  heart  of 
the  lovely  performer  was  in  The  Batik 
of  Prague,  to  which  she  presently  did 
most  ample  justice.  So  much  were 
her  feelings  engaged  in  that  sublime 
composition,  that  the  bursting  of  one 
of  the  strings — twang  !  in  the  middle 
of  the  "cannonading,"  did  not  at  all 
disturb  her  ;  and,  as  soon  as  she  had 
finished  the  exquisite  "finale,"  Tit- 
mouse was  in  such  a  tumult  of  excite- 
ment, from  different  causes,  that  he 
could  have  shed  tears.  Though  he 
had  never  once  turned  over  at  the 
right  place,  Miss  Tag-rag  thanked 
him  for  his  services  with  a  smile  of 
infinite  sweetness.  Titmouse  vowed 
he  had  never  heard  such  splendi  I 
music — begged  for  more  :  and  away 
went  Miss  Tag-rag,  hurried  away  by 
her  excitement.  Rondo  after  rondo, 
march  after  march,  for  at  least  half 
an  hour ;  at  the  end  of  which  old  Tag- 
rag  suddenly  kissed  her  with  passion- 
ate fondness.  Though  Mrs.  Tag-rag 
was  horrified  at  the  impiety  of  all  this, 
she  kept  a  very  anxious  eye  on  the 
young  couple,  and  interchanged  with 
her  husband,  every  now  and  then, 
very  significant  looks.  Shortly  after 
nine,  spirits,  wine,  and  hot  and  cold 
water,  were  brought  in.  At  the  sight 
of  them  Titmouse  looked  alarmed — 
for  he  knew  that  he  must  take  some- 
thing more,  though  he  would  have 
freely  given  five  shillings  to  be  excuse  I 
—Tor  he  felt  as  if  he  could  not  hold 
one  drop  more.  But  it  was  in  vain. 
"Willy-nilly,  a  glass  of  gin  and  water 
stood  soon  before  him  ;  he  protested 
he  could  not  touch  it  unless  Miss  Tag- 
rag  would  "take  something" — where- 
upon, with  a  blush,  she  "  thought  she 
would  "  take  a  wine-glassful  of  sherry 
and  water.  This  was  provided  her. 
Then  Tag-rag  mixed  a  tumbler  of  port- 
wine  negus  for  Mrs.  Tag-rag,  and  a 
groat     g'ars     of     mahogany-coloured 


brandy  and  water  for  himself;  and 
then  he  looked  round,  and  felt  per- 
fectly happy.  As  Titmouse  advanced 
with  his  gin  and  water,  his  spirits  got 
higher  and  higher,  and  his  tongue 
more  fluent.  He  once  or  twice  dropped 
the  "  Mr.,"  when  addressing  Tag-rag  ; 
several  times  smiled,  and  once  even 
winked  at  the  embarrassed  Miss  Tag- 
rag.  Mr.  Tag-rag  saw  it  and  could 
not  control  himself — for  he  had  got 
to  the  end  of  his  first  glass  of  brandy 
and  water,  and  mixed  himself  a  second 
quite  as  strong  as  the  former. 

"Tab  !  ah,  Tab  !  what  has  been  the 
matter  with  yem  all  these  months  ?" — 
and  he  winked  his  eye  at  her  and  then 
at  Titmouse. 

"Papa!"  exclaimed  Miss  Tag-rag, 
blushing  up  to  her  very  temples. 

' '  Ah,  Titmouse  —  Titmouse  —  give 
me  your  hand,"  said  Tag-rag;  "you'll 
forget  us  all  when  you're  a  great  man 
— but  we  shall  always  remember 
you." 

"You're  very  good — very!"  said 
Titmouse,  cordially  returning  tho 
pressure  of  Tag-rag's  hand. — At  that 
instant  it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  to 
adopt"  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Gammon. 
Tag-rag  was  going  on  very  fast,  indeed, 
about  the  disinterested  nature  of  his 
feelings  towards  Titmouse ;  towards 
whom,  he  said,  he  had  always  felt 
just  as  he  did  at  that  moment — 'twas 
in  vain  to  deny  it. 

"  1  am  sure  your  conduct  shows  it, 
sir,"  commenced  Titmouse,  feeling  a 
shudder  like  that  with  which  a  timid 
bather  approaches  the  margin  of  the 
cold  stream.  "I  could  have  taken 
my  oath,  sir,  you  would  have  refused 
to  let  me  come  into  your  house,  when 
you  heard  of  it " 

"Ah  ha! — that's  rather  an  odd 
idea,  too.  If  I  felt  a  true  friendship 
for  you  as  plain  Titmouse,  it's  so  likely 
I  should  have  cut  you  just  when — 
ahem  !  My  dear  sir !  it  was  /  that 
thought  you  wouldn't  have  come  into 
my  house  !     A  likely  thing  !  " 

Titmouse  was  puzzled.  His  per- 
ceptions, never  very  quick  or  clear, 
were  now  undoubtedly  somewhat  ob- 
fuscated with  what  he  had  been  drink- 
ing.    In  short,  he  did  net  understand 


120 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


that  Tag-rag  had  not  understood  him  ; 
and  frit  rather  baffled. 

""What  surprising  upa  and  downs 
there  are  in  life,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  "  said 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  respectfully — "  they're 
all  sent  from  above,  to  try  us  !  No 
one  knows  how  they'd  behave,  if  as 
how  (in  a  manner)  they  were  turned 
upside  down." 

"I — I  hope,  mem,  I  haven't  done 
anything  to  show  that  / " 

"Oh  !  my  dear  Titmouse,"  anxiously 
interrupted  Tag-rag,  inwardly  cursing 
his  wife,  who,  finding  she  always  wenl 
wrong  in  her  husband's  eyes  whenever 
she  spoke  a  word,  determined  for  the 
future  to  stick  to  her  negus — "the 
fact  is,  there'sa  Mr.  Horror  here  that's 

for  sending  all  decent  people  to . 

lie's  filled  my  wife  therewith  all  sorts 

of nay,  if  she  isn't  bursting  with 

cant — so  never  mind  her.  You  done 
anything  wrong  !  You're  a  pattern  of 
modesty  and  propriety — your  hand, 
my  dear  Titmouse  !  " 

"Well — I'm  a  happy  man  again," 
resumed  Titmouse,  resolved  now  to  go 
on  with  his  adventure.  "And  when 
did  they  tell  you  of  it,  sir  ?  " 

"  ( >li,  a  few  days  ago — a  week  ago," 
replii  d  Tag-rag,  trying  to  recollect. 

"Why — why — sir — a'n't  you  mis- 
taken ?"  enquired  Titmouse,  with  a 
depressed,  hut  at  the  same  time  a  sur- 
prised air.  "It  only  happened  this 
morning,  after  v<m  left " 

"  Eh  \— eh  f— ah, ha  !— Y 'hat  do  you 
mean,  Mr.  Titmouse?"  interrupted 
T  -rag,  with  a  faint  attempt  at  a 
smile.  Mrs.  Tag-rag  and  Miss  Tag- 
rag  also  turned  exceedingly  startled 
faces  towards  Titmouse,  who  fe't  as  if 
a  house  were  going  to  fall  down  on  him. 

"Why,  sir,"  he  began  to  cry,  (an 

attempt  which  was  greatly  aided  by 

ellin  condition  to  whii  h  drink 

had    re  luced    him,)  "  till    to-d  ty,    I 

thought  I  Was  heir  t.i  ten  1 1n ui  and  a- 

year,  and  it       ms  I'm  not ;  it's  all  a 

of    tlio.se    cursed    people    at 

Mill!" 

Tag-i  e  changed  vi  Lbly,  and 

showed    the  hock     he    li  id 

just  sustained.  His  inward  agony 
was  forcing  out  on  I 


"  What  —  a-  -  capital  — joke  —  Mr. 
Titmouse — ah,  ha ! " — he  gasped,  hasti- 
ly passing  his  handkerchief  over  his 
forehead.  Titmouse,  though  greatly 
alarmed,  stood  to  his  gun  pretty 
steadily. 

"I — I  wish  it  was  a  joke  1  It's 
been  no  joke  to  mc,  sir.  There's 
another  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  it  seems, 
in  Shorediti  h,  that's  the  right " 

"Who  told  you  this,  sir  ?  Pho,  I 
don't — I  can't  believe  it,"  said  Tag- 
rag,  in  a  voice  tremulous  between 
suppressed  rage  and  fear. 

"  True  though,  'pon  my  life  !  It  is, 
so  help  me " 

"  How  dare  you  swear  before  ladies, 
sir?  You're  insulting  them,  sir!" 
cried  Tag-rag,  trembling  with  rage. 
"And  in  my  presence,  sir?  You'ro 
not  a  gentleman!"  lie  suddenly 
dropped  his  voice,  and,  in  a  trembling 
and  most  earnest  manner,  asked  Tit- 
mouse whether  lie  was  really  joking  or 
serious. 

"Never  more  serious  in  my  life, 
sir  ;  and  enough  to  make  me  so,  sir  !  " 
replied  Titmouse,  in  a  lamentable 
manner. 

"You  mean  to  tell  mc  it's  all  a 
mistake,  then,  and  you're  no  more 
thin  you  always  were?"  enquired 
Tag-rag,  with  a  desperate  attempt  to 
speak  calmly. 

"Oh  yes,  sir!  Yes!  "  cried  Tit- 
mouse  mournfully  ;  "  and  if  you'll  only 
be  so  kind  as  to  let  me  serve  you  as 
I  used.  Yon  know  it  was  no  fault  of 
mine,  sir.  Tiny  would  tell  me  it  was 
so  !  " 

'Tis  impossible  to  conceive  a  more 
disgust ing  expression  than  the  repul- 
sive features  of  Tag-rag  wore  at  that 
moment,  while  he  gazed  in  ominous 

and  agil  lied  si  lei  tee  at  Tit  mouse.       11  is 

Lips  quivered,  and  he  seemed  incapable 
of  speaking. 

"oh,  ma,  I  do  feelw  ill !"  faintly 

Hie.',  MissT  iirningdeadly 

Titmouse  was  on  |  ■  of 

dropping  on  his  knees  and  con fi    -ing 

the  trick,  greatly  agitated  at  the  effect 

produced  on  M i     T  g-rag  ;  win  u  T 

heavy  hand  was  suddenly  p]  iced 
on  his  shoulder,  and  he  whispe  ed  in  a 
'•  Y 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


121 


Bir  1 "  which  arrested  Titmouse,  and 
made  something  like  a  man  of  him. 
He  was  a  fearful  fool,  but  he  did  not 
want  for  mere  pluck  ;  and  now  it  was 
roused.  Mrs.  Tag-rag  exclaimed,  "Oh, 
you  shocking  scamp  !  "  as  she  passed 
Titmouse,  and  led  her  daughter  out  of 
the  room. 

"  Then  an  impostor,  sir,  a'n't  fit 
company  for  you,  of  course,  sir !  "  said 
Titmouse,  rising,  and  trembling  with 
mingled  apprehension  and  anger. 

"Fay  me  my  five-pound  note!" 
almost  shouted  Tag-rag,  furiously 
tightening  the  grasp  by  which  he  held 
Titmouse's  collar. 

"  Well,  sir,  and  I  will,  if  you'll  only 
take  your  hand  off !  Hollo,  sir — "What 
the  de — Leave  go,  sir  !  Hands  off ! 
Are  you  going  to  murder  me  ?  I'll  pay 
you,  and  done  with  you,  sir,"  stam- 
mered Titmouse  :— when  a  faint  scream 
was  heard,  plainly  from  Miss  Tag-rag, 
overhead,  and  in  hysterics.  Then  the 
seething  caldron  boiled  over.  ■"  You 
infernal  scoundrel !  "  said  Tag-rag, 
almost  choked  with  fury  ;  and  suddenly 
seizing  Titmouse  by  the  collar,  scarce 
giving  him  time,  in  passing,  to  get 
hold  of  his  hat  and  stick,  he  urged  him 
along  through  the  passage,  down  the 
gravel  walk,  threw  open  the  gate, 
thrust  him  furiously  through  it,  and 
sent  after  him  such  a  blast  of  execra- 
tion, as  was  enough  to  drive  him  a 
hundred  yards  down  the  road.  Tit- 
mouse did  not  fully  recover  his  breath 
or  his  senses  for  a  long  while  after- 
wards. When  he  did,  the  first  thing 
he  felt  was  an  inclination  to  fall  down 
on  his  knees  on  the  open  road,  and 
worship  the  sagacious  and  admirable 
Gammon',  who  had  so  exactly  pre- 
dicted what  had  come  to  pass  ! 

And  now,  Mr.  Titmouse,  for  some 
little  time  I  have  done  with  you. 
Away  ! — give  room  to  your  betters. 
But  don't  think  that  I  have  yet  "rifled 
all  your  sweetness,"  or  am  yet  about 
to  "fling  you  like  a  noisome  weed 
away." 


CHAPTER  VII.  ' 

While  the  lofty  door  of  a  house  in 
Grosvenor  Street  might  be  imagined 
yet  quivering  under  the  shock  of  a 
previously  announced  dinner-arrival, 
one  of  the  servants  who  were  stand- 
ing behind  a  carriage  which  approached 
from  the  direction  of  Piccadilly  slipped 
off,  and  in  a  twinkling,  with  a  thun- 
thun-thunder-under-under,  thunder- 
runder-runder,  thun-thun-thun !  and 
a  shrill  thrilling  wliir-r-r  of  the  bell, 
announced  the  arrival  of  the  Duke  of 
,  the  last  guest.     It  was  a  large 


and  plain  carriage,  but  perfectly  well 
known  ;  and  before  the  door  of  tha 
house  at  which  it  had  drawn  up  had 
been  opened,  displaying  some  four  or 
five  servants  standing  in  the  hall,  in 
simple  but  elegant  liveries,  half-a- 
dozen  passengers  had  stopped  to  see 
get  out  of  the  carriage  an  elderly, 
middle-sized  man,  with  a  somewhat 
spare  figure,  dressed  in  plain  black 
clothes,  with  iron-grey  hair,  and  a 
countenance  which,  once  seen,  was 
not  to  be  forgotten.  That  was  a  great 
man  ;  one,  the  like  of  whom  many 
previous  centuries  had  not  seen ; 
whose  name  shot  terror  into  the  hearts 
of  all  the  enemies  of  old  England  all 
over  the  world,  and  fond  pride  and 
admiration  into  the  hearts  of  his 
fellow-countrymen. 

"A  quarter  to  eleven  !  "  he  said,  in 
a  quiet  tone,  to  the  servant  who  was 
holding  open  the  carriage-door — while 
the  bystanders  took  ofl"  their  hats  ;  a 
courtesy  which  ho  acknowledged,  as 
he  slowly  stepped  across  the  pave- 
ment, by  touching  his  hat  in  a 
mechanical  sort  of  Avay  witli  his  fore- 
finger. The  house-door  then  closed 
upon  him  ;  the  handful  of  onlookers 
passed  away  ;  off  rolled  the  empty 
carriage,  and  all  without  was  quiet  as 
before.  The  house  was  that  of  Mr. 
Aubrey,  one  of  the  members  for  the 
borough  of  Yattox,  in  Yorkshire — 
a  man  of  rapidly  rising  importance  in 
Parliament.  Surely  his  was  a  pleas- 
ant position — that  of  an  independent 
country  gentleman,  a  member  of  ono 
of  the  most  ancient  noble  families  in 


122 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


England,  with  a  clear  unincumbered 
rent-roll  of  ten  thousand  a-year,  and 
already,  in  only  his  thirty-fourth  year, 
the  spokesman  of  his  class,  and 
promising  to  one  of  the  ablest 

debaters  in  the  House!  Parliament 
having  been  assembled,  in  consequence 
oi*  a  particular  emergency,  at  a  much 
earlii  r  period  than  usual,  the  Horn  of 
Commons,  in  which  Mr.  Aubrey  had 
the  evening  before  delivered  a  well- 
timed  and  powerful  speech,  had  ad- 
journed for  the  Christmas  recess,  the 
House  of  Lords  being  about  to  follow 
its  example  that  evening  :  an  import- 
ant division,  however,  being  first  ex- 
pected to  take  place  at  a  late  hour. 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  warmly  complimented 
on  his  success  by  several  of  the  select 
and  brilliant  circle  then  assembled  ; 
and  who  were  all  in  high  spirits — on 
account  of  a  considerable  triumph  just 
obtained  by  their  party,  and  to  which 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  assured,  by  even  the 
Duke  of ,  his  exertions  had  cer- 
tainly not  a  little  contributed.  V 
Lis  Grace  was  energetically  intimating 
to  Mr.  Aubrey  his  opinion  to  this 
effect,  there  were  two  lovely  women 
listening  to  him  with  intense  > 
— they  were  the  wife  and  sister  oi 
Mr.  Aubrey.  The  former  was  an 
elegant  and  interesting  woman— with 
raven  hair,  and  a  complexion  of 
dazzling  fairness — of  nearly  cight-and- 
twenty  ;  the  latter  was  a  really  beau- 
tiful girl,  somewhere  between  twenty 

I  twenty-one.  Both  were  dressed 
with  the  utmost  simplicity  and  ele- 
gance. -Mis.  Aubrey,  must  doatingly 
fond  of  lur  husband,  ami  a  bloon 
young  mother  of  two  as  charming 
child  ren  re  to  be  met  with  in  a 

day's  walk  all  over  both   the  parks. 

.    in   character  and    manners,   all 

pliancy  ami  gentleness  ;  while   about 

Aubrey    there   was    a  dash    of 

an  infinite  ze  it  to  her 

uty.     1 1'  i"  bl  tied  with 

the   nc]  on   of   feeling — in 

Bhort,  ( 'ai  harine  Aubrey  was,  both  in 
fare  ami  figure,  a  downright  English 
beauty  ;  ami  she  knew — truth  must 
1     told  Li  li  sin-  appeared  to  the 

Great    1  uike,  v>  hose  cold 
she  often  Jill  to   be  .settled  upon  her 


with  satisfaction.  Tho  fact  was,  that  he 
had  penetrated  at  a  first  glance  beneath 
the  mere  surface  of  an  arch,  BWcct, 
and  winning  manner,  and  detected  a 
certain  strength  of  character  in  Miss 
Aubrey  which  gave  him  more  than 
usual  interest  in  her,  and  spread  over 
his  iron-cast  features  a  pleasant  ex- 
ion,  relaxing  their  sternness.  It 
might  indeed  be  said,  that  before  her, 
in  his  person, 

"  Grim-visaged  war  had  Bmooth'd  his 

wrinkled  front." 

'Twas  a  subject  for  a  painter,  that 
delicate  and  blooming  girl,  her  auburn 
hair  hanging  in  careless  grace  on  each 
side  of  her  white  forehead,  while  her 
eyes, 

"  That  might  have  soothed  a  tiger's  rage, 
Or  thawd  the  cold  heart  of  a  conqueror," 

were  fixed  with  absorbed  interest  on 
the  stein  and  rigid  countenance  which 
she  reflected  had  been,  as  it  were,  a 
thousand    times    darkened  with   the 

1  e  of  the,  grisly  battle-field.  Hut 
1  must  not  forget  that  there  are  others 
in  the  room  ;  and  amongst  them,  stand- 
ing at  a  little  distance,  is  Lord  De  la 
Zouch,  one  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  neighbours 
in  Yorkshire.  Apparently  be  is  listen- 
in;,' to  a  brother  peer  talking  to  him 
very  earnestly  about  the  expected 
division  ;  but  Lord  De  la  Zouch  s  eye 
is  lixed  on  you,  lovely  Kate  -and  how 
little  can  you  imagine  what  is  | 
ing  through  his  mind]  It  has  just 
occurred  to  him  that  his   sudden   ar- 

ement  for  young  Delamere — his 
son  ami  heir,  come  up  the  day 
before  from  Oxford—to  call  for  him 
about  half-past  ten,  and  take  Ins 
place  in  .Mrs.  Aubrey's  drawin 
while  lie,  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  goes  down 
to  the  1  louse  -  m  iv  be  :,i  tended  with 
certain  consequences.  He  is  Bp 
biting  on   f  beauty 

bursting  suddenly  on    his    son  —  who 
t  you        nearly  two  \  ears  ; 
all   I1  but,   pot 

painful  for,    di  ,   be 

knows  that  your  I  would  ' 

the  ancient  coronei  of  the'  De  la 
Zouch  i  with  grace  and  dignity.     But 

I  lelaiuei  1   too   young   -and   if 

of  ( 'atharine  Aubrey 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAB. 


123 


into  his  head,  it  will,  fears  his  father, 
instantly  cast  into  the  shade  and  dis- 
place all  the  stern  visages  of  those  old 
poets,  orators,  historians,  philosophers, 
and  statesmen,  who  ought,  in  Lord  De 
la  Zouch  and  his  son's  tutor's  judg- 
ment, to  occupy  exclusively  the  head 
of  the  aforesaid  Delamere  for  some 
five  years  to  come.  That  youngster — 
happy  fellow  ! — frank,  high-spirited, 
and  enthusiastic — and  handsome  to 
boot — was  heir  to  an  ancient  title 
and  great  estates  ;  all  that  his  father 
had  considered  in  looking  out  for  an 
alliance  was — youth,  health,  beauty, 
blood — here  they  all  were  ; — and  for- 
tune too — bah  !  what  did  it  signify  to 
his  son — but  at  any  rate,  'twas  not 
to  be  thought  of  for  some  years. 

"Suppose,"  said  he  aloud,  though 
in  a  musing  manner,  ' '  one  were  to  say 
■ — twenty-four " 

"  Twenty-four  ! "  echoed  his  com- 
panion with  amazement  ;  "my  dear 
De  la  Zouch,  what  the  deuce  do  you 
mean  ?  Eighty  -  four  at  the  very 
lowest  !  " 

"Eh?  what?  oh — j'es,  of  course — 
I  should  say  ninety — I  mean — hem  ! 
— they  will  muster  about  twenty-four 
only." 

"Ah — I  beg  your  pardon! — there 
you're  right,  I  dare  say." — Here  the 
announcement  of  dinner  put  an  end 
to  the  colloquy  of  the  two  statesmen. 
Lord  De  la  Zouch  led  down  Miss 
Aubrey  with  an  air  of  the  most  deli- 
cate and  cordial  courtesy  ;  and  felt 
almost  disposed,  in  the  heat  of  the 
moment,  to  tell  her  that  he  had 
arranged  all  in  his  own  mind — that  if 
she  willed  it,  she  had  his  hearty  con- 
sent to  become  the  future  Lady  De  la 
Zouch.  He  was  himself  the  eleventh 
who  had  come  to  the  title  in  direct 
descent  from  father  to  son  ;  'twas  a 
point  he  was  not  a  little  nervous  and 
anxious  about — he  detested  collateral 
succession — and  he  made  himself 
infinitely  agreeable  to  Miss  Aubrey  as 
he  sat   beside    her  at   dinner  !     The 

Duke   of sat  on  the  right  hand 

side  of  Mrs.  Aubrey,  seemingly  in 
high  spirits,  and  she  appeared  proud 
enough  of  her  supporter.  It  was  a 
delightful  dinner-party,  elegant  with- 


out ostentation,  and  select  without 
pretence  of  exclusiveness.  All  were 
cheerful  and  animated,  not  merely  on 
account  of  the  over-night's  parlia- 
mentary victory,  which  1  have  already 
alluded  to,  but  also  in  contemplation 
of  the  coming  Christmas ;  how,  and 
where,  and  with  whom  each  was  to 
spend  that  "  righte  merrie  season," 
being  the  chief  topic  of  conversation. 
As  there  was  nothing  peculiar  in  tho 
dinner,  and  as  I  have  no  turn  for 
describing  such  matters  in  detail — the 
clatter  of  plate,  the  jingling  of  silver, 
the  sparkling  of  wines,  and  so  forth — 
I  shall  request  the  reader  to  imagine 
himself  led  by  me  quietly  out  of  the 
dining-room  into  the  library — thus 
escaping  from  all  the  bustle  and  hub- 
bub attendant  upon  such  an  enter- 
tainment as  is  going  on  in  the  front  of 
the  house.  "We  shall  be  alone  in  the 
library — here  it  is  ;  we  enter  it,  and 
shut  the  door.  Tis  a  spacious  room, 
all  the  sides  covered  with  books,  of 
which  Mr.  Aubrey  is  a  great  col- 
lector— and  the  clear  red  fire  (which 
we  must  presently  replenish,  or  it  will 
go  out)  is  shedding  a  subdued  ruddy 
light  on  all  the  objects  in  the  room, 
very  favourable  for  our  purpose.  The 
ample  table  is  covered  with  books  and 
papers  ;  and  there  is  an  antique-look- 
ing arm-chair  drawn  opposite  to  tho 
fire,  in  which  Mr.  Aubrey  has  been 
indulging  in  a  long  reverie  till  tho 
moment  of  quitting  it  to  go  and  dress 
for  dinner.  This  chair  I  shall  sit  in 
myself;  you  may  draw  out  from  the 
recess  for  yourself,  one  of  two  little 
sloping  easy-chairs,  which  have  been 
placed  there  by  Mrs.  and  Miss  Aubrey 
for  their  own  sole  use,  considering 
that  they  are  excellent  judges  of  the 
period  at  which  Mr.  Aubrey  has  beeii 
long  enough  alone,  and  at  which  they 
should  come  in  and  gossip  with  him. 
"We  may  as  well  draw  the  dusky  green 
curtnins  across  the  window,  through 
which  the  moon  shines  at  present 
rather  too  brightly. —  So,  now,  after 
coaxing  up  the  fire,  I  will  proceed  to 
tell  you  a  little  bit  of  pleasant  family 
history. 

The  Aubreys  are  a  Yorkshire  family 
— the  younger  branch  of  the  ancient 


124 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


and  noble  family  of  tho  Dreddlingtons. 
Their  resi  Lenoe,  Yattox,  is  in  the 
north-eastern  part  of  the  county,  not 
above  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  the 
sea.  The  hall  is  one  of  those  old 
Btruotures,  the  Bight  of  which  throws 
you  back  at  least  a  couple  of  centuries 
in  our  English  history.  It  stands  in 
a  park,  crowded  with  trees,  many  of 
them  of  great  age  and  size,  and  under 
which  some  two  hundred  head  of  deer 
perform  their  capricious  and  graceful 
gambols.  In  approaching  from  Lon- 
don, you  strike  off  the  great  north 
road  into  a  broad  by-way  ;  after  going 
down  which  for  about  a  mile,  you 
come  to  a  straggling  little  village 
called  Yatton,  at  the  further  extremity 
of  which  stands  a  little  aged  grey 
church,  witli  a  tall  thin  spire  :  an  im- 
mense yew-tree,  with  a  kind  of  friendly 
gloom,  overshadowing,  in  the  little 
churchyard,  nearly  half  the  graves. 
Bather  in  the  rear  of  the  church  is  the 
vicarage-house,  snug  and  sheltered  by 
a  line  of  fir-trees.  After  walking 
about  eighty  yards,  you  come  to  the 
high  park-gates,  and  see  a  lodge  just 
within,  on  the  left-hand  side,  sheltered 
by  an  elm-tree.  You  then  wind  your 
way  for  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile 
along  a  gravel  walk,  amongst  the 
thickening  trees,  till  you  come  to  a 

}>onderous  old  crumbling-looking  red 
irick  gateway  of  the  time  of  Henry 
VII.,  with  one  or  two  deeply  set  stun,' 
windows  in  the  turrets,  and  moulder- 
ing stone-capped  battlements  peeping 
through  high-climbing  ivy.  There  i; 
an  old  escutcheon  immediately  over 
the  point  of  the  arch  ;  and  as  you  pass 
underneath,  if  yo  i  look  up  you  cansee 
the  groove  of  the  old  portcullis  still 
remaining.  Having  pa  u  d  undi  r  this 
d  remnant,  j  ou  en1  r  a  kind 
of  court,  f  rmed  by  a  high  wail  com- 

ly    covered    with    ivy,    run 
along  in  a  line  from   the  righl -1 
turret  of  the  gateway  till  it  join-,  the 
house.     Along  i:  a  number 

of  yew-trees.        In    tin;    centre    of  tin' 

open    :  pace    is    a    quaintly  dispo     i 

-plat,  dotted  about   with   stunted 

box,  and  in  the  cenl  re  of  t  hal  i  fcand  a 
weathor-beaten  stone  sundial.  The 
house  itself  is  a  large  irregular  pile  of 


dull  red  brickwork,  with  great  stacks 
of  chimneys  in  the  rear;  the  body  of 
the  building  has  evidently  been  elected 
at  different  times.  Some  part  is  evi- 
dently in  the  style  of  Queen  lil 
beth's  reign,  another  in  that  of  Queen 
Anne  :  and  it  is  plain  that  on  the  site 
of  the  present  structure  has  formerly 
stood  a  castle.  There  are,  indeed, 
s  of  the  old  moat  still  visible 
round  the  rear  of  the.  hou  e.  One  of 
the  ancient,  towers,  with  small  deep 
stone  windows,  still  remains,  giving  its 
venerable  support  to  the  right-hand 
extremity  of  the  building,  as  you 
stand  with  your  face  to  the  dour.  Tho 
long  frontage  of  the  house  consists  of 
two  huge  masses  of  dusky-red  brick- 
work, (you  can  handy  call  them 
ivings,)  connected  together  by  a  lower 
building  in  the  centre,  which  contains 
the  hall.  There  are  three  or  four  rows 
of  long  thin  deep  windows,  with 
heavy-looking   wood,  i  j.      Tho 

high-]  i:i  led  roof  is  of  slate,  and  lias 
deep  projci  ling  caws,  forming,  in  fact, 
a  bold  wooden  cornice  running  along 
the  wdiolc  length  of  the  building, 
which  is  some  two  or  three  stories 
high.  At  the  left  extremity  stands  a 
clump  of  ancient  cedars  of  Lebanon, 
feathering  in  evergreen  beauty  down  to 
the  ground.  The  hall  is  largo  and 
lofty ;  the  iloor  is  of  polish)  d  oak, 
almost  the  whole  of  which  is  covered 
with  thick  matting;  it  is  wainscoted 
all  round  with  hi  uk  oak  ;  some  seven 
or  eight  full-length  pictures,  evidently 
of  considerable  antiquity,  being  let 
into  the  panels.  Quaint  figures  these 
are  to  be  sure  ;  and  if  they  resembled 
the  ancestor's  of  the  Aubrey  family, 

those  a  nee  tors  must  have  been  singular 
and  startling  persons  I      The   faces  are 

quite  white  and  staring—  all  as  if  in 

Wonder;  and  tiny  have  such  long  thin 

'  ending  in  sharp-pointed  sin 

1  In     i    e  h    side   of    the    ample     lilep 

: He!  i  a  figure  in  full  armour ;  and 

old  helmets,  cuirai  ses,  Bwords,  lam 
battle-axes,   and  cross-bows,   the  very 
idea  of  \\e;u  in",  wielding,  and  hand 

v. liieh  in  ii..  .  j .air  arms  ache,  while 
you  exclaim,  "  they  must  have  be  u 
giants  in  those  days  I"    On  o 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


125 


of  this  hall,    a  door  opens  into   the 
dining-room,    beyond    which    is    the 
library  ;  on  the  other  side  a  door  leads 
you  into  a  noble  room,  now  called  the 
drawing-room,  where    stands    a  very 
fine  organ.     Out  of  both  the  dining- 
room  and  drawing-room  you  pass  up  a 
staircase   contained  in  an   old  square 
tower;   two   sides   of   each   of  them, 
opening  on  the  old  quadrangle,  lead 
into  a  gallery  running  all  round   it, 
and  into  which  all  the  bed-rooms  open. 
— But   I    need    not   go    into    further 
detail.     Altogether  it  is  truly  a  fine 
old  mansion.     Its   only  constant  oc- 
cupant is  Mrs.  Aubrey,  the  mother  of 
Mr.  Aubrey,  in  whose  library  we  are 
now  seated.     She  is  a  widow,  having 
eurvived  her  husband,  who  twice  was 
one   of    the    county   members,    about 
fifteen  years.     Mr.  Aubrey  is  her  first- 
born child,  Miss  Aubrey  her  last;  four 
intervening  children  she  has  followed 
to  the  grave — the  grief  and  suffering 
consequent    upon  which    have    sadly 
shaken    her    constitution,    and    made 
her,  both    in    actual    health   and   in 
appearance,  at  least   ten  years   older 
than   she   really  i-; — for  she    has,    in 
point  of  fact,  not  long  since  entered 
her  sixtieth  year.     "What  a  blessed  life 
she  leads  at  Yatton  !      Her  serene  and 
cheerful  temper  makes  every  one  happy 
about  her ;    and   her  charity  is   un- 
bounded, but  dispensed  with  a  most 
just    discrimination.       One     way    or 
another,  almost  a    fourth  of  the  vil- 
lage are  direct    pensioners   upon   her 
bounty.     You  have  only  to  mention 
the  name  of  Madam  Aubrey,  the  lady 
of   Yatton,    to    witness    involuntary 
homage  paid  to  her  virtues.    Her  word 
is  law ;    and  well  indeed  it  may  be. 
"While  Mr.  Aubrey,  her  husband,  was 
to    the   last   somewhat   stern   in    his 
temper  and  reserved   in  his    habits, 
beaiing  withal  a  spotless   and    lofty 
character,    she   was   always  what   she 
still  is,  meek,  gentle,  accessible,  charit- 
able,   and  pious.     On  his  death   she 
withdrew  from    the   world,    and    lias 
ever  since  resided  at   Yatton — never 
having  quitted  it   for  a   single  day. 
There  are  in  the  vicinity  one  or  two 
stately  families,    with  ancient   name, 
sounding  title,  and  great  possessions ; 


but   for  ten  miles  round  Yatton,  old 
Madam  Aubrey,  the  squire's  mother, 
is    the    name    that    is   enshrined    in 
people's  kindliest   and   most   grateful 
feelings,    and  receives   their    readiest 
homage.     'Tis   perhaps   a  very   small 
matter  to  mention,  but  there  is  at  the 
hall  a  great  white  old  mare,  Peggy, 
that   for  these  twenty  years,    in  all 
weathers,    hath    been   the    bearer    of 
Madam's  bounty.     A  thousand  times 
hath  she  carried  Jacob  Jones  (now  a 
pensioned   servant,   whose   hair  is  as 
white  as  Peggy's)  all  over  the  estate, 
and  also  oft  beyond  it,  with  comfort- 
able matters  for  the  sick  and  poor. 
Most  commonly  there  are  a  couple  of 
stone  bottles  filled  with  cowslip,  cur- 
rant, ginger,  or  elderberry  wine,  slung 
before  old  Jones  over  the   well-worn 
saddle  —  to    the    carrying    of    which 
Peggy  has  got  so  accustomed,  that  she 
does  not  go  comfortably  without  them. 
She  has  so  fallen  into  the  habits  of  old 
Jones,    who   is   an   inveterate   gossip, 
(Madam  having  helped  to  make  him 
such  by  the  numerous  enquiries  sho 
makes   of  him  every  morning  as  to 
every  one  in  the  village  and  on  the 
estate,  and  which  enquiries  he  must 
have  the   means  of  answering,)  that 
slow  as  she  jogs  along,  if  ever  she  meets 
or  is  overtaken  by  any  one,  she  stops 
of  her  own  accord,  as  if  to  hear  what 
they  and  her  rider  have  to  say  to  one 
another.     She  is  a  great  favourite  with 
all,   and  gets  a  mouthful  of  hay  or 
grass  at  every  place  she  stops  at,  eithor 
from  the  children  or  the  old  people. 
When  oil  Peggy  comes  to  die,  she  will 
be  mitsed  by  all  the  folk  round  Yatton. 
Madam  Aubrey,  growing,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  very  feeble,  cannot  go  about  as 
much  as  she  used,  and  betakes  herself 
oftener  and  oftener  to  the  old  family 
coach  ;  and  when  sho  is  going  to  drive 
about   the    neighbourhood,    you   may 
almost  always  see  it  stop  at  the  vicar- 
age for  old  Dr.  Tatham,  who  generally 
accompanies  her.     On  these  occasions 
she  always  has  a  bag  containing  Testa- 
ments  and    Prayer-books,   which  are 
principally  distributed  as  rewards  to 
those  whom  the  parson  can  recommend 
as  deserving  of  them.     For  these  five- 
and-twenty  years  she  has  never  missed 


12G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


giving  a  copy  of  each  to  every  child  in 
the  village  and  on  the  estate,  on  its 
being  confirmed ;  and  the  old  lady 
looks  round  very  keenly  every  Sunday, 
from  her  pew,  to  see  that  these  13 
and  Prayer-books  are  reverently  used. 
I  could  go  071  for  an  hour  and  longer, 
i'  lling  you  these  and  other  such  i 
twra  of  this  exemplary  lady;  hut  we 
shall  hy  and  by  have  some  opportuni- 
ties of  seeing  and  knowing  more  of 
her  personally.  Her  features  are  deli- 
cate, and  have  been  very  handsome  ; 
and  in  manner  she  is  very  calm,  and 
quiet,  and  dignified.  She  looks  all 
that  you  could  expect  from  what  1 
have  told  you.  The  briskness  of  youth, 
the  sedate  firmness  of  middle- 
have  years  since  given  place,  as  you 
will  see  with  some  pain,  to  the  feeble- 
ness produced  by  ill  health  and  mental 
Buffering — for  she  mourned  after  her 
children  with  all  a  fond  and  bereaved 
mother's  love.  Oh !  how  she  doats 
ti|  on  her  surviving  son  and  daughter  ! 
An. I  are  they  not  worthy  of  such  a 
mother? 

Mr.  Aubrey  is  in  his  thirty-fourth 
year;  and  ioheril  i  the  menl  ii  qualities 
of  both  his  jaunts  —  the  demeanour 
and  person  of  his  father,      lie  fa 

rve  that  is  not  cynical,  but  only 
diffident  ;  yet  it  gives  him,  at  least  at 
first  sight,  and  till  you  have  become 
familiar  with  his  8,  which  are 

of  a  east  at  once  refined  and  ari  to- 

i  ratic,  yet  full  of  g Inc   i,  an  air  of 

hauteur,  which  is  very— very  far  from 
his  real  nature.  He  has  in  truth  the 
soft  heart  and  benignant  temper  of  his 
mother,  joined  with  the  masculine 
firmness  of  character  which  belong)  d 
to  his  father  ;  which,  however,  is  in 
danger  of  being  seriously  impaired  by 
tive  he  i :.  perhap  to 
d  fault.  There  is  n  tone  of  melancholy 
or   pensiveness    in    his    . 

'i    fas    probably   ini  upon 

him  from  his  Bcvere 

youth.     1 !    is  a  man  of  sup 

Bcholar.     At 
•  .M he  prize  of  I •oublo 

Fire!  from  a  hoi  I  ■  competitoi  . 

and  I  ified  the  expectal 

which  v  fid  of  him.      J  h- 

ho  -  made  i  evi  ral  really  valuabli 


tributions  1n  historic  literature  —  in- 
deed, I  think  lie  is  even  now  engaged 
upon  some  researches  calculated  to 
throw  much  light  upon  the  obscure 
ii  era]  of  our  political  insti- 
tutions. He  has  entered  upon  polities 
with  uncommon — perhaps  with  an  ex- 

ive — ardour.  1  think  he  is  lil 
to  make  an  eminent  figure  in  Parlia- 
ment ;  for  he  is  a  man  of  very  clear 
lead,  very  patient,  of  business-like 
habits,  ready  in  debate,  and,  more- 
over, has  a  very  impressive  delh 
as  a  public  speaker.  He  is  generous 
and  charitable  as  his  admirable  mother, 
and  careless,  even  to  a  fault,  of  his 
pecuniary  interests.  He  is  a  man  of 
perfect  simplicity  and  purity  of  chu- 
r.  Above  all,  his  virtues  are  tho 
virtues  which  have  been  sublimed  by 
Christianity — as  it  were,  the  cold  em- 
bers of  morality  warmed  into  religion. 
He  stands  happily  equidistanl  from 
infidelity  and  fanaticism.  He  has 
Looked  for  li  ;ht  from  above,  and  has 
heard  a  voice  saying,  "This  is  tho 
way,  wall:  thou  in  it."  His  piety  is 
th  real  source  of  that  happy  consistent 
dignity,  and  content,  and  firmness, 
which  have  earned  him  the  respect  of 
all  who  know  him,  and  will  bear  him 
through  whatever  may  befall  him. 
lie  who  standeth  upon  this  rock  cannot 
be  moved,  perhaps  nol  even  touched, 
by  the  surges  of  worldly  revera  a  of 
difficulty  and  distress.  In  manner 
Mr.  Aubrey  is  calm  and  gentleman- 
like ;  in  ]  cTson  he  is  rather  above  tho 

middle    height,   and    of   alight    make. 

From  the  way  in  which  his  clo 
hang  about  him,  a  certain  sharp: 
at  his  Bhould  ing  the  eye  of  an 

observer-  you  would  fee]  an  anxiety 
about  his  health,  which  would  be  in- 
ed  by  hi  tig  of  the  mortality  in 
his  family  ;  and  j  our  thoughts  are 
perh  ted  in  the  same  direction, 

by  ■■'■  '■  his  long,  thin,  delic 

whiti  His  c  I       a 

,i  ii  when  in 
and  \  iv.- 
ted.      His  hair,  i 
full,  is  black  OS  jet,  and  his  fori  I 

1 1  and  marl  i  d. 
]\lr.  Aub*ey  has  been  married  about 

•    ,  f  loVC   at    til    t 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


127 


sight.  Chance  threw  him  in  the  way 
of  Agnes  St.  Clair,  within  a  few  weeks 
after  she  had  been  bereaved  of  her  only 
parent,  Colonel  St.  Clair,  a  man  of  old 
but  impoverished  family,  who  fell  in 
the  Peninsular  war.  Had  he  livid 
only  a  month  or  two  longer,  he  would 
have  succeeded  to  a  considerable  estate ; 
as  it  was,  he  left  his  only  child  com- 
paratively penniless  ;  but  Heaven  had 
endowed  her  with  personal  beauty, 
with  a  lovely  disposition,  and  superior 
understanding.  It  was  not  till  after 
a  long  and  anxious  wooing,  backed  by 
the  cordial  entreaties  of  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
that  Miss  St.  Clair  consented  to  be- 
come the  wife  of  a  man,  who,  to  this 
hour,  loves  her  with  all  the  passionate 
ardour  with  which  she  had  first  in- 
spired him.  And  richly  she  deserves 
his  love,  for  she  does,  indeed,  doat 
upon  him  ;  she  studies,  or  rather,  per- 
haps, anticipates  his  every  wish  ;  in 
short,  had  the  whole  sex  been  searched 
for  one  calculated  to  make  happy  the 
morbidly  fastidious  Aubrey,  the  choice 
must  surely  have  fallen  on  Miss  St. 
Clair  ;  a  woman  whose  temper,  whose 
tastes,  and  whose  manners  were  at  once 
in  delicate  and  harmonizing  unison 
and  contrast  with  his  own.  She  has 
hitherto  brought  him  but  two  children 
— and  those  very  beautiful  children, 
too — a  boy  between  four  and  five  years 
old,  and  a  girl  about  two  years  old. 
If  I  were  to  hint  my  own  impressions 
I  should  say  there  was  a  probability 

but   be  that   as   it  may,  'tis  an 

affair  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  at 
present. 

Of  Catharine  Aubrey  you  had  a 
momentary  moonlight  glimpse,  at  a 
former  period  of  this  history  ;  *  and 
you  have  seen  her  this  evening  under 
other,  and  perhaps  not  less  interesting 
circumstances.  Now,  where  have  you 
beheld  a  more  exquisite  specimen  of 
budding  womanhood  ? — but  I  feel  that 
I  shall  get  extravagant  if  I  begin  to 
dwell  upon  her  charms.  You  have 
seen  her — judge  for  yourself;  but  you 
do  not  know  htr  as  I  do  ;  and  I  shall 
tell  you  that  her  personal  beauty  is 
but  a  faint  emblem  of  the  beauties 
of  her  mind  and  character.  She  is 
*  £eo  ante,  p.  VI- 


Aubrey's  youngest  —  now  his  only 
sister  ;  and  he  cherishes  her  with  the 
tendcrest  and  fondest  regard.  Neither 
he,  nor  his  mother  —  with  both  of 
whom  she  spends  her  time  alternately 
— can  bear  to  part  with  her  for  ever  so 
short  an  interval.  She  is  the  gay, 
romping  playmate  of  the  little  Aubreys ; 
the  demure  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
her  mother.  I  say  demure,  for  there 
is  a  sly  humour  and  archness  in  Kate's 
composition,  which  flickers  about  even 
her  gravest  moods.  She  is  calculated 
equally  for  the  seclusion  of  Yatton  and 
the  splendid  atmosphere  of  Almack's  ; 
but  for  the  latter  she  seems  at  present 
to  have  little  inclination.  Kate  is  a 
girl  of  decided  character,  of  strong 
sense,  of  high  principle  ;  all  of  which 
are  irradiated,  not  overborne,  by  her 
sparkling  vivacity  of  temperament. 
She  has  real  talent ;  and  her  mind  has 
been  trained,  and  her  tastes  directed, 
with  affectionate  skill  and  vigilance  by 
her  gifted  brother.  She  has  many 
accomplishments  ;  but  the  only  one  I 
shall  choose  here  to  name  is — music. 
She  was  one  to  sing  and  play  before  a 
man  of  the  most  fastidious  taste  and 
genius  !  I  defy  any  man  to  hear  tho 
rich  tones  of  Miss  Aubrey's  voice  with- 
out feeling  his  heart  moved.  Music  is 
with  her  a  matter  not  of  art  but  of 
feeling  —  of  passionate  feeling;  but 
hark  ! — hush  ! — surely— yes,  that  is 
Miss  Aubrey's  voice — yes,  that  is  her 
clear  and  brilliant  touch ;  the  ladies 
have  ascended  to  the  drawing-room, 
and  we  must  presently  follow  them. 
How  time  has  passed  !  I  had  a  great 
deal  more  to  tell  you  about  the  family, 
but  we  must  take  some  other  oppor- 
tunity. 

Yes,  it  is  Miss  Aubrey,  playing  on 
the  new  and  superb  piano  given  by  her 
1  irother  last  week  to  Mrs.  Aubrey.  Do 
you  see  with  what  a  careless  grace  and 
ease  she  is  giving  a  very  sweet  but 
difficult  composition  of  Haydn  ?  Tho 
lady  who  is  standing  by  her  to  turn 
over  her  music,  is  the  celebrated 
Countess  of  Lydsdale.  She  is  still 
young  and  beautiful ;  but  beside  Miss 
Aubrey  she  presents  a  somewhat  pain- 
ful contrast !  'Tis  all  the  difference 
between    an   artificial   and   a   natural 


128 


TEX   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


flower.  Toor  Lady  Lydsdale  !  you  are 
not  happy  with  all  your  fashion  and 
Eplendoar;  the  glitter  of  your  diamonds 
cannot  compensate  for  the  loss  of  the 
sparkling  spirits  of  a  younger  day  ; 
they  palo  their  ineffectual  fires  Inside 
the  fresh  and  joyous  spirit  of  Catharine 

Aubrey]     You  sigh 

"Now,  I'll  sing  you  quite  a  new 
thing,"  Baid  Miss  Aubrey,  starting  up, 
and  turning  over  her  portfolio  ti  I  she 
came  to  a  sheet  of  paper,  on  which 
were  some  verses  in  her  own  hand- 
writing :  "  The  words  were  written  by 
my  brother,  and  1  have  found  an  old 
air  that  exactly  suits  them  !"  Here 
her  fingers,  wandering  lightly  and 
softly  over  the  keys,  gavu  forth  a 
beautiful  symphony  in  the  minor; 
after  which,  with  a  rich  and  soft  voice, 
she  sung  the  following  : — 

PEACE. 
I. 

■Where,  O  where. 
Hath  l<  i         in  found  rest? 
Builds  she  in  bower  of  lady  fair? — 
But  Love — he  hath  po         ion  there; 

Not  long;  is  she  the  j;ucst. 

II. 
Sits  she  crown'd 
I:,  oeath  a  pictured  dome? 
But  there  Ambition  keeps  his  ground, 
And  Fear  and  Envy  skulk  around; 
This  cannot  bo  her  home  I 

III. 
Will  she  hide 
In  scholar's  pensive  cell? 
But  Ac  already  hath  his  bride: 
Him  Melancholi  le — 

With  her  Bhe  may  not  dwell  I 

IV. 
Now  and  I 
Peace,  wandering,  lays  her  hi     I 

On  n  e's  den — 

J;ut.  inn  hi  re  I  nde  ith  men, 

Or  only  with  the  dead  ! 

To  these  words,  trembling  on  the 
'it'iil    li|  3  of    Miss   Aubr  \ ,    was 
li  ;  ning  an  unperceivi  d  auditor,  with 
..in ing  her  every  feal are, 

ry  tone  of  her  t  hrill- 
ing  voice.      1 1  was  \  oun      I 
v  ho  had,  only  a  moment  or  two  hi 
.Mi;;  Aubrey  had  commenced  sin 
thr  above  lines,   alighted    from    his 
father's    carriage,    w  lii'  h    was    then 
waiting  at  the  door  to  cany  off  1  ■  rd 


Da  la  Zouch  to  tho  House  of  Lord.?. 
Arrested  by  the  rich  voice  of  the 
singer,  he  Btopped  short  before  he  had 
<-nii  red  tin-  drawing-room  in  which 
she.  sat,  and,  stepping  to  a  corner 
where  he  was  hid  from  view,  thouj  h 
he  could  distinctly  see  Miss  Aul 
there  he  remained  as  if  rooted  to  the 

spot,  lie,  too,  had  a  soul  for  music  ; 
and  the  exquisite  manner  in  whi  h 
Miss  Aubrey  gave  the  last  verse,  called 
up  before  his  excited  fancy  the  vivid 
image  of  a  dove  fluttering  with  agitated 
uncertainty  over  the  sea  of  human  life, 
even  like  the  dove  over  the  waters 
enveloping  the  earth  in  olden  time. 
The  mournful  minor  into  which  she 
threw  tho  last  line,  excited  a  heart 
susceptible  of  the  liveliest  emotions  to 
a  degree  which  it  required  some  effort 
to  control,  and  almost  a  tear  to  relieve. 
When  Miss  Aubrey  had  quitted  the 
piano,  Mrs.  Aubrey  followed,  and  gave 
a  very  delicate  sonata  from  Haydn. 
Then  sat  down  Lady  Lydsdale,  and 
dashed  ofr,  in  an  exceedingly  brilliant 
style,  a  sccna  from  the  new  opera, 
which  quickly  reduced  the  excited 
feelings  of  Delamere  to  a  pitch  admit- 
ting of  his  presenting  himself.  AVhilo 
(his  lowering  process  was  going  on, 
Delamere  took  down  a  little  volume 
from  a  tasteful  little  cabinet  of  bo 

immediately  behind  him,  and  which 
proved  to  be  a  volume  of  the  Faery 

(fcic.cn.    lie  found  many  pencil-marks, 
evidently   made    by  a    light    female 
hand  ;    and    turning   to    the    fly-leaf, 
beheld,  in  a  small  elegant  handwriting, 
the  name  of    "Catharine   Aubr 
His   heart   fluttered  ;    he    turned   to- 
wn ds  the  piano,  and  beheld  the  grace- 
ful figure  of  Miss  Aubrey  standing 
de  Lady  Lydsdale,  in  an  attitude. 
of  delighted  earnestness — for  her  lady- 
was  undoubtedly  a  very  brilli 
inner — totally  unconscious  of  the 
admiring  eye  that  was  fixed  upon  her. 

A  fter  gazing  at  her  for  Rome  ra 

ho  genl  1\  ;  tho  autograph  to  his 

lip   :  and  i  olemnly  vowed  within  him- 
self, in   the   most  deliberate   manner 
Mi-,  that  if  he  could  not  marry 
<  'aih  ii  ine    Aubrey,   he  would    ni 

marry  anybody  ;  he  would,  moreover, 
quit  England  forever;  and  deposit  a 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


129 


broken  heart  in  a  foreign  grave — and 
so   foith.     Thus  calmly  resolved — or 
rather   to   such   a  resolution  did  his 
thoughts  tend  —  that   sedate    person, 
the  Honourable   Geoflry  Lovel  Dela- 
mere.     He  was  a  high-spirited,  frank- 
hearted  fellow ;  and,  likeagood-natured 
fool,  whom   Litter  knowledge  of  the 
world  has  not  cooled  down  into  con- 
tempt for  a  very  considerable  portion 
of  it,  trusted  and  loved  almost  every 
one  whom  he  saw.     At  that  moment 
there  was  only  one  person  in  the  whole 
world  that  he  hated,  viz.  the  miserable 
individual — if  any  such  there  were — 
who  might  have  happened  to  forestall 
him  in  the  affections  of  Miss  Aubrey. 
The  bare  idea  made  his  breath  come 
and  go  quickly,  and  his  cheek  flush. 
"Why,  he  felt  that  he  had  a  sort  of 
right  to  Miss  Aubrey's  heart ;  for  had 
they  not  been  born,  and  had  they  not 
lived  almost  all  their  lives,  within  a 
few  miles  of  each  other?     Had  they 
not  often  played  together  ? — were  not 
their  family  estates  almost  contiguous  ? 
■ — Delamere  advanced  into  the  room, 
assuming  as  unconcerned  an  air  as  he 
could ;  but  he  felt  not  a  little  tried 
when   Miss   Aubrey,  on  seeing  him, 
gaily  and  frankly  extended  her  hand 
to  him,  supposing  him  to  have  only 
the  moment  before  entered  the  house. 
Poor  Delamere's  hand  slightly  quivered 
as  he  felt  it  clasping  the  soft  lilied 
fingers  of  her  whom  he  had  thus  re- 
solved to  make  his  wife  :  what  would 
he  not  have  given  to  have  carried  them 
to  his  lips !     Now,  if  I  were  to  say 
that   in   the  course  of  that  evening, 
Miss  Aubrey  did  not  form  a  kind — of 
a  sort — of  a  faint — 'notion  of  the  possi- 
ble state  of  matters  with  young  Dela- 
mere, I   should  not   be  treating  the 
reader  with  that   eminent  degree   of 
candour  for  which  I  think  he,  or  she, 
is  at  present  disposed  to  give  me  credit. 
But  Kate  was  deeply  skilled  in  human 
nature,  and  settled  the  matter  by  one 
very  just  reflection,  viz.  that  Delamere 
was,  in  contemplation  of  law,  a  mere 
infant — i.  e.   he   wanted    yet  several 
weeks  of  twenty-one  !  and,  therefore, 
that  it  was  not  likely  that,  &c.  &c.  &c. 
And,   besides — pooh  ! — pooh  ! — 'tis    a 
mere  loy,  at  College — how  ridiculous ! 


— So  she  gave  herself  no  trouble  about 
the  affair  ;  exhibited  no  symptoms  of 
caution  or  coyness,  but  conducted 
herself  just  as  if  he  had  not  been 
present. 

He  was  a  handsome  young  fellow, 

too! 

During  the  evening,  Mr.  Delamere 
took  an  opportunity  of  asking  Miss 
Aubrey  who  wrote  the  verses  which 
he  pointed  to,  as  they  lay  on  the 
piano.  The  handwriting,  she  said, 
was  hers,  but  the  verses  were  com- 
posed by  her  brother.  He  asked  for 
the  copy,  with  a  slight  trepidation. 
She  readily  gave  it  to  him — he  receiv- 
ing it  with  (as  he  supposed)  a  mighty 
unconcerned  air.  He  read  it  over  that 
night,  before  getting  into  bed,  at  least 
six  times ;  and  it  was  the  very  first 
thing  he  looked  at  on  getting  out  of 
bed  in  the  morning.  Now  Miss  Aubrey 
certainly  wrote  an  elegant  hand — but 
as  for  character,  of  course  it  had  none. 
He  could  scarce  have  distinguished  it 
from  the  handwriting  of  any  of  his 
cousins  or  friends  ; — How  should  he  ? 
All  women  are  taught  the  same  hard, 
angular,  uniform  hand  —  but  good, 
bad,  or  indifferent,  this  was  Kate 
Aitbrcy's  hand wr.ting— and  her  pretty 
hand  had  rested  on  the  paper  while 
writing — that  was  enough.  He  re- 
solved to  turn  the  verses  into  every 
kind  of  Greek  and  Latin  metre  ha 
knew  of — 

In  short,  that  here  was  a  "course 
of  true  love "  opened,  seems  pretty 
evident;  but  whether  it  will  "  rua 
smooth  "  is  another  matter. 

Their  guests  having  at  length  de- 
parted, Mr.  Aubrey,  his  wife  and 
sister,  soon  afterwards  rose  to  retire. 
He  went,  very  sleepy,  s'raight  to  his 
dressing-room  ;  they  to  the  nursery — • 
(a  constant  and  laudable  custom  with 
them) — to  sec  how  the  children  were 
going  on,  as  far  as  they  could  learn 
from  their  drowsy  attendants.  Li: tie 
Aubrey  would  have  reminded  you  of 
one  of  the  exquisite  sketches  of  chil- 
dren's heads  by  Keynolds  or  Lawrence, 
as  he  lay  breathing  imperceptibly, 
with  his  rich  flowing  hair  spread  upon 
the  pillow,  in  which  his  face  was 
partly   hid,    and  his  arms  stretched 

K 


130 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YE  All. 


out.  Mrs.  Aubrey  put  her  finger  into 
one  of  his  hands,  which  was  half  open, 
and  which  closed  as  it  were  instinct- 
ivi  !y  upon  it  with  a  gentle  pressure. 
"Look,  Kate,"  softly  whispered  Mrs. 
Anbrey.  Miss  Aubrey  leaned  forward 
and  kissed  his  little  ele  ek  with  an 
ardour  that  almost  awoke  him.  After 
a  glance  at  a  tiny  head  partly  visible 
above  the  clothes,  in  an  adjoining  bed, 
and  looking  like  a  rose-bud  almost 
entirely  hid  amongst  the  leaves,  they 
withdrew. 

"  The  little  loves  ! — how  one's  heart 
thrills  with  looking  at  them  !  "  said 
Miss  Aubrey,  as  they  descended. 
"Kate!"  whispered  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
with  an  arch  smile,  as  they  stood  at 
their  respective  chamber  doors,  which 
adjoined.  "  Mr.  Delamere  is  improved 
— is  not  he  ? — Ah,  Kate  !  Kate  ! — I 
understand  !" 

"Agnes,  bow  can  you?" — hastily 
answered  Miss  Aubrey,  with  cheeks 
suddenly  crimsoned.  "I  never  heard 
Buch  nonsense." 

"Night,  night,  Kate!  think  over 
it!"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  and  ki. 
her  beautiful  sister-in-law,  the  nexl 
moment  the  blooming  wife  had  enter  d 
her  bed-room.  Miss  Aubrey  slipped 
into  her  dressing-room,  where  Harriet, 
her  maid,  was  sitting  asleep  before  the 
fire.  Her  lovely  mistress  did  not  for 
a  few  minutes  awake  her  ;  but  placing 
her  candlestick  on  the  toilet-table, 
stood  in  a  musing  attitude. 

"It's  so  perfectly  ridiculous"  at 

length  she.  said  aloud,  and  Up  started 
her  maid.  Within  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  Miss  Aubrey  was  in  bed,  but  by 
no  means  asleep. 

The  next  morning,  about  eleven 
o'clock,  Mr.  Aubrey  was  seated  in  the 

library,  in  momenl  try  ex] tation  of 

his  letters  ;  and  a  few  moments  before 
U-tat  was  heard,  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Aubrey  made  their  app 
ance,  as  was  their  wont,  in  expecta- 
tion of  anything  that  mi  ;h1  have  b  en 
the   i  over,  in  addition 


up  11   the 

address — 

"  <   IIAKI.KS 


to    the 
M.P.," 


Aubrey,    Esq., 

Ac.  . 

fhe  words,  lottci  i,  or  lion,  b,  "  Mrs. 
Aubrey,"  or  "Miss  Aubrey,"  in  the 


corner.  In  addition  to  this,  'twas  not 
an  unpleasant  thing  to  skim  over  the 
contents  of  his  letters  !  as  one  by  ono 
he  opened  them,  and  laid  them  aside  ; 
for  both  these  fair  creatures  were 
daughters  of  Eve,  and  inherited  a 
little  of  her  curiosity.  Mr.  Aubrey 
was  always  somewhat  nervous  and 
fidgety  on  such  occasions,  and  wished 
them  gone  ;  but  they  only  laughed  at 
him,  so  he  was  fain  to  put  up  with 
them.  On  this  morning  there  were 
more  than  Mr.  Aubrey's  usual  number 
of  letters  ;  and  in  casting  her  eye  over 
them,  Mrs.  Aubrey  suddenly  took  up 
one  that  challenged  attention  ;  it  bore 
a  black  seal,  had  a  deep  black  bord  •.- 
ing,  and  had  the  frank  of  Lord  Alk- 
mond,  at  whose  bouse  in  Shropshire 
they  had  for  months  been  d  to 

spend  the  ensuing  Christmas,  and  were 
intending  to  set  oir  on  their  visit  the 
very  next  day.  The  ominous  missive 
was  soon  torn  open  ;  it  was  from  Lord 
Alkmond  himself,  who  in  a  few  hur- 
ried lines  announced  the  sudden  death 
of  his  brother  ;  so  that  there  was  an 
end  of  their  visit  to  the  Pri 

"Well!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey 
calmly,  rising  after  a  pause,  and 
standing  with  his  hack  to  the  lire,  i:i 
a  musing  posture. 

"  Has  he  left  any  family,  Charles?" 
enquired  Mrs.  Aubrey  with  a  sigh,  her 

eyes  still  ilKed  on  the  letter. 

"I  —  I   really  don't   know  —  poor 
fellow!     "We  lose  a  vote  for  Shell,: 
ton— we    shall,    to    a    certainly,"    he 
added,  with  an  air  of  chagrin  visibly 
ing  over  his  features. 

"How  politics  harden  the  heart, 
Charles !  Just  at  this  moment  to 
be "  quoth  Mrs.  Aubri 

"It  IS  tOO   bad,  Ague::,   i  own— hut 

you  d  Mr.  Aubrey  affection- 

ately; but  added  suddenly,  "stay,  I 

doli'l    knOW  either,   I',  T  there's  tie    I  1 

singham  I   i  ome  into  the  field 

since  the  la  t " 

"Chorb  i,  I  do  really  aln 
exclaimed  Mrs.   Aubrey  with 
emotion,   stepping   to   his  side,   and 
throw  ing  her  ai  ms  round    him 

tely,  "  that  if  /  were  to  die,  I 
should  bo  forgotten  in  a  foi  tnight,  if 
the  Hou      ..■   ■     itting " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


131 


"How  can  you  say  such  things,  my 
love  ? "  enquired  Aubrey,  kissing  her 
fori 'head. 

' '  When  Agnes  was  born,  you  know," 
she  murmured  inarticulately.  Her  hus- 
band folded  her  tenderly  in  his  arms 
in  silence.  On  the  occasion  she  alluded 
to,  he  had  nearly  lost  her  ;  and  1hey 
both  had  reason  to  expect  that  another 
similar  season  of  peril  was  not  very 
distant. 

"Now,  Charles,  jrou  cant  escape," 
said  Miss  Aubrey,  presently,  assum- 
ing a  cheerful  tone;  "now  for  dear 
old  Yatton  ! " 

"Yes,  Yatton!  Positively  you 
Aubrey,  smiling 


Yatton  ? "     said 


must !  "  added  Mrs 
through  her  tears. 

"What!  Go  to 
Mr.  Aubrey,  shaking  his  head  and 
smiling.  "Nonsense!  Why  we  must 
set  off  to-morrow  :  they've  had  no 
warning  !  " 

"  What  warning  does  mamma  re- 
quire, Charles  ? "  enquired  his  sister 
eagerly.  "Isn't  the  dear  old  place 
always  in  apple-pie  order?" 

"  How  you  love  the  '  dear  old  place,' 
Kate  !  "  exclaimed  Aubrey,  in  such  an 
affectionate  tone  as  brought  his  sister 
in  an  instant  to  his  side,  to  urge  on 
her  suit  ;  and  there  stood  the  lord  of 
Yatton  embraced  by  these  two  beauti- 
ful women,  his  own  heart  {inter  nos) 
seconding  every  word  they  uttered. 

"How  my  mother  would  stare!" 
said  he  at  length  irresolutely,  looking 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  smiling  at 
their  eagerness. 

"What  a  bustle  everything  will  be 
in  !"  exclaimed  Kate.  "I  fancy  I'm 
there  already  !  The  great  blazing  fires 
— the  holly  and  mistletoe.  We  must 
all  go,  Charles — children  and  all !  " 

"  Why,  really,  I  hardly  know " 

"Oh!  I've  settled  it  all,"  quoth 
Kate,  seeing  that  she  had  gained  her 
point,  and  resolved  to  press  her  ad- 
vantage, "and  what's  more,  we've  no 
time  to  lose  ;  this  is  Tuesday — Christ- 
mas-day is  Saturday  —  we  must  of 
course  stop  a  night  on  the  way  ;  but 
hadn't  we  batter  have  Griffiths  in, 
to  arrange  all  ? "  Aubrey  rang  the 
bell. 

""Request  Mr.  Griffiths  to  come  to 


me,"   said    he    to    the    servant  who 
answered  the  summons. 

Within  a  very  few  minutes  that  re- 
spectable functionary  had  made  his 
appearance  and  received  his  instruc- 
tions. The  march  to  Shropshire  was 
countermanded — and  hey !  for  Yatton ! 
— for  which  they  were  to  start  the  next 
day  about  noon.  Mr.  Griffiths'  first 
step  was  to  pack  off  Sam,  Mr.  Aubrey's 
groom,  by  the  Tally-ho,  the  first  coach 
to  York,  starting  at  two  o'clock  that 
very  day,  with  letters  announcing  the 
immediate  arrival  of  the  family.  These 
orders  were  received  by  Sam,  (who  had 
been  born  and  bred  at  Yatton,)  while 
he  was  bestowing,  with  vehement  sibil- 
iation,  his  customary  civilities  on  a 
favourite  mare  of  his  master's.  Down 
dropped  his  currycomb ;  he  jumped 
into  the  air ;  snapped  his  lingers ; 
then  he  threw  his  arms  round  Jenny, 
and  tickled  her  under  the  chin.  "  Dang 
it,"  said  he,  as  he  threw  her  another 
feed  of  oats,  "I  wish  thee  were  going 
wi'  me  — dang'd  if  I  don't !  "  Then  he 
hastily  made  himself  '  a  bit  tidy  ; ' 
presented  himself  very  respectfully 
before  Mr.  Griffiths,  to  receive  the 
wherewithal  to  pay  his  fare ;  and 
having  obtained  it,  off  he  scampered 
to  the  Bull  and  Mouth,  as  if  it  had 
been  a  ncck-and-neek  race  between 
lam  and  all  London,  which  should  get 
dawn  to  Yorkshire  first.  A  little  after 
one  o'clock,  his  packet  of  letters  was 
delivered  to  him  ;  and  within  another 
hour  Sam  was  to  be  seen  (quite  com- 
fortable, with  a  draught  of  spiced  ale 
given  him  by  the  cook,  to  make  his 
hasty  dinner  "sit  well")  on  the  top 
of  the  Tally-ho,  rattling  rapidly  along 
the  great  north  road. 

"Come,  Kate,"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
entering  Miss  Aubrey's  room,  where 
she  was  giving  directions  to  her  maid, 
"  I've  ordered  the  carriage  to  be  at  the 
door  as  soon  as  it  can  be  got  ready  ;  we 
must  go  oil'  to  Coutts' — see  !  "  She 
held  in  her  hand  two  slips  of  paper, 
one  of  which  she  gave  Miss  Aubrey. 
'Twas  a  check  for  one  hundred  pounds 
— her  brother's  usual  Christmas-box— 
"and  then  we've  a  quantity  of  little 
matters  to  buy  this  afternoon.  Come, 
Kate,  quick  !  quick  ■  " 

K  2 


132 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Now,  poor  Kate  had  spent  nearly  all 
her  money,  which  circumstance,  con- 
nected with  another  that  I  shall  shortly 
mention,  had  given  her  not  a  little 
concern.  At  her  earnest  request,  hei 
brother  had,  about  a  year  before,  built 
her  a  nice  little  school,  capable;  of  con- 
taining some  eighteen  or  twenty  girls, 
on  a  slip  of  land  between  the  vicarage 
and  the  park  wall  of  Yatton,  and  old 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  her  daughter  found  a 
resident  schoolmistress,  and,  in  fact, 
supported  the  little  establishment, 
which,  at  the  time  1  am  speaking  of, 
contained  some  seventeen  or  eighteen 
of  the  villagers'  younger  children. 
Miss  Aubrey  took  a  prodigious  interest 
in  this  little  school,  scarce  a  day  passing 
without  her  visiting  it  when  she  was  at 
Yatton  ;  and  what  Kate  wanted,  was 
the  luxury  of  giving  a  Christmas  present 
to  both  mistress  and  scholars.  That, 
however,  she  would  have  had  some 
difficulty  in  effecting  but  for  this  her 
brother's  timely  present,  which  had 
quite  set  her  heart  at  ease.  On  their 
return,  the  i  was  crowded  with 

the  tilings  they  had  been  purchasing- 
articles  <>f  clothing  for  the  feebler  old 
villagers  ;  work-boxes,  samplers,  books, 
testaments,  prayer-books,  &c.  &c.  &c, 
for  the  school  ;  the  sight  of  which,  1 
can  assure  the  reader,  made  Kate  far 
happier  than  if  they  had  been  the 
costliest  articles  of  dress  and  jewellery. 

The  next  day  was  a  very  pleasanl  M  e 
for  travelling — "frosty,  but  kindly." 
About  one  o'clock  there,  might  have 
been  Been  standing  before  the  door  the 
roomy  yellow  family   carriage,   with 

four  post-horses,  all  in  travelling  trim. 
In  the  rumble  sat  Mr.  Aubrey's  valet 
and  Mrs.  Aubrey's  maid — Miss  Au- 
brey's, and  one  of  the  nursery -maids, 
going  down  by  the  comb  which  bad 
carried  Sam— the  Tally-ho.  The 
coach-box  was  piled  up  with  that  Bort 
of  lu  i  ''■  v.  in.  b,  by  its  lightness  and 
bulk,  denotes  lady-travelling:  inside 
were  Mrs.  and  Bliss  Aubrey,  muffled  in 
furs,  shawls,  and  pe lisses ;  a  nurnery- 
maid,  with  little  Ma  iter  and  Miss 
Aubrey,  equally  well  protected  from 
the  i  old  ;  and  the  vacant  i  at  awaited 
Mr.  Aubrey,  who  at  hugth  made  his 
appearance,  having  been  engaged  till 


the  latest  moment  in  giving  and  re- 
peating specific  instructions  concerning 
the  forwarding  of  his  letters  and  papers. 
As  soon  as  he  had  taken  his  place,  and 
all  had  been  snugly  disposed  within, 
the  steps  were  doubled  up,  the  door 
was  closed,  the  windows  were  drawn 
up — crack  !  crack  !  went  the  whips  oi 
the  two  postilions,  ami  away  rolled 
the  carriage  over  the  dry  hard  pave* 
ment. 

"Now  that's  what  I  calls  doing  it 
uncommon  comfortable,"  said  a  pot- 
boy to  one  of  the  footmen  at  an  ad- 
joining house,  where  he  was  delivering 
the  porter  for  the  servants'  dinner; 
"how  werry  nice  and  snug  them  two 
looks  in  the  rumble  behind  !  " 

"  Wc  goes  to-morrow,"  carelessly 
replied  the  gentleman  he  was  address* 
ing. 

"  It's  a  fine  thing  to  be  gentlefolk/' 
said  the  boy,  taking  up  his  pot-board. 

"Ya-as,"  drawled  the  footman, 
twitching  up  his  shirt  collar. 

On  drawing  up  to  the  ]  osting-housc, 
which  was  within  about  forty  miles  of 
Yatton,  the  Aubreys  found  a  carriage 
and  four  just  ready  to  start,  after 
changing  horses;  and  whose  should 
this  prove  tobebutLordDe  la  ZoucIi'f, 
containing  himself,  his  lady,  and  his 
son,  Mr.  Delamere.  His  lordship  and 
his  son  both  alighted  on  accidentally 
■  wring  who  had  overtaken  them  ; 
andcomlngupto  Mr.  Aubrey's  carriage 
windows,  exchanged  surprised  and 
cordial  greetings  with  its  occupants — 
whom  koid  De  la  Zouch  imagined  to 
have  been  by  this  time  on  their  way  to 
Shropshire.  Mr.  Delamere  manifested 
a  surprising  eagerness  about  the  welfare 
of  little  Agnes  Aubrey,  who  happened 
to  belying  fast  asleep  in  Miss  Aubrey's 
lap  ;  but  the  evening  was  fast  advanc- 
ing, and  both  the  travelling  parties  had 

yel  hi  fore  them  a  considerable  portion 
of  their  journey.  After  a  hasty  promise 
on  the  part  ol  each  to  dine  w  ith  the 
other  before  returning  to  town  for  the 
on — a  promise  which  Mr.  Delamert 
at  all  events  resolved  should  not  bo 
lot.  Bight  Of — they  parted.  Twas 
eight  o  clock  before  Mr.  Aubrey's  eye, 
which  had  been  for  Borne  time  on  tho 
luok-out,    caught    sight   of    Yatton 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


133 


woods  ;  and  when  it  did,  his  heart 
yearned  towards  them.  The  moon 
shone  brightly  and  cheerily,  and  it 
was  pleasant  to  listen  to  the  quicken- 
ing clattering  tramp  of  the  horses  upon 
the  dry,  hard  highway,  as  the  travellers 
rapidly  n eared  a  spot  endeared  to  them 
by  every  early  and  tender  association. 
When  they  had  got  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  village,  they  overtook  the  worthy 
vicar,  who  had  mounted  his  nag,  and 
been  out  on  the  road  to  meet  the  ex- 
pected comers,  for  an  hour  before. 
Aubrey  roused  Mrs.  Aubrey  from  her 
nap,  to  point  out  Dr.  Tatham,  who  by 
that  time  was  cantering  along  beside 
tho  open  window.  'Twas  refreshing  to 
see  the  cheerful  old  man — who  looked 
as  ruddy  and  hearty  as  ever. 

"God  bless  you  all!  All  well?" 
he  exclaimed,  riding  close  to  the 
window. 

"Yes;  but  how  is  my  mother?" 
enquired  Aubrey. 

"  High  spirits — high  spirits  !  Was 
with  her  this  afternoon !  Have  not 
scon  her  better  fur  years !  So  sur- 
prised !  Ah !  here's  an  old  friend — 
Hector!  " 

' '  Bow  -  wow  -  wow  -  wow  !  Bow  ! — 
Bow-wow  !  " 

"  Papa !  papa  !  "  exclaimed  the  voice 
of  little  Charles,  straggling  to  get  on 
his  father's  lap  to  look  out  of  the  win- 
dow, "  that  is  Hector  !  I  know  it  is  ! 
He  is  come  to  see  me !  1  want  to  look 
at  him  !  " 

Mr.  Aubrey  lifted  him  up  as  he 
desired,  and  a  huge  black-and-white 
Newfoundland  dog  almost  leaped  up 
to  the  window  at  sight  of  him  clapping 
his  little  hands,  as  if  in  eager  recogni- 
tion, and  then  scampered  and  bounded 
about  in  all  directions,  barking  most 
boisterously,  to  the  infinite  delight  of 
little  Aubrey.  This  messenger  had 
been  sent  on  by  Sam,  the  groom,  who 
had  been  on  the  look-out  for  the 
travellers  for  some  time  ;  and  the 
moment  he  caught  sight  of  the  car- 
riage, pelted  down  the  village,  through 
the  park,  at  top  speed,  up  to  the  Hall, 
there  to  communicate  the  good  news 
of  their  safe  arrival.  The  travellers 
thought  that  the  village  had  never 
looked  so  pretty  and  picturesque  before. 


The  sound  of  the  carriage  dashin« 
through  it,  called  all  the  cottagers  to 
their  doors,  where  they  stood  bowing 
and  curtseying.  It  soon  reached  the 
park-gates,  which  were  thrown  wide 
open  in  readiness  for  its  entrance.  As 
they  passed  the  church,  they  heard  its 
little  bells  ringing  a  merry  peal  to 
welcome  their  arrival ;  its  faint  chimes 
went  to  their  very  hearts. 

"My  dirling  Agnes,  here  we  are 
again  in  the  old  place,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey 
in  a  joyous  tone,  affectionately  kissing 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  his  sister,  as,  after 
having  wound  their  way  up  the  park 
at  almost  a  gallop,  they  heard  them- 
selves rattling  over  the  stone  pavement 
immediately  urider  the  old  turreted 
gateway.  On  approaching  it,  they 
saw  lights  glancing  about  in  the  Hall 
windows  ;  and  before  they  had  drawn 
up,  the  great  door  was  thrown  open, 
and  several  servants  (one  or  two  of 
them  greyheaded)  made  their  appear- 
ance, eager  to  release  the  travellers 
from  their  long  confinement.  A  great 
wood  fire  was  crackling  and  blazing  in 
the  ample  fireplace  in  the  hall  oppo 
the  door,  casting  a  right  peasant  and 
cheerful  light  over  the  various  antique 
objects  rauged  around  the  walls  ;  but 
the  object  on  which  Mr.  Aubrey's  eye 
instantly  settled  was  the  venerable 
figure  of  his  mother,  standing  beside 
the  fireplace  with  one  or  two  female 
attendants.  The  moment  that  the 
carriage  door  was  opened,  he  stepped 
quickly  out,  (nearly  tumbling,  by  the 
way,  over  Hector,  who  appeared  to 
think  that  the  carriage-door  had  been 
opened  only  to  enable  him  to  jump 
into  it,  which  he  prepared  to  do.) 

"God  bless  you,  Madam  !  "  said  he 
tenderly,  as  he  received  his  mother's 
fervent  but  silent  greeting,  and  imag- 
ined that  the  arms  folded  round  him 
were  somewhat  feebler  than  when  he 
had  last  felt  them  embracing  him. 
"With  similar  affection  was  the  good 
old  lady  received  by  her  daughter  and 
daughter-in-law. 

"  Where  is  my  pony,  grandmam- 
ma ?"  quoth  little  Aubrey,  running  up 
to  her,  (he  had  been  kept  quiet  for  the 
last  eighty  miles  or  so,  by  the  menUou 
of  the  aforesaid  pony,  which  had  bw=»n 


134 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


sent  to  the  Hull  as  a  present  to  him 
sonic  weeks  before.)  ""Where  is  it? 
I  want  to  see  my  littl  i  poi  y  directly  ! 
Mamma  •  tys  youhavegol  n.  lit t !.•  pony 
for  me  with  a  long  tail  ;  I  m  I 
before  I  go  to  bed  ;  I  must,  indeed — 
is  il  in  the  stable?" 

"You  shall  see  it  in  the  morning, 
my  darling— the  veryfirst  thing,"  said 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  fervently  kissing  her 
1  eautiful  Little  grandson,  while  tears 
of  joy  and  pride  ran  down  her  cheek. 
She  then  pressed  her  lips  on  the  delicate 
but  flushed  cheek  of  little  Agues,  who 
was  fast  asleep  ;  and  as  soon  as  they 
had  been  conducted  towards  their 
nursery,  Mrs.  Aubn  y,  followed  by  her 
children,  led  the  way  to  the  dining- 
room — the  dear  delightful  old  dining- 
room,  in  which  all  of  them  had  passed 
so  many  happy  hours  of  their  lives. 
It  was  large  and  lofty  ;  and  two  an- 
tique branch  silver  candlesticks,  stand- 
in;;  on  sconces  upon  each  side  of  a 
strange  old  straggling  carved  mantel- 
piece of  inlaid  oak,  aided  by  the  blaze 
given  out  by  two  imm  i  of  wood 

burning  beneath,  thoroughly  illumin- 
ated it.  The  walls  were  oak-paneled, 
Ci  ntaining  niai  y  pictures,  several  of 
them  of  great  value ;  and  the  floor  also 
was  of  polished  oak,  over  the  centre  of 
which,  however,  was  spread  a  thick 
ri  hly-coloured  turkey  carpet.  Oppo- 
site the  dour  was  a  large  mullioned 
bay-window,  then,  however,  concealed 
behind  an  ample  flowing  crimson  cur- 
tain. On  the  further  side  of  the  fire- 
place stood  a  high-backed  and  roomy 
arm-chair,  almost  covered  with  Kate's 
embroidery,  and  in  which  Mrs.  Aubrey 
had  evidently,  as  usual,  been  sitting 
till  the  moment  of  their  arrival — for 
small  ebony  table  beside  it  1  iy  her 
□  open  volume.  Nearly 
fronting  the  fireplace  was  b  i  s,  in 
whi  h  stood  isitely  carved  black 

i  bon  .  cabinet,  in  aid  with  white  and 
red  Lvory.  Tlxi  ,  M  i  s  Aubrey  cl  i 
ns  her  own,  and  had  appropi  I  lit  to 
her  own  pui  posi  i  \  ei  ni  •  she  was 
old.  "  you  dear  i  I  I 
thing!  "  said  she,  throwing  opi  d  th  ■ 
folding-doors  "  Everything  jti  t  as  I 
left  it  !  Re  illy,  dear  mannn  l,  J  i 
skip  about  the  ro  >in  for  joy  !     I  wish 


Charles   would    never    leave    Yattcn 
again  !  " 

"It's  rather  lonely,  my  love,  when 
none  of  you  are  with  me,"  said  Mrs. 

Aubrey.     "  I  feel  getting  older " 

"  Dearest  mamma,"  interrupted  Miss 
Aubrey  quickly,  "/won't  leave  you 
again  !  I'm  quite  tired  of  town — 1  am 
indeed!" 

Though  fires  were  lit  in  their  Bevel's] 
dressing-rooms,  of  which  they  were 
more  than  once  reminded  by  their 
respective  attendants,  they  all  re- 
mained seated  before  the  fire  in  carnage 
costume,  (excepl  thai  Ka  e  had  thrown 
aside  her  bonnet,  her  hall-uncurled 
tresses  hanging  in  negligent  profusion 
over  her  thickly-furred  pelisse,)  eagerly 
conversing  about  the  little  incidents  of 
their  journey,  and  the  events  which 
had  transpired  at  Yatton  since  they 
had  quitted  it.  At  length,  however, 
they  retire  1  to  perform  the  refreshing 

duties    of   the   dres  ing-r .    b  fore 

sitting  down  to  supper.     <  M'  thai  cons- 
ole meal,  within  twenty  minnl 
time  or  so,  they  partook  with  hearty 
h.     Whal    mortal,   however  deli- 
.  could  resist  the  fare  set  before 
■     the  plump  capon,  the  delicious 
grilled   ham,    the    poached    i  ggs,   the 
v    potatoes,    home-baked    bread, 
white   and   brown  —  custards,   mince- 
pies,  home-brewed  ale,  as  soft  as  milk, 
as  clear  as  amber — mulled  elaret- 

i  forth  ?    The  travellers  hud  evidently 
never  relished  anything  more,  to  the 
infinite  delight  of  old  Mrs.   Aubrey; 
who  observing,   soon  afterwards,  irre- 
nn      ible    symptoms    of    fatigue    and 
drowsiness,   ordered    them   all  oil'  to 
bed     Kite  sleeping  in  the  same  cham- 
ber in  which  she  .sit  when  the  reader 
was  permitted  to  catch  a  moon: 
:   e  "t  her,  as  already  more  than 
r.  f'erred  to. 
They  did  not  make  their  appear  > 
the  n<  xt  morning  till  after  nine  o'<  1 
Mrs.  Aubrey  having  read  prayers  be- 
mbled  Ben  ants,  as  usual, 
nearly  an  hour  b  lore     ,,  Jul  v  In  r  bod 

always  p   if  l  lie  d  v  hen   at.   the   1  i  ill 

bill  on  this  occasion  he  li  i  1  overslept 
hims  If.     I le  found  his  mother  in  the 

i  room,  where   she   was 
joint  d  by  le  r  daughter  and  daughter* 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


135 


in-law,  all  of  them  being  in  high 
health  and  spirits.  Just  as  they  were 
finishing  breakfast,  little  Aubrey  burst 
into  the  room  in  a  perfect  ecstasy — for 
old  Jones  had  taken  him  round  to  the 
stables,  and  shown  him  the  little  pony 
which  had  been  bought  for  him  only  a 
few  months  before.  He  had  heard  it 
neigh— had  seen  its  long  tail  —  had 
patted  its  neck — had  seen  it  eat — and 
now  his  vehement  prayer  was,  that 
his  papa,  and  mamma,  and  Kate  would 
immediately  go  and  see  it,  and  take 
his  little  sister  also. 

Breakfast  over,  they  separated.  Old 
Mrs.  Aubrey  went  to  her  own  room  to 
be  attended  by  her  housekeeper ;  the 
other  two  ladies  retired  to  their  rooms 
—  Kate  principally  engaged  in  ar- 
ranging her  presents  for  her  little 
scholars  :  and  Mr.  Aubrey  repaired  to 
his  library — as  delightful  an  old  snug- 
gery as  the  most  studious  recluse  could 
desire — where  he  was  presently  at- 
tended by  his  bailiff.  He  found  that 
everything  was  going  on  as  he  could 
have  wished.  With  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions, his  rents  were  paid  most 
punctually  ;  the  farms  and  lands  kept 
in  capital  condition.  To  be  sure  an  in- 
corrigible old  poacher  had  been  giving 
his  people  a  little  trouble,  as  usual, 
and  was  committed  for  trial  at  the 
Spring  Assizes  ;  a  few  trivial  trespasses 
had  been  committed  in  search  of  fire- 
wood, and  other  small  matters  ;  which, 
after  having  been  detailed  with  great 
minuteness  by  his  zealous  and  vigilant 
bailiff,  were  dispatched  by  Mr.  Aubrey 
with  a  "pooh,  pooh!" — Then  there 
was  Gregory,  who  held  the  smallest 
farm  on  the  estate,  at  its  southern 
extremity — he  was  three  quarters'  rent 
in  arreax — but  he  had  a  sick  wife  and 
5cven  children — so  he  was  at  once  for- 
given all  that  was  due,  and  also  what 
would  become  due  on  the  ensuing 
quarter  day. —  "In  fact,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey,  "don't  ask  him  for  any  more 
rent.  I'm  sure  the  poor  fellow  will 
pay  when  he's  able." 

Some  rents  were  to  be  raised  ;  others 
lowered  ;  and  some  half  dozen  of  the 
poorer  cottages  were  to  be  forthwith 
X>ut  into  good  repair,  at  Mr.  Aubrey's 
expense.     The  two  oxen  had  been  sent, 


on  the  preceding  afternoon,  from  the 
home  farm  to  the  butcher's,  to  be 
distributed  on  Christmas  eve  among 
the  poorer  villagers,  according  to  orders 
brought  down  from  town,  by  Sam,  the 
clay  before.  Thus  was  Mr.  Aubrey  c  n- 
gaged  for  an  hour  or  two,  till  luncheon 
time,  when  good  Dr.  Tatbam  made 
his  welcome  appearance,  having  been 
engaged  mest  of  the  morning  in  touch- 
ing up  an  old  Christmas  sermon. 

He  had  been  vicar  of  Yatton  for 
nearly  thirty  years,  having  been  pre- 
sented to  it  by  the  late  Mr.  Aubrey, 
with  whom  he  had  been  intimate  at 
college.  He  was  a  delightful  speeiim  n 
of  a  country  parson.  Cheerful,  unaf- 
fected, and  good-natured,  there  was  a 
dash  of  quaintness  or  roughness  about 
his  manners,  that  reminded  you  of  the 
crust  in  very  line  old  port.  He  had 
been  a  widower,  and  childless,  for 
fifteen  years.  His  parish  had  been 
ever  since  his  family,  whom  he  still 
watched  over  with  an  affectionate  vigil- 
ance. He  was  respected  and  beloved 
by  all.  Almost  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  that  had  died  in  Yatton, 
during  nearly  thirty  years,  had  de- 
parted with  the  sound  of  his  kind  and 
solemn  voice  in  their  ears.  He  claimi  d 
a  sort  of  personal  acquaintance  with 
almost  all  the  gravestones  in  his  little 
churchyard  ;  and  when  he  looked  at 
them,  his  conscience  bore  him  witness, 
that  he  had  done  his  duty  by  the  dust 
that  slept  underneath.  He  was  at  the 
bedside  of  a  sick  person  almost  as 
soon,  and  as  often,  as  the  doctor — no 
matter  what  sort  of  weather,  or  at 
what  hour  of  the  day  or  night.  Me- 
thinks  I  see  him  now,  bustling  about 
the  village,  with  healthy  ruddy  cheek, 
a  clear,  cheerful  eye,  hair  white  as 
snow ;  with  a  small,  stout  figure, 
clothed  in  a  suit  of  somewhat  rusty 
black,  (knee-breeches  and  gaiters  all 
round  the  year,)  and  with  a  small 
shovel-hat.  No  one  lives  in  the  vicar- 
age with  him  but  an  elderly  woman, 
his  housekeeper,  and  her  husbai.d, 
whose  chief  business  is  to  look  after 
the  doctor's  old  mare  and  the  little 
garden  ;  in  which  I  have  often  see;n 
him  and  his  master,  with  his  coat  off, 
digging  for  hours  together.     He  rises 


13G 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


at  five  in  the  winter,  and  fottr  in  tlic 
summ  r,  being  occupied  till  breakfast 
with  Ins  studies  ;  for  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent scholar,  and  has  not  forgotten, 
in  the  zealous  discharge  of  his  sacred 
duties,  the  pursuits  of  literature  and 
philosophy,  in  which  lie  gained  no 
inconsiderable  distinction  in  his  youth. 
lie  derives  a  very  moderate  income 
from  his  living ;  but  it  is  even  more 
than  sufficient  for  his  necessities.  Ever 
since  Mr.  Aubrey's  devotion  to  polities 
has  carried  him  away  from  Yattou  for 
a  considerable  portion  of  each  year, 
Dr.  Tatham  has  been  the  right-hand 
(counsellor  of  old  Mrs.  Aubrey,  in  all 
Iher  pious  and  charitable  plans  and 
purposes.  Every  new-year's  day,  there 
come  from  the  Hall  to  the  vicarage  six 
dozen  of  fine  old  port  wine — a  present 
from  Mrs.  Aubrey;  but  the  little  doctor 
(though  he  never  tells  her  so)  scarce 
drinks  six  bottles  of  them  in  a  year. 
Two  dozen  of  them  go,  within  a  few 
days'  time,  to  a  poor  brother  parson  in 
an  adjoining  parish,  who,  with  his 
wife  and  three  children — all  in  feeble 
health — can  hardly  ke.  p  body  and  soul 
together,  and  who,  but  for  this  gener- 
ous brother,  would  not  probably  taste 
a  gla  a  of  wine  throughout  the  year, 
except  on  certain  occasions  when  the 
very  humblest  may  moisten  their  poor 
lips  with  wine — 1  mean  the  SACEA- 
w  ENT — the  sublime  and  solemn  festival 
:i  by  One  who  doth  not  forget  the 
poor  and  destitute,  however  in  their 
misery  they  may  sometimes  think  to 
the  contrary ! — The  remainder  of  his 
little  present  Dr.  Tatham  distributes 
in  small  quantities  amongst  such  of 
his  parishioners  as  may  require  it,  and 
may  not  happen  to  have  come  under 
the  immediate  notice  of  .Mrs.  Aubrey. 
Dr.  Tatham  has  known  Mr.  Aubrey 
ever  since  he  was  about  five  years  old. 
Twas  the  doctor  thai  li;  I  taught  him 
Grei  k  and  Latin ;  and,  up  to  his  • 
to  &  him  the  frequent  ad- 

vantage i  f  his  learned  experience. — 
But  surely  1  1  ave  gone  into  a  very 
long  di  ■  mu  t  return. 

While  Mi  y,  accompanied  by 

her  sister-in-law,  and  followed  by  a 
servant  carrying  a  gees  (ilied 

with  arti  from  London  the 


day  before,  went  to  the  school  which  I 
have  before  mentioned,  in  order  to 
distribute  her  prizes  and  presents,  Mr. 
Aubrey  and  Dr.  Tatham  set  off  on  a 
walk  through  the  village. 

"I  must  really  do  something  for 
that  old  steeple  of  yours,  Doctor,"  said 
Aubrey,  as  arm  in  arm  they  approached 
the  church  ;  "  it  looks  crumbling  away 
in  many  parts." 

"If  you'd  only  send  a  couple  of 
masons  to  repair  the  porch,  and  make 
it  weather-tight,  it  would  satisfy  me  lor 
some  years  to  come,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"Well— we'll  look  at  it,"  repli  1 
Aubrey  ;  and,  turning  aside,  they  en- 
tered the  little  churchyard. 

"How  I  love  this  old  yew-tree!" 
he  exclaimed,  as  they  passed  under  it  ; 
"it  easts  a  kind  of  tender  gloom 
around  that  always  makes  me  pensive, 
not  to  say  melancholy!"  A  sigh 
escaped  him,  as  his  eye  glanced  at  the 
family  vault,  which  was  almost  in  the 
it;  of  the  shade,  where  lay  his 
father,  three  brothers,  and  a  sister, 
and  where,  in  the  course  of  nature,  a 
few  short  years  would  see  the  precious 
ins  of  his  mother  deposited.  But 
the  Doctor,  who  had  hastened  forward 
alone  for  anion  lent,  finding  the  church- 
door  open,  called  out  to  Mr.  Aubrey, 
who  Boon  stood  within  the  porch.  It 
certainly  required  a  little  repairing, 
which  Mr.  Aubrey  said  should  be 
looked  to  immediately.  "Sec — we're 
all  preparing  for  to-morrow,"  said  Dr. 
Tatham,  Leading  the  way  into  the 
little  church,  where  the  grizzle-he  id  d 
clerk  was  busy  decorating  the  pulpit, 
reading-desk,  and  altar-piece,  with  the 
cheerful  emblems  of  the  season. 

"  I  never  See  these,"  said  the  Doctor, 

taking  up  one  of  the  Bprif    of  n  tstle- 
toc  lying  on  a  form  beside  them,  "  but 
I  think  of  your  own  Christina 
Mr.  Aubrey,  when    you   were   yowi 
and  fresher  than  you  now  axe — d 
you  i'  collect  them  '.' " 

"  Oh— pooh!" 

"  Bui    I  remember  them,"  rcjoi 
the  Doctor;  and  he  began, — 

.  l !  pilvcry,  modest  mistli 
Wnath. 1  round  wo, h  r'a  brow  of  snow, 

i  haately,  tenderly  i 
Jlail  holly,  darkly,  richly  green, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


137 


■Whoso  crimson  berries  blush  between 
Thy  prickly  foliage,  modestly. 
Ye  winter-flowers,  bloom  sweet  and  fair, 
Though  Nature's  garden  else  be  bare — 
Ye  vernal  glistening  emblems,  meet 
To  twine  a  Christmas  coronet !  " 

"  That  will  do,  Doctor,"  interrupted 
Aubrey  smiling — "what  a  memory  you 
have  lor  trifles  !  " 

"  Peggy  !  Peggy  !  —  you're  sadly 
overdoing  it,"  said  the  Doctor,  calling 
out  to  the  sexton's  wife,  who  was  busy 
at  work  in  the  squire's  pew  —  a  large 
square  pew  in  the  nave,  near  the  pul- 
pit. "  Why,  do  you  want  to  hide  the 
squire's  family  from  the  congregation  ? 
You're  quite  putting  a  holly  hedge  all 
round !  " 

"Please  you,  sir,"  quoth  Peggy, 
"  I've  got  so  much  I  don't  know  where 
to  put  it  —  so,  in  course,  I  put  it 
here  !  " 

"Then,"  said  the  Doctor,  with  a 
smile,  looking  round  the  church,  "let 
John  get  up  and  stick  some  of  it  into 
those  old  hatchments;  and,"  looking 
up  at  the  clerk,  busy  at  work  in  the 
pulpit,  "  don't  you  put  quite  so  much 
up  there  in  my  candlesticks  !  " 

With  this  the  parson  and  the  squire 
took  their  departure.  As  they  passed 
slowly  up  the  village,  which  already 
wore  a  sort  of  holiday  aspect,  they 
met  on  all  hands  with  a  cordial  and 
respectful  greeting.  The  quiet  little 
public-house  turned  out  some  four  or 
five  stout  steady  fellows — all  tenants 
of  Mr.  Aubrey's — with  their  rapes  irj 
their  hands,  and  who  took  ofl'  their 
hats,  and  bowed  very  low.  Mr.  Aubrey 
went  up  and  entered  into  conversation 
with  them  for  some  minutes — their 
families  and  farms,  he  found,  were  well 
and  thriving.  There  was  quite  a  little 
trowd  of  women  about  the  shop  of 
Kick  Steele,  the  butcher,  who,  with 
an  extra  bind  to  help  him,  was  giving 
out  the  second  ox  which  had  been  sent 
from  the  Hall,  to  the  persons  whose 
names  had  been  given  in  to  him  from 
Mrs.  Aubrey.  Further  on,  some  were 
cleaning  their  little  windows,  others 
sweeping  their  floors,  and  sprinkling 
sand  over  them ;  most  were  sticking 
holly  and  mistletoe  in  their  windows, 
and  over  their  mantelpieces.  Every- 
where, in  short,  was  to  be  seen  that  air 


of  quiet  preparation  for  the  solemnly 
cheerful  morrow,  which  fdls  a  thought- 
ful observer  with  feelings  of  pensive 
but  exquisite  satisfaction. 

Mr.  Aubrey  returned  home  towards 
dusk,    cheered  and   enlivened  by  his 
walk.     His   sudden  plunge   into   the 
simplicity  and  comparative  solitude  of 
country  life — and  that  country  Yatton 
—had  quite  refreshed  his  feelings,  and 
given  a  tone  to  his  spirits.     Of  course 
Dr.  Tatham  was  to  dine  at  the  Hail  on 
the  morrow  ;  if  he  did  not,  indeed,  it 
would   have   been  for  the   first  time 
during  the  last  five-and-twenty  years. 
Christmas  eve  passed  pleasantly  and 
quietly  enough   at   the   Hall.     After 
dinner  the  merry  little  okes  were  in- 
troduced, and  their  prattle  and  romps 
occupied  an  hour  right  joyously.     As 
soon  as,  smothered  with  kisses,  they 
had  been  dismissed  to  bed,  old  Mrs. 
Aubrey  composed  herself  in  her  great 
chair  to  her  usual  after-dinner's  nap  ; 
while   her   son,    his  wifi',   and   sister, 
sitting  fronting  the  fire— a  decanter  or 
two,  and  a  few  wine-glasses  and  dessert, 
remaining  on  the  table  behind  them 
— sat   conversing  in  a  subdued  tone, 
now  listening  to  the  wind  roaring  in. 
the  chimney— a  sound  which  not   a 
little  enhanced  their  sense  of  comfort 
— then   criticising   the   disposition  of 
the  evergreens  with  which  the  room 
was  plenteously  decorated,  and  laying 
out    their  movements  during   the  en- 
suing   fortnight.     Mrs.    Aubrey    and 
Kate  were,  with  affectionate   earnest- 
ness,    contrasting     to     Aubrey    tho 
peaceful  pleasures   of  a   country   Lfa 
with     the     restless     excitement    and 
endless  anxieties  of  a  London  political 
life,  to  which  they  saw  him  more  and 
more   addicting  himself ;  he   all   the 
while  playfully  parrying  their  attacks, 
but  secretly  acknowledging  the  truth 
and  force  of  what  they  said,  when 
hark  ! — a  novel  sound  from  without, 
which  roused  the  old   lady  from  her 
nap.    What  do  you  think,  dear  reader, 
it   was  ?      The   voices    of  little  girls 
singing  what  seemed  to  be  a  Christinas 
hymn  :  yes,  they  caught  the  words  - 

MHark  !  the  herald  angels  sing, 
Glory  to  the  new-born  king; 
Peace  on  earth,  and  mercy  mild  "  - 


138 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"Why,  surely  —  it  must  be  your 
little  school  girls,"  said  old  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  looking  at  her  daughter,  and 
1         ing. 

"I  do  believe  it  is!"  quoth  Kate, 
her  eyes  suddenly  filling  with  tears,  as 
she  sat  eagerly  inclining  her  ear  to- 
wards tlio  window. 

"They  must  be  standing  on  the 
grass-plot  just  before  the  window," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  :  the  tiny  voices  were 
thrilling  his  very  heart  within  him. 
His  sensitive  nature  might  be  compared 
to  a  delicate  /Eolian  harp,  which  gave 
forth,  with  the  slightest  breath  of 
accident  or  circumstance, — 

"  The  still,  sad  music  of  humanity." 

In  a  few  moments  he  was  almost  in 
tears — the  sounds  were  so  unlike  the 
fierce  and  turbulent  cries  of  political 
warfare  to  which  his  cars  had  been 
latterly  accustomed!  The  more  the 
poor  children  sung,  the  more  was  he 
affected.    K  3  fell  fast,  for  she 

had  been  in  an  excited  m L  bei  ire 

this  little  incident  occurred.  "Do 
you  hear,  mamma,"  said  she,  "  the 
voice  of  the  poor  little  thing  that  was 
last  taken  into  the  school?  The  little 
darling!"  Kate  tried  to  smile  away 
her  emotion;  hut 'twas  in  vain.  Mr. 
Aubrey  gently  drew  aside  the  curtain, 
and  pulled  up  the  central  blind-  and 
there,  headi  d  by  their  matron,  Bfo  od 
the  little  singers  exposed  to  view,  s  >me 
eighteen  in  number,  ranged  in  a  row 
on  the  grass,  their  small  white  shawls 

glistening    in    the    n alight.      The 

oldest  Beemed  not  mure  than  ten  or 
twelve  years  old,  while  the  younger 
i  could  not  be  more  than  five  or 
six.     They  seemed  all  singing  from 

their    very    hearts.        Aubrey    si 1 

ing    at    them    with    very    deep 
Intel 

As  soon  as  they  had  finished  their 
hymn,  they  were  conducted  into  thw 
hou  ok     ;    r's     room,     ai  to 

:  3    bi  nt.    for    that    purpose    from 
Mrs.  Aul  of  them  re- 

ed   a    little    present    of    mo 
1     ides  a  full  gin  a  of  ,\i  i  i,  Ja<  l< 

,  and  a  currant 
1  in  ;  Kate  Blipping  half-a-guinea  into 
1h-  !       I  of  their  n  to 


wish    to    afford    gratification    to    the 
inmates  of  the  Hi  11  W  IS  entirely  owing 
the  little  incident  which  had  so  pli 
and  surprised  them. 

"A  happy  Christmas  to  you,  dear 
papa  and  mamma  !  "  said  little  Aubrey, 
about  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
pushing  aside  the  curtains,  and  trying 
to  clamber  up  on  the  high  bed  where 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  were  still  asleep 
— soon,  however,  they  were  awoke  by 
the  welcome  sound!— The  morning 
promised  a  beautiful  day.  The  air, 
though  cold,  was  clear ;  and  the 
branches  of  the  trees  visible  from  their 
windows  were  all  covered  with  hoar- 
frost, which  seemed  to  line  them  as  if 
with  silver  fringe.  The  little  b.  lis  of 
Yatton  church  were  ringing  a  merry 
peal ;  but  how  different  in  tone  ami 
strength  from  the  clangour  of  the 
Loi  don  church-bells! — Christmas  was 
indeed  at  List  arrived — and  cheerful 
were  the  greetings  of  those  who  soon 
'    met    at    the   bountiful    breakfast 

table.  Old  Mrs.  Aubrey  was  going  to 
church  with  them — in  fact,  no;  even  a 
domestic  was  to  be  left  at.  home  that 
could  possibly  be  spared.  By  the  time 
that  the  carriage,  with  the  fat  and 
lazy-looking  grey  horses,  was  at  the 
Hail  door,  the  iun  had  hurst  out  in 
ityfrom  an  almost  cloudless  sky. 
The  three  ladies  rode  alone  ;  Aubrey 
preferring  to  walk,  accompanied  by  his 
little  son,  as  the  ground  was  dry  and 
h  .rd,  and  the  distance  very  short.  A 
troop  of  some  twelve  or  fourteen 
servants,  male  and  female,  presently 
followed  ;  and  then  came  Mr.  Aubrey, 
leading  along  the  heir  of  Yatton— a 
boy  of  whom  he  mij  ;h1  well  be  proud, 
as  the  future  pos  essor  of  his  name, 
his  fortune,  and  his  honours.  When 
lie  bad  r<  a<  bed  the  church,  the  carri 
was  returning  home.   Almost  the  whole 

Ion  stood  collected  bi  fore 
church  door,  to  see  the  Squire's  family 
i  nter  :  and  iv\ .  renl  w<  re  the  curl 

and  boWS  v,  ith  whii  h  i 

and  hi  r  lovely  i  re- 
ft. V*l  ty  :-'  l  had 
i    their    placi  ',     Mr.  Aubrey   ;md 

his  boh  made  their  npp 

they  wi  re  of  the  di  epest  info  i 

they  passed  along  to  their  pew.    A  few 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


133 


minutes  afterwards  little  Dr.  Tatham 
entered  the  church  in  his  surplice, 
(which  he  almost  always  put  on  at 
home,)  with  a  face,  serious  to  be  sure, 
but  yet  overspread  with  an  expression 
even  more  blaud  and  benignant  than 
usual.  He  knew  there  was  not  a  soul 
among  the  little  crowd  around  him 
that  did  not  really  love  him,  and  that 
did  not  know  how  heartily  he  returned 
their  love.  All  eyes  were  of  course  on 
the  Squire's  pewT.  Mrs.  Aubrey  was 
looking  well  —  her  daughter  and 
daughter-in-law  were  thought  by  all 
to  be  by  far  the  most  beautiful  women 
in  the  world — what  must  people  think 
of  them  in  London  ?  Mr.  Aubrey 
looked,  they  thought,  plenscd  and 
happy,  but  rather  paler,  and  even  a 
little  thinner  ;  and  as  for  the  little 
Squire,  with  his  bright  eyes,  his  rosy 
oheeks,  his  arch  smile,  his  curliag 
auburn  hair — and  so  like  his  father 
and  mother — ho  was  the  pride  of 
Yatton  ! 

Dr.  Tatham  read  prayers,  as  he 
always  did,  with  great  distinctness  and 
deliberation,  so  that  everybody  in  the 
church,  young  and  old,  could  catch 
every  syllabic  ;  and  he  preached,  con- 
siderately enough,  a  very  short  sermon 
—  pithy,  homely,  and  affectionate. 
He  reminded  them  that  he  was  then 
preaching  his  thirty-first  Christmas- 
day  sermon  from  that  pulpit  !  The 
service  and  the  sacrament  over,  none 
of  the  congregation  moved  from  their 
places  till  the  occupants  of  the  Squire's 
pew  had  quitted  it ;  but  as  soon  as 
they  had  got  outside  of  the  door,  the 
good  people  poured  out  after  them, 
and  almost  lined  the  way  from  the 
church  door  to  the  gate  at  which  the 
carriage  stood,  receiving  and  answer- 
ing a  hundred  kind  enquiries  con- 
cerning themselves,  their  families,  and 
their  circumstances. 

Mr.  Aubrey  stayed  behind,  desirous 
of  taking  another  little  ramble  with 
Dr.  Tatham  through  the  village,  for 
the  day  was  indeed  bright  and  beau- 
tiful, and  the  occasion  inspiriting. 
There  was  not  a  villager  within  four 
or  live  miles  of  the  Hall  who  did  not 
sit  down  that  day  to  a  comfortable 
little  relishing  dinner,    at  least   one 


third  of  them  being  indebted  for  it 
directly  to  the  bounty  of  the  Aubreys. 
As  soon  as  Dr.  Tatham  had  taken  off 
his  gown,  he  accompanied  Mr.  Aubrey 
in  cheerful  mood,  in  the  briskest 
spirits.  'Twas  delightful  to  ;ce  the 
smoke  come  curling  out  of  every  chim- 
ney, scarce  any  one  visible,  suggesting 
to  you  that  they  were  all  housed,  and 
preparing  for  or  partaking  of  their 
roast-beef  and  plum-pudding !  Now 
and  then  the  bustling  wife  would 
show  her  heated  red  face  at  the  door, 
and  hastily  curtsey  as  they  passed, 
then  returning  to  dish  up  her  little 
dinner. 

"Ah,  ha;  Mr.  Aubrey!— isn't  such 
a  day  33  this  worth  a  whole  year  in 
town  ?"  exclaimed  Dr.  Tatham. 

"Both  have  their  peculiar  influ- 
ences, Doctor ;  the  pleasure  of  the 
contrast  would  be  lost  if " 

"  Contrast !  Believe  me,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Virgil " 

"  Ah  !  how  goes  on  old  blind  Bess, 
Doctor  ? "  interrupted  Aubrey,  as  they 
approached  the  smallest  cottage  in  the 
village — in  fact  the  very  last. 

"She's  just  the  same  as  she  has 
been  these  last  twenty  years.  Shall 
we  look  in  on  the  old  creature  ? " 

"With  all  my  heart.  I  hope,  poor 
soul !  that  she  has  not  been  overlooked 
on  this  festive  occasion." 

"  Trust  Mrs.  Aubrey  for  that !  I'll 
answer  for  it,  we  shall  find  old  Bess 
as  happy,  in  her  wav,  as  she  can 
be." 

This  was  a  stone-blind  old  woman, 
who  had  been  bedridden  for  the  last 
twenty  years.  She  had  certainly 
passed  her  hundredth  year — some 
said  two  or  three  years  before — and  had 
lived  in  her  present  little  cottage  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  having  grown 
out  of  the  recollection  of  almost  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village.  She 
had  long  been  a  pensioner  of  Mrs. 
Aubrey's,  by  whom  alone,  indeed,  she 
was  supported.  Her  great  age,  her 
singular  appearance,  and  a  certain 
rambling  way  of  talking  that  she 
had,  earned  her  the  reputation  in  the 
village  of  being  able  to  say  strange 
things  ;  and  one  or  two  of  the  old 
gossips  knew  of  things  coming  to  pass 


140 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


according   to  what — poor   old  soul — 
she  had  predicted  ! 

Dr.  Tatham  gently  pushed  open 
the  door.  The  cottage  consisted,  in 
fact,  of  hut  one  room,  and  that  a 
very  small  one,  and  lit  hy  only  one 
little  window.  The  floor  was  clean, 
and  evidently  just  fresh  sanded.  On 
a  wooden  stooi,  opposite  a  fireplace, 
on  which  a  small  saucepan  pot  was 
placed,  sat  a  girl  ahout  twelve  y 
old,  (a  daughter  of  the  woman  who 
lived  nearest,)  crumbling  some  bread 
into  a  basin,  with  some  broth  in  it. 
On  a  narrow  bed  against  the  wall, 
opposite  the  window,  was  to  be  seen 
tin'  somewhat  remarkal  Le  figure  of  the 
solitary  old  tenant  of  the  cotl 
She  was  sitting  up,  resting  agains! 
the  pillow,  which  was  placed  on  end 
against  the  wall.  She  was  evidently 
a  very  tall  woman  ;  and  her  long, 
brown,  wrinkled,  shrivelled  face,  with 
prominent  e!  and  bushy  white 

eyebrows,  bi  tokened  the  possession,  in 
earlier  days,  of  a  most  masculine  ex- 
pression <>\'  features.     Her  hair,  white 
as  snow,  was  gathered  back  from  her 
f     head,    under    a    spreading    plain 
white  cap  ;  and  her  sight!  -    eyi    .  wide 
;,  Btared  forward  with  a  startling 
and    somewhat    sinister    expression. 
She   was  wrapped   round  in  a  clean 
white   bedgown  ;   and   her  long   thin 
arms  lay  straight  before  her  on   the 
outside  of  the  bed-clothes.     Her  lips 
moving,  as  if  she  were  talking 
■self. 

"  She's  a  strange-looking  object,  in- 
deed!" exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey,  as  he 
and  Dr.  Tatham  stood  watching  her 
fot  a  u'\v  moments  in  silence. 

"Dame!   dame!"  said  the  Doctor 
lly,  approaching  her  bedside,  "how 

are  you  to-day?     It's  Christmas-day — 
I  wish  you  a  merry  Christina  i." 

"Ay,  ay— merry,  merry!    More  the 
rier!     I've  seen  a  hundred  and 
nine  of  th- in  !  " 

"  Ton  seem  very  happy,  dame." 

"They  won'l  give  me  my  broth — 
my  broth,  levishly. 

"  It's  cumin   .  7,"  called  out 

the  .shrill    voice   of  the    girl    Bit 
bef  re   the    lire,  quick  iiing  her  in" 


"  Here's  the  Squire  come  to  see  you, 
dame,  and  he  wishes  vou  a  happy 
Christmas,"  said  Dr.  Tatham. 

"What!  theSauire,  Alive  yet? 
Ah,  well-a-day  !  well-a-day !  "  said  she, 
in  a  feeble,  mournful  tone,  slowly  rub- 
bing together  her  long,  skinny,  wrin- 
kled hands,  on  the  backs  of  which  the 
veins  stood  out  like  knotted  whipcord. 
She  repeated  the  last  words  several 
times,  in  a  truly  doleful  tone,  gently 
shaking  her  head. 

"Granny's  been  Very  sad,  sir,  to- 
day, and  cried  two  or  three  times," 
said  the  little  girl,  stirring  about  the 
hot  broth. 

"  Toor  Squire !  doth  he  not  look 
sad  ?"  enquired  the  old  Woman. 

"Why  should  I.  dame?  What  have 
I  to  fear  .' "  said  Mr.  Aubrey. 

"Merry  in  the  Hall!  all,  merry! 
merry!  But  no  one  has  heard  it  but 
old  blind  Bess.  Where's  theSquire?" 
she  added,  suddenly  turning  her  faco 
full  towards  where  they  were  standing 
— and  it  seemed  whitened  with  emo- 
tion. Her  staring  eyes  were  .settled 
on  Mr.  Aubrey's  face,  as  if  she  were 
ug  Lis  very.uoul. 

"Here  I  am,  dome,"  said  he,  with 
a  great  deal  of  curiosity,  to  say  the 
least  of  it. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  Squire,"  said 
she,  stretching  out  her  left  arm,  and 
working  about  her  talon-like  fingers, 
as  if  in  eagerness  to  grasp  Mr.  Au- 
brey's hand,  which  he  gave  her. 

"Neverfearl  never,  never !  Happy 
intheHall!  Isecall!    Howlong '" 

"Why,  dame,  this  is  truly  a  very 
plea  ua1  greeting  of  yours,"  inter- 
pos  d  1  »r.  Tatham  with  a  smile. 

"Short  and  bitter  !  long  and  sweet ! 
Put  your  trusl  in  <  rod,  Squire." 

"1  hope  I  do,  granny,"  replied  Mr. 
Aubrey  Beriou 

"1  see!    I  hear! — my  broth! 
broth  !  —  where  is  it '!  " 

"  Here  it  is,  granny,"  said  the  girl. 

"(1 1-day,  dame,"  .said  Mr.  Au- 
brey, gently  du  ;  his  h  md 
from  hei  i  ;  and  1>.  fore  thi  y  h  id  li  ft 
the  c.i  tage  she  began  to  Bwallow  v< 
pjreedily  the  broth  with  whi<  h  the 
little  ";:  1  fi  d  lei-. 

"This  i  i  tie-  sort  of  way  in  wl. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


141 


this   old   superannuated  creature  has 
frightened  one  or  two  of " 

"  Is  it  indeed  ?  "  enquired  Mr.  Au- 
brey, with  a  sort  of  mechanical  smile. 
Dr.  Tatham  saw  that  he  was  in  a 
somewhat  serious  humour. 

"She's  alarmed  you,  I  protest! — 
I  protest  she  has ! "  exclaimed  the 
Doctor,  with  a  smile,  as  they  walked 
along.  Now,  he  knew  the  disposition 
and  character  of  Aubrey  intimately ; 
and  was  well  aware  of  a  certain  tend- 
ency he  had  to  superstition. 

"My  dear  Doctor,  I  assure  you 
that  you  are  mistaken — I  am  indeed 
not  alarmed — but  at  the  same  time  I 
will  tell  you  something  not  a  little 
singular.  Would  you  believe  that  a 
month  or  two  ago,  when  in  town,  I 
dreamed  that  I  heard  some  one  utter- 
ing something  very  much  like  the 
words  which  this  old  woman  has  just 
been  uttering  ? " 

"Ah!  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  Doc- 
tor ;  and,  after  a  second  or  two's 
pause,  Aubrey,  as  if  ashamed  of  what 
he  had  said,  echoed  the  laugh,  and 
their  conversation  passed  on  to  political 
topics,  which  kept  them  engaged  for 
the  remainder  of  their  walk,  Mr.  Au- 
brey quitting  his  companion  at  the 
door  of  the  vicarage,  to  be  rejoined  by 
him  at  five  o'clock,  the  dinner  hour  at 
the  Hall.  As  Mr.  Aubrey  walked 
along  the  park,  the  shades  of  evening 
casting  a  deepening  gloom  around  him, 
his  thoughts  involuntarily  recurred  to 
the  cottage  of  old  blind  Bess,  and  he 
felt  vague  apprehensions  flitting  with 
darkening  shade  across  his  mind. 
Though  he  was  hardly  weak  enough 
to  attach  any  definite  meaning  or  im- 
portance to  the  gibberish  he  had  heard, 
it  still  had  left  an  unpleasant  impres- 
sion, and  he  was  vexed  at  feeling  a 
wish  that  the  incident — trifling  as  he 
was  willing  to  believe  it — should  not 
be  mentioned  by  Dr.  Tatham  at  the 
Hall ;  and  still  more,  on  recollecting 
that  he  had  purposely  abstained  from 
requesting  the  good  Doctor  not  to  do 
so.  All  this  implied  that  the  matter 
had  occupied  his  thoughts  to  a  greater 
extent  than  he  secretly  relished.  On 
reaching,  however,  the  Hall  door,  this 
brief  pressure  on  his  feelings  quickly 


ceased  ;  for  on  entering  he  saw  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  his  sister,  and  his  two 
children,  at  high  romps  together  in 
the  hall,  and  he  heartily  joiued  in 
them. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

By  five  o'clock  the  little  party  were 
seated  at  the  cheerful  dinner-table, 
covered  with  the  glittering  old  family 
plate,  and  that  kind  of  fare,  at  onco 
substantial  and  luxurious,  which  be- 
fitted the  occasion.  Old  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
in  her  simple  white  turban  and  black 
velvet  dress,  presided  with  a  kind  of 
dignified  cheerfulness  which  was  de- 
lightful to  see.  Kate  had  contrived 
to  make  herself  look  more  lovely  even 
than  usual,  wearing  a  dress  of  dark 
blue  satin,  tastefully  trimmed  with 
blonde,  and  which  exquisitely  com- 
ported with  her  beautiful  complexion. 
Oh  that  Delamere  had  been  sitting 
opposite  to,  or  beside  her  !  The  more 
matured  proportions  of  her  blooming 
sister-in-law  appeared  to  infinite  ad- 
vantage in  a  rich  green  velvet  dress, 
while  a  superb  diamond  glistened  with 
Subdued  lustre  in  her  beautiful  bosom. 
She  wore  no  ornaments  in  her  dark 
hair,  which  was,  as  indeed  might  be 
said  of  Kate,  "  when  unadorned, 
adorned  the  most."  The  grey-headed 
old  butler,  as  brisk  as  his  choicest 
champagne,  with  which  he  perpetually 
bustled  round  the  table,  and  the  two 
steady-looking  old  family  servants, 
going  about  their  business  with  quiet 
celerity — the  delicious  air  of  antique 
elegance  around  them, — this  was  a 
Christmas  dinner  after  one's  own 
heart ! — Oh  the  merry  and  dear  old 
Yatton  !  And  as  if  there  were  not 
loveliness  enough  already  in  the  room, 
behold  the  door  suddenly  pushed  open 
as  soon  as  the  dessert  is  on  the  table, 
and  run  up  to  his  gay  and  laugh  ing 
mother,  her  little  son,  his  ample 
snowy  collar  resting  gracefully  on  his 
crimson  velvet  dress.  'Tis  her  hope 
and  pride — her  first-born — the  little 
squire;    but   where   is  his  sister?  — 


- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


where  is  Agnes  I    'Tis  even  as  Charles 
says — she  fell  asleep  in  the  very  act  of 
beijig  dressed,  and  tl 
to  put  her  to  bed  ;  so  Charles  is  al 
in   his    glory.      You   may    ■well   fold 
your  delicate  white  arm  aro1: 
ma  ! — 
His  little  gold  cup  is  nearly  filled 
to  join  in  the  first  *  1  all 

:  r  has  pot 

Mrs.  Aubrey's  glass  and  Kate's  g 
full    up   to   the    brim: — "Our 
>/" 
your   i  Istmas!      The 

of  Dr.  Tatham  alone 
faint  change  of  oolonr  in  Mr. 
Aubrey's    cheek   as    the   words   - 

;  and  his  eye  wan  for  an 

as  if  tracing  across  the  room 
the  of   old  blind  Bess;    but 

nt ;  An 

spirits    than 
usual.      Well    he    i 
could  man  be  placed  in  happier  cir- 
he  was  ?    A 
ladi  -.  fa  id  withdrawn,   together 
.   tfa     J  -     tor  and 
Jlr.  Aubrey  drew  their  chai   , 

I  a   long  hour's 
ant   chat  on    matters    domestic 
political.     As   to  the  latter, 
the    squire   were    1 1 
and  a    8] 

.<  d  in  tl  ,  on 

the  Catholic  i   1  him  to 

a  pitch  of  i 

cstu  re  he  had  very  few 

men  in  the  country  to  keep  him  com- 
-.     'i  he  Doctor  I  I  on  very 

indeed  ;  and  was  just  ;  the 

Squire  that  he  saw  dark  days  in 
for  (  I  indfrom  the  machinations 

of  t!  ts  ;  and  that,  for  his  | 

he  Bhould   r<  joice  to  "  seal  his  I 
blood,"  and  won! 

■i  I  verily 
d  be  v. 

'o\\II 

of  I  •  tught 

g  on  Hi 
■I,  a   noble  v.lii'  !i  a 

.  1..  fore,  at  hi  t  urgi  at  re- 
t,  he  had   | 
in  the  d  oom,  whithi  r  he  and 

the  Do'  •  I 


spacious  and  lofty  room,  well  ealcu- 
for    the    splendid    instrun 

which  occupied  the  large  recess  fin 
be  door.     Miss  Aubrey  was  p] 
I'd,    and   with  an  exqui 
on  of  his  matchless  power  and 
•y.     Hark!    did    you   ever   b 
the  grand  yet  simple  recitative  she  is 
now  commencing  ? 

"  In  tlic  days  of  Herod  the  king, 
there  <  •    t,xa  /rum  the 

'Jem, 
''Saying —  Where  is  he  that  is  born 
King  of  the  J<  we  t  for  we  hare  s>en  his 
in.  the  East,  and  are  come  to  wor~ 
shi])  him." 

The  Doctor  officiated   as  chaplain 
that  The  room  was  almost 

filled  with  servants,  many  of  whose 
ly  hliow._d  the  merry 
doings  that  had  !>•  en  going  on  in  the 
hall;    some  of  them  could 
:    one  or 
two  faat  winking  at  i  ach  othi  r,  and  so 
forth.  Und(  r  the  cir<  i  there- 

very  short  prayers,  and  immedi- 
ately afterwards  took  his  departure  fur 
his  snug  little  vi 

The  next  morning,  which  proved  as 
fine  as  the  pri  .  Mr.  Aubrey  was 

ined  in-dooi  9  with  his  lett<  re,  and 
one   or    two    othi  r    little    matters    of 
business  in  his  library,  till  luncl 
time.     "  Wliat   say   you,    Kate,   to  a 
ride  round  the  estate.'"  said  he,  on 
ig  his  seat.      Miss  Aubrey  was 
ted  j  and  forthwith  the  horses 
ordered  to  begot  ready  as  I 
as  possible. 

"  You  must  not  mind  a  little  rough 
ridii  1    Aubrey  ;    "  for 

we've  got  to  ugly  pis 

I'm  the  end 

of  the  avenue,  about  that  0 

— we  mu  t  h  ive  it  down  at  last." 

"  Oh  no,  Charli  b,  no  ;  I  thought  we 
L  d   that  last  y<  or,"  replied 
Kati  'ly. 

"  Pho  !  if  it  had  not  b(  i  d  for  you, 

,    it    Would    have    bO(  U    down     tWO 

Its  hour  is  come 
at  last ;  'tis  inde<  d,  so  no  pout 
It   i.s  iuj  ther  tret  ■ ;  and, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


143 


besides,  it  spoils  the  prospect  from  the 
back  of  the  house. " 

"  'Tis  only  Waters  that  puts  all 
these  things  into  your  head,  Charles, 
and  I  shall  let  him  know  my  opinion 
on  the  subject  when  I  see  him ! 
Mamma,  haven't  you  a  word  to  say 
for  the  old " 

But  Mr.  Aubrey,  not  deeming  it 
discreet  to  await  the  new  force  which 
was  being  brought  against  him,  started 
off  to  go  round  and  see  a  newly- 
purchased  horse,  just  brought  to  the 
stables. 

Kate,  who  really  became  everything, 
looked  charming  in  her  blue  riding- 
habit,  sitting  on  her  horse  with  infinite 
case  and  grace — a  capital  horsewoman. 
The  exercise  soon  brought  a  rich  bloom 
upon  her  cheek  ;  and  as  she  cantered 
along  the  road  by  the  side  of  her 
brother,  no  one  that  met  them  but 
must  have  been  struck  with  her 
beauty.  Just  as  they  had  dropped  into 
an  easy  walk — 

"Charles,"  said  she,  observing  two 
horsemen  approaching  them,  "who  can 
these  be  1  Heavens!  did  you  ever  see 
such  figures  ?    And  how  they  ride  !  " 

""Why,  certainly,"  replied  her 
brother  smiling,  "  they  look  a  brace  of 
undoubted  Cockneys  !  what  can  they 
be  doing  in  these  parts  ? " 

"Dear  me,  what  puppies!"  ex- 
claimed Miss  Aubrey,  lowering  her 
voice  as  they  ncared  the  persons  she 
spoke  of. 

"They  are  certainly  a  most  ex- 
traordinary couple  !  Who  can  they 
be  ? "  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  a  smile  forcing 
itself  into  his  features.  One  of  the 
two  was  dressed  in  a  light  blue  surtout, 
with  the  tip  of  a  white  pocket-hand- 
kerchief seen  peeping  out  of  a  pocket 
in  the  front  of  it.  His  hat,  with  scarce 
any  brim  to  it,  was  stuck  aslant  on 
the  top  of  a  bushy  head  of  queer- 
coloured  hair.  His  shirt-collars  were 
turned  down  completely  over  his  stock, 
displaying  a  great  quantity  of  dirt- 
coloured  hair  under  Ins  chin  ;  while  a 
pair  of  moustaches,  of  the  same  colour, 
were  sprouting  upon  his  upper  lip. 
A  quizzing-glass  was  stuck  in  his  right 
rye,  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a 
v.  hip  with  a  shining  silver  head.    The 


other  was  almost  equally  distinguished 
by  the  elegance  of  his  appearance. 
He  had  a  glossy  hat,  a  purple-coloured 
velvet  waistcoat,  two  pins  connected 
by  little  chains  in  his  stock,  a  bottle- 
green  surtout,  sky-blue  trousers.  Ju 
short,  who  should  these  be  but  our 
old  friends  Messrs.  Titmouse  and  Snap  ? 
Whoever  they  might  be,  it  was  plain 
that  they  were  perfect  novices  on 
horseback,  and  their  horses  had  every 
appearance  of  having  been  much  fretted 
and  worried  by  their  riders.  To  the 
surprise  of  Mr.  Aubrey  and  his  sister, 
these  two  personages  attempted  to  rein 
in,  as  they  neared,  with  the  evident 
intention  of  speaking  to  them. 

"Tray — a — sir,  will  you,  sir,  tell 
us,"  commenced  Titmouse,  with  a 
desperate  attempt  to  appear  at  his 
ease,  as  he  tried  to  make  his  horse 
standstill  for  a  moment — "isn't  there 
a  place  called — called" — here  his  horse, 
whose  sides  were  constantly  being 
galled  by  the  spurs  of  its  tmconscious 
rider,  began  to  back  a  little,  then  to 
go  on  one  side,  and,  in  Titmouse's 
fright,  his  glass  dropped  from  his  eye, 
and  he  seized  hold  of  the  pummel. 
Nevertheless,  to  show  the  lady  how 
completely  he  was  at  his  ease  all  the 
while,  he  levelled  a  greaj  many  oaths 
and  curses  at  the  unfortunate  eyes  and 
soul  of  his  wayward  brute  ;  who, 
however,  not  in  the  least  moved  by 
them,  but  infinitely  disliking  the 
spurs  of  its  rider  and  the  twisting 
round  of  its  mouth  by  the  reins, 
seemed  more  and  more  inclined  for 
mischief,  and  backed  close  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  ditch. 

"I'm  afraid,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey 
kindly,  ' '  you  are  not  much  accustomed 
to  riding.     Will  you  permit  me " 

"Oh,  yes — ye — ye — s,  sir,  I  am 
uncommon — whee-o-uy  !  whuoy  !  " — 
(then  a  fresh  volley  of  oaths.)  "  Oh, 
dear,  'pon  my  soul — ho  ! — what — 
what  is  he  going  to  do  !  Snap  !  Snap  !  " 
— 'Twas,  however,  quite  in  vain  to 
call  on  that  gentleman  for  assistance  ; 
for  he  had  grown  as  pale  as  death,  on 
finding  that  his  own  brute  seemed 
strongly  disposed  to  follow  the  infernal 
example  of  the  other,  and  was  par- 
ticularly inclined   t*   rear  up  on  its 


144 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAH. 


hinddegs.  The  very  first  motion  of 
the  sort  Brought  Snap's  heart  (not 
large  enough,  perhaps,  to  choke  him) 

into  his  mouth.  Titmouse's  heist 
suddenly  inclined  the  contrary  way; 
ami  throwing  its  hind  feet  into  the 
air,  sent  its  terrified  rider  Hying,  head 
over  heels,  into  the  very  middle  of  the 
hedge,  from  which  he  dropped  into 
the  wet  ditch.  iJotli  Mr.  Aubrey  and 
his  groom  dismounted,  and  s  cured 
the  horse,  who,  having  got  rid  of  its 
ridiculous  rider,  stood  quietly  enough. 
Titmouse  proved  to  be  more  frightened 
than  hurt.  His  hat  was  crushed  fial 
on  his  head,  and  half  the  left  side  of 
his  face  covered  with  mud — as,  indeed, 
were  his  clothes  all  the  way  clown. 
The  groom  (almost  splitting  with 
laughter)  helptd  him  on  again;  and 
as  Mr.  and  Miss  Aubrey  were  setting 
off — "I  think,  sir,"  said  the  former 
politely,  "you  were  enquiring  ful- 
some place  ? " 

"Vis,  sir,"  quoth  Snap.  "Isn't 
there  a  place  called  Ya — Yat — Yat — 
(he  quiet,  you  brute  !) — Yatton  about 
here  ? " 

"Yes,  sir — straight  on,"  replied 
Mr.  Aubrey.  Miss  Aubrey  lustily 
threw  her  veil  over  her  face,  to  con- 
ceal her  laughter,  spurred  her  horse, 
and  she  and  her  brother  were  soon  out 
of  sight  of  the  strangers. 

"1  say,  Snap,"  quoth  Titmouse, 
when  lie  had  in  a  measure  cleansed  him- 
self, and  they  had  both  got  a  little 
composed,  "see  that  lovely  gal  ?" 

"Fine  girl — devilish  line  !  "  replied 
Snap. 

"  I'm  blessed  if  I  don't  think — 'pon 
my  life,  I  believe  we've  met  before  !  " 

"Didn't  seem  to  know  you 
thou-'h  ! " 


"Ah!  I  don't  know — how  uncom- 
mon infernal  unfortunate  to  happen 
ju  t  at  tin:  moment  when "  Tit- 
mouse became  silent ;  for  all  of  a  sud- 
den be  recollected  when  and  where,  and 
under  what  circi  lie  had  seen 
Miss   Aubrey    1    fore,  and    which   his 

ly  would  not  allow  of  his  te] 
Snap.      Tin:    fact    Was,    that    sin-     bad 

once  accompanied  her  sister-in-law  to 
Me:  •  ra  '  and  <  lompany's,   to 

I  '  '  rcery. 


Titmouse  had  helped  her,  and  his 
absurdity  of  manner  had  provoked  a 
smile,  which  Titmouse  a  little  mis- 
construed ;  for  when,  a  Sunday  or  two 
afterwards,  he  met  her  in  the  Park, 
the  little  fool  had  the  presumption 
to  nod  to  her — she  having  not  the 
slightest  notion  who  lie  was — and  i  f 
course  not  having,  on  the  present 
occasion,  the  hast  recollection  of  him. 
The  reader  will  remember  that  this 
little  incident  made  a  deep  impression 
on  the  mind  of  Mr.  Titmouse. 

The  coincidence  was  really  not  a 
little  singular — but  to  return  to  Mi-. 
Aubrey  and  Ins  sister.  After  riding  a 
mile  or  two  further  up  the  road,  they 
haped  over  a  very  low  mound  or  fence, 
which  formed  the  extreme  boundary 
of  that  part  of  the  estate,  and  having 
passed  through  a  couple  of  fields,  they 
entered  the  lower  extremity  of  that 
tine  avenue  of  elms,  at  the  higher  end 
of  which  stood  Kate's  favourite  tree, 
and  also  Waters  and  his  under-baililF 
— who  looked  t  i  her  like  a  couple  of 
executioners,  only  awaiting  the  fiat  of 
her  brother.  The  sun  shone  brightly 
upon  the  doomed  sycamore — "the  axe 
was  laid  at  its  root."  As  they  rode 
up  the  avenue,  Kate  begged  very  hard 

for  mercy  ;  but  for  nme  her  brother 
seemed  obduratt — the  tree,  he  said, 
must  come  down — 'twas  all  nonsense 
to  think  ©f  having  it  standing  any 
longer  ! — 

"Remember,  Charles,"  said  she, 
pas  ionately,  as  they  drew  up,  "how 
we've  all  of  us  romped  and  sported 
under  it !     Poor  papa  also " 

"See,  Kate,  how  rotten  it  is,"said 
her  brother  ;  and  riding  close  to  it, 
with  his  whip  he  snapped  oil'  two  or 
three  of  its  feeble  Bilvery-grey  branclu-s 
—  "it's  high  time  for  it  to  como 
down." 

"It  fills  the  grass  all  around  with 
little,  branches,  sir,  whenever  there's 
thelea  t  bri  ithof wind, "said Waters. 

"  It     Won't     h  inlly    hold    a     crow's 

:.t  on  the  topmo  \\  bram  bes,  sir," 
.-aid  1  dekons,  the  under-bailiff. 

"Had  it  any  leaves  last  summer  ? " 
enquired  .Mr.  Aubrey. 

"  I  don't  think,  sir,"  said  Waters, 

"il  h  ul  a  hundri  d  a'l  over  it  !  " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


145 


"Really,  Kate,  'tis  such  a  melan- 
choly, unsightly  object,  when  seen 
from  any  part  of  the  Hall " — turning 
round  on  his  horse  to  look  at  the  rear 
of  the  Hall,  which  was  at  about  eighty 
yards'  distance.  "It  looks  such  an 
old  withered  thing  amongst  the  fresh 
green  trees  around  it — 'tis  quite  a  pain- 
ful contrast."  Kate  had  gently  urged 
ou  her  horse  while  her  brother  was 
speaking,  till  she  was  close  beside  him. 
"  Charles,"  said  she,  in  a  low  whisper, 
"does  not  it  remind  you  a  little  of 
poor  old  mamma,  with  her  grey  hairs, 
among  her  children  and  grandchildren  ? 
S7ie  is  not  out  of  place  amongst  us — is 
she  ? "  Her  eyes  iilled  with  tears.  So 
did  her  brother's. 

"Dearest  Kate,"  said  he,  with 
emotion,  affectionately  grasping  her 
little  hand,  "you  have  triumphed! 
The  old  tree  shall  never  be  cut  down 
in  my  time  !  Waters,  let  the  tree 
stand  ;  and  if  anything  is  to  be  done 
to  it — let  the  greatest  care  be  taken  of 
it."  Miss  Aubrey  turned  her  head 
aside  to  conceal  her  emotion.  Had 
they  been  alone,  she  would  hive  flung 
her  arms  round  her  brother's  neck. 

"  If  I  were  to  speak  my  mind,"  said 
"Waters,  seeing  the  turn  things  were 
taking,  "  I  should  say,  with  our  young 
lady,  the  old  tree's  quite  a  kind  of 
ornament  in  this  here  situation,  and 
(as  one  might  say)  it  sets  off  the  rest." 
[It  was  he  who  had  been  worrying  Mr. 
Aubrey  for  these  last  three  years  to 
have  it  cut  down.] 

"Well,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  "how- 
ever that  may  be,  let  me  hear  no  more 
of  cutting  it  down. — Ah  !  what  does 
old  Jolter  want  here  ? "  said  he,  observ- 
ing an  old  tenant  of  that  name,  almost 
b.-nt  double  with  age,  hobbling  towards 
them.  He  was  wrapped  up  in  a  coarse 
thick  blue  coat ;  his  hair  was  long  and 
white ;  his  eyes  dim  and  glassy  with  age. 
"I  don't  know,  sir  —  I'll  go  and 
see,"  said  Waters. 

"What's  the  matter,  Jolter?"  he 
enquired,  stepping  forward  to  meet 
h.m. 

"Nothing  much,  sir,"  replied  the 
old  man,  taking  off  his  hat,  and  bow- 
ing very  low  towards  Mr.  and  Miss 
Aubrey. 


"Put  your  hat  on,  my  old  friend," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  kindly. 

"I  only  come  to  bring  you  this  bit 
of  paper,  sir,  if  you  please,"  said  the 
old  man,  addressing  Waters.  "You 
said,  a  while  ago,  as  how  I  was  always 
to  bring  you  papers  that  were  left 
with  me  ;  and  this  " — taking  one  out 
of  his  pocket — "was  left  with  me  only 
about  an  hour  ago.  It's  seemingly  a 
lawyer's  paper,  and  was  left  by  an  un- 
common gay  young  chap.  He  asked 
me  my  name,  and  then  he  looked 
at  the  paper,  and  read  it  all  over  to 
me,  but  I  couldn't  make  anything 
of  it." 

' '  What  is  it  ? "  enquired  Mr.  Aubrey, 
as  Waters  cast  his  eye  over  a  sheet 
of  _  paper,  partly  printed  and  partly 
written, 

"  Why,  it  seems  the  old  story,  sir — 
that  slip  of  waste  land,  sir.  Mr. 
Tomkins  is  at  it  again,  sir." 

"Well,  if  he  chooses  to  spend  his 
money  in  that  way,  I  can't  help  it," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  with  a  smile.  "  Let 
me  look  at  the  paper."  He  did  so. 
"  Yes,  it  seems  the  same  kind  of  thing 
as  before.  Well,"  handing  it  back, 
"send  it  to  Mr.  Parkinson,  and  tell 
him  to  look  to  it ;  and,  at  all  events, 
take  care  that  poor  old  Jolter  comes 
to  no  trouble  by  the  business.  How's 
the  old  wife,  Jacob  ?  " 

"She's  dreadful  bad  with  rheu- 
matis,  sir  ;  but  the  stuff  that  Madam 
sends  her  does  her  a  woundy  deal  of 
good,  sir,  in  her  inside." 

"  Well,  we  must  try  if  we  can't  send 
you  some  more  ;  and,  harkee,  if  the 
goodwife  doesn't  get  better  soon,  send 
us  up  word  to  the  Hall,  and  we'll  have 
the  doctor  call  on  her.  Now,  Kate, 
let  us  away  homeward."  And  they 
were  soon  out  of  sight. 

I  do  not  intend  to  deal  so  uncere- 
moniously or  summarily  as  Mr.  Aubrey 
did  with  the  document  which  had. 
been  brought  to  his  noiice  by  Jolter, 
then  handed  over  to  Waters,  and  by 
him,  according  to  orders,  transmitted 
the  next  day  to  Mr.  Parkinson,  Mr. 
Aubrey's  attorney.  It  was  what  is 
called  a  "Declaration  in  Ejf.ct- 
ment  ; "  touching  which,  in  order  to 
throw  a  ray  or  two  of  light  upon  a 

L 


140 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


document  which  will  make  no  small 
figure  in  th:a  history,  I  shall  try  to 
give  the  p  uler  a  little  information  on 
the  point  ;  and  hope  that  a  little  atten- 
tion to  what  now  follows,  will  be 
repaid  in  d  le  time. 

If  Jones  claims  a  debt  or  goods,  or 
from  Smith,  one  would  think 
that,   if  he  went  to  law,   the  action 
would     be     entitled     "Jones     r, 

fch  ;  "  and  so  it  is.  But  behold,  if 
it  be  i.anii  which  is  claimed  by  Jones 
from  Smith,  the  style  and  name  of  the 
cause  stand  thus: — "Doe,  on  the 
demise  of  Jones,  versus  Roe."  Instead, 
therefore,  of  Jones  and  Smith  fighting 
out  the  matter  in  their  own  proper 
names,  they  set  up  a  couple  ofpuppi  ts, 
(called  "John  Doc"  and  "Richard 
Roe,")  who  fall  upon  one  another  in  a 
very  quaint  fashion,  after  the  manner 
of  Punch  and  Judy.  John  Doe  pre- 
tends to  be  tin;  real  plaintiff,  and 
bicbard  Roe  the  real  defendant.  John 
Doe  says  that  the  land  which  Richard 
Roc  has  is  his,  (the  said  John  Doe's,) 
because  Jon*  s  (the  re  il  pi  intifF)  gave 
him  a  lease  of  it;  and  Jones  is  then 
called  "the  les  or  of  the  plaintiff." 
John  Doe  further  says  thai  one  Richard 
Roe,  i  who  calls  himself  by  the  very 
significant  and  expn  ssive  name  of  a 
"Casual  Ejector")  came  and  turned 
him  out,  and  so  John  Doe  brings  his 
action  against  Eiichard  Hoc  'Tis  a 
fact,  that  whenever  land  is  sought  to 
be  iee,,\,  led  in  England,  this  anomal- 
ous and  farcical  |  roce  dim;  must  be 
adopted.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  real 
p'aintiff  (Jones)  to  serve  on  the  real 
defendant  'Smith)  a  copy  of  the  queer 
d„  une  nt  which  I  shall  proceed  to  lay 
before  the  reader;  and  also  to  append 
to  i  itionate  note,  intima 

the  serious  consequences  which  will 
ensue  upon  inattention  or  contumacy. 
The    "  i  '■  ii,"   then,  which   had 

been  served  upon  old  Joltcr,  was  in 
the  words,  lei  tei  follow- 

ing— that  is  to  say  : — 

"In*  the  King's   Bi  ■<  n. 

"  Miohai  Imas  Term,— th  Geo.  — - 

"  Voi  k  in  in .,  t,,-v.  it.-  bi'  b  ud  Roe 

v       ,  ■     bed  to  ai  Bwer  Ji  1  □  1  loe  of  a 

plea  wherefore  the  Baid  Richard  Ro  . 


with  force  and  arms,  &c,  entered  into 
two  messuages,  two  dwelling-houses, 

two  cottages,  two  stables,  two  out- 
houses, two  yards,  two  gardens,  two 
orchards,  twenty  acres  of  land  covered 
with  water,  twenty  acres  of  arable 
land,  twenty  acres  of  pasture  land,  and 
twenty  acres  of  other  land,  with  the 
appurtenances,  situated  in  the  parish 
of  Yatton,  in  the  comity  of  Yorkshire, 
which  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esquire*, 
had  demised  to  the  said  John  Doe  f  r 
a  term  which  is  not  yet  expired,  and 
ted  him  from  his  said  farm,  and 
other  wrongs  to  the  said  John  Doe 
there  did,  to  the  great  damage  of  the 
said  John  Doc,  and  against  the  p 
of  our  Lord  the  King,  &c.  ;  and  There* 
upon  the  said  John  Doc,  by  Oily 
GAMMON,  his  attorney,  complains, — 
"That  whereas  the  said  TITTLEBAT 

Titmouse,  on  the — th  day  of  August, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  18 — ,  at  tho 
parish  aforesaid,  in  the  county  afore- 
said, hi  d  demisi  d  the  same  tenements, 
with  the  appurtenances,  to  the  said 
John  Doe,  to  have  and  to  hold  the, 
same  to  the  said  John  Doe  and  his 
:;s  thenceforth,  for  and  during, 
end  unto  tho  full  end  and  term  of 
twenty  years  thence  next  ensuing, 
and  fully  to  be  completed  and  ended  : 
By   virtue    of  which    said   dcini.se,   the 

said  John  Doe  entered  into  the  said 
tenements,  with  the  appurtenances, 
and  became  and  was  thereof  possessed 
for  the  said  t<  nn,  so  to  him  thereof 
"rented  as  afon  aid.  And  the  said 
John  I  loe  being  so  thereof  pos  i  ■  >><\, 
the  said  Richard  Roe  afterwards,  t"- 
wit,  on  the  day  and  year  amies;. id,  at 
the   palish   aforesaid,    in    the   county 

,  with  face  and  arms,  i 
entered  into  the  said  tenements,  with 
the  appurtenances,  which  the  said 
Tittlebat  Tj  i  woi  be  had  demised  to 
the  said  John  Doc  in  manner  and  for 
the  term  aforesaid,  which  is  nol  yet 

i  j  ii  ud  the  said  John  I 
from  hi-;  p  wrongs 

to  the  Baid  John   1  loe  then  and  1 1 
did,  to  1  .  of  the 

John  Di  tin  peace  of  our 

n   w    Ii  big.      V, 

i  lie  i  aid  John   Doe         i   thai   he  is 

injur  d,   and  hath    BUstaini  d 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


147 


to  the  value  of  £50,  and  therefore  he 
brings  his  suit,  &c. 

"Squeal,  for  the  Plaintiff. 
Growl,  for  the  Defendant. 
Pledges  of    )  John  Den. 
Prosecution.  J  Richard  Fenn. 

"Mr.  Jacob  Jolter, 

"  I  am  informed  that  you  are  in 
possession  of,  or  claim  title  to,  the 
premises  in  this  Declaration  of  Eject- 
ment mentioned,  or  to  some  part 
thereof:  And  I,  being  sued  in  this 
action  as  a  casual  ejector  only,  and 
having  no  claim  or  title  to  the  same, 
do  advise  you  to  appear,  next  Hilary 
Term,  in  His  Majesty's  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  at  Westminster,  by  some 
attorney  of  that  Court ;  and  then  and 
there,  by  a  ride  to  be  made  of  the  same 
Court,  to  cause  yourself  to  be  made 
defendant  in  my  stead  ;  otherwise,  I 
shall  sutler  judgment  to  be  entered 
against  me  by  default,  and  you  will  be 
turned  out  of  possession. 

"  Your  loving  friend, 

"ElCHARD   PoE. 

"Dated  this  8th  day  of  December, 
13—." 


You  may  regard  the  above  document 
in  the  light  of  a  deadly  and  destructive 
missile,  thrown  by  an  unperceived 
enemy  into  a  peaceful  citadel,  attract- 
ing no  particular  notice  from  the 
innocent  unsuspecting  inhabitants — 
amongst  whom,  nevertheless,  it  pre- 
sently explodes,  and  all  is  terror, 
death,  and  ruin. 

Mr.  Parkinson,  Mr.  Aubrey's  soli- 
citor, who  resided  at  Grilston,  the 
posf-town  nearest  to  Yatton,  from 
which  it  was  distant  about  six  or 
seven  miles,  was  sitting  on  the  evening 
of  Tuesday  the  28th  December  18 — , 
in  Lis  office,  nearly  finishing  a  letter 
to  his  London  agents,  Messrs.  Kun- 
nington  and  Company — one  of  the 
most  eminent  firms  in  the  profession — 
and  which  he  was  desirous  of  despatch- 
ing by  that  night's  mail.  Amongst 
other  papers  which  have  come  into 
my  hands  in  connection  with  this 
history,  I  have  happened  to  light  on 
the  letter  Mr.  Parkinson  was  writing  ; 


and  as  it  is  not  long,  and  affords  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  way  in  which  business  is 
carried  on  between  town  and  country 
attorneys  and  solicitors,  here  followeth 
a  copy  of  it : — ■ 

"  Grilston,  2Sth  Dec.  18—. 

"Dear  Sirs, 

"ite  Middlcton. 
"Have  you  got  the  marriage-settle- 
ments between  these  parties  ready  ? 
If  so,  please  send  them  as  soon  as 
possible  ;  for  both  the  lady's  and  gen- 
tleman's friends  are  (as  usual  in  such 
cases)  very  pressing  for  them. 

"  Puddinrjhcad  v.  Quiclcwit. 

"Plaintiff  bought  a  horse  of  defendant 
in  November  last,  'warranted  sound,' 
and  paid  for  it  on  the  spot  £64.  A 
week  afterwards  his  attention  waa 
accidentally  drawn  to  the  animal's 
head  ;  and,  to  his  infinite  surprise,  he 
discovered  that  the  left  eye  was  a  glass 
eye,  so  closely  resembling  the  other  in. 
colour,  that  the  difference  could  not 
be  discovered  except  on  a  very  close 
examination.  I  have  seen  it  myself, 
and  it  is  indeed  wonderfully  well  done. 
My  countrymen  ai-e  certainly  pretty 
sharp  hands  in  such  matters — but  thi3 
beats  everything  I  ever'  heard  of. 
Surely  this  is  a  breach  of  the  warranty  ? 
Or  is  it  to  be  considered  &  patent  defect, 
which  would  not  be  within  the  war- 
ranty ?■ — Please  take  pleader's  opinion, 
and  particularly  as  to  whether  the 
horse  could  be  brought  into  court  to 
be  viewed  by  the  court  and  jury,  which 
would  have  a  great  effect.  If  your 
pleader  thinks  the  action  will  lie,  let 
him  draw  declaration,  vc7iuc — Lanca- 
shire (for  my  client  would  have  no 
chance  with  a  Yorkshire  jury.)  If  you 
think  the  venue  is  transitory,  and  that 
defendant  would  not  be  successful  in  a 
motion,  change  it.  Qu. — Is  the  man 
who  sold  the  horse  to  defendant  a 
competent  witness  for  the  plaint  ill,  to 
prove  that,  when  he  sold  it  to  defend- 
ant, it  had  but  one  eye,  and  that  on 
this  account  the  horse  was  sold  for 
less? 

'Mule  v.  Stott. 

"  I  cannot  get  these  parties  to  come 
to  an  amicable  settlement.     You  may 

L  2 


148 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


rcmemlvr,  from  the  two  former  actions, 
that  it  is  for  damages  on  account  of 
two  geese  of  defendant  having  been 
found  trespassing  on  a  few  yards  of 
Chatmoss  belonging  to  the  plaintiff. 
Defendant  now  contends  that  he  is 
entitled  to  common,  pour  cau.ic  dc 
vicinage.  Qu.  —  Can  this  he  shown 
under  Not  Guilty,  or  must  it  he  pleaded 
specially! — About  two  years  ago,  by 
the  way,  a  pig  belonging  to  plaintiff 
got  into  defendant's  flower-garden, 
and  did  at  least  £3  worth  of  damage — 
Can  this  be  in  any  way  set  off  against 
the  pr<  sent  action  ?  There  is  no  hope 
of  avoiding  a  third  trial,  as  the  parties 
are  now  more  exasperated  against  each 
other  than  ever,  and  the  expense  (as 
at  least  fifteen  witnesses  will  be  called 
on  each  side)  will  amount  to  upwards 
of  £250.  You  had  better  retain  Mr. 
Cacklegander. 

"  He  Lords  Oldacre  and  Dc  la  Zouch. 
"  Are  the  deeds  herein  engrossed  ? 
As  it  is  a  matter  of  magnitude,  and 
the  foundation  of  extensive  and  per- 
manent family  arrangi  ments,  pray  let 
the  gi  i  ci  re  be  taken  to  secure 
accuracy.  Please  take  special  care  of 
tamps " 

Tims  far  had  the  worthy  writer  pro- 
ceeded with  his  letter,  when  Waters 
made  his  appearance,  delivering  to  him 
the  declara!  ion  in  ejectment  which  had 
been  served  upon  old  Jolter,  and  also 
the  instiii  lions  concerning  it  which 
had  been  riven  by  Mr.  Aubrey.  After 
Mr.  Parkinnon  had  asked  particularly 
■ruing  Mr.  Aubrey's  health,  and 
wl  t  had  brought  him  so  suddenly  to 
ho  cast  his  eye  hastily  over 
the  "  i  '•  ■  "-    and  at  once  i 

to  tl  ■  conclusion  concerning  it 

which  had  been  arrived  at  by  We 
and  .Mr.  Aubrey,  viz.  that  it  was  an- 
other little  arrow  out  of  the  quiver  of 
the  litigious  Mr.  Tomkins.  As  soon 
as  Watershad  left,  Mr.  Parkinson  thus 
proceeded  to  conclude  his  letter: — 

"  Doe  "'•  m.  T  i  v.  Roe. 
'I  ci             ou  1  ration  herein, 
served  yc  I  rday.     No  doubt  it  is  tie- 
disputed  slip  01  waste  land  adjou 


the  cottage  of  old  Jacob  Jolter,  a  tenant 
of  Mr.  Aubrey  of  Yatton,  that  is  sought 
to  be  recovered.  I  am  quite  sick  of 
this  petty  annoyance,  ?s  also  is  Mr. 
Aubrey,  who  is  now  down  here.  PI 
call  on  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap,  of  Saffron  Hill,  and  settle  the 
matter  finally,  on  the  best  terms  you 
can  ;  it  being  Mr.  Aubrey's  wish  that 
old  Jolter  (who  is  Very  feeble  and 
timid)  should  suffer  no  inconvenience. 
I  observe  a  new  lessor  of  the  plaintiff, 
with  a  very  singular  name.  1  suppose 
it  is  the  name  of  some  prior  holder  of 
the  little  property  at  present  held  by 
Mr.  Tomkins. 

"Hoping  soon  to  hear  from  you, 
(particularly  about  the  marriage-settle- 
ment,) I  am, 

"Dear  Sirs, 
"  (With  all  the  compliments  of  tho 
season,) 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  James  Parkin-sox. 

"P.S.— The  oysters  and  codfish 
came  to  hand  in  excellent  order,  for 
which  please  accept  my  best  thanks. 

••  I  i  ball  remit  you  in  a  day  or  two 
£100  on  account." 

This  letter,  lyingamongsome  twenty 
or  thirty-  similar  ones  on  Mr.  Run- 
nington's  table,  on  (he  morning  of  its 
arrival  in  town,  was  opened  in  its 
turn  ;  and  then,  in  like  manner,  with 
most  of  the  others,  handed  over  to  the. 
managing  clerk,  in  order  that  he  might 

enquire  into  and  report  upon  the  statu 
of  the  various  matters  of  business  re- 
ferred  to.  As  to  the  last  item  in  Mr. 
Parkinson's  letter,  there  seemed  no 
particular  reason  for  hurrying;  so  two 
or  three   days   had  elapsed    before   Mr. 

Runni  having  some  other  little 

busine.-s  to  transact  with  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  bethought  him- 
self of  Looking  at  bis  Diary,  to  see  if 
there  was  not  something  else  that  ho 
bad  to  do  with  them.  Putting,  there- 
fore, the  Declaration  in  Doe  d.  Tit- 
mouse v.  Roe  into  his  pocket,  it  was 
not  long  before  he  was  at  the  office  in 
Saffron  Hill— and  in  the  very  room  in 
it  which  had  been  the  si  ene  of  Bevoral 
memorable    interviews    between    Mr. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


149 


Tittlebat  Titmouse  and  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap.  I  shall  not  detail 
what  transpired  on  that  occasion  be- 
tween Mr.  Kunnington  and  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Gammon,  with  whom  he 
was  closeted  for  nearly  an  hour.  On 
quitting  the  office  his  cheek  was  flush- 
ed, and  his  manner  somewhat  excited. 
After  walking  a  little  way  in  a  moody 
manner,  and  with  slow  step,  he  sud- 
denly jumped  into  a  hackney-coach, 
and  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  time 
had  secured  an  inside  place  in  the 
Ta'lyho  coach,  which  started  for  York 
at  two  o'clock  that  afternoon — much 
doubting  within  himself,  the  while, 
whether  he  ought  not  to  have  set  off 
at  once  in  a  post-chaise  and  four.  He 
then  made  one  or  two  calls  in  the 
Temple  ;  and,  hurrying  home  to  the 
office,  made  hasty  arrangements  for 
his  sudden  journey  into  Yorkshire. 
He  was  a  calm  and  experienced  man — 
in  fact,  a  first-rate  man  of  business ; 
and  you  may  be  assured  that  this  rapid 
and  decisive  movement  of  his  had  been 
the  result  of  some  very  startling  dis- 
closure made  to  him  by  Messrs.  Quirk 
and  Gimmon. 

Now,  let  us  glide  back  to  the  de- 
lightful solitude  which  we  reluctantly 
quitted  so  short  a  time  ago. 

Mr.  Aubrey  was  a  studious  and  am- 
bitious man  ;  and  in  acceding  so  readily 
to  the  wishes  of  his  wife  and  sister,  to 
spend  the  Christmas  recess  at  Yatton, 
had  been  not  a  little  influenced  by 
one  consideration,  which  he  had  not 
thought  it  worth  while  to  mention — 
namely,  that  it  would  afford  him  an 
opportunity  of  addressing  himself  with 
effect  to  a  very  important  and  com- 
plicated question,  which  was  to  be 
brought  before  the  House  shortly  after 
its  re-assembling,  and  of  which  he 
then  knew  scarcely  anything  at  all. 
For  this  purpose  he  had  had  a  quantity 
of  Parliamentary  papers,  &c.  &c.  &c, 
packed  up  and  sent  down  by  coach  ; 
and  he  quite  gloated  over  the  prospect 
of  their  being  duly  deposited  upon  his 
table,  in  the  tranquil  leisure  of  his 
library,  at  Yatton.  But  quietly  as  he 
supposed  all  this  to  have  been  managed, 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  had  a  most  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  hi?  movements  ; 


and  resolved  within  themselves  (being 
therein  comforted  and  assisted  by  old 
Mrs.  Aubrey)^  that,  as  at  their  in- 
stances Mr.  Aubrey  had  come  down 
to  Yatton,  so  they  would  take  care 
that  he  should  have  not  merely  nom- 
inal, but  real  holidays.  Unless  he 
thought  fit  to  rise  at  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning  (which  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
junior,  took  upon  herself  to  say  site 
would  take  care  should  never  be  the 
case),  it  was  decreed  that  ho  should 
not  be  allowed  to  waste  more  than  two 
hours  a-day  in  his  library.  'Twas 
therefore  in  vain  for  him  to  sit  at 
breakfast  with  eye  aslant  and  thought- 
laden  brow,  as  if  meditating  a  long 
day's  seclusion  ;  somehow  or  another, 
lie  never  got  above  an  hour  to  himself. 
He  was  often  momentarily  petulant 
on  these  occasions,  and  soon  saw 
through  the  designs  of  his  enemies  ; 
but  he  so  heartily  and  tenderly  loved 
them — so  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
affection  which  dictated  their  little 
manoeuvres — that  he  soon  surrendered 
at  discretion,  and,  in  fact,  placed  him- 
self almost  entirely  at  their  mercy ; 
resolving  to  make  up  for  lost  time  on 
his  return  to  town,  and  earnestly 
hoping  that  the  intei'ests  of  the  nation 
would  not  suffer  in  the  mean  while ! 
In  short,  the  ladies  of  Yatton  had 
agreed  on  their  line  of  operations : 
that  almost  every  night  of  their  stay 
in  the  country  should  be  devoted 
either  to  entertaining  or  visiting  their 
neighbours ;  and,  as  a  prexmratory 
movement,  that  the  days  (weather 
permitting)  should  be  occupied  with 
exercise  in  the  open  ah- ;  in  making 
"morning"  calls  on  neighbours  at 
several  miles'  distance  from  the  Hall, 
and  from  each  other  ;  and  from  which 
they  generally  returned  only  in  time 
enough  to  dress  for  dinner.  As  soon, 
indeed,  as  the  York  True,  Blue  (the 
leading  county  paper)  had  announced 
the  arrival  at  Yatton  of  "Charles 
Aubrey,  Esq.,  M.P.,  and  his  family, 
for  the  Christmas  recess,"  the  efforts 
of  Mrs.  and  Miss  Aubrey  were  most 
powerfully  seconded  by  a  constant 
succession  of  visitors — by 

"  Troops  of  friends," 


150 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


as  the  lodge-keeper  could  have  testi- 
fied  ;  for  he  and  his  buxom  wife  were 
continually  opening  and  shutting  the 
great  gates.  On  the  Monday  after 
Christmas-day,  (i.  c.  the  day  but  one 
following,)  came  cantering  up  to  the 
Hall  Lord  De  la  Zouch  and  Mr.  Dela- 
mere,  of  course  staying  to  luncheon, 
ami  bearing  a  most  pressing  invitation 
from  L;idy  De  la  Zouch,  zealously 
backed  by  themselves,  for  the  Aubreys 
to  join  a  huge  parly  at  Fotheringham 
Castle  on  New- Year's  Eve.  This  was 
accepted— a  day  and  a  night  were 
thus  gone  at  a  swoop.  The  same 
tiling  happened  with  the  Oldfields, 
their  nearest  neighbours  ;  with  Sir 
Percival  Pickering  at  Luddington 
1  irt,  where  was  a  superb  new  pic- 
ture-gallery to  be  critically  in- 
spected by  Mr.  Aubrey;  the  Earl 
of  Oldacre,  a  college  friend  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's — the  venerable  Lady  Strat- 
tou,  the  earliest  friend  and  school- 
s''.. p\v  of  old  Mrs.  Aubrey,  and  so 
forth.  Then  Kate  had  several  vi 
to  pay  on  her  own  account  ;  and,  being 
fond  of  horseback,  she  did  not  like 
riding  about  the  country  with  only  a 
groom  in  attendance  on  her;  so  her 
brother  must  accompany  her  on  these 
occasions.  The  first  week  of  their 
stay  in  the  country  was  devoted  to 
visiting  Heir  neighbours  and  frii 
in  the  way  I  have  stated  ;  the  next 
was  to  be  spent  in  receiving  them  at 
Yatton,  during  which  time  the  old 
Hall  was  to  ring  with  merry 
hospitality. 

Tien  there  was  a  little  world  of 
ot!er  matters  to  occupy  Mr.  Aubrey's 
ution,  and  which  naturally 
crowded  upon  him,  living  bo  littl 
at  Yatton  as  he  had  latterly.  He 
often     had     a     kind    of    levee     of    his 

humbler  ighl  ars,  1  ants,  end  con- 
stituent a  these  '  s  his 
;            idness  of  i               is  si:u;  licity, 

his    forb  b 

Bweetne  i  of  temper,  his  1  ace, 

shone   conspicuous.      With  all   '! 
more  en  was 

V'  t  a   ]  !  that 

chilled  undui  ' 

]  impt  ion.  I  le  had  here  uo  motive 
or  occo  ion  for  ostentation,  or,  as  it  i . 


called,  popularity-hunting.  In  a  sense 
it  might  be  said  of  him,  that  he  was 
"monarch  of  all  he  surveyed."  It  is 
true,  he  was  member  for  the  borough 
— an  honour,  however,  for  which  he 
was  indebted  to  the  natural  influence 
of  his  commanding  position — one  which 
left  him  his  own  mister,  not  convert- 
ing him  into  a  paltry  delegate,  hand- 
euil'e  1  by  pledges  en  public  questions, 
and  laden  with  injunctions  concerning 
petty  local  interests  only  —  liable, 
moreover,  to  be  called  to  an  account 
at  any  moment  by  ignorant  and  inso- 
lent demagogues  -hut  a  member  of 
Parliament  training  tob  come  a  si  des- 
man, possessed  of  a  free  wid,  and 
therefore  capable  of  independent  and 
enlightened  deliberations;  placed  by 
his  fortune  above  the  reach  of  tempt- 
ation  but    I    shall    not    go    any 

further,  for  the  portraiture  of  a  mem- 
ber of  Parliament  of  those  days  sug- 
gests such  a  humiliating  and  bitter 
contrast,  that  I  shall  not  ruffle  either 
my  own  or  my  reader's  temper  by 
touching  it  any  further.  On  the 
occasions  I  have  been  alluding  to,  Mr. 
Aubrey  was  not  only  condescending 
and    generous,    but    ]  ly    acute 

and  discriminating  :    qualities  of  his, 
1  at  ter,  so  well  kn  »wn,  however, 
as  to  leave  him  at  len  ;tli  scarce  any 
i]  tunitii  s  of  exercisii  g  them.     His 
t  hut  decisive  in:  •  put  ail 

end  to  a  number  of  local  unpleasant- 
nesses and  annoyances,  and  caused  his 
increasing  absence  from  Yatton  to  be 
very  deeply  regretted.  Was  a  lad  or 
a  wench  taking  to  idle  and  dissolute 
cour  es  ?  A  kind,  or,  as  the  occasion 
required,  astern  expostulation  of  his 
— for  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
moreover  —  brought  them  to  their 
1  le  had  a  very  happy  knack 
of  rea  joning  and  1  quaro   some 

libours    into  Liation     and 

I  liumffur.     He   1;  id  a  very  keen 
after  the  pr  ict  ical  details  <>f  agri- 
culture ;  was  equally  quick  at  di  t< 
a  inconvenieui  e,  ai  d  appreciating 
sometimes     even     suggesting  —  a 
remedy  ;   and   had,  on        •  ■    d   ooi  a- 
sions,  brought  Buch  knowledge  to  bear 
vi  iv   effectively  upon   di  in 

at.     His  corn  til  v  in 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


151 


number  undoubtedly,  and  humble, 
were  quite  satisfied  with  and  proud  of 
their  member ;  and  his  unexpected 
appearance  diffused  among  them  real 
and  general  satisfaction.  As  a  land- 
lord, he  was  beloved  by  bis  numerous 
tenantry;  and  well  ho  might — for 
never  was  there  so  easy  and  liberal  a 
landlord  :  he  might  at  any  time  have 
increased  his  rental  by  £1500  or  £2000 
a-year,  as  his  steward  frequently 
intimated  to  him — but  in  vain.  "  Ten 
thousand  a-year,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey, 
' '  is  far  more  than  my  necessities  require 
—it  affords  me  and  my  family  every 
luxury  that  I  can  conceive  of ;  and 
its  magnitude  reminds  me  constantly 
that  hereafter  I  shall  be  called  upon 
to  give  a  very  strict  and  solemn 
account  of  my  stewardship."  I  would 
I  had  time  to  complete,  as  it  ought  to 
be  completed,  this  portraiture  of  a 
true  Christian  gentleman  ! 

As  he  rode  up  to  the  Hare  and 
Hounds  Inn,  at  Grilston,  one  morning, 
to  transact  some  little  business,  and 
also  to  look  in  on  the  Farmers'  Club, 
which  was  then  holding  one  of  its 
fortnightly  meetings,  (all  touching 
their  hats  and  bowing  to  him  on  each 
side  of  the  long  street  as  he  slowly 
passed  up  it,)  he  perceived  one  of  his 
horse's  feet  limp  a  little.  On  dis- 
mounting, therefore,  he  stopped  to 
see  what  was  the  matter,  while  his 
groom  took  up  the  foot  to  examine  it. 

"  Dey-vilish  fine  horse  !  "  exclaimed 
the  voice  of  one  standing  close  beside 
him,  and  in  a  tone  of  most  disagree- 
ab'e  confidence.  The  exclamation  was 
addressed  to  Mr.  Aubrey  ;  who,  on 
tinning  to  the  speaker,  beheld  a  young 
man — 'twas  Titmouse— dressed  in  a 
style  of  the  most  extravagant  ab- 
surdity. One  hand  was  stuck  into 
the  hinder  pocket  of  a  stylish  top-coat, 
(the  everlasting  tip  of  a  white  poeket- 
h  indkerchief  glistening  at  the  mouth 
of  his  breast-pocket ;)  the  other  held  a 
cigar  to  his  mouth,  from  which,  as  he 
addressed  Mr.  Aubrey  with  an  air  of 
Bignal  assurance,  he  slowly  expelled 
the  smoke  that  he  had  inhaled.  Mr. 
Aubrey  turned  towards  him  with  a 
cold  and  surprised  air,  without  reply- 
ing, at  the  same  time  wondering  where 


he  had    seen    the    ridiculous    object 
before. 

"The  horses  in  these  parts  ar'n't  to 
be  compared  with  them  at  London — 
eh,  sir  ?  "  quoth  Titmouse,  approaching 
closer  to  Mr.  Aubrey  and  his  groom, 
to  see  what  the  latter  was  doing — who, 
on  hearing  Titmouse's  last  sally,  gave 
him  a  very  significant  look. 

"  I'm  afraid  the  people  here  won't 
relish  your  remarks,  sir  !  "  replied  Mr. 
Aubrey,  hardly  able  to  forbear  a  smile, 
at  the  same  time  with  an  astonished 
air  scanning  the  figure  of  his  com- 
panion from  head  to  foot. 

"  Who  cares  ?  "  enquired  Titmouse, 
with  a  veiy  energetic  oath.  At  this 
moment  up  came  a  farmer,  who, 
observing  Mr.  Aubrey,  made  him  a 
very  low  bow.  Mr.  Aubrey's  attention 
being  at  the  moment  occupied  with 
Titmouse,  he  did  not  observe  the 
salutation  ;  not  so  with  Titmouse, 
who,  conceiving  it  to  have  been 
directed  to  himself,  acknowledged  it 
by  taking  off  his  hat  with  great  grace  ! 
Mr.  Aubrey  followed  in  to  the  house, 
having  ordered  his  groom  to  bring 
back  the  horse  in  an  hour's  time. 

"  Pray,"  said  he  mildly  to  the  land- 
lady, "who  is  that  persor  smoking 
the  cigar  outside  •  " 

""Why,  sir,"  she  replied,  "he's  a 
Mr.  Brown ;  and  has  another  with 
him  here — who's  going  up  to  London 
by  this  afternoon's  coach— this  one 
stays  behind  a  day  or  two  longer. 
They're  queer  people,  sir.  Such 
dandies  !  Do  nothing  but  smoke,  and 
drink  brandy  and  water,  sir ;  only 
that  t'other  writes  a  good  deal." 

""Well,  I  wish  you  would  remind 
him,"saidMr.  Aubrey,  smiling,  "that, 
if  he  thinks  fit  to  speak  to  mc.  again, 
or  in  my  presence,  I  am  a  magistrate, 
and  have  the  power  of  fining  him  five 
shillings  for  every  oath  he  utters. " 

"What!  sir,  has  he  been  speaking 
to  you?  "Well,  I  never — he's  the  most 
fin-ward  little  upstart  I  ever  seed  !  " 
said  she,  dropping  her  voice ;  "and 
the  sooner  he  takes  himself  off  from 
here  the  better  ;  for  he's  always  wink- 
ing at  the  maids  and  talking  impu- 
dence to  them.  1'se  box  his  ears,  I 
warrant   him,    one   cf  thca   times!" 


153 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Mr.    Aubrey    smiled,  and    went    up- 
stairs. 

"There  don't  seem  much  wrong," 
quotli  Titmouse  to  the  groom,  with  a 
condescending  air,  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Aubrey  hod  entered  the  house. 

".Much  you  know  about  if,  I  don't 
guess ! "  quoth  Sam,  with  a  con- 
temptuous smile. 

"Who's  your  master,  fellow?"  en- 
quired Titmouse,  knocking  off  the 
ashes  from  the  tip  of  his  cigar. 

"A  gentleman.     What's  yours?" 

"Curse  your  impudence,  you  vaga- 
bond  "      The  words  were   hardly 

out  of  las  mouth  before  Sam,  with  a 
slight  tap  of  his  hand,  had  knocked 
Titmouse's  glossy  hat  off  his  head, 
and  Titmouse's  purple-hued  hair  stood 
exposed  to  view,  provoking  the  jeers 
and  laughter  of  one  or  two  bystanders. 
Titmouse  appeared  about  to  strike  the 
groom  ;  who,  hastily  giving  the  bridles 
of  his  horses  into  the  hands  of  an  ostler, 
threw  himself  into  boxing  attitude  ; 
ami,  being  a  clean,  tight-built,  stout 
young  fellow,  looked  a  very  formidable 
object,  as  he  came  squaring  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  dismayed  Titmouse  ;  and 
on  behalf  of  the  outraged  honour  of  all 
1he,  horses  of  Yorkshire,  was  just  going 
to  let  ily  his  one-two,  when  a  sharp 
tapping  at  the  bow-window  overhead 
startled  him  for  a  moment,  interrupt- 
ing his  warlike  demonstrations;  ami, 
on  casting  up  his  eyes,  ho  beheld  the 
threatening  figure  of  his  muster,  who 
was  shaking  his  whip  at  him.  He 
dropped  his  guard,  touched  bis  hat 
very  humbly,  and  lesumed  His  horses' 
bridles  ;  muttering,  however,  to  Tit- 
mouse, "  [f  thou'rt  a  man,  come  down 
into  t'  yard,  and  I'll  mak  thee  think  a 
hoi  I  thee,  a  liar  as  thou  art  !  " 

"Who's  that  gentleman  gone  up- 
stairs! "  enquin  d  Titmouse  of  the  land- 
lady, aft  I     'into  the  inn. 

"  Squire  Aubrey  of  Yatton,"  she  re- 
plied tartly.  Titmous  i's  face,  pre- 
viously very  pal  ■  d  all  over. 
"Ay,  ay,"  she  continued  sharply — 
"  thou  must  be  chsl  tering  to  th 

folks,  and   thou'l  t  marly  put    thy 

into  't  at  I    t,  I  can  tefl   ti ;    foi 

that's  a  magistrate,  ai  1  thou'st  L  i  n 
a  •  s 


smiled  rather  faintly ;  and  entering 
the  parlour,  affected  to  be  enga 
witli  a  county  newspaper  ;  and  he  re- 
mained very  quiet  for  upwards  of  an 
hour,  not  venturing  out  of  the  room 
till  lie  had  seen  oil'  Mr.  Aubrey  and 
bis  formidable  Sam. 

It  was  the  hunting  season  ;  but  Mr. 
Aubrey,  though  ho  had  as  line  horses 
as  were  to  be  found  in  the  county,  and 
which  were  always  at  the  service  of 
his  friends,  partly  from  want  of  in- 
clination, and  partly  from  the  delic 
of  his  constitution,  never  shared  in  the 
sports  of  the  field.  Now  and  then, 
however,  he  rode  to  cover,  to  see  tho 
hounds  throw  oil",  and  exchange  greet- 
ingswith  a  great  number  of  his  friends 
and  neighbours,  on  such  occasions  col- 
lected together.  This  he  did  the 
morning  alter  that  on  which  he  had 
visited  Grilston,  accompanied,  at  their 
earnest  entreaty,  by  Mi's.  Aubrey  and 
Kate.  I  am  not  painting  angels,  but 
describing  frail  human  nature;  and 
truth  forces  mi'  to  say,  that  Kate  knew 
pretty  well  that  on  such  occasions  she 
appeared  to  no  little  advantage.  I 
protest  I  love  her  not  Ihe  less  for  it — 
but  is  there  a  beautiful  woman  under 
the  sun  who  is  not  aware  of  her  charms, 
and  of  the  effect  they  produce  upon 
our  sex  ?  Pooh  J  I  never  will  believe 
to  the  contrary,  hi  Kate's  composi- 
tion this  ingredient  was  but  an  imper- 
ceptible alloy  in  virgin  gold.  Now, 
how  was  it  that  she  came  to  think  of 
this  hunting  appointment  J  1  do  not 
exactly  know;  but  J  recollect  that 
v.  Ian  hord  l)e  la  Zouch  la  ti  lied  at 
Yation,  he  happened  <o  mention  it  at 

lunch,  and  to  say  that  he  ami  one 
Geoffry  Lovel  Delamert but  how- 
ever that  may  be,  behold,  on  a  bright 
Thursday  morning,  Aubrey  and   his 

two     lovely    companions     made     their 

welcome  app  ti   the  field,  all 

superbly  mounted,  and  most  cordially 

'  d  by  all  present.     Miss  Aubrey 

led    universal   admiration  ;    but 

was  one  handsome  youngster, 

his  well-formed  figure  Bhowing  I 

advantage  in  hi-,  aew  pink  and  hat  bers, 

thai,  made  a  point  of  challenging  hex 

I  notice,  and  in  di  <i  tract- 

ingl  ba1  of  all  his  i  •    !   :    i  orts* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEA.H. 


153 


men ;  and  that  was  Delamere.  He 
seemed,  indeed,  infinitely  more  taken 
up  with  the  little  parly  from  Yatton 
than  with  the  serious  business  of  the 
day.  His  horse,  however,  had  an  eye 
to  business ;  and  with  erected  ears, 
catching  the  first  welcome  signal  sooner 
than  its  gallant  rider,  sprung  off  like 
light,  and  would  have  left  its  abstracted 
rider  behind,  had  he  not  been  a  first- 
rate  seat.  In  fact,  Kate  herself  was 
not  quite  sufficiently  on  her  guard  ; 
and  her  eager  fdly  suddenly  put  in  re- 
quisition all  her  rider's  little  strength 
and  skill  to  rein  her  in — which  having 
done,  Kate's  eye  looked  rather  anx- 
iously after  her  late  companion,  who, 
however,  had  already  cleared  the  first 
hedge,  and  was  fast  making  up  to  the 
scattering  scarlet  crowd.  Oh,  the 
bright  exhilarating  scene ! 

"Heigh  ho!"  said  Kate,  with  a 
slight  sigh,  as  soon  as  Delamere  had 
disappeared — "I  was  very  nearly  off." 

"So  was  somebody  else,  Kate!" 
said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  with  a  sly  smile. 

"This  is  a  very  cool  contrivance  of 
yours,  Kate, — bringing  us  here  this 
morning,"  said  her  brother,  rather 
gravely. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Charles?" 
she  enquired,  slightly  reddening.  He 
good-naturedly  tapped  her  shoulder 
with  his  whip,  laughed,  urged  his 
horse  into  a  canter,  and  they  were  all 
soon  on  their  way  to  General  Grim's, 
an  old  friend  of  the  late  Mr.  Aubrey's. 

The  party  assembled  on  New- Year's 
eve  at  Fotheringham  Castle,  the 
magnificent  residence  of  Lord  De  la 
Zoueh,  was  numerous  and  brilliant. 
The  Aubreys  arrived  about  five 
o'clock ;  and  on  their  emerging  from 
their  chambers  into  the  drawing-room, 
about  half-past  six — Mr.  Aubrey  lead- 
ing in  his  lovely  wife  and  his  very 
beautiful  sister — they  attracted  general 
attention.  He  himself  looked  hand- 
some, for  the  brisk  country  air  had 
brought  out  a  glow  upon  his  too 
frequently  sallow  countenance — sallow 
with  the  unwholesome  atmosphere, 
the  late  hours,  the  wasting  excitement 
of  the  House  of  Commons  ;  and  his 
smile  was  cheerful,  his  eye  bright  and 
penetrating.     There  is  nothing  that 


makes  such  quick  triumphant  way  in 
English  society  as  the  promise  of 
speedy  political  distinction.  It  will 
supply  to  its  happy  possessor  the 
want  of  family  and  fortune — it  rapidly 
melts  away  all  distinctions  ;  the  ob- 
scure but  eloquent  commoner  finds 
himself  suddenly  standing  in  the  rare- 
fied atmosphere  of  privilege  and  ex- 
clusiveness — the  familiar  equal,  often 
the  conscious  superior,  of  the  haugh- 
tiest peer  of  the  realm.  A  single 
successful  speech  in  the  House  of 
Commons  opens  before  its  utterer  the 
shining  doors  of  fashion  and  greatness, 
as  if  by  magic.  It  is  as  it  were 
Power  stepping  into  its  palace, 
welcomed  by  gay  crowds  of  eager 
obsequious  expectants.  "Who  would 
not  press  forward  to  grasp  in  anxious 
welcome  the  hand  that,  in  a  few  short 
years,  may  dispense  the  glittering 
baubles  sighed  after  by  the  great,  and 
the  more  substantial  patronage  of 
office,  which  may  point  public  opinion 
in  any  direction  ?  But,  to  go  no 
further,  what  if  to  all  this  be  added  a 
previous  position  in  society,  such  as 
that  occupied  by  Mr.  Aubrey  !  There 
were  several  very  fine  women,  married 
and  single,  in  that  splendid  drawing- 
room  ;  but  there  were  two  girls,  in 
very  different  styles  of  beauty,  who 
were  soon  allowed  by  all  present  to 
carry  off  the  palm  between  them — I 
mean  Miss  Aubrey  and  Lady  Caroline 
Caversham,  the  only  daughter  of  the 
Marchioness  of  Redborough,  both  of 
whom  were  on  a  visit  at  the  castle  of 
some  duration.  Lady  Caroline  and 
Miss  Aubrey  were  of  about  the  same 
age,  and  dressed  almost  exactly  alike, 
viz.  in  white  satin  ;  only  Lady  Caro- 
line wore  a  brilliant  diamond  necklace, 
whereas  Kate  had  chosen  to  wear  not 
a  single  ornament. 

Lady  Caroline  was  a  trifle  the  taller, 
and  had  a  very  stately  carriage.  Her 
hair  was  black  as  jet — her  features 
were  refined  and  delicate  ;  but  they 
wore  a  very  cold,  haughty  expression. 
After  a  glance  at  her  half-closed  eyes, 
and  the  swan-like  curve  of  her  snowy 
neck,  you  unconsciously  withdrew  from 
her,  as  from  an  inaccessible  beauty. 
The  more  you  looked  at  her,  the  more 


154 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


she  satisfied  your  critical  scrutiny ; 
but  your  feelings  went  not  out  towards 
her — they  were,  in  a  manner,  chilled 

and  repulsed.  Look,  now,  at  our  own 
Kate  Aubrey — nay,  never  fear  to  place 
her  beside  yon  supercilious  divinity — 
look  at  her,  and  your  heart  acknow- 
ledges her  loveliness  ;  your  soul  thrills 
at  sight  of  her  bewitching  blue  eyes — 
eyes  now  sparkling  with  excitement, 
then  languishing  with  softness,  in 
accordance  with  the  varying  emotions 
of  a  sensitive  nature  —  a  most  sus- 
ceptible heart.  How  her  sunny  curls 
harmonize  with  the  delicacy  and  rich- 
ness  of  her  complexion!  Her  figure, 
observe,  is,  of  the  two,  a  trifle  fuller 
than  her  rival's — stay,  don't  let  your 
admiring  eyes  settle  so  intently  upon 
her  budding  form,  or  you  will  confuse 
Kate — turn  away,  or  she  will  shrink 
from  you  like  the.  sensitive  plant ! 
Lady  Caroline  seems  the  exquisite  but 
frigid  production  of  a  skilful  statuary, 
who  had  caught  a  divinity  in  the  very 
act  of  disdainfully  setting  her  foot  for 
the  first  time  upon  this  poor  earth  of 
ours  ;  but  Kate  is  a  living  and  breath- 
ing beauty — as  it  were,  fresh  from  the 
hand  of  God  him:'. -If ! 

Kate  was  very  affectionately  greeted 
by  Lady  Do  La  Zouch,  a  lofty  and  dig- 
nified woman  of  about  fifty;  so  also 
by  Lord  De  la  Zouch  ;  but  when  young 
1  lei  imere  v..  loomed  h<  r  w Lth  a  \ alpa- 
ble  c'ii'  at  of  manner,  an 

brilliant  colour  stole  into  her  cheek, 
and  a  keen  observer  might  have  noticed 
a  little,  rapid,  undulating  mot  ion  in 
Ina-  bosom,  which  told  of  some  inward 
emotion.  .And  a  keen  observer  Kate 
nt  thai  moment  had  in  her  beautiful 
i  il  ;  from  whose  cheek,  as  that  of 
Kafo  ned  in  iis  roseate  bloom, 

;  lolour  entirely,  leaving 

it  the  hue  of  the  lily.     Her  dro 
.  ild    i  carcely    conceal    the 

glani      i  in  and  an  ■  r  which  Bhe 

t.  h  r  plainly  succi     ful  rival 
I   i   I  1 I  ■ 
la  Zom  h.     Ivate  was  qui  e  of 

tbi  :  and  it  required 

it t L-  Belf-control  to  appear  ""  iware 

(if  i*.  HdanuTc  took  her  down  to 
dini.cr,  and  seated  him  ielf  be  Lde  her, 
and  p.tid  hex  .ioh  pointed  attentions 


as  at  length  really  distressed  her  ;  and 
she  was  quite  relieved  when  the  time 
came  for  the  ladies  to  withdraw.  That 
she  had  not  a  secret  yearning  towards 
Delamere,  the  frequcnl  companion  of 
her  early  days,  I  cannot  assert,  bocause 
I  know  it  would  be  contrary  to  the- 
fact.  Circumstances  had  kept  him  on 
the  Continent  for  more  than  a  year  be- 
tween the  period  of  his  quitting  Eton 
and  going  to  Oxford,  where  another 
twelvemonth  had  slipped  away  with- 
out his  visiting  Yorkshire:  thus  two 
years  hail  elapsed— and  behold  Kate, 
had  become  a  woman,  and  he  a  man  ! 
They  had  mutual  predispositions  to- 
wards each  other,  and  'twas  mem 
accident  which  of  them  first  mani- 
fested symptoms  of  fondness  for  the 
other — the  same  result  must  have  fol- 
lowed, namely,  (to  use  a  great  word,) 
reciprocation.  Lord  and  Lady  Do  la 
Zouch  idolized  their  son,  and  were  old 
and  very  firm  friends  of  the  Aubrey 
family;  and,"  if  Delame  e  really  formed 
an  attachm  nt  to  one  of  .Miss  Aubrey's 
:t  .  talent,  amia- 
bility, and  ancient  family — why  should 
he  not  be  gratified?  Kate,  whet! 
she  would  or  not,  was  set  down  to  the 
piano,  l.i  ly  Caroline  accompanying 
heron  the  h  irp— on  which  she  usually 
performed  with  mingled  skill  and 
grace  ;  hut  on  the  present  occasion, 
both  the  fair  performers  found  fault 
with  their  instruments  —  then  with 
themselves— and  presently  gave  up 
the  attempt  in  despair.  !!nt  when, 
at  a  later  pi  riod  of  the  evening,  Kate's 
spirits  had  been  a  little  exhilarated 
with  dancing,  and  she  sal  down,  at 
Lord  I >e  la  Zouch's  request,  and  ' 
that,  exquisite  song  from  t 
—"Where  the  bee  Bucks,"— all  1  ho 
witchery  of  her  v>  ice  and  n  aimer  1  ad 
ned  ;  ami  as  for  I  >  lamere,  he 
given  the  world  to  marry 
her  that  minute,  ai  I  bo  for  ever  ex- 
uish  the  bop.  ;  of  :is  he  imagined 
— two  or  three  n  tscenl  competitors  for 

nt. 
Thai  Kite'.,  Is     ten     iful,  tho 

following  little  incident,  which  hap- 
pened to  her  on  the  .  i  uing evening, 
w ill  show.  There  v  i  a  girl  in  the 
village   at   Yattou,   about   sixteen    or 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


155 


seventeen  years  old,  called  Phoebe 
"Williams ;  a  very  pretty  girl,  and 
who  had  spent  about  two  years  at  the 
Hall  as  a  laundry-maid,  but  had  been 
obliged,  some  few  months  before  the 
time  I  am  speaking  of,  to  return  to 
her  parents  in  the  village,  ill  of  a 
decline.  She  had  been  a  sweet-tem- 
pered girl  in  her  situation,  and  all  her 
fellow-servants  felt  great  interest  in 
her,  as  also  did  Miss  Aubrey.  Mrs. 
Aubrey  sent  her  daily,  jellies,  sago, 
ami  other  such  matters,  suitable  for 
the  poor  girl's  condition  ;  and  about  a 
quarter-of-an-hour  after  her  return 
from  Fotheringham,  Miss  Aubrey, 
finding  one  of  the  female  servants 
about  to  set  off  with  some  of  the 
above-mentioned  articles,  and  hearing 
that  poor  Phoobe  was  getting  rapidly 
worse,  instead  of  retiring  to  her  room 
to  undress,  slipped  on  an  additional 
shawl,  and  resolved  to  accompany  the 
servant  to  the  village.  She  said  not  a 
word  to  either  her  mother,  her  sister- 
in-law,  or  her  brother ;  but  simply  left 
word  with  her  maid  where  she  was 
going,  and  that  she  should  quickly 
return.  It  was  snowing  smartly  when 
Kate  set  oif ;  but  she  cared  not,  hur- 
ried on  by  the  impulse  of  kindness, 
which  led  her  to  pay  perhaps  a  last 
visit  to  the  humble  sufferer.  She 
walked  alongside  of  the  elderly  female 
scrvantj  asking  her  a  number  of  ques- 
tions about  Phcebe,  and  her  sorrowing 
father  and  mother.  It  was  nearly 
dark  as  they  quitted  the  Park  gates, 
and  snowing,  if  anything,  faster  than 
when  they  had  left  the  Hall.  Kate, 
wrapping  her  shawl  still  closer  round 
her  slender  figure,  and  her  face  pretty 
well  protected  by  her  veil,  hurried  on, 
and  they  soon  reached  Williams'  cot- 
tage. Its  humble  tenants  were,  as 
may  be  imagined,  not  a  little  sur- 
prised at  her  appearance  at  such  an 
hour,  and  in  such  inclement  weather, 
and  so  apparently  unattended.  Poor 
Phcebe,  worn  to  a  shadow,  was  sitting 
opposite  the  fire,  in  a  little  wooden 
arm-chair,  and  propped  up  by  a  pil- 
low. She  trembled,  and  her  lips  moved 
on  seeing  Miss  Aubrey,  who  sitting 
down  on  a  stool  beside  her,  after  lay- 
ing aside  her  snow- whitened  shawl  and 


bonnet,  spoke  to  her  in  the  most  gentle 
and  soothing  strain  imaginable.  What 
a  contrast  in  their  two  figures ! 
'Twould  have  been  no  violent  stretch 
of  imagination  to  say,  that  Catharine 
Aubrey  at  that  moment  looked  like  a 
ministering  angel  sent  to  comfort  the 
wretched  sufferer  in  her  extremity, 
riicebe's  father  and  mother  stood  on 
each  side  of  the  little  fireplace,  gazing 
with  tearful  eyes  upon  their  only 
child,  soon  about  to  depart  from  them 
for  ever.  The  jioor  girl  was  indeed  a 
touching  object.  She  had  been  very 
pretty,  but  now  her  face  was  white 
and  wofully  emaciated  —  the  dread 
impress  of  consumption  was  upon  it. 
Her  wasted  fingers  were  clasped  to- 
gether on  her  lap,  holding  between 
them  a  little  handkerchief,  with 
which,  evidently  with  great  effort, 
she  occasionally  wiped  the  dampness 
from  her  face. 

"You're  very  good,  ma'am,"  she 
whispered,  "  to  come  to  see  me,  and 
so  late.  Thev  say  it's  a  sad  cold 
night." 

"I  heard,  Phcebe,  that  you  were 
not  so  well,  and  I  thought  I.  would 
just  step  along  with  Margaret,  who 
has  brought  yon  some  more  jelly. 
Did  you  like  the  last  ? " 

"Y-e-s,  ma'am,"  she  replied,  hesi- 
tatingly; "but  it's  very  hard  for  me 
to  swallow  anything  now,  my  throat 
feels  so  sore."  Here  her  mother  shook 
her  head  and  looked  aside  ;  for  the 
doctor  had  only  that  morning  ex- 
plained to  her  the  nature  of  the  dis- 
tressing symptom  which  her  daughter 
was  alluding  to — as  evidencing  the 
very  last  stage  of  her  fatal  disorder. 

"I'm  very  sorry  to  hear  you  say  so, 
Phcebe,"  replied  Miss  Aubrey.  "Do 
you  think  there's  anything  else  that 
Mrs.  Jackson  could  make  for  you  ?  " 

"No,  ma'am,  thank  you  ;  1  feel  it's 
no  use  trying  to  swallow  anything 
more." 

"While  there's  life,"  said  Kate,  in 
a  subdued,  hesitating  tone,  "there's 
hope — they  say."  Phcebe  shook  her 
head  mournfully.  "  Don't  stop  long, 
dear  lady— it's  getting  very  late  for 
you   to   be   out    alone.      Father  will 


156 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"Never  mind  mo,  Pho-he— 1  can 
take  care  of  myself.  1  hope  you  mind 
what  pood  Dr.  Tatham  says  to  you? 
Yon  know  this  sickness  is  from  God, 
Phoebe.  He  knows  what  is  best  for  his 
creatures." 

"Thank  God,  ma'am,  I  think  I  feel 
resigned.  I  know  it  is  God's  will ; 
but  1  am  very  sorry  for  poor  father 
and  mother—  they'll  be  so  lone  like 
when  they  don't  see  Phoebe  about." 
Her  father  gazed  intently  at  her,  and 
the  tears  ran  trickling  down  his  cheeks  ; 
her  mother  put  her  apron  before  her 
face,  and  shook  her  head  in  silenl 
anguish.  Miss  Aubrey  did  not  speak 
for  a  few  moments.  "  I  see  you  have 
been  reading  the  prayer-book  mamma 
gave  you  when  you  were  at  the  Hall," 
said  she  at  length,  observing  the  little 
volume  lying  open  on  Phoebe's  lap. 

"Yes,  ma'am — 1  was  trying;  but 
somehow,  lately,  1  can't  read,  for 
there's  a  kind  of  mist  comes  over  my 
i  -.  and  1  can't  see." 
"  "Thai's  weakness,  Phoebe,"  Baid 
Miss  Aubrey,  quickly  but  tremulously. 

".May  1  make  bold,  ina'ani,"  com- 
menced  Phoebe  languidly,  after  a 
hesitating  pans.',  "to  ask  you  to  read 
the  little  psalm  I  was  trying  to  read  a 
while  ago '(  I  should  so  like  to  hear 
you." 

"I'll try,  Phcebe," said  Miss  Aubrey, 
taking  the  book,  which  was  open  at 
the  sixth  psalm.  'Twas  a  severe  trial, 
for  hi  r  feelings  were  not  a  litt  le  excib  d 
already,  lint  how  could  she  r 
the  living  girl  ?  So  she  began,  a  little 
indistinctly,  in  a  very  low  tone,  and 
with  frequent  pauses;  for  the  tears 
every  now  and  then  quite  obscured 
hi  r sight.  She  managed,  however,  to 
get  as  far  as  the  sixth  Verse,  which 
was  thus : 

"lam  weary  of  my  groaning :  every 
'  i  wa  h   I  my  bed,  and  water 
;h    with  tears:    my  beauty  is  gone 
for  i'.  ry  tn 

Here  Kate's  voice  suddenly  stopped. 

buried  her  face  for  a  mom  rrl  or 

two    in   her   handkerchief,   and  said 

hastily,     "I     can't     read     any     > 

Phcebe  !  "     Every  one  in    the   little 
room  was  in  <       .     cept  poor  Ph 
who  I  past  that. 


"It's  time  for  me  to  go,  now, 
Phoebe.  Well  send  some  one  early 
in  the  morning  to  know  how  you  are," 
said  Miss  Aubrey,  rising  and  putting 
on  her  bonnet  and  shawl.  She  c 
i rived  to  beckon  l'luebe's  mother  to 
the  back  of  the  room,  and  silently 
slipped  a  couple  of  guineas  into  her 
hands;  for  she  knew  the  mournful 
occasion  there  would  soon  be  for  such 
assistance!  She  then  left,  peremp- 
torily declining  the  attendance  of 
Phoebe's  father — saying  that  it  must 
be  dark  when  she  could  not  find  tho 
way  to  the  Hall,  which  was  almost  in 
a  straight  line  from  the  cottage,  and 
little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  milo 
off.  It  was  very  much  darker,  and  it 
still  snowed,  though  not  so  thickly  as 
when  she  had  come.  She  and  Mar- 
garet walked  side  by  side,  at  a  quick 
pace,  talking  together  about  poor 
Phoebe.  Just  as  she  was  approaching 
the  extremity  of  the  village,  neai 
the  park — 

"Ah  !  my  lovely  gals!  "  exclairi 
a  voice,  in  a  low  but  most  offensive 

lone — "  alone?    How  uncommon -" 

Miss  Aubrey  for  a  moment  seemed 
thunderstruck  at  so  sudden  and  un- 
precedented an  occurrence  :  then  she 
(lurried  on  with  a  heating  heart,  v>  h 
peringto  Margaret  to  keep  close  to  her, 
and  not  to  be  alarmed.  The  speaker, 
however,  kept  pace  with  them. 

"Lovely  gals! — wish  I'd  an  um- 
brella, my  angels  I — Take  my  arm? 
Ah  !   Pretty  gals!  " 

""Who   are  you,    sir?"   at   length 
limed  Kate,  spiritedly,  suddenly 
stopping,    and   turning   to    the   rude 
i  p  laker. 

[Who  elso  should  it  he  but  Tittlebat 
Titmouse!]  "Who  am  1  I  Ah,  ha  ! 
Lovely  gals  !  one  that  loves  the  pretty 

■" 
"  Do  you  kn  >w,  fellow,  who  I  am?" 

enquired    Miss    Aubrey  indignantly, 

Hinging  aside  her  veil,  and  disclosing 

her  beautiful  face,  white  as  death,  but 

indistinctly  visible  in  the  darknoi  ,  to 

her  insolent  assailant. 

"No,    'pon    my    soul,    no;    but — - 
lovely  gal  !  lovely  gal! — 'pon  my  life, 
spirited  gal  ! — do  you  no  harm  !   '! 
my  arm  ? " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


157 


"  Wretch  !  ruffian  !  How  dare  you 
insult  a  lady  in  this  manner  ?  Do  you 
know  who  I  am  ?  My  name,  sir,  is 
Aubrey — I  am  Miss  Aubrey  of  the 
Hall !     Do  not  think " 

Titmouse  felt  as  if  he  were  on  the 
point  of  dropping  down  dead  at  that 
moment,  with  amazement  and  terror  ; 
and  when  Miss  Aubrey's  servant 
screamed  out  at  the  top  of  her  voice, 
"Help!  —  help,  there!"  Titmouse, 
without  uttering  a  syllable  more,  took 
to  his  heels,  just  as  the  door  of  a  cot- 
tage, at  only  a  few  yards'  distance, 
opened,  and  out  rushed  a  strapping 
farmer,  shouting — "Hey!  what  be 
t'matter  ? "  You  may  guess  his  as- 
tonishment on  discovering  Miss  Au- 
brey, and  his  fuiy  at  learning  the 
cause  of  her  alarm.  Out  of  doors  he 
pelted,  without  his  hat,  uttering  a 
volley  of  fearful  imprecations,  and 
calling  on  the  unseen  miscreant  to 
come  forward  ;  for  whom  it  was  lucky 
that  lie  had  time  to  escape  from  a  pair 
of  fists  that  in  a  minute  or  two  would 
have  beaten  his  little  carcass  into  a 
jelly  !  Miss  Aubrey  was  so  overcome 
by  the  shock  she  had  suffered,  that 
but  for  a  glass  of  water  she  might 
have  fainted.  As  soon  as  she  had 
a  little  recovered  from  her  agitation, 
she  set  off  home,  accompanied  by 
Margaret,  and  followed  very  closely 
hy  the  farmer,  with  a  tremendous 
knotted  slick  under  his  arm  —  (he 
wanted  to  have  taken  his  double- 
barrelled  gun)  —  and  thus  she  soon 
reached  the  Hall,  not  a  little  tired 
and  agitated.  This  little  incident, 
however,  she  kept  to  herself,  and  en- 
joined her  two  attendants  to  do  the 
same ;  for  she  knew  the  distress  it 
would  have  occasioned  those  whom 
she  loved.  As  it  was,  she  was  some- 
what sharply  rebuked  by  her  mother 
and  brother,  who  had  just  sent  two 
men  out  in  cpiest  of  her,  and  whom  it 
was  singular  that  she  should  have 
missed.  This  is  not  the  place  to  give 
an  account  of  the  eccentric  movements 
of  our  friend  Titmouse ;  still  there  can 
be  no  harm  in  my  just  mentioning  that 
the  sight  of  Miss  Aubrey  on  horseback 
had  half  maddened  the  little  fool ;  her 
ima^e    had    never  been    effaced    from 


his  memory  since  the  occasion  on 
which,  as  already  explained,  he  had 
first  seen  her ;  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
ascertained,  through  Snap's  enquiries, 
who  she  was,  he  became  more  frenzied 
in  the  matter  than  before,  because  he 
thought  he  now  saw  a  probability  of 
obtaining  her.  "If  like  children," 
says  Edmund  Burke,  "we  will  cry  for 
the  moon,  why  like  children  we  must 
— cry  on. "  "Whether  this  was  not  some- 
thing like  the  position  of  Mr.  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  in  his  passion  for  Catha- 
rine Aubrey,  the  reader  can  judge. 
He  had  unbosomed  himself  in  the 
matter  to  his  confidential  adviser  Mr. 
Snap  ;  who,  having  accomplished  his 
errand,  had  the  day  before  returned 
to  town,  very  much  against  his  will, 
leaving  Titmouse  behind  him,  to  bring 
about,  by  his  own  delicate  and  skilful 
management,  a  union  between  himself, 
as  the  future  lord  of  Yatton,  and  the 
beautiful  sister  of  its  present  occupant. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Me.  Aubrey  and  Kate  were  sitting 
together  playing  at  chess,  about  tight 
o'clock  in  the  evening ;  Dr.  Tatham 
and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  junior,  looking  on 
with  much  interest ;  old  Mrs.  Aubrey 
being  busily  engaged  writing.  Mr. 
Aubrey  was  sadly  an  overmatch  for 
poor  Kate — he  being  in  fact  a  first- 
rate  player  ;  and  her  soft  white  hand 
had  been  hovering  over  the  half- 
dozen  chessmen  she  had  left,  uncertain 
which  of  them  to  move,  for  nearly 
two  minutes,  her  chin  resting  on  the 
other  hand,  and  her  face  wearing  a 
very  puzzled  expression.  "Come, 
Kate,"  said  every  now  and  then  her 
brother,  with  that  calm  victorious 
smile  which  at  such  a  moment  would 
have  tried  any  but  so  sweet  a  temper 
as  his  sister's.  "If  I  were  you, 
Miss  Aubrey,"  was  perpetually  ex- 
claiming Dr.  Tatham,  knowing  as 
much  about  the  game  the  while  as  the 
little  Marlborough  spaniel  lying  asleep 
at  Miss  Aubrey's  feet.     "Oh  dear!" 


r 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAIt. 


said  Kate,  at  length,  with  a  sigh,  "  I 
really  don't  see  how  to  escape " 

"Who  can  that  he?"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  looking  up  and  listening 
to  the  sound  of  carnage  wheels. 

"Never  mind,"  said  her  hnsband, 
who  was  interested  in  the  game  — 
"  om  •,  come,  Kate."  A  few  minuti  b 
afterwards  a  servant  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  coming  up  to  Mr.  Aub  ey, 
told  him  that  Mr.  Parkinson  and 
another  gentleman  had  called,  and 
were  waiting  in  the  library  to  speak 
to  him  on  business. 

"What  can  they  want  at  this  hour?" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey  absently,  in- 
tently watching  an  expected  move  of 
his  sister's,  which  would  have  decided 
the  game.  At  length  she  made  her 
long-meditated  descent,  in  quite  an 
unexpected  quarter. 

"  Checkmate  !  "  she  exclaimed  with 
infinite  glee. 

"Ah!"  cried  he,  rising,  with  a 
slightly  surprised  and  chagrined  air, 
"I'm  ruined!  Now,  try  your  hand 
en  the  doctor,  while  ]  go  and  speak 
to  these  people,  1  wonder  what  can 
]■  ibly  have  brought  them  here.  Oh, 
[see  I  see  ;  'tis  probably  about  .M 
Evelyn's  marriage-settlement- — I'm  1" 
be  one  <>f  her  trustees."  With  this  lie 
left  the  room,  and  presently  enl 
the  library,  where  were  two  gentle- 
men, one  of  whom,  a  stranger,  was 
in  the  act  of  pulling  oil'  his  great- 
coat. It  was  Mr.  Kunningtou  ;  a  tall, 
thin,  elderly  man,  with  Bhort  grey  hair 
— his  count  ei  inn  a  b  speaking  the  calm, 
acute,  clear-headed  man  of  busin 
The  other  was  Mr.  Parkinson  ;  a  plain, 
substantial-looking,  hard-headed  coun- 
try attorni  y. 

"Mr.     Runnington,    my    London 
agent,  sir,"  said   he  to  Mr.   Aul 
as  the  latter  entered.     Mr.    Aubrej 
bov 

tlemen,  be  seated,"  he 
i      Led   with  his   o  rial    urbanity  of 
i  chair  b  i  m. 

"  \\  l.y.  Mi.  Pail  in  in,  you  look 
V(  ry  soj  i  "is  —  both  of  you.  Whal 
is  l\  e  matter  i "  he  enquired  Bur- 
prisedly. 

"  M  r.  Runnii  r,  lias  arrived, 

most  unexpectedly  to  mo,"  n  plied  Mr. 


Parkinson,  "only  an  hour  or  two  ago, 
from  London,  on  business  of  the  last 
importance  to  you." 

"  To  vie  /—well,  what  is  it  ?  Pray, 
say  at  once  what  it  is  1  am  all  atten- 
tion," said  Mr.  Aubrey  anxiously. 

"Do  you  happen,"  commen  ed  Mr. 
Parkinson  very  nervously,  "to  re- 
member sending  Waters  to  me  on 
Monday  or  Tuesday  hist,  with  a  pap  '' 
which  had  been  served  by  Bome  one 
on  old  Jolt.r?" 

"Certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey, 
after  a  moment's  consideration. 

"Mr.  Runnington's  errand  i- 
nected  with  that  document,"  said  Mr. 
Parkinson,  and  paused. 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey, 
irently  a  little  relieved.  "  I  assure 
you,  gentlemen,  you  very  greatly  over- 
estimate the  importance  I  attach  to 
anything  that  such  a  troublesome 
■person  as  Mr.  Tomkins  can  do,  if  I 
am  right  in  supposing  that  it   is  he 

who "Well,  then,  what  is  the  mat- 

t«  r?"  he  enquired  quickly,  observing 
Mr.  Parkinson  shake  his  head,  and  in- 
terchange a  grave  look  with  Mr.  Pini- 
on; ••  you  i  anno!  t  hink,  Mr. 
inson,  how  you  will  oblige  mo 
by  being  expli  it." 

"  This  paj>er,"  said  Mr.  Runnington, 
holding  up  that  which  Mr.  Aubrey  at 
once  recollei  ted  as  the  one  on  which 

1:  I  had  cast  his  eye  on  its  being  handed 

to  him  by  Waters,  "is  a  Declaration 
in  Ejectment,  with  which  Mr.  Tom- 
kins  has  nothing  whatever  to  do.  It 
is  served  virtually  on  you,  and  you  are 
the  real  defendant." 

"  So  I  apprehend  I  was  in  the  former 
trumpery  action." 

"Do  you  recollect,  Mr.  Aubrey," 
said  Mr.  Parkinson,  with  a  trepidation 
which  he  could  uot  i  onci  al,  "  Bev<  ral 
years  ago,  some  serious  conversation 
which  you  and  I  had  together  on  the 
of  your  title  -  when  1  was  pre- 
paring your  in  mi  lementa  ?  " 

Mr.  Aubrey  Btarted,  and  his  face 
was  suddenly  M  ini  bed. 

"  The    matters  we  then   di  i  u 
have  suddenly   acquired    fearful   im- 
I  ortance.     This  pap  r  occn  ioni 
mi    your    aei  ount,    i  he    profoundc  t 
Mr.  lubrcy  ■■•mi  inie  d     lent, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


159 


gazing  on  Mr.  Parkinson  with  intensity. 
"Supposing,  from  a  hasty  glance  at 
it,  and  from  the  message  accompanying 
it,  that  it  was  merely  another  action 
of  Tomkins's  about  the  slip  of  waste 
land  attached  to  Jolter's  cottage,  I 
sent  up  to  London  to  my  agen's, 
Messrs.  Runningion,  requesting  them 
to  call  on  the  plaintiff's  attorneys,  and 
settle  the  action.  He  did  so  ;  and — ■ 
perhaps  you  will  explain  the  rest,"  said 
Mr.  Parkinson  to  Mr.  Punnington. 

"Certainly,"  said  that  gentleman 
with  a  serious  air,  hut  much  more 
calmly  and  firmly  than  Mr.  Parkinson ; 
"1  called  accordingly,  early  yesterday 
morning,  on  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap — they  are  a  very  well — but 
not  enviably — known  firm  in  the.  pro- 
fession ;  and  in  a  very  few  minutes 
my  misconception  of  the  nature  of  the 
business  I  hail  called  to  settle  was 
set  light.  In  short-— — •"  he  paused, 
as  if  distressed  at  the  intelligence  he 
was  about  to  communicate. 

"  Oh,  pray,  pray  go  on,  sir,"  said 
Mr.  Aubrey  in  a  low  tone. 

"  I  am  no  stranger,  sir,  to  your 
firmness  of  character ;  but  I  shall 
have  to  tax  it,  I  fear,  to  its  uttermost. 
To  come  at  once  to  the  point — they 
told  me  that  I  might  undoubtedly 
settle  the  matter,  if  you  would  consent 
to  give  up  immediate  possession  of  the 
whole  Yatton  estate,  and  account  for 
the  mesne  profits  to  their  client,  the 
right  heir — as  they  contend — a  Mr. 
Tittlebat  Titmouse."  Mr.  Aubrey 
leaned  back  in  his  chair,  overcome, 
for  an  instant,  by  this  astounding  in- 
telligence ;  and  all  three  of  them  pre- 
served silence  for  more  than  a  minute. 
Mr.  Punnington  was  a  man  of  a  very 
feeling  heart.  In  the  course  of  his 
great  practice  he  had  had  to  encounter 
many  distressing  scenes  ;  but  probably 
none  of  them  had  equalled  that  in 
which,  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  Mr. 
Parkinson,  who  distrusted  his  own 
self-posse;  sion,  he  now  bore  a  leading 
part.  The  two  attorneys  interchanged 
frequent  looks  of  deep  sympathy  for 
their  unfortunate  client,  who  seemed 
as  if  stunned  by  the  intelligence  they 
nad  brought  him. 

"  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  lose  not  an 


instant  in  coming  down  to  Yatton," 
resumed  Mr.  Punnington,  observing 
Mr.  Aubrey's  eye  again  directed  en- 
quiringly towards  him;  "for  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  are  very 
dangerous  people  to  deal  with,  anil 
must  be  encountered  promptly,  and 
with  the  greatest  possible  caution. 
The  moment  that  I  had  left  them,  I 
hastened  to  the  Temple,  to  retain  for 
you  Mr.  Subtle,  the  leader  of  the 
Northern  Circuit ;  but  they  had  been 
beforehand  with  me,  and  retained  him 
nearly  three  months  ago,  together  with 
another  eminent  king's  counsel  on  tho 
circuit.  Under  these  circumstance:',  I 
lost  no  time  in  giving  a  special  retainer 
to  the  Attorney-General,  in  which  I 
trust  I  have  done  right,  and  in  retain- 
ing as  junior  a  gentleman  whom  I 
consider  to  be  incomparably  the  ablest 
and  most  experienced  lawyer  on  the 
circuit." 

"Did  they  say  anything  concerning 
the  nature  of  their  client's  title  ? " 
enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  after  some 
expressions  of  amazement  and  dis- 
may. 

"  Very  little — I  might  sa}r,  nothing. 
If  they  had  been  never  so  precise,  of 
course  I  should  have  distrusted  every 
word  they  said.  They  certainly  men- 
tioned that  they  had  had  the  first 
conveyancing  opinions  in  the  kingdom, 
which  concurred  in  favour  of  their 
client ;  that  they  had  been  for  months 
prepared  at  all  points,  and  accident 
only  had  delayed  their  commencing 
proceedings  till  now." 

' '  Did  you  make  any  enquiries  as  to 
who  the  claimant  was  ?"  enquired  Mr. 
Aubrey. 

"Yes;  but  all  I  could  learn  was, 
that  they  had  discovered  him  by  mere 
accident ;  and  that  he  was  at  present 
in  very  obscure  and  distressed  circum- 
stances. I  tried  to  discover  by  what 
means  they  proposed  to  commence  and 
carry  on  so  expensive  a  contest;  but 
they  smiled  significantly,  and  were 
silent."  Another  long  pause  ensued, 
during  which  Mr.  Aubrey  was  evi- 
dently silently  struggling  with  very 
agitating  emotions. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  their 
affecting  to  seek  the  recovery  of  only 


1G0 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


one  insignificant  portion  of  the  pro- 
perty  ?"  he  enquired. 

"  It  is  their  own  choice — it  may  he 
from  considerations  of  mere  conveni- 
ence.  The  title,  however,  by  which 
they  may  succeed  in  recovering  what 
they  at  present  go  for,  will  avail  to 
recover  every  acre  of  the  estate,  and 
the  present  action  will  consequently 
decide  everything ! " 

"And  suppose  the  worst—that  they 
arc  successful,"  said  Sir.  Aubrey,  after 
they  had  conversed  a  good  deal,  and 
very  anxiously,  on  the  subject  of  a 
presumed  infirmity  in  Mr.  Aubrey's 
title,  which  had  been  pointed  out  to 
him  in  general  terms  by  Mr.  Parkinson, 
on  the  occasion  already  adverted  to — 
"what  is  to  be  said  about  the  rental 
which  I  have  been  receiving  all  this 
time — ten  thousand  a-year  ? "  enquired 
Mr.  Aubrey,  looking  as  if  he  dreaded 
to  hear  his  question  answered. 

"(Hi!  that's  quite  an  after  con- 
sideration—  let  us  first  fight  the 
battle." 

"I  beg,  Mr.  Runnington,  that  you 
will  withhold  nothing  from  me,"  said 
Mr.  Aubrey.  "To  what  extent  shall 
I  be  liable  1 " 

Mr.  llunninqton  paused. 

"  i   am  afraid  that  all  the  mesne 

{irofits,  an  they  are  called,  which  you 
lave     received  "  —  commenced    Mr. 

Parkinson 

"  No,  no,"  interrupted  Mr.  Run- 
nington  ;  "I  have  been  turning  that 
matter  over  in  my  mind,  and  1  think 
that  the  statute  of  limitations  will  bar 

all  but  the  last  six  years " 

"  Why,  that  will  be  sixty  thousand 
pounds  1 "  interrupted  Mr.  Aubrey, 
with  a  look  of  sudden  des] 
"Gracious  Heavens,  that  is  perfectly 
f.i  '.Mill!—  frightful!  If  I  lose  Yat- 
,  I  shall  not  have  a  place  to  put 
my  head  in — not  one  farthing  to  sup- 
port m  I'  with  !  And  yet  to  have 
to  ni  i!  e  up  fixty  thou,  ana  pounds  .' " 
The  perspiration  stood  upon  his  fore- 
head,    and     bis    eye    was    laden    with 

alarm  and  .He  Blowly  rose  from 

his  chair  and  bolted  the  door,  that  they 
mi  lit  not,  at  such  an  agil  iting  mo- 
ment, be  surprised  or  disturbed  by  any 

of  the  servants  or  the  family. 


"  I  suppose,"  said  he  in  a  faint  and 
tremulous  tone,  "that  if  this  claim 
succeed,  my  mother  also  will  share 
my  fate " 

They  shook  their  heads  in  sil<  I 

"Permit  me  to  suggest," said  Mr. 
Runnington,  in  a  tone  of  the  most 
respectful  sympathy,  "that  sufficient 
for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

"  But  the  NIGHT  follows  !  "  said  Mr. 
Aubrey,  with  a  visible  tremor;  and 
his  voice  made  the  hearts  of  his  com- 
panions thrill  within  them.  "  I  have 
a  frightful  misgiving  as  to  the  issue  of 
these  proceedings  !  ]  ought  not  to 
have  neglected  the  matter  pointed  out 
to  me  by  Mr.  Parkinson  on  my  mar- 
riage. I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  culpably 
lying  by  ever  since.  Put  I  really  did 
not  attach  to  it  the  importance  it  de- 
served: I  never,  indeed,  distinctly 
appreciated  the  nature  of  what  was 
then  pointed  out  to  me  !  " 

"A  thousand  pities  that  a  fine  was 
not  levied,  is  it  not?"  said  Mr. 
Runnington. 

"Ay,  indeed  it  is!"  replied  Mr. 
Parkinson  with  a  sigh,  and  they  spoke 
together  for  some  time,  and  very 
earnestly,  concerning  the  nature  and 
'Hi  Micy  of  SUeh  a  measure,  which  they 

explained  to  Mr.  Aubrey. 

"  It  comes  to  this,"  said  he,  "that 
in  all  probability,  I  and  my  family  are 
at  this  moment"  —  he  shuddered  — 
"  trespassers  at  Yatton  !  " 

"That,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  said  Mr. 
Parkinson  earnestly,  "remains  to  be 
proved  !  We  really  are  getting  on  far 
too  fast.  One  would  think  that  the 
jury  had  already  returned  a  verdict 
against  us — that  judgment  had  been 
.signed — and  that  the  sheriff  was  coming 
in  the  morning  to  execute  the  wi 
possession  in  favour  of  our  opponent." 
This  was  well  meant  by  the  Bpi  '  ; 
but  surely  it  was  like  talking  of  the 
machinery  of  the  ghastly  gui  fotine  to 
the  wretch  in  Bhivering  expect  ition  of 
ring  by  it  on  the  morrow.  An 
involuntary Bhudder  ran  through  Mr. 
Aubrey.  "Sixty  thousand  pounds!" 
be  exclaimed,  rising  and  walking  to 

and  fro.      "Why,  I  am  mined  beyond 

all  redemption!      How  can    1    i 

satisfy   it/'        Again    he    paced    tho 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


161 


room  several  times,  in  silent  agony. 
Presently  he  resumed  his  seat.  "  I 
have,  for  these  several  days  past,  had 
a  strange  sense  of  impending  calamity, " 
said  he,  more  calmly — "I  have  been 
.  equally  unable  to  account  for,  or  Ret 
rid  of  it.  It  may  bo  an  intimation 
from  Heaven  ;  1  bow  to  its  will !  " 

"We  must  remember,"  said  Mr. 
Runnington,  "that  ' possession  is  nine- 
tcntlis  of  the  law  ;'  which  means,  that 
your  mere  possession  will  entitle  you 
to  retain  it  against  all  the  world,  till 
a  stronger  title  than  yours  to  the  right 
of  possession  be  made  out.  You  stand 
on  a  mountain  ;  and  it  is  for  your 
adversary  to  displace  you,  not  by 
showing  merely  that  you  have  no  real 
title,  but  that  he  has.  If  he  could 
prove  all  your  title-deeds  to  be  merely 
waste  paper — that  in  fact  you  have  no 
more  title  than  I  have — he  would  not 
by  stopping  there  advance  his  own 
case  an  inch  ;  he  must  first  establish 
in  himself  a  clear  and  independent 
title  ;  so  that  you  are  entirely  on  the 
defensive ;  and  rely  upon  it,  that 
though  never  so  many  scivws  may  be 
loose,  so  acute  and  profound  a  lawyer 
as  the  Attorney-General  will  impose 
every  difficulty  on — — " 

"Nay,  but  God  forbid  that  any 
unconscientious  advantage  should  be 
taken  on  my  behalf !"  said  Mr.  Aubrey. 
Mr.  Runnington  and  Mr.  Parkinson 
both  opened  their  eyes  pretty  wide  at 
this  sally  :  the  latter  could  not  under- 
stand but  that  everything  was  fair  in 
war ;  the  former  saw  and  appreciated 
the  nobility  of  soul  which  had  dictated 
the  exclamation. 

"I  suppose  the  affair  will  soon  be- 
come public,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  with 
an  air  of  profound  depression,  after 
much  further  conversation. 

"Your  position  in  the  county,  your 
eminence  in  public  life,  the  singularity 
of  the  case,  and  the  magnitude  of  the 
stake — all  are  circumstances  undoubt- 
edly calculated  soon  to  urge  the  affair 
before  the  notice  of  the  public,"  said 
Mr.  Runnington. 

""What  disastrous  intelligence  to 
break  to  my  family  !  "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Aubrey  tremulously.  "With  what 
fearful  suddenness  it  has  burst  upon 


us !  But  something,  I  suppose,"  he 
presently  added  with  forced  calmness, 
"  must  be  done  immediately  ? " 

"Undoubtedly,"  replied  Mr.  Run- 
nington. "Mr.  Parkinson  and  I  will 
immediately  proceed  to  examine  your 
title-deeds,  the  greater  portion  of  which 
are,  I  understand,  here  in  the  Hall, 
and  the  rest  at  Mr.  Parkinson's  ;  and 
prepare,  without  delay,  a  case  for  tho 
opinion  of  the  Attorney-General,  and 
also  of  the  most  eminent  conveyancers 
of  the  kingdom.  Who,  by  the  way," 
said  Mr.  Runnington,  addressing  Mr. 
Parkinson  —  "who  was  the  convey- 
ancer that  had  the  abstracts  beforo 
him,  on  preparing  Mr.  Aubrey's  mar- 
riage-settlement ? " 

"Oh,  you  are  alluding  to  the 
'  Octillion'  I  mentioned  to  you  this 
evening  ? "  enquired  Mr.  Parkinson. 
"  I  have  it  at  my  house,  and  will  show 
it  you  in  the  morning.  The  doubt  ha 
expressed  on  one  or  two  points  gave 
me,  I  recollect,  no  little  uneasiness — ■ 
as  you  may  remember,  Mi*.  Aubrey." 

"  I  certainly  do,"  he  replied,  with  a 
profound  sigh;  "but  though  what 
you  said  reminded  me  of  something  or 
another  that  I  had  heard  when  a  mere 
boy,  I  thought  no  more  of  it.  I  think 
you  also  told  me  that  the  gentleman 
who  wrote  the  opinion  was  a  nervous 
fidgety  man,  always  raising  difficulties 
in  liis  clients'  titles — and  one  way  or 
another,  the  thing  never  gave  me  any 
concern — scarcely  ever  even  occurred 
to  my  thoughts,  till  to-day  !  What 
infatuation  has  been  mine  !  But  you 
will  take  a  little  refreshment,  gentle- 
men, after  your  journey  ? "  said  Mr. 
Aubrey  suddenly,  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity it  would  afford  him  of  reviving 
his  own  exhausted  spirits  by  a  cup  of 
wine,  before  returning  to  the  drawing- 
room.  He  swallowed  several  glasses 
of  wine  without  any  immediately  per- 
ceptible effect  ;  .and  the  bearers  of  the 
direful  intelligence  just  communicated 
to  the  reader,  after  a  promise  by  Mr. 
Aubrey  to  drive  over  to  Grilstou  early 
in  the  morning,  and  bring  with  him 
such  of  his  title-deeds  as  were  then  at 
the  Hall,  took  their  departure  ;  leaving 
him  outwardly  calmer,  but  with  a 
fearful  oppression  at   his   heart.     He 

M 


1G2 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAIt, 


made  a  powerful  effort  to  control  his 
feelings,  so  as  to  conceal,  for  a  while 
at  least,  the  dreadful  occurrence  of  the 
evening.  His  face,  however,  on  re- 
entering the  drawing-room,  which  his 
mother,  attended  by  Kate,  had  quitted 
for  her  bed-room,  somewhat  alarmed 
Mrs.  Aubrey;  whom,  however,  he  at 
once  quieted,  by  saying  that  he  cer- 
tainly had  been  annoyed— "excessively 
annoyed" — at  a  communication  just 
made  to  him;  "and  which  might,  in 
fact,  prevent  his  sitting  again  for  Yat- 
tou."  "Oh,  that's  the  cause  of  your 
long  stay?  There,  Doctor,  am  I  not 
right]"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  appealing 
to  Dr.  Tatham.  "  Did  1  not  tell  you 
that  this  was  something  connected  with 
I>olitics?  Charles,  I  do  hale  politics 
— give  me  a  quiet  home  ! "  A  pang 
shot  through  Mr.  Aubrey's  heart ;  but 
he  felt  that  he  had,  for  the  present, 
succeeded  in  his  object. 

Mr.  Aubrey's  distracted  mind  was 
indeed,  as  it  were,  buffeted  about  that 
night  on  a  dark  sea  of  trouble  ;  while 
the  beloved  being  beside  him  lay  sleep- 
ing peacefully,  all  unconscious  of  the 
rising    storm.      Many   times,    during 
that  dismal  night,  would  he  have  risen 
from  his  bed   to  seek  a  momentary 
relief  by  walking  to  and  fro,  but  that 
he  feared  disturbing  her,  and .disclosing 
the  extent  and  depths  of  his  disl 
It  was  nearly  live  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing before  he  at  length  sunk  into  sleep  ; 
and   of  one   thing   I    can  assure   the 
reader,    that   however  that  excellent 
man  might  have  shrunk— and  shrink 
he  did — from  the  sufferings  fhat  seemed 
in  store  for  him,  and  those  who  were 
far  dearer  to  him  than  life  itself,  he 
did  not  give  way  to  one  repining  or 
reb  illious  thought.     On  the  contrary, 
his  real  frame  of  mind,  on  that  trying 
:  ,n,   may  be  discovered   in   one 
short  prayer,  which  he  more  than  once 
point  of  expi  aloud 

ra  words— "Oh  my  God  !  in  my  | 
perity  1  have  ever  acl  aowledgeil  ! 
for  ake  me  not  in  my  adversity  !  " 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  his 
carriage  drew  up  at  Mr.  Parkinson's 
door  ;  and  I"-  brought  with  him,  as  be 
],;|,I  it  number  of  title- 

deeds   and   family    documents.     On 


these,  as  well  as  on  many  others  which 
were  in  Mr.  Parkinson's  custody,  that 
gentleman  and  Mr.  Runnington  v. 
anxiously  engaged  during  almost  every 
minute  of  that  day  and  ihe  ensuing 
one  ;  at  the  close  of  which,  they  had 
between    them    drawn    up    the    rough 
draft  of  a  case,  with  which  Mr.  Bun- 
nington  set  off  for  town  by  the  mail ; 
undertaking   to    lay    it    immediately 
before  the  Attorney-General,  and  also 
before  one  or  two  of  the  greatest  con- 
fers of  the  day,  commended  to 
their  best  and  earliest  attention.     Ho 
pledged    himself    to    transmit    their 
o  pin  inns,   by   the   very  first  mail,    to 
Mr.  Parkinson  ;  and  both  those  gentle* 
men  immediately  set  about  active  pre- 
parations for  defending  the  ejectment. 
The    "eminent     conveyancer"    fixed 
upon  by  Messrs.  Runnington  and  Park- 
inson was  Mr.  Tresayle,  whose  cl  rk, 
however,  on  looking  into  the  papers, 
presently  carried  them  back  to  Messrs. 
Runnington,  with  the  startling  inform- 
ation that  Mr.  Tresayle  had,  a  few- 
months  ago,    "advised   on  the  other 
side."    The  next  person  whom  Mr. 
Runnington  thought  of,  was— singu- 
larly enough — Mr.  Mortmain,  who,  on 
account  of  his  eminence,  was  occasion- 
ally employed,  in  heavy  matters,  by 
the    firm.      His   clerk,    also,    on   the 
ensuing  morning  returned  the 
assigning  a  similar  reason  to  that  which 
had  been  given  by  Mr.  Tresayle's  clerk ! 
All  this  formed  a  sad  corroboration, 
truly,  of  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Gammon's 
assurance    to  Mr.   Runnington,   that 
they  had  "had  the  first  conveyancing 
opinions  in  the  kingdom;"  and  evi- 
denced the  formidable  scale  on  which 
their  operations  were  being  conducted. 
Thi  re  were,  however,  other  "eminent 
conveyancers"  he:  ides  the  tv. 
in.  ntioned  :  and  in  the  hands  of  Mr, 
Mansfield,  who,  with  a  less  e 
reputation,  but  an  equal  practice,  was 
a  far  abler  man,  and  a  n  her 

of  com  ■>   Mr.  U 

main,  Mr.  Runnington  left  his  client's 
interests  with  the  utmosl  confidi 

1  with  this,  he  laid   the 

.  before  Mr.  <'n  ital,  the  junior 

ready  n  I  lined  in  tho 

.     a  man  whose  lucid  understand* 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


1G3 


ing  was  not  ill  indicated  by  his  name. 
Though  his  manner  in  court  was  not 
particularly  forcible  or  attractive,  he 
Mas  an  invaluable  acquisition  in  an 
important  cause.  To  law  he  bad  for 
some  twenty  years  applied  himself  with 
unwearying  energy ;  and  he  conse- 
quently became  a  ready,  accurate,  and 
thorough  lawyer,  equal  to  all  the 
practical  exigencies  of  his  profession. 
He  brought  his  knowledge  to  bear  on 
every  point  presented  to  him  with 
beautiful  precision.  He  was  equally 
quick  and  cautious — artful  to  a  degree 
■ — But  I  shall  have  other  opportunities 
of  describing  him  ;  since  on  him,  as  on 
every  working  junior,  will  devolve  the 
real  conduct  of  the  defendant's  case  in 
the  memorable  action  of  Doe  on  the 
demise  of  Titmouse  v.  Jioc. 

As  Mr.  Aubrey  was  driving  home 
from  the  visit  to  Mr.  Parkinson  which  I 
have  just  above  mentioned,  he  slopped 
his  carriage  on  entering  the  village, 
because  he  saw  Dr.  Tatham  coming 
out  of  Williams's  cottage,  where  he 
had  been  paying  a  visit  to  poor  dying 
Phcebe. 

The  little  Doctor  was  plunthering 
on,  ankle-deep  in  snow,  towards  the 
vicarage,  when  Mr.  Aubrey  (who  had 
sent  home  his  carriage  with  word  that 
he  should  presently  follow)  came  up 
with  him,  and  greeting  him  with 
unusual  fervour,  said  that  he  would 
accompany  him  to  the  vicarage. 

"  You  are  in  very  great  trouble,  m}' 
dew  friend,"  said  the  Doctor  seriously 
■ — "  I  saw  it  plainly  last  night ;  but  of 
course  I  said  nothing.  Come  iu  with 
me  !  Let  us  talk  freely  with  one  an- 
other ;  for,  as  iron  skarpcnetk  iron,  so 
doth  the  countenance  of  a  man  his 
friend.     Is  it  not  so  ?" 

"It  is  indeed,  my  clear  Doctor," 
replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  suddenly  softened 
by  the  aifectionate  simplicity  of  the 
Doctor's  manner.  How  much  the  good 
Doctor  was  shocked  by  the  communi- 
cation which  Mr.  Aubrey  presently 
made  to  him,  the  reader  may  easily 
imagine.  He  even  shed  tears,  on  be- 
holding the  forced  calmness  with  which 
Mr.  Aubrey  depicted  the  gloomy  pros- 
pect that  was  before  him.  'Twas  not 
iu  vain,  however,  that  the  pious  and 


venerable  pastor  led  the  subdued  and 
willing  mind  of  his  beloved  companion 
to  those  sources  of  consolation  and 
support  which  a  true  Christian  cannot 
approach  in  vain.  Upon  bis  bruised 
and  bleeding  feelings  were  poured  tho 
balm  of  true  religious  consolation  ;  and 
Mr.  Aubrey  quitted  his  revered  com- 
panion with  a  far  firmer  tone  of  mind 
than  that  with  which  he  had  entered 
the  vicarage.  But  when  he  passed 
through  the  park  gates,  the  sudden 
inflection  that  he  was  probably  no 
longer  the  proprietor  of  the  dear  old 
familiar  objects  that  met  his  eye  at 
every  step,  almost  overpowered  him. 

On  entering  the  Hall,  he  was  in- 
formed that  one  of  the  tenants,  Peter 
Johnson,  had  been  sitting  in  the  ser- 
vants' hall  for  nearly  two  hours,  waiting 
to  see  him.  Mr.  Aubrey  repaired  at 
once  to  the  library,  and  desired  the 
man  to  be  shown  in.  This  Johnson 
had  been  for  some  twenty-five  years  a 
tenant  of  a  considerable  firm  on  the 
estate,  had  scarcely  ever  been  a  few 
weeks  behindhand  with  his  rent,  and 
had  always  been  considered  one  of  the 
most  exemplary  persons  in  the  whole 
neighbourhood.  He  had  now,  poor 
fellow,  got  into  trouble  indeed,  for  he 
had,  a  year  or  two  before,  been  per- 
suaded to  become  security  for  his 
brother-in-law,  a  tax-collector ;  and 
had,  alas !  the  day  before,  been  called 
upon  to  pay  the  three  hundred  pounds 
in  which  he  stood  bound— his  worth- 
less brother-in-law  having  absconded 
with  nearly  £1000  of  the  public  money. 
Poor  Johnson,  who  had  a  large  family 
to  support,  was  in  deep  tribulation, 
bowed  down  with  grief  and  shame  ; 
and  after  a  sleepless  night,  had  at 
length  ventured  down  to  Yatton,  and 
with  a  desperate  boldness  asked  the 
benevolent  squire  to  advance  him  £200 
towards  the  money,  to  save  himself 
from  being  cast  into  prison.  Mr.  Au- 
brey heard  his  sad  story  to  the  end  with- 
out one  single  interruption  ;  though  to 
a  more  practised  observer  than  tli9 
troubled  old  farmer,  the  workings  of 
his  countenance,  from  time  to  time, 
must  have  told  his  inward  agitation. 
"  I  lend  this  poor  soul  £200  !  "  thought 
he,  "who  am  penniless  myself !    Shall 

M  2 


1C4 


TEN  THOUSAND   A  YEAR. 


I  not  be  really  acting  as  7iis  dishonest 
relative  has  been  acting,  and  making 
free  with  money  that  belongs  to 
another  ? " 

"  1  a;sure  you,  my  worthy  friend," 
said  he  at  length,  with  a  little  agitation 
of  manner,  "that  I  have  just  now  a 
very  Bcrious  call  upon  me— or  you 
know  how  gladly  I  would  have  com- 
plied with  your  request." 

••  I  lli,  sir,  have  mercy  on  me  !  I've 
an  ailing  wife  and  seven  children  to 
support,"  said  poor  Johnson,  wringing 
his  hands. 

"  Can't   I    do   anything   with    the 

Government  ? " 

"  No,  sir  ;  I'm  told  they're  so  mighty 
angry  with  my  rascally  brother,  they'll 
listen  to  nobody!  It's  a  hard  matter 
for  me  to  keep  things  straight  at  homo 
without  this,  sir,  I've  so  many  mouths 
to  fill ;  and  if  they  take  me  olF  to 
prison,  Lord  !  Lord  !  what's  to  become 
of  us  all  ? " 

Mr.  Aubrey's  lip  quivered.  John- 
son fell  on  his  knees,  and  the  tears  ran 
down  his  checks.  "  I've  never  asked  a 
living  man  for  money  before,  sir  ;  and 
if  you'll  only  lend  it  me,  God  Almighty 
will  bless  you  and  yours  ;  you'll  save 
us  all  from  ruin  ;  I'll  work  day  and 
night  to  pay  it  back  again  !  " 

"Rise— rise,  Johnson,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey  with  emotion.  "You  shall 
have  the  money,  my  friend,  if  you 
will  call  to-morrow,"  he  added  with  a 
deep  sigh,  after  a  moment's  hesitation, 
lie  was  as  good  as  his  word. 
Had  Mr.  Audrey  been  naturally  of  a 
cheerful  and  vivacious  turn,  the  con- 
trast now  afforded  by  his  glo  imy  man- 
ner must  have  alarmed  his  family.  As 
it  was,  however,  it  was  not  so  strong 
and  marked  as  to  bo  attended  with 
that  effect,  especially  as  lie  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  to  conceal  his 
distress.      Th  it  tig   li  id  gone 

wrong,  li''  f  knowledgcd  ;  and 

as  b  of  it  always  in  connexion 

with  political  topics,  he  succeeded  in 
parrying  th  sir  quest  Ions,  and  chei 

a.  Lut,  whenever  they  were 
all  collected  together,  could  he  not 
justly  compare  thorn  to  a  happy  group, 
unconscious  that  they  Btood  on  u  mine 
which  wa*  about  t»  be  fired  ? 


About  a  week  afterwards,  namely, 
on  the  12th  of  January,  arrived  little 
Charles's  birthday,  when  he  became  tive 
years  old  ;  and  Kate  had  for  some  days 
been  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  get 
up  a  children's  party  in  honour  of  the 
occasion.  After  considerable  riding 
and  driving  about,  she  succeeded  in 
persuading  the  parents  of  some  eight 
or  ten  children — two  little  daughters, 
for  instance,  of  the  Karl  of  Oldacre 
(beautiful  creatures  they  were,  to  be 
sure) — little  Master  and  the  two  Miss 
Bcrtons,  the  children  of  one  of  the 
county  members — Sir  Harry  Oldfield, 
an  orphan  of  about  five  years  of  age, 
the  infant  possessor  of  a  magnificent 
estate — and  two  or  three  little  girls 
beside — to  send  them  all  to  Yatton  for 
a  day  and  a  night,  with  their  govern* 
esses  and  attendants. 

'Twas  a  charming  little  affair.  It 
went  off  brilliantly,  as  the  phrase  is, 
and  repaid  all  Kate's  exertions.  She, 
her  mother,  and  brother  and  sister,  all 
dined  at  the  same  table,  at  a  very  early 
hour,  with  the  merry  little  guests,  wh» 
(with  a  laughable  crowd  of  attendants 
behind  them,  to  be  sure)  behaved  re- 
markably well  on  the  occasion.  Sir 
Harry  (a  little  thing  about  Char 
age — the  black  riband  round  his  wai  it, 
and  also  the  half-mourning  dress  worn 
by  his  maid,  who  stood  behind  him, 
showed  how  recent  was  the  event  which 
had  made  him  an  orphan)  proposed 
little  Aubrey's  health,  in  (1  must  own) 
a  somewhat  stiff  speech,  demurely 
dictated  to  him  by  Kate,  (who  sat 
between  him  and  her  beautiful  little 
nephew.)  She  then  performed  the 
sun  )  office  for  Charles,  who  stood  ou 
a  chair  while  delivering  his  eloquent 
acknowledgment  of  the  toast. 

[Oh  !  that  anguished  brow  of  thine, 
Aubrey,  (thank  God  it  is  unobacrvi  d !) 
but  it  tells  me  that  the  iron  isentei 
thy  soul !] 

And  the  moment  that  he  had  done 
— Kate  folding  her  arms  around  him 
and  kissing  him  —  down  they  all 
j  imped,  and,  a  merry  throng,  scam- 
pered off  to  the  drawing-room,  (followed 

by  Kate.)  where  blind -man's  hull',  hus- 
lundsand  wives,  and  divers  other  little 

games,  kept  them  iu  constant  enjoy- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


1G5 


mcnf.  After  tea  they  were  to  have 
dancing — Kate  mistress  of  the  cere- 
monies— and  it  was  quite  laughable  to 
see  how  perpetually  she  was  foiled  in 
her  efforts  to  form  the  little  sets.  The 
girls  were  orderly  enough — but  their 
wild  little  partners  were  quite  uncon- 
trollable. The  instant  they  were 
placed,  and  Kate  had  gone  to  the 
instrument  and  struck  oil'  a  note  or 
two — heigh  ! — there  was  a  scrambling 
little  crowd,  jump'ng  and  laughing, 
and  chattering  and  singing  !  Over 
and  over  again  she  formed  them  'into 
sets,  with  the  like  results.  But  at 
length  a  young  lady,  one  of  their 
governesses,  took  Miss  Aubrey's  place 
at  the  piano,  leaving  the  latter  to 
superintend  the  performances  in  per- 
son. She  at  length  succeeded  in 
getting  up  something  like  a  country- 
dance,  led  off  by  Charles  and  little 
Lady  Anne  Cherville,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Oldacre,  a 
beautiful  child  of  about  live  years  old, 
and  who,  judging  from  appearances, 
bade  fair,  in  due  time,  to  become 
another  Lady  Caroline  Caversham. 
You  would  have  laughed  outright  to 
watch  the  coquettish  airs  which  this 
little  creature  gave  herself  with  Charles, 
whom  yet  she  evidently  could  not  bear 
to  see  dancing  with  another. 

"  Now  I  shall  dance  with  somebody 
else  !  "  he  exclaimed,  suddenly  letting 
go  Lady  Anne,  and  snatching  hold  of 
a  sweet  little  thing,  Miss  Bert.on,  that 
was  standing  modestly  beside  him. 
The  discarded  beauty  walked  with  a 
stately  ah',  and  a  swelling  heart,  to- 
wards Mrs.  Aubrey,  who  sat  beside  her 
husband  on  the  sofa  ;  and  on  reaching 
her,  she  stood  for  a  few  moments 
silently  watching  her  late  partner 
busily  and  gaily  engaged  with  her 
successor — and  then  burst  into  tears. 

"Charles  !  "  called  out  Mrs.  Aubrey  ; 
who  had  watched  the  whole  affair,  and 
could  hardly  keep  her  countenance — 
"  come  here  directly,  Charles." 

"Yes,  mamma!"  he  exclaimed — 
quite  unaware  of  the  serious  aspect 
which  things  were  assuming  —  and 
without  quitting  the  dance,  where  he 
was  (as  his  jealous  mistress  too  plainly 
saw,  for,   despite  her   grief,  her  eye 


seemed  to  follow  all  his  motions) 
skipping  about  with  infinite  glee  with 
a  third  partner — a  laughing  sister  of 
bis  last  partner. 

"  Come  here,  Charles,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey ;  and  in  an  instant  his  little 
son,  all  Hushed  and  breathless,  was  at 
his  side. 

"Well,  dear  papa  !  "  said  he,  keep- 
ing his  eye  fixed  on  the  little  throng 
he  had  just  quitted,  and  where  his 
deserted  partner  was  skipping  about 
alone. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  to 
Lady  Anne,  Charles  ?  "  said  his  father. 

"Nothing,  dear  papa  !  "  he  replied, 
still  wistfully  eyeing  the  dancers. 

"You  know  you  left  me,  and  went 
to  dance  with  Miss  Berton ;  you  did, 
Charles  !  "  said  the  offended  beauty. 

"That  is  not  behaving  like  a  little 
gentleman,  Charles,"  said  his  father. 
The  tears  came  into  the  child's  eyes. 

"I'm  very  sorry,  dear  papa,  I  will 
dance  with  her" — 

"No,  not  now,"  said  Lady  Anne 
haughtily. 

"Oh,  pooh!  pooh! — kiss  and  be 
friends,"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  laughing, 
"and  go  and  dance  as  prettily  as  you 
were  doing  before."  Little  Aubrey 
put  his  arms  round  Lady  Anne,  kissed 
her,  and  away  they  both  started  to  the 
dance  again.  While  the  latter  part  of 
this  scene  was  going  on,  Mr.  Aubrey's 
eye  caught  the  figure  of  a  servant  who 
simply  made  his  appearance  at  the 
door  and  then  retired,  (for  such  had 
been  Mr.  Aubrey's  orders,  in  the 
event  of  any  messenger  coming  from 
Grilston.)  Hastily  whispering  that 
he  should  return  soon,  he  left  the 
room.  In  the  hall  stood  a  clerk  from 
•  Mr.  Parkinson ;  and  on  seeing  Mr. 
Aubrey,  he  took  out  a  packet  and 
retired  —  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  evident 
trepidation,  repairing  to  his  library. 
With  a  nervous  hand  he  broke  the 
seal,  and  found  the  following  letter 
from  Mr.  Parkinson,  with  three  other 
inclosures  : — 

"Grilston,  12th  Jan.  18—. 
"My  dear  Sin, 

"I  have  only  just  received,  and  at 
once   forward  to   you,  copies  of  tha 


ICG 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


three  opinions  given  by  the  Attorney- 
ral,     Mr.    Mansfield,    ami    Mr. 
Crystal.     I  lament  to  find  that  they 
are  all  of  a  di  ig  charai 

They  are  quite  independi  nt  of  each 
other,  having  been  laid  before  their 
respective  writers  at  the  same  moment  ; 
yet  you  will  observe  that  all  three  of 
them  hav.'  hit  upon  precisely  the  same 
point,  viz.  that  the  descendants  of 
Geoffry  Dreddlington  had  no  right  to 
succeed  to  the  inheritance  till  there 
was  a  failure  of  the  hi  irs  of  Stephen 
Dreddlington.  If,  therefore,  our  op- 
ponents have  contrived  to  ferret  out 
any  one  who  satisfies  thai  designation, 
(I  cannot  conjecture  how  they  can 
ever  have  got  upon  the  scent,)  I  really 
fear  we  must  prepare  for  a  very  serious 
struggle.  I  have  been  quietly  pushj 
iug  myenquirii  a  in  all  directions,  with 
a  view  In  obtaining  a  clue  to  the  case 
infi-mldl  tn  be  set  up  against  us,  and 
which  you  will  find  very  shrewdly 
guessed  at  by  tin-  Attorney-General. 
Nor  am  I  (he  only  party,  I  find,  in  i In- 
field, who  has  been  making  point*  il 
enquiries  in  your  neighbourhood  ;  hut 
of  this  more  when  we  meet  to-morrow. 
"1  remain, 

"  Vuiirs  very  respectfully, 
"J.  Parkinson. 
"Charles  Aubrey,  Esq.,  M.P." 

Having  read  this  letter,  Mr.  Aubrey 
sunk  back  in  his  chair,  and  remained 
motionless  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour.  At  length  he  roused  himself 
ami  read  over  the  opinions  ;  the  eftei  t 
of  which — as  far  as  he  could  compre- 
hend their  technicalities— he  found 
had  been  hut  too  correctly  given  by 
Mr.  Parkinson.  Some  su 
ami  enquiries  put  by  the  acute  and 
experienced  Mr.  Crystal,  suddenly 
revived  recollections  of  one  or  two 
incidents  even  of  his  boyish  days, 
long  forgotten,  but  which,  as  he  re- 
!'•  cted  apon  them,  1»  gan  to  reappear 
to  his  mind's  eye  with  Bickcning  dis- 
tinctness. Wave  aft  r  wave  of  appre- 
]i.  ii'  ion  and  agon]  pa  ed  a\  er  him, 
chilling  and  benumbing  his  h 
within  him ;  bo  1  hat,  v  ben  his  lit  t  le 
B"ti  i  ime  time  afterwards  run- 

ning up  to  him,  with  a  m  from 


his  mamma,  that  she  Imped  he  could 
come  hack  to  see  them  all  play  at 
snapdragon* before  they  went  to  bed, 
he  answered  him  mechanically,  hardly 
s  seming  sensible  even  of  his  presence. 
At  length,  with  a  groan  thai 
from  the  depths  of  his  heart,  he  rose 
and  walked  to  and  fro,  sensible  of  the 
nm  ssity  of  exerting  himself,  and  pre- 
paring himself,  in  some  degree,  for 
i  ncountering  Ins  mo1  her,  his  wife,  and 
his  sister.  Taking  up  his  candle,  he 
hastened  to  his  dressing-room,  w] 
he  hoped,  l>y  the  aid  of  refreshing 
ablutions,  to  succeed  in  effai  ing  at 
leo  t  the  stronger  of  those  traces  of 
suffering  which  his  glass  displayed  to 
him,  as  it  reflected  the  image  of  his 
i  ited  countenance.  A  sudden  ra- 
tion of  the  critical  and  delicate 
situation  of  his  idolized  wife,  glanced 
through  his  heart  like  a  keen  arrow. 
lie  sunk  upon  the  i  ofa,  and,  > 
his  hands,  look  d  indei  d  forlorn.  iPn  - 
sently  the  door  was  pushed  hastily  but 
tly  open;  and,  first  looking  in  to 
see  that  it  was  really  he  of  whom  she 
was  in  search,  in  rushed  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
pale  and  agitated,  having  been  alarmi  d 
by  his  long-continued  absence  from 
the  drawing-room,  and  the  look  of  the 
servant,  from  whom  she  had  learned 
his  master  had  been  for  sumo 
time  gone  up-stairs. 

"Charles!    my    love!    my    sweet 

love ! "    she    exclaimed,    rushing    uj> 

to  him,  sitting  down  ln-side  him,  and 

casting    her    aims    round    Ids    neck. 

nine   by   the   suddenness   of   le  r 

appearance  and  movements,  for  a  mo* 
ineui  he  spoke  not. 
"For  mercy's  sake— as    you  love 

me! — tell  me,  dearest.  Charles,  what 

ned  !  " 

"  Nothing     love     nothing,"  he  re- 
plied ;  bul  his  look  belied  his  speech. 

'•  <  di !  am  uot  I  your  wife,  dearei  t  ? 
( lhaj  le  ,  I  .■  hall  roalb  -  I  icti  d  if 
you  do  lot  tell  me  what  has  happeni  'I. 
1  know  that  sometl 
dreadful — "  He  put  his  arm  round 
le-r    v.   i  I,    and    drew    her    tenderly 

him.     He  felt  her  heart  I* 
ing  violently.      He   kissed  her  cold 
forehead,  but  Bpoko  not. 

"('nine,  dearest !  let  me  share  your 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


1G7 


Borrows,"  said  she  in  a  thrilling  voice. 
"  Cannot  you  trust  your  Agnes  ?  Has 
not  Heaven  sent  me  to  share  your 
anxieties  and  griefs  ? " 

"  I  love  you,  Agues  !  ay,  more  than 
ever  man  loved  woman  !  "  he  faltered, 
as  ho  felt  her  arms  folding  him  in 
closer  and  closer  embrace  ;  and  she 
gazed  at  him  with  wild  agitation,  ex- 
porting presently  to  hear  of  some  fear- 
ful catastrophe. 

"I  cannot  bear  this  much  longer, 
dearest— I  feel  I  cannot,"  said  she, 
rather  faintly.  "  What  has  hap- 
pened %  What,  that  you  daro  not 
tell  me  ?  I  «an  bear  anything,  while 
I  have  you  and  my  children !  You 
have  been  unhappy,  my  own  Charles, 
for  many  days  past.  I  have  felt  that 
vou  were! — -I  will  not  part  with  you 
till  I  know  all !  " 

"  You  soon  must  know  all,  my  sweet 
love  ;  and  I  take  Heaven  to  witness, 
that  it  is  principally  on  your  account, 

and  that  of  my  children,  that  I In 

fact,  I  did  not  wish  any  of  you  to  have 
known  it  till " 

"You — are  never  going — to  fight  a 
duel  ? "  she  gasped,  turning  white  as 
death. 

"  Oh  !  no,  no,  Agnes  !  I  solemnly 
assure  you  !  If  I  could  have  brought 
myself  to  engage  in  such  an  unhallowed 
affair,  would  tliis  scene  ever  first  have 
occurred  ?  No,  no,  my  own  love ! 
Must  I  then  tell  you  of  the  misfor- 
tune that  has  overtaken  us  ?  "  His 
words  somewhat  restored  her,  but  she 
continued  to  gaze  at  him  in  mute  and 
breathless  apprehension.  "Let  me 
then  conceal  nothing,  Agnes  —  they 
are  bringing  an  action  against  me, 
which,  if  successful,  may  cause  us  all  to 
quit  Yatton — and  it  maybe,  forever." 

"Oh,  Charles  ! "  she  murmured,  her 
eyes  riveted  upon  his,  while  she  un- 
consciously moved  still  nearer  to  him 
and  trembled.  Her  head  drooped 
upon  his  shoulder. 

"Why  is  this?"  she  whispered, 
after  a  pause. 

"Let  us,  dearest,  talk  of  it  another 
time.  I  have  now  told  you  what  you 
asked  me."- — He  poured  her  out  a  glass 
of  water.  Having  drunk  a  little,  she 
appeared  revived. 


"  Is  all  lost  ?  Do,  my  own  Charles 
— let  me  know  really  the  worst !  " 

"We  are  young,  Agnes,  and  have 
the  world  before  us.  Health  and 
honour  are  better  than  riches.  You 
and  our  little  loves  —  the  children 
which  God  has  given  us  —  are  my 
riches,"  said  he,  gazing  with  unspeak- 
able tenderness  at  her.  "Even  should 
it  be  the  will  of  Heaven  that  this 
affair  should  go  against  us — so  long 
as  they  cannot  separate  us  from  each 
other,  they  cannot  really  hurt  us." 
She  suddenly  kissed  him  with  frantic 
energy,  and  an  hysteric  smile  gleamed 
over  her  pallid  excited  features. 

' '  Calm  yourself,  Agnes  !  —  calm 
yourself,  for  my  sake  ! — as  you  love 
me!"  His  voice  quivered.  "Oh, 
how  very  weak  and  foolish  I  have 
been  to  yield  to " 

"No,  no,  no!"  she  gasped,  evi- 
dently labouring  with  hysteric  oppres- 
sion. "Hush!"  said  she,  suddenly 
starting,  and  wildly  leaning  forward 
towards  the  door  which  opened  into 
the  gallery  leading  to  the  various  bed- 
rooms. He  listened — the  mother's  ear 
had  been  quick  and  true.  He  pre- 
sently heard  the  sound  of  many 
children's  voices  approaching :  they 
were  the  little  party,  accompanied 
by  Kate,  on  their  way  to  bed  ;  and 
little  Charles's  voice  was  loudest,  and 
his  laugh  the  merriest  of  them  all. 
A  wild  smile  gleamed  on  Mrs.  Aubrey's 
face  ;  her  hand  grasped  her  husband's 
with  convulsive  pressure ;  and  she 
suddenly  sunk,  rigid  and  senseless, 
upon  the  sofa.  He  seemed  for  a 
moment  stunned  at  the  sight  of  her 
motionless  figure.  Soon,  however, 
recovering  his  presence  of  mind,  he 
rang  the  bell,  and  one  or  two  female 
attendants  quickly  appeared  ;  and  by 
their  joint  assistance  Mrs.  Aubrey  was 
carried  to  her  bed  in  the  adjoining 
room,  where,  by  the  use  of  the  ordinary 
remedies,  she  was  presently  restored 
to  consciousness.  Her  first  languid 
look  was  towards  Mr.  Aubrey,  whose 
hand  she  slowly  raised  to  her  lips. 
She  tried  to  throw  a  smile  over  her 
wan  features — but  'twas  in  vain  ;  and, 
after  a  few  heavy  and  half-choking 
subs,  her  ever-charged  feelings  found 


1G8 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


relief  in  a  flood  of  tears.  Full  of  the 
liveliest  apprehensions  as  to  the  effect 
of  1 1 1 is  violent  emotion  upon  her,  in 
her  critical  condition,  he  remained 
with  her  for  some  time,  pouring  into 
her  ear  every  soothing  and  tender  ex- 
pression hu  could  think  of.  He  at 
1  ngth  succeeded  in  bringing  her  into 
a  somewhat  more  tranquil  state,  than 
he  could  have  expected,  lie  strictly 
enjoined  the  attendants,  who  had  not 
quitted  their  lady's  chamber,  and 
whose  alarmed  and  inquisitive  looks 
he  had  noticed  for  some  time  with 
anxiety,  to  preserve  silence  concern- 
ing what  they  had  so  unexpectedly 
witnessed,  adding,  that  something 
unfortunate  had  happened,  of  which 
they  would  hear  but  too  soon. 

"Are  you  going  to  tell  Kate?" 
whispered  Mrs.  Aubivy  sorrowfully. 
"Surely,  love,  you  have  suffered 
enough  through  iny  weakness.  Wait 
till  to-morrow.  Let  her — poor  girl ! 
— have  a  h •/'■  more  happy  hours  !  " 

"  Xo,  Agnes — it  was  my  own  weak- 
ness which  caused  me  to  be  surprised 
into  this  premature  disclosure  to  you. 
And  now  I  must  meet  her  again  to- 
night, and  I  cannot  control  either  my 
f  itur  i  or  my  ;  Yes,  poor 

Kate,  she  must  know  all  to-night  !  I 
shall  not  be  long  ab  lent,  Agnes."  And 
directing  her  maid  to  remain  with  her 
till  ho  returned,  he  withdrew,  and 
with  slow  step  and  heavy  hearl 
de  cended  to  the  library  ;  preparing 
himself  for  another  heart-breaking 
scene — plunging  another  innocent  and 
joyous  creature  into  misi  ry,  which  he 
believed  to  be  inevitable.  Having 
looked  into  the  drawing-room  as  he 
pa  d  it,  and  seen  no  one  there— his 
mother  having,  as  usual,  retired  at  a 
very  early  hour — he  rung  his  library 

,  and  dei  in  d   Miss  Aubrey's  i 
to  n  quest  her  mistn  ss  to  come  down 
to  him  ther  .  on  v  is  at 

1  are.  I  [e  v,  3  glad  that  the  only 
light  in  the  room  was  thai  given  out 

b  W;is  Hot  Very  bl : 

nield  his 
features  from,  at  all  events,  immedi- 
ate   scrutiny.       lli.s   hi  arl    ach  -1    as, 
shortly   afterwords,   he   heard    1 
li^ht  step  crossing  the  hall.     Whi  □ 


she  entered,  her  eyes  sparkled  with 
vivacity,  and  a  smile  was  on  her  beau- 
teous cheek.  Her  d less  was  slightly  dis- 
ordered, and  her  hair  ha  f  uncurled — 
the  results  of  her  sport  with  the  little 
ones  whom  she  had  been  seeing  to  bed. 

""What  merry  little  things,  to  be 
sure  !  "  she  commenced  laughingly — 
"I  could  not  get  them  to  lie  still  a 
moment — popping  their  little  heads  in 
and  out  of  the  clothes.  A  fine  night 
I  shall  have  with  Sir  Harry  !  for  he  is 
to  be  my  tiny  little  bedfellow,  and  I 
daresay  I  s' all  not  sleep  awiuk  all 
night.  "Why,  Charles,  how  very — 
very  grave  you  look  to-night!"  she 
added  quiokly,  observing  his  eye  fixed 
moodily  upon  her. 

"  'Tia  you  who  are  so  very  gay,"  he 
replied,  endeavouring  to  smile.  "  I 
want  to  speak  to  you,  dear  Kate,"  he 
commenced  affectionately,  "  on  a 
sei  ious  matter.  I  have  received  some 
letters  to-night " 

Kate  coloured  suddenly  and  violent- 
ly, and  her  heart  beat;  but,  sweet 
soul  !  she  was  mistaken — very,  very 
far  olf  the  mark  her  troubled  brother 
was  aiming  at.  "And  r<  lying  on  your 
stieiig  li  of  mind,  1  have  resolved  to 
put  you  at  once  in  possession  of  what 
I  myself  know.  Can  you  bear  bad 
news  well,  Kate  ?  " 

She  turned  very  pale,  and  drawing 
her  chair  nearer  to  her  brother,  said, 
"  Do  not  keep  me  in  Buspense,  <  iharles 
— I  can  bear  anything  but  suspense — 
that  wdreadful  !  What  has  happened ! 
Oh  dear,"  she  added,  with  sudden 
alarm,  "where  are  mamma  and 
Agnes  ?"     She  started  to  her  feet. 

"  I  assure  you  they  are  both   well, 

K  He.      My  mother  is  now  doubtless 

p,  and   as  Well  as   she   ever  was  ; 

9  is  in  lor  bed -room — certainly 

much  distressed  at  the  news  which  I 

ing— — " 

'•  Oh  why,  Charles,  did  you  tell  a 

to  hert "  exclaimi  d 
M  i      lubr  v  with  an  alarmed  air. 

•  ■  \\  e  came    togel  lier   by   - 
■   !      Pi  ih  1]'  1,    too,    il   would    1 
been  worse  to  have  kept   her  in  sus- 
pense; but  she  is  recovering ! — I  shall 
1    return    to  h  <:.     And  now.   my 
1!'  ar   Kate      I    know  your  si  ro 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


1G9 


and  spirit — a  very  great  calamity 
hangs  over  us.  Let  you  and  me,"  he 
grasped  her  hands  affectionately, 
"  stand  it  steadily,  and  support  those 
who  cannot !  " 

"  Let  ^e  at  once  know  all,  Charles. 
See  if  I  flo  not  bear  it  as  becomes 
your  sister,"  said  she  with  forced 
calmness. 

"  If  it  should  become  necessary  for 
ad  of  us  to  retire  into  obscurity — into 
humble  obscurity,  dear  Kate — how  do 
you  think  you  could  bear  it  ? " 

"If  it  will  be  an  honourable 
obscurity — nay,  'tis  quite  impossible 
to  be  a  a!£s-honourable  obscurity, "  said 
Miss  Aubrey  with  a  momentary  Hash 
of  energy. 

"  Never,  never,  Kate  !  The  Aubreys 
may  lose  everything  on  earth  but  the 
jewel  iionoui;,  and  love  for  one 
another !  " 

"  Let  me  know  all,  Charles  :  I  see 
that  something  or  other  shocking  has 
happened,"  said  Miss  Aubrey  in  a 
low  tone,  with  a  look  of  the  deepest 
apprehension. 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  worst,  Kate— a 
strange  claim  is  set  up — by  one  I 
never  heard  of — to  the  whole  of  the 
property  we  now  enjoy  !  " 

Miss  Aubrey  started,  and  the  slight 
colour  that  remained  faded  entirely 
from  her  cheek. 

"  But  is  it  a  true  claim,  Charles  ?  " 
she  enquired  faintly. 

"  That  remains  to  be  proved.  But 
I  will  disguise  nothing  from  you — 1 
have  woful  apprehensions " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  Yatton 
is  not  ours?"  enquired  Miss  Aubrey, 
catching  her  breath. 

"  So,  alas  !  my  dearest  Kate,  it  is 
said  !  " 

Miss  Aubrey  looked  bewildered,  and 
pressed  her  hand  to  her  forehead. 

"  How  shocking  !  —  shocking  !  — 
shocking  !  "  she  gasped. — "  "What  is 
to  become  of  mamma  ?  " 

"  God  Almighty  will  not  desert  her 
in  her  old  age.  He  will  desert  none 
of  us,  if  we  only  trust  in  him,"  said 
her  brother. 

Miss  Aubrey  remained  gazing  at 
him  intently,  and  continued  perfectly 
motionless. 


"  Must  we  then  all  leave  Yatton  ? " 
said  she  faintly,  after  a  while. 

"If  this  claim  succeeds — but  we 
shall  leave  it  together,  Kate." 

She  threw  her  arms  round  his  neck, 
and  wept  bitterly. 

"Hush,  hush,  Kate  !  "  said  he,  per- 
ceiving the  increasing  violence  of  her 
emotions,  "restrain  your  feelings  for 
the  sake  of  my  mother — and  Agues." 

His  words  had  the  desired  effect : 
the  poor  girl  made  a  desperate  effort. 
Unclasping  her  arms  from  her  brother's 
neck,  she  sat  down  in  a  chair,  bivath- 
ing  hard  ;  and,  after  a  few  minutes' 
pause,  she  said  faintly,  "I  am  better 
now.  Do  tell  me  more,  Charles  !  Let 
me  have  something  to  think  about — ■ 
only  don't  say  anything  about — about 
— mamma  and  Agnes  !  "  In  spite  of 
herself  a  visible  shudder  ran  through 
her  frame. 

"It  seems,  Kate,"  said  he,  with  all 
the  calmness  he  could  assume — "at 
least  they  are  trying  to  prove — that 
our  branch  of  the  family  has  suc- 
ceeded to  the  property  prematurely — ■ 
that  there  is  living  an  heir  of  the 
elder  branch — that  his  case  has  been 
taken  up  by  powerful  friends  ;  and— let 
me  tell  you  the  woist  at  once — even 
the  lawyers  consulted  by  Mr.  Parkin- 
son on  my  behalf,  take  a  most  alarming 
view  of  the  possibilities  of  the  case 
that  may  be  brought  against  us " 

"But  is  mamma  provided  for?" 
whispered  Miss  Aubrey  almost  inartic- 
ulately. "  When  I  look  at  her  again, 
I  shall  almost  break  my  heart !  " 

"  No,  no,  Kate,  you  won't !  Heaven 
will  give  you  strength,"  said  her 
brother  in  a  tremulous  voice.  "Remem- 
ber, my  only  sister — my  dearest  Kate! 
you  must  support  me  in  my  trouble, 
as  I  will  support  you — we  will  support 
one  another " 

"We  will — we  will!"  interrupted 
Miss  Aubrey — instantly  checking, 
however,  her  rising  excitement, 

"You  bear  it  bravely,  my  noble 
girl !  "  said  Mr.  Aubrey  fondly,  after 
a  brief  interval  of  silence. 

She  turned  from  him  her  head,  and 
moved  her  hand — in  deprecation  of 
expressions  that  might  utterly  unnerve 
her.      Then  she  convulsively  clasped 


170 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


her  hands  over  her  forehead  ;  and, 
after  a  minute  or  two,  turned  tow 
him  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  but  tran- 
quil] tores.  The  i  had 
been  dreadful,  though  brief — her  noble 
spirit 

'Twas   like  some  fair  bark,  in 

mortal  conflict  with  the  black  and 
boiling  waters  and  howling  hurricane  ; 
long  quivering  on  the  blink  of  de- 
struction, but  at  last  outliving  the 
storm,  righting  itself,  and  suddenly 
gliding  into  safe  and  tranquil 
a.       ra  ! 

The  di  brother  and  sister  sat 

conversing  for  a  long  time,  frequently 
in  tears,  but  with  infinitely  greater 
calm  I  firmness  than  could  have 

been  expect*  d.  They  agreed  that  Dr. 
Tatham  should  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing be  senl  for,  and  implored  to  take 
upon  himself  the  bitter  duty  of  break- 
ing the  matter  as  gradually  and  safely 
as  possible  to  their  mother  ;  its  efl 
upon  whom,  her  children  anticipated 
with   the    most   vivid   ap]  ion. 

They  both  considered  that  an  event  of 
Buch  publicity  and  importance  could 
not  possibly  remain  longunknown  to 
her,  and  that  it  was,  on  the  whole, 
better  that  the  trial  should  be  got 
as  soon  as  possihle.  They  then 
red — Kate  to  a  sleepless  pillow, 
and  her  brother  to  spend  a  greater 
portion  of  the  night  in  attempts  to 
Boothe  and  console  his  suffering  wife  ; 
each  of  them  having  first  knelt  in 
humble  reverence,  and  jn.ur.-d  forth 
1 ..■■  breathings  of  astn  ken  and  1 
ing heart  before  Him  who  hath  dec]  ired 

that   ho    D.EARETH     and     ANSWEKETH 

praj  bt. 

Ah  !   who  can  tell  what  a  day  or  an 
hour  may  bring  forth  ? 


"It  won't  kindle — not  a  hit  on't — 
i  's  green  ami  fa  '  I  '■<<  out,  and 

get  ns  a  log  l  old,  < : 

■ — and  let's  try  to  have  a  1  it  of  a  ' 
in  t'  ould  chimney,  this  bitb  c  a\ 

1   I-a  ic  Ton    a,  1 1  keeper  at 

Yatton,  t"  the  y  llord 

of  tl  e  A.ubi  ,   the  li 

only — inn   of  tie  The   sug- 

ion  was  instantly  I    I  ("• 


"How  Peter's  a-feathering  of  his 
geese  to-night,  to  be  sure  !  "  exclaimed 
the  landlord  on  his  return,  shaking 
the  BUOW  elf  his  cat,  and  laying  on 
tie-  lire  a  great  dry  old  log  of  wood, 
which  seemed  very  acceptable  to  the 
hungry  flames,  for  they  II.  ked  it  cor- 
dially the  moment  it  was  placed 
amongst  them,  and  there  was  very 
soon  given  out  a  cheerful  blaze.  Twas 
a  snug  room,  the  brick  floor  cov. 
with  fresh  sand  ;  and  on  a  few  s 
and  benches,  with  a  table  in  the 
middle,  on  which  stood  a  large  can 
and  ale-glasses,  with  a  plate  of  tohacco, 
sit  some  half-dozen  men,  enjoying 
their  pipe  and  glass.  ]n  the  chim- 
ney-corner sat  Tin. mas  Dickons,  the 
faithful  under-bailiff  of  Mr.  Aubrey, 
a  big,  broad-shouldered,  middle-aged 
man,  with  a  hard-featured  face  and  a 
■mafic  air.  In  the  opposite  corner 
saf  the  little  grizzle-headed  clerk  ami 
sexton,    old    Halleluiah — (as   he   was 

1,  but   his   real   name  was  J 
Higgs.)      kesi.le  him   sat  Pumpkin, 
the    gardener    at    the    Hall,   a    v.  ry 
frequent   guest  at   the  Aubrey  Arms 
o'  nights-  always  attended  by  Hcct  r, 
the  large   Newfoundland  dog  already 
spoken   of,  and   who   was   now  h 
stretched  on  the  floor  at  Pump] 
feet,  his  nose  resting  on  his  fore  feet, 
and    his    eyes,     with    great    gravity, 

bching  the  motions  of  a  skittish 
kitten  under  the  table.  Opposite  to 
him  sat  Tonson  the  gamekeeper — a 
thin,  wiry,  beetle-browed  fellow,  Midi 
eyes  like  a  ferret ;  and  then'  were  also 
.  r  two  farmers,  that  lived  in  the 
village. 

"Let's  ha'  another  can  o'  ale,  afore 
ye  sit  down,"  said  Tonson,  "we.  csm 
do  with  another  half-a-gallon,  I'm 
thinking  ! "  This  order  al 
quickly  attended  t.> ;  and  then  the 
lord,  having  seen  to  the  door,  an  I 

n.d    tlie   sliul  tei      I  .    took    his 

j  lace  on  a  vacant  stool,  and  resumi  d 
his  pipe. 

"  ; ..  sh  a  do  very  long 

Jono  i  I  "    '  nquired    I  >ickon  ,    oi    tie' 
.,  after  some  littli 

"  Ay,  Mr.  J  lickons,  a'  tl 
t'  i  aid  girl  !     I  always  thought  she 
would.     "!':  I   a   reg'lar  man's  size,    I 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


171 


warrant  you  ;  and  when  parson  saw 
it,  a'  said,  lie  thought  'twere  too  big  ; 
but  I  ax'd  his  pardon,  and  said  I 
hadn't  been  sexton  for  thirty  years 
without  knowing  my  business  —  ha, 
ha  ! " 

"I  suppose,  Jonas,  you  mun  ha' 
seen  her  walking  about  i  t'  village,  in 
your  time  —  //  'ere  she  such  a  big- 
looking  woman  ?  "  enquired  Pumpkin, 
as  he  shook  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe, 
and  replenished  it. 

' '  Forty  years  ago  I  used  to  see  her 
— she  were  then  an  old  woman,  wi' 
white  hair,  and  leaned  on  a  stiek — I 
never  thought  she'd  a  lasted  so  long," 
replied  lliggs,  emptying  his  glass. 

"She've  had  a  pretty  long  spell 
on't,"  quoth  Dickons,  after  slowly 
emptying  his  mouth  of  smoke. 

"A  hundred  and  two,"  replied  the 
sexton  ;  "  so  saith  her  coilin-plate — a' 
seed  it  to-day." 

"  What  were  her  name  ?  "  enquired 
Tonson — "I  never  knew  her  by  any 
name  but  blind  Bess." 

"Her  name  be  Elizabeth  Crabiree, 
on  the  coffin,"  replied  Higgs ;  "and 
she's  to  be  buried  to-morrow." 

"She  were  a  strange  old  woman," 
said  Hazel,  one  of  the  farmers,  as  he 
took  down  one  of  the  oatcakes  that 
Were  hanging  overhead,  and  breaking 
oil'  a  piece,  held  it  with  the  tongs 
before  the  fire  to  toast,  and  then  put 
it  into  his  ale. 

"Ay,  she  were,"  quoth  Pumpkin; 
"1  wonder  what  she  thinks  o  such 
things  now — maybe  she's  paying  dear 
for  her  tricks  !  " 

"Tut,  Pumpkin,"  said  Tonson,  "let 
t'  ould  creature  rest  in  her  grave 
peaceably  !  " 

"  Ay,  Master  Tonson,"  quoth  the 
clerk,  in  his  reading-desk  twang  — 
"(here  be  no  knowledge,  nor  wisdom, 
nor  deviee ! " 

"  "lis  very  odd,"  observed  Pumpkin, 
"  but  this  dog  that's  lying  at  my  feet 
never  could  a'  bear  going  past  her 
cottage  late  o'  nights  ;  and  the  night 
she  died  —  Lord!  you  should  have 
heard  the  howl  Hector  gave — and  a' 
didn't  then  know  she  were  gone." 

"No!  but  wcre't  really  so?"  en- 
quired Dickons — several  of  the  others 


taking  their  pipes  out  of  their  mouths, 
and  looking  earnestly  at  Pumpkin. 

"  I  didn't  half  like  it,  I  assure  you," 
quoth  Pumpkin. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!— ha,  ha!"  laughed 
the  gamekeeper — 

' '  Ay,  marry  you  may  laugh — but 
I'll  stake  half-a-gallon  o'  ale  you 
dai'en't  go  by  yourself  to  the  cottage 
where  she's  lying— noio,  mind — i'  the 
dark." 

"  I'll  do  it,"  quoth  Higgs  eagerly, 
preparing  to  lay  down  his  pipe. 

"  No,  no — thou'rt  quite  used  to  dead 
folk,"  replied  Pumpkin — and,  after  a 
little  faint  drollery,  they  dropped  into 
sUence. 

"  Bess  dropped  off  sudden,  like,  at 
last,  didn't  she  ?  "  enquired  the  land- 
lord. 

"  She  went  out,  as  they  say,  like  the 
snuff  of  a  caudle,"  replied  Jobbins, 
one  of  the  farmers ;  "no  one  were 
with  her  but  my  Missis  at  the  time. 
The  night  afore  she  took  to  the  rattles 
all  of  a  sudden.  My  Sail  (that's  done 
for  her  this  long  time,  by  madam's 
orders)  says  old  Bess  were  a  good  deal 
shaken  by  a  chap  from  London,  that 
came  down  about  a  week  before  Christ- 
mas. 

"Ay,  ay,"  quoth  one,  "I've  heard 
o'  that — what  was  it  ? — what  passed 
atwixt  them  ? " 

"Why,  a'  don't  well  know — but  he 
seemed  to  know  summat  about  t'  ould 
girl's  connexions,  and  he  had  a  book, 
and  wrote  down  something  ;  and  ha 
axed  her,  go  Sail  do  tell  me,  such  a 
many  things  about  old  people,  and 
things  that  are  long  gone  by !  " 

'  •  What  were  the  use  on't  ? "  enquired 
Dickons;  "for  Bess  hath  been  silly 
this  ten  years,  to  my  sartain  know- 
ledge." 

"  Why,  a'  couldn't  tell.  He  seemed 
very  'quisitive,  too,  nbout  t'  ould 
creature's  bible  am'  p  "ayer-book  (sho 
kept  'cm  in  that  ould  k.g  of  hers) — 
and  Sail  said  she  talked  a  good  deal  to 
the  chap  in  her  mumbling  way,  and 
seemed  to  know  some  folk  he  asked 
her  about.  And  Sail  saith  she  hath 
been,  in  a  manner,  dismal  ever  since, 
and  often  a-crying  and  talking  to 
herself." 


172 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


"I've  hoard,"  said  the  landlord, 
"  that  squire  and  parson  were  \vi'  her 
on  Christmas-day — and  that  she  talked 
a  deal  o'  strange  tilings,  and  that  the 
squire  did  seem,  as  it  wore,  struck  a 
little,  you  know — struck,  like  !  " 

"  Why,  so  my  Sail  do  say  ;  but  it 
may  be  all  her  own  head,"  replied 
Jobbins. 

Ibre  a  pause  took  place. 

*' Madam,"  said  the  sexton,  "hath 
given  orders  for  a  decent  burying  to- 
morrow." 

"  WVil,  a'  never  thought  any  wrong 
of  ould  Bess,  for  my  part,"  said  one- — 
and  another— and  another;  and  they 
smoked  their  pipes  for  some  minutes 
in  Bil< 

"Talking  o'strangers  from  London," 
said  the  sexton  presently  ;  "  who  do 
know  anything  o'them  two  chaps  thai 
were  at  church  last  Sunday!  Two 
such  peacock  chaps  I  never  seed  afore 
in  my  time — and  grinning  all  service- 
time  !  " 

"Ay,  I'll  tell  you  something  of 
'em,"  saiil  Hazel— a  big  broad-shoul- 
dered farmer,  who  plucked  his  pipe  out 
of  bis  mouth  with  sudden  energy — 
"They're  a  brace  o' good  ones,  to  be 
sure,  ha,  ha!  Some  week  or  ten  (lavs 
•ago,  as  I  were  a-coming  across  the 
field  leading  into  the  lane  behind  the 
church,  I  seed  these  same  two  chaps, 
and  "ii  coming  nearer,  (liny  nut  seeing 
mc  fir  tint  hedge,)  Lord  bless  me! 
would  ye  believe  it? — if  they  wasn't 
a-teasing  my  daughter  Jenny,  that 
were  coming  along  v.i'  some  physic 
from  tin'  doctor  for  my  old  woman! 
One  of  'cm  seemed  a-going  to  put  bis 
arm  round  her  neck,  and  t'other  cam  i 
close  to  her  on  t'other  Bide,  a-talkiug 
to  her  and  pushing  her  about. "  I!  Li 
a  young  farmer,  who  bad  but  seldom 
spoken,  tookhia  pipe  out  of  his  mouth, 
and    i  ,  "Lord    bli  bs   me  !  " 

sat    ■  '   with    his    mouth   wide 

open.     "  Well,  a'  came  into  the  road 
ad  'em,  fl  Lthoul  their  Beeing  me  ; 
and  "—(here  he  Bl  ri  tched  ou1  a  thick, 
rigid,  im:  cular  arm,   I  In  A  In 

t  ':--••  a'  got  hold  of  '  "  !i  by  the 
collar,  and  one  of  'em  I  shook  about, 
and  g  ive  him  a  kick  i'  He'  brei  •  Ii  thai 
Bent   liim  Bpinning  a  y  rd  or  two  on 


the  road,  he  clapping  his  hand  behind 
him,  and  crying,  to  be  sure — 'You'll 
smart  for  this — a  good  hundred  pound 
damages  !  '  or  summat  o*  that  sort. 
T'other  dropped  on  his  knees,  and 
begged  for  mercy  ;  so  a'  just  spit  in 
his  face,  and  flung  him  under  t'  hedge, 
telling  him  if  he  stirred  till  I  were  out 
o'  sight,  I'd  crack  his  skull  fox  him  ; 
and  so  I  would  !  "  Here  the.  wrath- 
ful speaker  pushed  his  pipe  again 
between  his  lips,  and  began  puffing 
away  with  great  energy  ;  while  he  who 
bad  appeared  to  take  so  great  an  in- 
terest in  the  story,  and  who  was  the 
very  man  who  had  flown  to  the  rescue 
of  Miss  Aubrey,  when  she  seemed  on 
the  point  of  being  similarly  treated, 
told  that  circumstance  exactly  as  it 
occurred,  amidst  the  silent  but.  excited 
wonder  of  those  present — all  of  whom, 
at  its  close,  uttered  vehement  exe- 
crations, and  intimated  the  summary 
and  savage  punishment  which  the 
cowardly  rascal  would  have  experienced 
at  the  hands  of  each  and  every  one  of 
them,  bad  they  come  across  him. 

"I  reckon,"  said  the  landlord,  as 
soon  as  the  swell  had  a  little  subsided, 
"they  must  be  the  two  chaps  that 
put  up  here,  some  time  ago,  for  an 
hour  or  so.     You  should  ha  seen  'em 

get  on  and  off  the   saddle     -that's  all  ! 

Why,  a'  laughed  outright !     The  chap 
with  the  hair  under  bis  chin   g  it    mi 
Upon    the    wrong    side,     and     t'oti 
seemed  as  if  he  thought  bis  beast  would 
a"  bit  him  !  " 

"Ha,  ha,  ha !"  laughed  all. 

"I  thought  they'd  a'  both  got  a 
fall  before  they'd  gone  a  dozen 
yards !  " 

"They've  taken  a  strange  fancy  to 
my  churchyard,"  said  the  sexton, 
setting  down  his  glass,  and  then  \  re- 
pal  ing  to  fill  his  pi  i  ;  "  tie;. 
looking  about  among  'em — am 
t'  ould  gravestones,  up  behind  t'  ould, 
yew-tree  yonder j  and  one  of  them 
writ  something,  now  and  then,  in  a 
hook;  so  they're  book-writers,  in 
!  " 

"  That's  scholars,  I  reel. on,"  quoth 
rol  the  laming  of  1 1 

chaps  as  them  !  " 

"J  wonder  if  they'll  put  a  picture 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


173 


o'  the  Hall  in  their  book,"  quoth  the 
sexton.  "  They  axed  a  many  ques- 
tions about  the  people  up  there, 
especially  about  the  squire's  father, 
and  some  ould  folk,  whose  names  I 
knew  when  they  spoke  of  'em — but  I 
hadn't  heard  o'  them  for  this  forty 
year.  And  one  of  'em  (lie  were  the 
shortest,  and  such  a  chap,  to  be  sure  ! 
— just  like  the  monkey  that  were 
dressed  i'  the  man's  clothes  last 
Grilston  fair)  talked  uncommon  fine 
about  young  Miss " 

"  I  I'd  a'  heard  him  tak'  her  name 
into  his  dirty  mouth,  his  teeth  should 
a'  gone  after  it !  "  said  Tonson. 

"  Lord  !  he  didn't  say  any  harm — 
only  silly-like  —  and  t'other  seemed 
now  and  then  not  to  like  his  going  on 
so.  The  little  one  said  Miss  were  a 
lovely  gal,  or  something  like  that — 
and  hoped  they'd  become  by-and-by 
better  friends— ah,  ha  !  " 

"What!  wi'  that  chap?"  said 
Pumpkin — and  he  looked  as  if  he 
■were  meditating  putting  the  little 
sexton  up  the  chimney,  for  the  mere 
naming  of  such  a  thing. 

"1  reckon  they're  fro'  London,  and 
brought  toon  tricks  wi'  'em — for  I 
never  heard  o'  such  goings  on  as  theirs 
down  here  afore,"  said  Tonson. 

"  One  of  'em — him  that  axed  me  all 
the  questions,  and  wrote  i'  t'  book, 
seemed  a  sharp  enough  chap  in  his 
way  ;  but  I  can't  say  much  for  the 
little  one,"  said  Higgs.  "  Lud,  I 
couldn't  hardly  look  in  his  face  for 
laughing,  he  seemed  such  a  fool !—  He 
had  a  riding-whip  wi'  a  silver  head, 
and  stood  smacking  his  legs  (you 
should  ha'  seen  how  tight  his  clothes 
was  on  his  legs — I  warrant  you,  Tim 
Timkins  never  seed  such  a  thing,  I'll 
be  sworn)  all  the  while,  as  if  a'  liked 
to  hear  the  sound  of  it." 

"If  I'd  a'  been  beside  him,"  said 
Hazel,  "  I'd  a'  saved  him  that  trouble 
— only  I'd  a'  laid  it  into  another  part 
of  him  !  " 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  they  laughed— and 
presently  passed  on  to  other  matters. 

"  Hath  the  squire  been  doing  much 
lately  in  Parliament?"  enquired  the 
sexton  of  Dickons. 

' '  Why,    yes— he's    trying  hard   to 


get  that  new  road  made  from  Ilarkley 
bridge  to  Hilton." 

"Ah,  .that  would  save  a  good  four 
mile,  if  a'  could  manage  it !  " 

"I  hear  the  Papists  are  trying  to 
get  the  upper  hand  again — which  the 
Lud  forbid!"  said  the  sexton,  after 
another  pause. 

J,'  The  squire  hath  lately  made  a 
speech  in  that  matter,  that  hath 
finished  them,"  said  Dickons. 

"What  would  they  be  after?"  en- 
quired the  landlord  of  Dickons,  of 
whom,  in  common  with  all  present,  he 
thought  great  things. 

"  They  say  they  wants  nothing  but 
what's  their  own,  and  liberty,  and 
that  like " 

"If  thou  wert  a  shepherd,  Master 
Higgs,"  replied  Dickons,  "and  wert 
to  be  asked  by  ten  or  a  dozen  wolves 
to  let  them  in  among  thy  ilock  of 
sheep,  they  saying  how  quiet  and  kind 
they  would  be  to  'em — would'st  let 
'em  in,  or  keep  'em  out — eh  ?  " 

"  Ay,  ay — that  be  it — 'tis  as  true 
as  gospel !  "  said  the  clerk. 

"  So  you  a'n't  to  have  that  old  syca- 
more down,  after  all,  Master  Dick- 
ons?" enquired  Tonson. 

"No;  miss  hath  carried  the  day 
against  the  squire  and  Mr.  Waters  ; 
and  there  stands  the  old  tree,  and  it 
hath  to  be  looked  better  after  than  it 
were  afore." 

"  Why  hath  miss  taken  such  a  fancy 
to  it  ?     'Tis  an  old  crazy  thing." 

"If  thou  hadst  been  there  when 
she  did  beg,  as  I  may  say,  its  life," 
replied  Dickons,  with  a  little  energy 
— "and  hadst  seen  her,  and  heard  her 
voice,  that  be  as  smooth  as  cream, 
thou  would'st  never  have  forgotten  it, 
I  can  tell  thee  !  " 

"There  isn't  a  more  beautiful  lady 
i'  th'  county,  I  reckon,  than  the 
squire's  sister  ?  "  enquired  the  sexton. 

"No,  nor  in  all  England:  if 
there  be,  I'll  lay  down  a  hundred 
pounds." 

' '  And  where's  to  be  found  a  young 
lady  that  do  go  about  i'  t'  village  like 
she  ?— She  were  wi'  Phcebe  Williams 
t'other  night,  all  through  the  snow, 
and  i'  t'  dark." 

"If  I'd   onlv   laid  hands    on    that 


174 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


chap  !  "  interrupted  the  young  farmer, 
her  rescuer. 

"I  wonder  she  do  not  choose  some 
one  to  be  married  to,  up  in  London," 
said  the  landlord. 

"She'll  be  having  some  delicate 
high  quality  chap,  I  reckon,  one  o' 
these  fine  days,"  said  Hazel. 

"She  will  be  a  dainty  dish,  truly, 
for  whomever  God  gives  her  to,"  quoth 
Dickons. 

"Ay,  she  will,"  said  more  than  one, 
in  an  earnest  tone. 

"Now,  to  my  mind,"  said  Tonson, 
"saving  your  presence,  Master  Dick- 
ons, 1  know  not  Imt  young  madam  be 
more  to  my  taste  ;  she  he  in  a  manne  r 
somewhat  fuller  —  plumper-like,  and 
her  skin  he  so  white,  and  her  hair  as 
black  as  a  raven's." 

"There's  not  another  two  such 
women  to  be  found  in  the  whole 
world,"  said  Dickons  authoritatively. 
Here  Hector  suddenly  rose  up,  and 
went  to  the  door,  where  he  stood 
snuffing  in  an  inquisitive  manni  r. 

"Now,  what  do  that  dog  bear,  I 
wonder  ?"  quoth  Pumpkin  curiously, 
stooping  forward. 

"Blind  Bi  ,"  replied  Tonson, 
winking  his  eye,  and  laughing.  Pre- 
sently there  was  a  sharp  rapping  at 
the  door  ;  which  the  landlord  opened, 
and  let  in  one  of  the  servants  I 
the  Hall,  his  clothes  white  with  Bnow, 
his  face  nearly  as  white,  with  manifest 
agitation. 

"Why,  man,  what's  the  matter?" 
enquired  Dickons,  startled  by  the 
man's  appearance.  "Art  frightened 
at  anything  ?" 

"Oli,  Lord  I  oh,  Lord!"  he  com- 
menced. 

"  What  is  it,  man  ?  Art,  drunk?— 
or  mad  ? — or  frightened  ?  Take  a  drop 
o'  drink,"  said  Tonson.  But  the  man 
ri  fu  ■  '1  it, 

'••I],,  my  friends,  sad  work  at  the 
Hal] 

"What's  the  matter?  "  cried  all  al 
'  and  standing  round   the 
new  com 

"  If  tie  u  be'st  drunk,  John,"  said 
Did  i  sily,    "  there's   a  way  of 

i  ing  thee  —mind  that." 
"  Oh,  Master. Dickons,  [don'l  know 


what's  come  to  me,  for  grief  and 
fright !  The  Squire,  they  do  say,  and 
all  of  us,  are  to  be  turned  out  o' 
Yatton  !" 

"  What! "  ezclahni  d  all  in  a  breath, 

"There's  some  our  else  lays  claim 
to  it.  We  must  all  go!  Oh,  Lud  ! 
oli,  Lud  !  "  No  one  spoke  for  near  a 
minute  ;  and  consterna:  ion  was  written 
on  every  face. 

"Sit  thee  down  here,  John,"  said 
Dickons  at  length,  "and  Let  us  hear 
what  thou  hast  to  say — or  thou  wilt 
have  us  all  be  going  up  in  a  body  to 
the  Hall." 

Having  forced  on  him  part  of  a 
glass  of  ale,  he  began,  —  "  There  hath 
been  plainly  mischief  brewing,  se 
where,  this  many  days,  as  I  could  tell 
by  the  troubled  face  o'  the  squire  ;  but 
he,  kept  it  to  himself.  Lawyer  l'ark- 
■i  and  another  have  been  latterly 
coming  in  chaises  from  London  ;  and 
last  night  the  squire  got  a  letter  that 
ems  to  have  finished  all.  Such 
trouble  there  wen  ht  villi  the 

squire,  and  young  madam  and  mi  I 
An  1  to-day  the  parson  came,  and  were 
a  long  while  alone  with  old  .Madam 
Lubrey,  who  hath  since  had  a  stroke, 
or  a  fit,  or  something  of  that  like, 
(the  doctors  have  been  there  all  day 
from  Grilston,)  and  likewise  young 
madam  hath  taken  to  her  bed,  and 
is  ill." 

"  And  what  of  the  squire  ami  miss  ?  " 
enquired  some  one,  after  all  had  main- 
1  a  long  silence. 

"Oli,  'twould  break  your  hear!  to 

see  them,"  siid  the  man,  bursting  into 

:     "they   arc    both    as   pale   as 

death  :  he  so   dreadful   sorrowful,  but 

i,    like,    and   she   now    and    then 

wringing  her  hands,  and  both  i  1'  them 

im  the  bed-room  ol  old  madam 

toyo  m's.    Ns  5 .  an'  1 1"  re  bad 

been  haLf-a-dozi  n  deal  1m  i'  th'  ho 

it  could    not   lie   worse.     Neither   the 

uire  nor  mil  1  hath  touch  d  food  the 
whole  day  I  " 

'1'le  re  was,  in   truth,  not  a  dry  eye 
in  the  room,  nor  one  v.  hose  voice   did 
not  m  1  in   Bom<  uh.it   1  i  structed   w 
his  emotii 

"  Who    told    tin  e   about  the  squire's 

,  uquin  d  Dickons. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


175 


"We  heard  of  it  but  an  hour  or  so, 
agone.  Mr.  Parkinson  (it  seems  by 
the  squire's  orders)  told  Mr.  Waters, 
and  he  told  it  to  us  ;  saying  as  how 
it  was  useless  to  keep  such  a  thing 
secret,  and  that  we  might  all  know 
the  occasion  of  so  much  trouble." 

"Who's  to  ha'  it  then,  instead  of 
the  squire  ? "  at  length  enquired  Ton- 
son,  in  a  voice  half  choked  with  rage 
and  grief. 

"  Lord  only  knows  at  present.  But 
whoever  'tis,  there  isn't  one  of  us 
sar  rants  but  will  go  with  the  squire 
and  his— if  it  be  even  to  prison,  that 
I  can  tell  ye." 

"I'm  Squire  Aubrey's  gamekeeper," 
quoth  Ton  on,  his  eye  kindling  as  his 
countenance  darkened,  "and  no  one's 
else  !  It  shall  go  hard  if  any  one  else 
here  hath  a  game — " 

"But  if  there's  law  in  the  land, 
sure  the  justice  must  be  wi'  t'  squire — ■ 
he  and  his  family  have  had  it  so  long," 
said  one  of  the  farmers. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  masters,"  said 
Pumpkin  mysteriously,  "I  shall  be 
somewhat  better  pleased  when  Jonas 
hero  hath  got  that  old  creature  Bess 
safe  u  n  derground . " 

"  BlauTBess  ? "  exclaimed  Tonson, 
with  a  very  serious,  net  to  say  dis- 
turbed, countenance.  "I  wonder — 
sure  !  sure  !  that  ould  witch  can  have 
had  no  hand  in  a  1  this " 

"Poor  old  soul,  not  she  !  There  be 
10  such  things  as  witches  now-a-days," 
exclaimed  Jonas.  "Not  she,  I  warrant 
me  !  She  hath  been  ever  befriended 
by  the  Squire's  family.     She  do  it !  " 

"The  sooner  we  get  her  under- 
ground, for  all  that,  the  better,  say 
I  !  "  quoth  Tonson,  striking  his  hand 
on  the  table. 

' '  The  parson  hath  a  choice  sermon 
on  '  The  Flying  away  of  Riches,'  " 
said  Higgs  in  a  quaint,  sad  manner ; 
"  'tis  to  be  hoped  he'll  preach  from  it 
next  Sunday  ! " 

Soon  after  this,  the  little  party  dis- 
persed, each  oppressed  with  greater 
grief  and  amazement  than  he  had  ever 
known  before.  Bad  news  fly  swiftly — 
and  that  which  had  just  come  from  the 
Hall,  within  a  very  few  hours  of  its 
having  been  told  at  the  Aubrey  Arms, 


had  spread  grief  and  consternation 
among  high  and  low  for  many  miles 
round  Yatton. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Would  you  have  believed  it  ?  Not- 
withstanding all  that  had  happened 
between  Titmouse  and  Tag-rag,  they 
positively  got  reconciled  to  one  another 
— a  triumphant  result  of  the  astute 
policy  of  Mr.  Gammon.  As  soon  as 
lie  had  heard  Titmouse's  infuriated 
account  of  his  ignominious  expulsion 
from  Satin  Lodge,  he  burst  into  a  fit 
of  hearty  but  gentle  laughter,  which 
at  length  subsided  into  an  inward 
chuckle  that  lasted  the  rest  of  the  day  ; 
and  which  was  occasioned,  first,  by 
gratification  at  the  impression  which 
his  own  sagacity  had  evidently  pro- 
duced upon  the  powerful  mind  of 
Titmouse  ;  secondly,  by  an  exquisite 
appreciation  of  the  mingled  meanness 
and  stupidity  of  Tag-rag.  I  do  not 
mean  it  to  be  understood,  that  Tit- 
mouse had  given  Mr.  Gammon  such 
a  terse  and  clear  account  of  the  matter 
as  I  imagine  myself  to  have  given  to 
my  reader ;  but  still  he  told  quite 
enough  to  put  Mr.  Gammon  in  full 
possession  of  the  true  state  of  the  ca  e. 
Good  :  but  then — instantly  reflected 
Gammon — what  are  we  now  to  do 
with  Titmouse  ? — where  was  that  trou- 
blesome little  ape  to  be  caged,  till  it 
suited  the  purposes  of  his  proprietors 
(as  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap 
might  surely  be  called,  for  they  had 
caught  him,  however  they  might  fail 
to  tame  him)  to  let  him  loose  upon 
society,  to  amuse  and  astonish  it  by 
his  antics  ? — That  was  the  question 
occupying  the  thoughts  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon while  his  calm,  clear,  grey  eye 
was  fixed  upon  Titmouse,  apparently 
very  attentive  to  what  he  was  saying. 
That  gentleman  had  first  told  the  story 
pf  his  wrongs  to  Snap,  who  instantly, 
rubbing  his  hands,  suggested  an  in- 
dictment at  the  Clerkenwell  sessions — 
an    idea    which    infinitely    delighted 


17G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Titmouse,  l>ut  was  soniewli.it  Bternly 
"pooh-pooh-poohed !"  by  Mr.  Gam- 
mon as  soon  as  lie  heard  of  it, — Snap 
thereat  shrugging  his  Bhoulders  with 
a  disconcerted  air,  hut  a  bitter  sneer 
upon  his  sharp,  hard  face.  Like  many 
men  of  little  hut  active  minds,  early 
drilled  to  particular  callings,  Sn  ip 
was  equal  to  the  mechanical  conduct 
of  business — the  mere  working  of  the 
machinery — but,  as  the  phrase  is, 
could  never  see  an  inch  beyond  his 
nose.  Every  petty  conjuncture  of 
circumstances  that  admitted  of  litiga- 
tion, at  once  suggested  its  expediency, 
without  reference  to  other  considera- 
tions, or  connection  with,  or  subordi- 
nation to,  any  general  purpose  or  plan 
of  action.  A  creature  of  small  impul  gs, 
he  had  no  idea  of  foregoing  a  momen- 
tary advantage  to  secure  an  ulterior 
object — which,  in  fact,  he  could  not 
keep  for  a  moment  before  his  thoughts, 
so  as  to  have  any  influence  on  his 
movements.  "What  a  different  man, 
now,  was  Gammon ! 

To  speak  after  the  manner  of  phy- 
siologists, several  of  my  characters — 
Titmouse,  Tag-rag  (with  his  amiable 
wife  and  daughter),  Huckaback,  Sn  ip, 
and  old  Quirk  himself — may  be  look  1 
on  as  reptiles  of  a  low  order  in  the 
scale  of  being,  whose  simple  structures 
almost  one  dash  of  the  knife  would 
suffice  to  lay  thoroughly  open.  Gam- 
mon, however,  I  look  upon  as  of  a 
much  higher  order  ;  possessing  a  far 
more  complicated  structure,  adapted 
to  the  discharge  of  superior  functions ; 
ami  who,  consequently,  requircth  a 
more  careful  dissection.  But  let  it 
not  be  supposed  that  1  have  yet  done 
with  any  of  my  characters. 

Gammon  saw  that  Tag-rag,  under 
proper  management,  might  be  made 
very  useful,  lie  was  a  moneyed  man  ; 
a  selfish  man  ;  and,  after  his  sort,  an 
ambitious  man.  He  had  an  only  child, 
a  daughter,  and  if  Titmouse  and  he 
could  only  be  by  any  means  once  more 
broughl  to  pther,  and  a  firm  friend- 
ship cemented  between  them,  Gam- 
mon saw  several  very  profitable  uses 
to  which  such  an  intimacy  might  be 
turned,  in  the  happening  of  any  of 
several   contingencies  which  he  i 


templated  as  possible.  In  the  event, 
for  instance,  of  larger  outlays  of  money 
being  required  thin  suited  the  con- 
venience of  the  firm — could  not  T  • 
rag  be  easily  brought  to  accommpd 
his  future  son-in-law  of  £10,000 
a-year?  Suppose,  for  instance,  that 
alter  nil  their  case  should  break  down, 
and  all  their  pains,  exertions,  and 
expenditure  be  utterly  thrown  away? 
Now,  if  Tag-rag  could  he  quietly 
brought,  some  line  day,  to  the.  point  of 
either  making  some  actual  advance,  or 
entering  into  security  for  Titmouse — 
ah!  that  would  do — that  would  do, 
said  both  Quirk  and  Gammon.  But 
then  Titmouse  was  a  very  unsafe  in- 
strument— an  incalculable  fool,  and 
might  commit  himself  too  far  ! 

"You  forget,  Gammon,"  said  old 
Mr.  Quirk,  "I  don't  fear  this  girl  of 
Tag-rag's — because  only  let  Titmouse 
see — hem,"  he  suddenly  paused,  and 
looked  a  little  confused. 

"To  be  sure — I  see,"  replied  Gam* 
inoii  quietly,  and  the  thing  pa  sed  off. 
"If  either  Miss  Quirk  or  Miss  1 
rag  becomes  Mrs.  Titmouse,"  thought 
lie,  "  1  am  not  the  man  I  take  myself 
for." 

A  few  days  after  Titmouse's  expul- 
sion from  .Satin  Lodge,  without  his 
having  ever  gone  near  Tag-rag's  pro- 
mises in  Oxford  Street,  or,  in  short, 
seen  or  heard  anything  about  him, 
or  any  one  connected  with  him,  he 
removed  to  small  hut  very 
able  lodgings  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Hatton  Garden,  provided  for  him  by 
Mr.  Quirk.  Mrs.  Squallop  was  quite 
affect  (1  while  she  took  have  of  Tit- 
mouse, who  gave  her  son  sixpence  to 
i  i'.  •  his  two  boxes  down-stairs  to  the 
hackney  coach  drawn  up  opposite  to 
the  entrance  of  '  I  iL't. 

"I've  always  fit  like  a  mother 
towards  you,  sir,  in  my  humble  way," 
said  Mrs.  Squallop  in  a  very  respectful 
manner,  ami  curt  seying  profouu 

"A — I've  not  got  any  small  silver 
by  me,  my  good  woman,"  Baid 
mouse  with  a  fine  air,  as  he  drew  on 

his  white  lvi'l  glove. 

"  Jv  .nl,   Mr.  Titmouse  I"  said  the 

woman,  almost  bursting  into  tears,  "  I 

a't  asking  for  money,  neither  for 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


177 


me  nor  mine — only  one  can't  help,  as 
it  were,  feeling  at  parting  with  an  old 
lodger,  you  know,  sir — " 

"  Ah— ya— as— and  all  that !  Well, 
my  good  woman,  good-day,  good-day." 

"Good-bye,  sir — God  bless  you ;  now 
you're  going  to  be  a  rich  man  ! — Ex- 
cuse me,  sir." — And  she  seized  his 
hand  and  shook  it. 

"  You're  a — devilish — impudent — 
woman — 'pon  my  soul ! "  exclaimed 
Titmouse,  his  features  filled  with 
amazement  at  the  presumption  of 
which  she  had  been  guilty ;  and  he 
strode  down  the  stairs  with  an  air  of 
offended  dignity. 

"Well— I  never  \—That  for  you, 
you  little  brute,"  said  Mrs.  Srpnallop, 
snapping  her  fingers  as  soou  as  she 
had  heard  his  last  step  on  the  stairs — 
"Kind  or  cruel,  it's  all  one  to  you, 
you're  a  nasty  jackanapes,  only  fit  to 
stand  in  a  t  dlor's  window  to  show  his 
clothes — and  I'll  be  sworn  you'll  come 
to  no  good  in  the  end  !  Let  you  be 
rich  as  you  may,  you'll  always  be  the 
fool  you  always  were  !  " 

Had  the  good  woman  been  familiar 
with  the  Night  Thoughts  of  Young, 
she  might  have  expressed  herself  some- 
what tersely  in  a  line  of  his — 

"  Pigmies  are  pigmies  still,  though  perch'd 
on  Alps," 

And,  by  the  way,  who  can  read  the 
next  line — 

"  And  pyramids  are  pyramids  in  vales," 

without  thinking  for  a  moment,  with 
a  kind  of  proud  sympathy,  of  certain 
other  characters  in  this  history  ?  Well ! 
but  let  us  pass  on. 

The  day  after  that  on  which  Mr. 
Gammon  had  had  a  long  interview 
with  Titmouse,  at  the  new  lodgings  of 
the  latter, — when,  after  a  very  skilful 
effort,  he  had  succeeded  in  reconciling 
Titmouse  to  a  renewal  of  his  acquaint- 
ance with  Tag-rag,  upon  that  gentle- 
man's making  a  complete  and  abject 
apology  for  his  late  monstrous  conduct, 
Mr.  Gammon  wended  his  way  towards 
Oxford  Street,  and  soon  introduced 
himself  once  more  to  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
who  was  standing  leaning  against  one 
of  the  counters  in  his  shop  in  a  musing 
position,  with  a  pen  behind  his  ear. 


and  his  hands  in  his  breeches  pockets. 
Ten  days  had  elapsed  since  he  had 
expelled  the  little  impostor  Titmouse 
from  Satin  Lodge,  and  during  that 
interval  he  had  neither  seen  nor  heard 
anything  whatever  of  him.  On  now 
catching  the  first  glimpse  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, he  started  from  his  musing 
posture,  not  a  little  disconcerted,  and 
agitation  overspread  his  coarse  deeply- 
pitted  face  with  a  tallowy  hue.  What 
was  in  the  wind !  Mr.  Gammon 
coming  to  him,  so  long  after  what  had 
occurred  ?  Mr.  Gammon  who,  having 
found  out  his  error,  had  discarded  Tit- 
mouse !  Tag-rag  had  a  mortal  dread 
of  Gammon,  who  seemed  to  him  to 
glide  like  a  dangerous  snake  into  the 
shop,  so  quietly,  and  so  deadly  !  There 
was  something  so  calm  and  impei"- 
turbable  in  his  demeanour,  so  blandly 
crafty,  so  ominously  gentle  and  soft  ix 
the  tone  of  his  voice,  so  penetrating 
in  his  e}7e,  and  he  could  throw  such 
an  infernal  smile  over  his  features  ! 
Tag-rag  might  be  likened  to  the  ox, 
suddenly  shuddering  as  he  perceives 
the  glistening  folds  of  the  rattlesnake 
noiselessly  moving  towards,  or  around 
him,  in  the  long  grass.  One  glimpse 
of  his  blasting  beauty  of  hue,  and — ■ 
Horror  !  all  is  over. 

If  the  splendid  bubble  of  Titmouse's 
fortune  had  burst  in  the  manner  which 
lie  had  represented,  why  Gammon  here 
now  ?  thought  Tag-rag.  It  was  with, 
in  truth,  a  very  poor  show  of  contempt 
and  defiance  that,  in  answer  to  the 
bland  salutation  of  Gammon,  he  led 
the  way  down  the  shop  into  the  little 
room  which  had  been  the  scene  of 
such  an  extraordinary  communication 
concerning  Titmouse  on  a  former  oc- 
casion. 

Gammon  commenced,  in  a  mild 
tone,  with  a  very  startling  represent- 
ation of  the  criminal  liability  which 
Tag-rag  had  incurred  by  his  wanton 
outrage  upon  Mr.  Titmouse,  his  own 
guest,  in  violation  of  all  the  laws  of  hos- 
pitality. Tag-rag  furiously  alleged  the 
imposition  which  had  been  practised 
on  him  by  Titmouse ;  but  seemed 
quite  collapsed  when  Gammon  assured 
him  that  that  circurustance  would  not 
afford  him  the  slightest  justification. 


ITS 


TEN   TlIUl'SAXD   A- YEAR. 


Having  sati  ]  T  ;-rag  that  he  was 
entirely  at  the  mercy  of  Titmo 
who  might  subject  him  In  both  fine 
ami  imprisonment,  Mr.  Gammon  j  ro- 
iled to  open  his  eyes  to  their  widest 
stare  of  amazement  by  assuring  him 
that  Titmouse  had  been  hoaxing  him, 
and  that  he  was  really  in  the  i 
position  in  which  he  had  been  first 
repri  en  ted  by  Gammon  to  Tag-rag; 
that  every  week  brought  him  n< 
to  tin?  full  and  uncontrolled  enjoy- 
ment of  an  estate  in  Yorkshire,  worth 
£10,000  a-year  at  the  very  lowest  ; 
that  it  was  becoming  an  object  of 
increasing  anxiety  to  them  (Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap)  to  keep 
him  out  of  the  hands  of  money-lenders, 
who,  as  usual  in  such  ca  es,  had  al- 
)  ady  scented  out  their  vicl  Lm,  and  fo 
forth. — Tag-rag  turned  very  white, 
and  felt  sick  at  heart  in  the  mid.  I  i  i 
all  his  wonder.  Oh,  and  his  daughter 
had  lost  the  golden  prize!  andthn 
his  misconduct!  He  could  have  sunk 
into  the  cellar!- — Mr.  Gammon  de- 
clared that  he  could  not  account  for 
the  singular  conduct  of  Mr.  Titmou  e 
on  the  melancholy  occasion  in  ques- 
tion, except  by  referring  it  to  the 
excellent  wines  which  he  had  too 
freely  partaken  of  at  Satin  La 
added  (said  Gammon,  with  an  ex- 
quisite expression  of  features  that  per- 

[y  fascinated  Tag-rag)  to  a  "certain 
tenderer  infh  "  which  had  fairly 

laid  prostrate  the  faculties  of  theyi 
and  enthusiast  Lc  Titmouse  ;  that  there 
could  he  no  doubt  of  his  real  mot 
in  the  conduct  alluded  to,  namely,  a 
desire  to  test  the  sincerity  and   dis- 
intei  a  of  a  "  i  ertain  p  rson's  " 

hi  n  at   before  he  lei  all  his  fond 
and  ]>  is!  ionate  feelii       |  o  out  towi 
h<r — [At  this  point  the  perspiration 

:   n  im  evi  i ;.  pore  in  the  body  of 
Tag-rag}— and  uial   no  one  could  de- 
re    i he    ••  ted    issue    of   his 
little  experiment  so  much  as  now  did 
". 

lly,fora  i  oely 

wh  n  '  dh  him, 

not  ".  hether  ]  •  I  or 

ful    and    i 

1  I  was  the  i         of  M  r.  I 

mon's  vi.it.     As  soon  aa 


had   somewhat   recovered   themselves 
from  their  temporary  confusion 

bless,  he  assured  Gammon  that 

vent,  in  the  wh.de  course  of  his 

life  had  occasion)  d  him  such  poignant 

regret  as  his  treatment  of  Titmouse  on 

occasion  in  question  ;  that  he  had 
undoubtedly  followed  unwittingly  (he 
was  ashamed  to  own)  the  example  of 
Titmouse,  and  drunk  far  more  than 
lu3  usual  quantity  of  wine  ;  besides 
which  he  had  undoubtedly  noticed, 
as  had   Mrs.    T.,   the  state  of  things 

<  en  Mr.  Titmouse  and  his  daugh- 
ter,— talking  of  whom,  by  the  v 
he  could  assure.  Mr.  Gammon  that 
they  had  both  been  iil  ever  since  that 
unfortunate  evening,  and  had  never 
ci  a  ed  to  condemn  his — Tag-rag's — 
monstrous  conduet  on  that  occasion. 
As  for  his  daughter,  she  was  growing 
thinner  and  thinner  ei  ry  d  iy,  and  he 
thought  he  must  send  Jar  to  the  coun- 
try for  a  short  time  :  in  fact — poor 
girl ! — she  was  plainly  pining  away  ! 

To  all  this  Mr.  Gammon  Listened 
with  a  calm,  d  dightful,  sympathizing 
look,  that  quite  transported  Tag  i 
and  satisfied  him  that  Mr.  Gammon 
implicitly  believed  every  word  that 
w  is  being  said  to  him.  But  when  he 
proceeded  to  assure  Tag-rag  I':;:1.:  this 
visit  of  his  had  been  und  i  a  at 
(he  earnest  instance  of  Mr.  Titmouse 
himself,  (who,  by  the  way,  had  re- 
moved to  lodgings  which  would  do 
for  the  pi  i  t,  bo  as  they  were  only 
near  to  their  oifii  e,  for  the  purp  ■-••  of 
omn  unication  on  mntl  rs  of 
between  him  and  their  firm,) 
who  had  urged  him,  Mr.  Gammon,  t  > 

ler  the  olive  branch,  in  the  devout 
that    it    might     he     accopted. 
Tag-rag's  excitement  knew  scarce  any 
hounds ;    and    he    could    almost   1 

i  d  into  the  shop,  and  given  ord 
to  his  shopmen  to  sell  every  ail 
for  the  i         of  the  day,  one  and  a  1 

per  cent,  under  what  thy  had  1 1    n 
'  before  !     M  r.   <  lammon  v  i 

down  Titn 'sdirect  ■  I 

Mr.  Tag-t  n  him  v.  iuld 

ed  by  Mr.  Tit ' 
"  'l  h<  re's    no  ot  ins    for    1 

things,  Mr.  Tag-rag     is  tin  ro  !  "  i  aid 
Mr.  Gammon,  with  an  arch  smile,  as 


TEN"  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


179 


he  prepared  to  depart — Tag-rag  squeez- 
ing his  hands  with  painful  energy  as 
Gammon  bade  him  adieu,  saying  he 
should  not  be  himself  for  the  rest  of 
the  day,  and  bowing  the  aforesaid  Mr. 
Gammon  down  the  shop  with  as  pro- 
found an  obsequiousness  as  if  he  had 
been  the  Lord  High  Chancellor,  or 
even  the  Lord  Mayor.  As  soon  as 
Gammon  had  got  fairly  into  the  street, 
and  to  a  safe  distance,  he  burst  into 
little  gentle  paroxysms  of  laughter, 
every  now  and  then,  that  lasted  him 
till  he  had  regained  his  office  in  Saffron 
Hill. 

The  motive  so  boldly  and  skilfully 
suggested  by  Gammon  to  Tag-rag,  as 
that  impelling  Titmouse  to  seek  a  re- 
conciliation with  him,  was  greedily 
credited  by  Tag-rag.  'Tis  certainly 
very  easy  for  a  man  to  believe  what  he 
wishes  to  be  true.  "Was  it  very  im- 
probable that  Tag-rag,  loving  only- 
one  object  on  earth,  (next  to  money, 
which  indeed  he  really  did  love  with 
the  best  and  holiest  energies  of  his 
nature,)  namely,  his  daughter ;  and 
believing  her  to  be  possessed  of  qualities 
calculated  to  excite  every  one's  love — 
should  believe  that  she  had  inspired 
Titmouse  with  the  passiou  of  which 
he  had  just  been  hearing — a  passion 
that  was  consuming  him,  that  could 
not   be  quenched  by  even  the  gross 

outrage    which but  faugh!    that 

Tag-rag  shuddered  to  think  of.  He 
clapped  his  hat  on  his  head,  and 
started  off  to  Titmouse's  lodgings,  and 
fortunately  caught  that  gentleman  just 
as  he  was  going  out  to  dine  at  a  neigh- 
bouring tavern.  If  Tag-rag  had  been 
a  keen  observer,  he  could  hardly  have 
failed  to  discover  aversion  towards 
himself  written  in  every  feature  and 
gesture  of  Titmouse  ;  and  also  how 
difficult  it  was  to  be  concealed.  But 
his  eagerness  overbore  everything ; 
and  took  Titmouse  quite  by  storm. 
Before  Tag-rag  had  done  with  him,  he 
had  obliterated  every  trace  of  resent- 
ment in  his  little  friend's  bosom. 
Thoroughly  as  Gammon  thought  he 
had  prepared  him  for  the  encounter, 
and  armed  him  at  all  points — 'twas  of 
no  avail.  Tag-rag  poured  such  a  mon- 
strous quantity  of  flummery  down  the 


gaping  mouth  and  insatiate  throat  of 
the  little  animal,  as  at  length  produced 
its  desired  e  fleet.  Few  can  resist  flat- 
tery, however  coarsely  administered  ; 
but  as  for  Titmouse,  he  felt  the  soft  fluid 
deliciously  insinuating  itself  into  every 
crevice  of  his  little  nature,  for  which 
it  seemed,  indeed,  to  have  a  peculiar 
affinity  ;  'twas  a  balm,  'twas  an  opiate 
soothing  his  wounded  pride,  lubricating 
all  his  inner  man  ;  nay,  flooding  it,  so 
as  at  length  to  extinguish  entirely  the 
very  small  glimmering  spark  of  dis- 
cernment which  nature  had  lit  in  him. 
"To  be  forewarned,  is  to  be  fore- 
armed,"  says  the  proverb  ;  but  it  was 
not  verified  in  the  present  instance. 
Titmouse  would  have  dined  at  Satin 
Lodge  on  the  very  next  Sunday,  in 
accordance  with  the  pressing  invita- 
tions of  Tag-rag,  but  that  he  happened 
to  recollect  having  engaged  himself 
to  dine  that  evening  with  Mr.  Quirk, 
at  his  residence  in  Camberwell, — Alibi 
House.  As  I  have  already  intimated 
in  a  previous  part  of  this  history,  that 
most  respectable  old  gentleman,  Mr. 
Quirk,  with  the  shrewdness  natural  to 
him,  and  which  had  been  quickened 
by  his  great  experience,  had  soon  seen 
through  the  ill-contrived  and  worse- 
concealed  designs  upon  Titmouse  of 
Mr.  Tag-rag ;  and  justly  considered 
that  the  surest  method  of  rendering 
them  abortive  would  be  to  familiarize 
Titmouse  with  a  superior  style  of 
things,  such  as  was  to  be  found  at 
Alibi  House — and  a  more  lovely  and 
attractive  object  for  his  best  affections 
in  Miss  Quirk — Dora  Quirk,  the  lustre 
of  whose  charms  and  accomplishments 
there  could  be  no  doubt,  he  thought, 
would  instantly  efface  the  image  of 
that  x>oor,  feeble,  vulgar  creature,  Miss 
Tag-rag  ;  for  such  old  Quirk  knew  her 
to  be,  though  he  had,  in  fact,  never 
for  a  moment  set  eyes  upon  her.  Mr. 
Tag-rag  looked  rather  blank  at  hearing 
of  the  grand  party  there  wras  to  be  at 
Alibi  House,  and  that  Titmouse  was  to 
be  introduced  to  the  only  daughter  of 
Mr.  Quirk,  and  could  not,  for  the  life 
of  him,  abstain  from  dropping  some- 
thing, vague  and  indistinct  to  be  sure, 
about  "  entrapping  unsuspecting  inno- 
cence," and  "interested  attentions," 

N  2 


180 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


and  other  similar  expressions — all  of 
which,  however,  were  lost  upon  Tit- 
mouse. Tapping  with  an  auctioneer's 
hammer  on  a  block  of  granite,  would 
make  about  as  much  impression  upon 
it  as  hint,  innuendo,  or  suggestion, 
upon  a  blockhead.  So  it  was  with 
Titmouse.  He  promised  to  dine  at 
Satin  Lodge  on  the  Sunday  after,  with 
which  poor  Mr.  Tag-rag  was  obliged 
to  depart  content  ;  having  been  unable 
to  get  Titmouse  up  to  Clapham  on 
either  of  the  intervening  evenings,  on 
which,  he  told  Mr.  Tag-rag,  he  was 
particularly  engaged  with  an  intimate 
friend — in  fact,  one  of  his  solicitors  ; 
and  Tag-rag  left  him,  after  shaking 
him  by  the  hand  with  the  utmo  I 
.;<>rdiality  and  energy.  He  instantly 
conceived  a  lively  hatred  of  old  Mr. 
Quirk  and  his  daughter,  who  seemed 
taking  SO  unfair  an  advantage.  How- 
ever, what  could  he  done!  Many 
times  during  his  interview,  did  he 
anxiously  turn  about  in  his  mind  the 
expediency  of  prqrTering  to  lend  or 
give  Titmouse  a  five-pound  note,  of 
which  he  had  one  or  two  in  his  pocket- 
book  ;  but  no — 'twas  too  much  for 
human  nature  —  he  could  no1  bring 
himself  to  it  ;  and  quitted  Titmouse 
as  rich  a  man  as  he  had  entered  his 
l      ings. 

The  gentleman  to  whom  Titmouse 
alluded  was  in  fact  Mr.  Snap,  who  had 
evinced  a  great  partiality  for 
him,  and  hist  no  opportunity  of  con- 
tributing to  his  enjoyment.  He  was 
a  sharp-sighted  person,  and  quickly 
detected  many  qualities  in  Titmouse 
kindred  to  his  own.  He  sincerely 
commiserated  Titmouse's  situation, 
than  which  what  could  be  moreloncly 
and  desolate  r  Was  he  to  sit  night 
after  night,  in  the  lengthening  nights 
of  autumn  and  winter,  with  not  a 
soul  to  Bpeak  to,  not  a  hook  to  n 
(that  was  at  least,  interesting  or  v. 

:  )  nothing,  in  shoi  t,  to  occupy 
his  attention  ?     "  No,"  ip  to 

elfj  "I  will  do  as  I  would  be 
done  by  ;  I  will  come  and  draw 
out  of  his  dull  hole  ;  I  will  shew  him 
life — I  will  give  him  an  early  insighl 
into  the  habits  and  pi  icl i  es  of  the 
•  i  d,  in  whi  li  be  i     o   oon  to 


cut  a  leading  figure  !  I  will  early  famil- 
iarize him  with  the  gayest  and  most  i  >:- 
citing  modes  of  London  life  !"  The  very 
first  taste  of  this  cup  of  pleasure,  was 
exquisitely  relished  by  Titmouse  ;  and 
he  felt  a  proportionate  gratitude  to 
him  whose  kind  hand  had  first  r«i 
it  to  his  lips.  Scenes  of  which  he  had 
heretofore  only  heard  and  read — after 
which  he  had  often  sighed  and  yearned, 
were  now  opening  daily  before  him, 
limited  as  were  his  means  ;  and  he 
felt  perfectly  happy.  When  Snap  had 
finished  the  day's  labours  of  the  office, 
from  which  he  was  generally  released 
about  eight  or  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  he  would  repair  to  his  lodg- 
ings, and  decorate  himself  for  the 
evening's  display;  after  which,  either 
he  would  go  to  Titmouse,  or  Titmouse 
come  to  him,  as  might  have  been 
previously  agreed  upon  between  them  ; 
and  then, — 

"The  toum  was  all  before  them,  where,  to 
choose." 

Sometimes  they  would,  arm  in  arm, 
each  with  bis  cigar  in  his  mouth, 
saunter  for  hours  together  along  the 
leading  streets  and  thorouj  blares, 
making  acute  observations  and  deep 
reflections  upon  the  ever-moving  and 
motley  scenes  around  them.  Most 
frequently,  however,  they  would  re- 
pair, at  half-price,  to  the  theatres ;  for 
Snap  bad  the  n  an  of  .securing  almost 
a  constant  supply  of  "orders"  from 
tho  underlings  of  the  theatres,  and 
also  in  respect  to  the  Sunday  Flash, 
with  which  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Gam- 
mon were  connected,  and  other  news- 
papers.    Ah,  'twas  a  glorious  sight  lo 

'  I     e  two  gentlemen  sunnier  i 
a  vacant  box,  conscious  that  the  eyes 
of  two-thirds  of  the  house  were  G 
Upon    them  in   admiration,   ami   con- 
ducting  themselves   accordingly  —  as 
swells  of  the  first  water!     One  such 

tl  counti  rbalanci  d,  in  Titmouse  a 
estimation,  a  whole  year  of  his 
previous  obscurity  and  wretchedm  I 
|?he  theal  re  over,  they  would  repair  to 
i  loudy  tavern,  full  of  noise  and 
smoke,  and  the  glare  of  gas-light — 
redolent  of  the  fragrant  fumes  of 
fits,    and    porter,    inter- 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


181 


mirgled  with,  the  tempting  odours  of 
smoking  kidneys,  mutton-chops,  beef- 
steaks, oysters,  stewed  cheese,  toasted 
cheese,  Welsh  rabbits;  where  those  who 
are  chained  to  the  desk  and  the  counter 
during  the  day,  revel  in  the  license  of 
the  hour,  and  eat,  and  drink,  and 
smoke  to  the  highest  point  either  of 
excitement  or  stupefaction,  and  enter 
into  all  the  slang  of  the  day— of  the 
turf,  the  ring,  the  cockpit,  the 
theatres,  and  shake  their  sides  at  comic 
songs.  To  enter  -one  of  these  places 
when  the  theatre  was  over,  was  a  lux- 
ury indeed  to  Titmouse  ;  figged  out  in 
his  very  uttermost  best,  with  satin 
stock  and  double  breastpins  ;  his  glossy 
hat  cocked  on  one  side  of  his  head, 
his  tight  blue  surtout,  with  the  snowy 
handkerchief  elegantly  drooping  out 
of  the  breast  pocket ;  straw-coloured 
kid  gloves,  tight  trousers,  and  shining 
boots  ;  his  ebony  silver-headed  cane 
held  carelessly  under  his  arm  :  to 
walk  into  the  middle  of  the  room  with 
a  sort  of  haughty  ease  and  indifference, 
or  nonchalance  ;  and  after  deliberately 
scanning,  through  his  eyeglass,  every 
box,  with  its  occupants,  at  length 
drop  into  a  vacant  nook,  and  with  a 
languid  air  summon  the  bustling  waiter 
to  receive  his  commands.  The  circum- 
stance of  his  almost  always  accom- 
panying Snap  ou  these  occasions,  who 
was  held  in  great  awe  by  the  waiters,  to 
whom  his  professional  celebrity  was 
well  known,  (for  there  wa3  scarce  an 
interesting,  a  dreadful,  or  a  nasty 
scene  at  any  of  the  police-offices,  in 
which  Snap's  name  did  not  figure  in 
the  newspapers  as  "on  behalf  of  the 
prisoner,")  got  Titmouse  almost  an 
equal  share  of  consideration,  and  aided 
the  effect  produced  by  his  own  com- 
manding appearance.  As  for  Snap, 
whenever  he  was  asked  who  his  com- 
panion was,  he  would  whisper  in  a  very 
significant  tone  and  manner, — "Devil- 
ish high  chap  !  "  From  these  places 
they  would  repair,  not  unfrequently, 
to  certain  other  scenes  of  nightly 
London  life,  which,  I  thank  God  !  the 
virtuous  reader  can  form  no  notion 
of,  though  they  are,  strange  to  say, 
winked  at,  if  not  patroniz  d  by  the 
police  and  magistracy,  till  the  metro- 


polis is  choked  with  them.  Thus  would 
Snap  and  Titmouse  pleasantly  pass  away 
their  time  till  one,  two,  three,  and  often 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  at  which 
hours  they  would,  with  many  yawns, 
skulk  homewards  through  the  deserted 
and  silent  streets,  their  clothes  redo- 
lent of  tobacco  smoke,  their  stomachs 
overcharged,  their  heads  often  mud- 
dled, swimming,  and  throbbing  with 
their  multifarious  potations — having 
thus  spent  a  "jolly  night,"  and  "seen, 
life."  'Twas  thus  that  Snap  greatly 
endeared  himself  to  Titmouse,  and 
secretly  (for  he  enjoined  upon  Tit- 
mouse, as  the  condition  of  their  con- 
tinuance, strict  secrecy  on  the  subject 
of  these  nocturnal  adventures)  stole 
a  march  upon  his  older  competitors 
for  the  good  opinion  of  Titmouse 
— Messrs.  Quirk,  Tag-rag,  and  even 
the  astute  and  experienced  Gammon 
himself.  Such  doings  as  these  required, 
however,  as  may  easily  be  believed, 
some  slight  augmentations  of  the  al- 
lowance made  to  Titmouse  by  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Gammon  ;  and  'twas  for- 
tunate that  Snap  was  in  a  condition, 
having  a  few  hundreds  at  his  com- 
mand, to  supply  the  necessities  of  Tit- 
mouse, receiving  with  a  careless  air, 
on  the  occasion  of  such  advances, 
small  slips  of  paper  by  way  of  acknow- 
ledgments ;  some  on  stamped  paper, 
others  on  unstamped  paper — promis- 
sory-notes and  I.  0.  U.'s.  Inasmuch, 
however,  as  Snap  was  not  always  pos- 
sessed of  a  stamp  on  the  occasion  of  a 
sudden  advance,  and  having  asked  the 
opinion  of  his  pleader  (a  sharp  fellow 
who  had  been  articled  at  the  same 
time  as  himself  to  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Gammon')  as  to  whether  an  instrument 
in  this  form — 

"  I.  0.  U.  so  much — icith  interest," 
would  be  available  without  a  stamp, 
and  being  informed  that  it  was  a  very 
doubtful  point,  Snap  ingeniously  met 
the  difficulty  by  quietly  adding  to  the 
principal  what  might  become  due  in 
respect  of  interest :  e.  g.  if  £5  were 
lent,  the  acknowledgment  would  stand 
for  £15 — these  little  slips  of  paper 
being  generally  signed  by  Titmouse  in 
moments  of  extreme  exhilaration, 
when  he  never  thought  of  scrutinizing 


182 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


anything  that  his  friend  Snap  would 
lay  before  him.  Tor  the  honour  of 
3]  ap,  I  must  say  that  I  hardly  think 
he  deliberately  purposed  to  perpetrate 
the  fraud  which  such  a  transa* 
appears  to  amount  to  ;  all  he  wand  d 
was — so  he  satisfied  himself  at  least — 
to  have  it  iu  his  power  to  recover  the 
full  amount  of  principal  really  a <  1  - 
vane  d,  with  interest,  on  one  or  other  of 
those  various  securities,  and  hold  the 
surplus  as  trustee  for  Titmouse.  If, 
for  instance,  any  unfortunate  difference 
should  hereafter  arise  between  himself 
and  Titmouse,  and  he  should  refuse  to 
recognise  his  pecuniary  obligations  to 
Snap,  the  latter  gentleman  would  be 
provided  with  short  and  easy  proofs  of 
his  demands  against  him.  Twas  thus, 
I  say,  that  Snap  rendered  himself 
indispensable  to  Titmouse,  whom  he 
bound  to  him  by  every  tie  of  grati- 
tude ;  so  that,  in  short,  they  became 
sworn  friends. 

1  will  always  say  for  Gammon,  that 
he  strenuously  endeavoured,  from 
whatever  motive,  to  urge  upon  Tit- 
mouse the  necessity  of  his  acquii 
at  all  events,  a  smattering  of  the 
elements  of  useful  educaj  ion.  Beyond 
an  acquaintance  with  the  petty  opera- 
tions of  arithmetic  requisite  for  counter- 
transactions,  1  will  venture  to  say  that 
poor  Titmouse  had  no  servii 
knowledge  of  any  kind.  Mr.  ( lammon 
repeatedly  pressed  him  to  put  him- 
Bclf  under  competent  teachers  of  the 
ordinary  branches  of  education  ;  but 
Titmouse  as  often  evaded  him,  and 
al  length  flatly  refused  to  do  anything 
of  the  kind.  He  promised,  however, 
to  read  ,:  :h  books  as  Mr.  Gammon 
ad,  who  thereupon 
1  :  but  a  book  before 
Ti  ouse  was  much  the  same  as  a 
plate  of  saw-dust  bi  fore  a  hungry  man. 
Mr.  i  lammon,  himself  a  man  of  con- 
rable  acquirements,  Boon  saw  the 
true  Btate  of   thi  a  id  gave  up 

his  attempts  in  desj  air  and 
Not  thai  r  suffered  Titmou  e  to 

tve  the  faint*   I  indical  Lou  of  i  ucb 

I   him  ;    on    the    - 
:,  Gammon   ever  mi 
sane  I  land  and  l  i  demean 

lilting  lii.'i  v. 


and  striving  to  instil  into  him  feel- 
ings of  love,  tempered  by  respect, 
as  towards  the  most  powerful — the 
only  real,  disinterested  friend  he 
had  :  and  to  a  very  great  extent  ho 
succeeded. 

Titmouse  spent  several  hours  in  pre- 
paring for  an  effective  first  appearance 
at    the   dinner-table    at   Alibi    House. 
Since  dining  at  Satin  Lodge,  he  had 
considerably    increased    his    wardrobe 
both  in  quantity  and  style.     He  mnv 
sported  a  pair  of  tight  black  trou 
with  pumps  and  gossamer  silk  stock* 
ings.        He    wore    a    crimson    velvet 
waistcoat,    with  a  bright  blue  satin 
under-waistcoat,  a  shirt-frill  stand 
out  somewhat  fiercely  at  right  angles 
with   his  breast,  and  a  brown   dress- 
coat  cut  in  the  extreme  of  the  fashion, 
the  long  tails  coming  to  a  point  just 
about  the  backs   of  his   knees.       J  lis 
hair  (its  purple  hue  still  pretty  dis- 
tinctly perceptible)  was  disposed  with 
:     elegance.       lie    had    di  <jard  d 
i  hi  s ;  but  had  a  very  promising 
imperial.      The  hair  underneath   his 
chin  came  out  curling  on  each  side  of 
it,  above  his  stock,  like  two  little  tut'ls 
or  horns.     Over  his  waistcoat  he  wore 
his  mosaic-gold  watch-guard,  and  a 
bro  id  I!-!,  vvati  red  riband,  to  which 
was  attached  his  eyeglass — in  fact,  if 
he  had  dressed  himself  in  order  to  sit 
to  a  miniature  painter  for  his  likeni     . 
he  could  not  have  taken  greater  pains, 
or  secured  a  more  successful  result. 
The  only  points  about,  his  app  irance 
with  which  ho  was  at  all  di  satisfied, 
his  hair — which  was  not  Vet  the 

thing  which  ho  hoped  in  due  time  to 

il — his  thick   red   stumpy   hands, 
and    his    rOUl  d    shoulders.       The    last 

ii'  'Mi  i'  gave  him  con  iderable  concern, 
for  he  felt  that  it  seriously  interfered 
with  a  graci  ful  can  i  ige  ;  and  that  the 
defect  in  his  figure  had  been,  after  all, 
no1  ia  lie  I-  died  by  the  pro- 

coat.     His  pro- 

i  J  ,  of  wry  li.Ljht  hue,  had 
an  expression  that  entirely  harmoni 
with  that  of  his  op'ii  month  ;  and 
both  together-  quite  independently  of 
his  dri  .  i  i  ":-'e.  and  demeanour — 
(there  is  nothing  like  being  candid) — 
the   image  of  a — complete 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


183 


fool.  Having  at  length  carefully  ad- 
justed his  hat  on  his  head,  and  drawn 
on  his  white  kid  gloves,  he  enveloped 
himself  in  a  stylish  cloak,  with  long 
black  silk  tassels,  which  had  been 
lent  to  him  by  Snap  ;  and  about  four 
o'clock,  forth  sallied  Mr.  Titmouse, 
carefully  picking  his  way,  in  quest  of 
the  first  coach  that  could  convey  him 
to  Alibi  House,  or  as  near  to  it  as 
might  be.  He  soon  found  one,  and, 
conscious  that  his  appearance  was  far 
too  splendid  for  an  outside  place,  got 
inside.  All  the  way  along,  his  heart 
was  in  a  little  flutter  of  vanity,  excite- 
ment, and  expectation.  Ho  was  going 
to  be  introduced  to  Miss  Quirk — and 
probably,  also,  to  several  people  of 
great  consequence  —  as  the  heir-ap- 
parent to  £10,000  a-year  !  Two  very 
respectable  female  passengers,  his  com- 
pinions  all  the  way,  he  never  once 
deigned  to  interchange  a  syllable  with. 
Four  or  five  times  did  he  put  his  head 
out  of  the  window,  calling  out,  in  a 
loud  peremptory  tone — "  Mind,  coach- 
man —  Alibi  House  —  Mr.  Quirk's — 
Alibi  House — Do  you  hear,  demme  ? " 
After  which  he  would  sink  back  into 
the  seat  with  a  magnificent  air,  as  if 
he  had  not  been  used  to  give  him- 
self so  much  trouble.  The  coach  at 
length  stopped.  "Hallibi  Ouse,  sir," 
said  the  coachman,  in  a  most  re- 
spectful tone — "this  is  Mr.  Quirk's, 
sir."  Titmouse  stepped  out,  dropped 
eighteenpence  into  the  man's  hand, 
and  opening  the  gate,  found  himself 
in  a  straight  and  narrow  gravel  walk, 
of  about  twenty  yards  in  length,  with 
little  obstinate-looking  stunted  shrubs 
on  each  side.  'Twas  generally  known, 
among  Mr.  Quirk's  friends,  by  the 
name  of  the  Hope-walk.  Titmouse 
might  have  entered  before  as  fine- 
looking  a  house,  but  only  lo  deliver  a 
bundle  of  drapery  or  hosiery :  never 
before  had  he  entered  such  a  one  as  a 
guest.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  fair-sized 
house,  at  least  treble  that  of  .Satin 
Lodge,  and  had  a  far  more  stylish  ap- 
pearance. When  Titmouse  pulled  the 
bell,  the  door  was  quickly  plucked 
open  by  a  big  footman,  with  showy 
shoulder-knot  and  a  pair  of  splendid 
red  plush  breeches,  who  soon  disposed 


of  Titmouse's  cloak  and  hat,  and  led 
the  way  to  the  drawing-room,  before 
our  friend,  with  a  sudden  palpitation 
of  the  heart,  had  had  a  moment's  time 
even  to  run  his  hands  through  his  hair. 

"Your  name,  sir?"  enquired  the 
man,  suddenly  pausing — with  his  hand 
upon  the  handle  of  the  door. 

"Mr.  Titmouse." 

"I  —  beg  your  pardon,  sir;  lohat 
name  ? " 

Titmouse,  clearing  his  throat,  re- 
peated his  name — open  went  the  door, 
and — "Mr.  Ticklemouse,"  said  the 
servant  very  loudly  and  distinctly — 
ushering  in  Titmouse  ;  on  whom  the 
door  was  the  next  instant  closed.  He 
felt  amazingly  flustered — and  he  would 
have  been  still  more  so,  if  he  could 
have  been  made  aware  of  the  titter 
which  pervaded  the  fourteen  or  twenty 
people  assembled  in  the  room,  occa- 
sioned by  the  droll  misnomer  of  the 
servant,  and  the  exquisitely  ridiculous 
appearance  of  poor  Titmouse.  Mr. 
Quirk,  dressed  in  black,  with  knee 
breeches  and  silk  stockings,  immedi- 
ately bustled  up  to  him,  shook  him 
cordially  by  the  hand,  and  led  him  up 
to  the  assembled  guests.  "My  daugh- 
ter —  Miss  Quirk  ;  Mrs.  Alderman 
Addlehead ;  Mrs.  Deputy  Diddle- 
daddle  ;  Mrs.  Alias,  my  sister  ; — Mr. 
Alderman  Addlehead;  Mr.  Deputy 
Diddle-daddle ;  Mr.  Bluster ;  Mr. 
Slang;  Mr.  Hug;  Mr.  Flaw;  Mr. 
Viper ;  Mr.  Ghastly ;  Mr.  Gammon 
you  know."  Miss  Quirk  was  about 
four  or  five-and-twenty — a  fat  young 
lady,  with  flaxen  hair  curled  formally 
all  over  her  head  and  down  to  her  shoul- 
ders, so  that  she  very  much  resembled 
one  of  those  great  wax  dolls  seen  in 
bazaars  and  shop  windows,  especially 
if  looked  at  through  a  strong  magnify- 
ing glass.  Her  complexion  was  beauti- 
fully fair  ;  her  eyes  small ;  her  face 
quite  round  and  fat.  From  the  di  ■- 
away  manner  in  which  she  moved  her 
head,  and  the  languid  tone  of  her 
voice,  it  was  obvious  that  she  was  a 
very  sentimental  young  lady.  She 
was  dressed  in  white,  and  wore  a  mas- 
sive gold  chain — her  fat  arms  being  half 
covered  with  long  kid  gloves.  She 
■was  sitting  on  the  sofa,  from  which 


184 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


she  did  not  rise  when  Titmouse  was 

oduced  to  her  —  and  the  moment 

after  hid  her  f.ice  behind  the  album 

which  had  been  lying  on  her  knee, 

and  which  she  had  been  showing  to 
tin;  ladies  on  each  side  of  her  ;  for,  in 
fact,  neither  she  nor  any  one  else  could, 
without  the  greatest  difficulty,  refrain 
from  laughing  at  the  monkeyfied  ap- 
pearance of  Titmouse.     The  Alderman 
was  a  stout,  stupid,  little  man—  a  fussy 
old  prig  —  with  small  angry-looking 
black  eyes,  and  a  short  red  nose  :  as 
for  his  head,  it  seemed  as  though  he 
had  just  smeared  some  sticky  fluid 
over  it,  and  then  dipped  it  into  a  flour 
tub,   so  thickly  laden    was    it.  with 
powder.     Mr.  Deputy  Diddle-daddle 
was   tall  and   thin,  and  serious  and 
slow  of  speech,  with  the  .sol.  inn  com- 
posure of  an  undertaker.     Mr.  Bluster 
was  a  great  Old  Bailey  banister,  about 
fifty  years  old,  the  leader  constantly 
employed  by  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap  ;  and  was  making  at  least  a 
thousand  a-year.     He  had  an  amaz- 
ingly  truculent-looking   countenance, 
coarse    to    a    degree,    and    his  voice 
matched  it ;  but  on  occasions  like  the 
prcsenl — i.e.  in  elegant  society — he 
would  fain  drop  the  successful  terrors 
of  his  manner,  and  appear  the  mild, 
dfied    gentleman,      lie    therefore 
spoke  in  a  very  s  .ft,   cringing  way, 
with  an  anxious  smile;  but   lib   bold 
insolent  eye  and  coarse  mouth — what 
could   disguise  or  mitigate  their  ex- 
pression!    Here  he  was,  playing  the 
great  man  ;  making  himself,  howevi  r, 
i.:  *t  particularly  agreeable  to  Mi 
Quirk  and   Gammon.     Sling  was  of 
the  Bame  Bchool;    fat,   vulgar,  confi- 
dent, and  empty  ;  telling  obscene  jokes 
and  ,  in  a  deep  Lass  voice.     He 

ood  song,  too — particularly  of 
that  i         .  hich  requiri  d  the  ab 
of]    ):        mdi  )'.</■ .<  h  .,:■  ,i.    Bug|  Mr. 
T*   i  i      Hug)  was   also   a   bat  ri  iter  ;  a 
glib  lit  tie. lev.  ish-looking  fellow,  i 
r     i  iderable  criminal  pra  I  ice. 

He  w  is  a  Bneaking  backbiter,  and  1.  i  1 
a  blood-hound  sc<  nt  afb  -  u  uey. 

i:    i   ne  .  :ii  this  moment, 
in  clo  e  ;u,  i  convers  d  Lon  \\  it  h 

Mr.  Flaw,  who,  rely  upon  it,  will  give 
him  a  brief  before  tb  ■ 


Viper  was  the.  editor  of  the  Sunday 
Flash;  a  cold,  venomous,  little  fellow. 
He  was  of  opinion  that  everything 
was  wrong — moral,  physical,  intellec- 
tual, and  social  ;  that  there  was  really 
no  such  thing,  or  at  least  ought  not 
to  be,  as  religion  ;  and,  as  to  political 
rights,  that,  everybody  ought  to  be 
uppermost  at  once.  He  had  failed  in 
business  twice,  and  disreputably; 
then  had  become  an  Unitarian  parson  ; 
but,  having  seduced  a  young  female 
member  of  his  congregation,  he  was 
expelled  from  his  pulpit.  An  action 
being  brought  against  him  by  the 
mother  of  his  victim,  and  heavy  dam- 
ages obtained,  he  attempted  to  take 
the  benefit  of  the  Insolvent  Debtors' 

Act — but,   on   account   of  Miss , 

was  remanded  for  eighteen  months. 
That  period  he  employed  in  writing 
a  shockingly  blasphemous  work,  for 
whidi  he  was  prosecuted,  and  sen- 
tenced to  a  h.avv  line  and  imprison* 

I  ;  on  being  released  from  which, 
saturated    with    gall    and    bitterness 

.  it  all  mankind,  he  took  to  politi- 
cal writing  of  a  very  vioh  nt  character, 
an.l  was  at  length  picked  up,  half 
starved,  by  bis  present  patron,  Mr. 
Quirk,  and  made  editor  of  the  Sunday 
Flash.  Is  not  all  this  history  written 
in  bis  sallow,  sinister-eyed,  bitter- 
expressioned  countenance  '  Woo  to 
him  who  gets  into  a  discussion  with 
Viper  I  There  were  one  or  two  others 
present,  particularly  a  Mr.  Ghastly,  a 
third-rate  tragic  actor,  with  a  tre- 
mendous mouth,  only  one  eye,  and  a 
very  hungry  look.     He  never  s| 

a  •'  n,,  one  Bpoke  to  him,  for  his 

clothes  s.cin.'d  rather  rnsty-Maik. 
The  only  man  of  gentlemanlike  ap] 
ance  in  the  room  was  Mr.  Gammon  ; 
and  he  todc  an  early  opportunity  of 
engaging  poor  Tit  mouse  in  <. 
tion,  and  setting  him  comparatively 
at  his  ease  a  thing  which  was  at- 
tempted by  old  Quirk,  but  in  such  a 

ty-fusey  way  as  served   onlj 
fluster  Titmouse  the  mor.  .  rlrlc 

gave  a  dinner  party  of  this  i  orl   i 

larly  every  Sunday  ;   and    they  formed 

i  In-  happiest  moments  of  his  life-   o  • 

"ii  which  he  banished  from  his 

thoughts  the  p  •  pi  risible  i         tics  *  f 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


1S5 


his  profession,  and,  surrounded  by  a 
select  circle  of  choice  spirits,  such  as 
were  thus  collected  together,  partook 
joyously  of  the 

"Feast  of  reason,  and  the  flow  of  soul." 

"  This  is  a  very  beautiful  picture, 
Titmouse,  isn't  it  1 "  said  Gammon, 
leading  him  to  the  further  corner  of 
the  drawing-room,  where  hung  a  small 
picture  with  a  sort  of  curtain  of  black 
gauze  before  it,  which  Gammon  lifting 
up,  Titmouse  beheld  a  picture  of  a 
man  suspended  from  the  gallows,  his 
hands  tied  with  cords  before  him,  his 
head  forced  aside,  and  covered  down 
to  the  chin  with  a  white  nightcap. 
'Twas  done  with  sickening  fidelity, 
and  Titmouse  gazed  at  it  with  a 
shudder.  "Charming  thing,  isn't 
it  ? "  said  Gammon  with  a  very  expres- 
sive smile. 

"Y — e — e — s,"  replied  Titmouse, 
his  eyes  glued  to  the  horrid  object. 

"Very  striking,  a'n't  it?"  quoth 
Quirk,  bustling  up  to  them;  "'twas 
painted  for  me  by  a  first-rate  artist, 
whose  brother  I  very  nearly  saved 
from  the  gallows  !  Like  such  things  ? " 
he  enquired  with  a  matter-of-fact  air, 
drawing  down  the  black  gauze. 

"Yes,  sir,  uncommon — most  un- 
common." 

""Well,  I'll  show  you  something 
very  interesting !  Heard  of  Gilderoy, 
that  was  hanged  last  year  for  forgery  ? 
Gad,  my  daughter's  got  a  brooch  with 
a  lock  of  his  hair  in  it,  which  he  gave 
me  himself — a  client  of  mine  :  within 
an  ace  of  getting  him  off — flaw  in  the 
indictment — found  it  out  myself— did, 
by  gad !  Come  along,  and  I'll  get 
Dora  to  show  it  to  you  !  "  and,  putting 
Titmouse's  arm  in  his,  he  led  him  Tip 
to  the  interesting  young  lady. 

"Dora,  just  show  mjr  friend  Tit- 
mouse that  brooch  of  yours,  with 
Gilderoy 's  hair." 

"Oh,  my  dear  ,papa,  'tis  such  a 
melancholy  thing !  "  said  she,  at  the 
same  time  detaching  it  from  her  dress, 
and  handing  it  to  her  papa,  who, 
holding  it  in  his  hands,  gave  Titmouse, 
and  one  or  two  others  who  stood  beside, 
a  very  interesting  account  of  the  last 
hours  of  the  deceased  Gilderoy. 


"He  was  very  handsome,  papa, 
wasn't  he  ? "  enquired  Miss  Quirk  with 
a  sigh,  and  a  very  pensive  air. 

"Wasn't  bad-looking;  but  good 
looks  and  the  condemned  cell  don't 
long  agree  together." 

"Ah,  papa  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Quirk 
in  a  mournful  tone,  and,  leaning  back 
in  the  sofa,  raised  her  handkerchief  to 
her  eyes. 

"  You  are  too  sensitive,  my  love  !  " 
whispered  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Alias,  squeez- 
ing the  hand  of  her  niece,  who,  strug- 
gling against  her  feelings,  presently 
revived. 

"We  were  looking  just  now,"  said 
Mr.  Hug,  addressing  Mr.  Quirk,  "at 
a  very  interesting  addition  to  Miss 
Quirk's  album — that  letter  of  Grizzle- 
gut." 

"Ah,  very  striking!  Yalue  it  be- 
yond everything !  Shall  never  forget 
Grizzlegut !  Very  nearly  got  oil* ! 
'Twas  an  '&c.'  that  nearly  saved  his 
life,  through  being  omitted  in  the 
indictment.  Tore  gad,  we  thought 
we'd  got  'em  !  " 

They  were  alluding  to  an  autograph 
letter  which  had  been  addressed  to 
Mr.  Quirk  by  Grizzlegut,  (who  had 
been  executed  for  high  treason  a  few 
weeks  before,)  the  night  before  he 
suffered.  He  was  a  blood-stained 
scoundrel  of  the  deepest  dye,  and 
ought  to  have  been  hanged  and  quar- 
tered half-a-dozen  times. 

"Will  you  read  it  aloud,  Mr.  Hug  ? " 
enquired  Miss  Quirk  ;  and  the  barris- 
ter, in  a  somewhat  pompous  tone,  read 
the  following  memorable  document : — 

"Condemned  Cell,  Newgate, 
"Friday  night,  7ialf-past  11  o'clock, 
"1st  May,  18—. 
"Sir, 

"At  this  awful  moment,  when  this 
world  is  closing  rapidly  upon  me  and 
my  fellow-sufferers,  and  the  sounds  of 
the  wretches  putting  up  the  Grim 
Gallows  are  audible  to  my  listening 
ears,  and  on  the  morrow  the  most 
horrible  death  that  malicious  tyrants 
can  inflict  awaits  me,  my  soul  being 
calm  and  full  of  fortitude,  and  beating 
responsive  to  the  call  of  Glorious 
Libektv,  I  feel  prouder  than  the  King 


186 


TEN"  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


upon  his  throne.     I  feel  that  I  have 
done  much  to  secure  tlio  liberti 
XO.J  injured  country. 

'For  [iberty,  glorious  Liberty, 
Who'd  fear  to  die  I ' 

Many  thanks  to  you,  sir,  for  your  truly 
indefatigable  efforts  on  my  behalf,  and 
the  constant  exercise  of  a  skill  Hint 
nearly  secured  us  a  <  florious  Acquit 

What  a  1':  true  we  would  have  ra 
in  England  !  That  should  have  blasted 
the  enemies  of  True  Freedom.  I  go 
to  Hereafter,  (if,  indeed,  there  be  a 
hereafter,)  as  we  shall  soon  know,  not 
•with  my  soul  crammed  with  Priest- 
craft, but  a  Bold  Briton,  having  laid 
down  my  life  tor  my  country,  knowing 
that  Future  Ages  will  do  me  Justice. 

"Adieu,  Tyrants,  adieu!     Do  your 
worst!  !     My  soul  defies  you  I  !  ! 
"I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  humble,  obliged,  and 
"undis  srvant, 

"Arthur  Giuzzli:gut. 
"To  Caleb  Quirk,  Dsq. 

"Tyrants  grim 
Will  on  the   morrow  cut  mo   limb  from 

limb, 
While  Liberty  looks  on  with  terrible  eye, 
.And  says,  J  will  avenge  hint  by-and-by." 

"Arthur  Grizzlbgtjt." 

The  reading  of  the  above  produced 

a  great  a  "  That  man's  name 

will  be  i  among  the  Sidneys 

and  the  Hampdens  of  his  country!" 

said  Viper,  with  a  grim  and  e.\ 

air.      "That    letter    deserves    to    be 

carved  on  a  golden  tablet  I     The  lasl 

four    lines    are    sublime  I      lie    was   a 

martyr  to  principles  thai  are  silently 

and  rapidly  making  their  way  in  this 

country."- —  How    much    further   he 

ae  on   in  this  strain, 

it  had  resolution 

ciio'.  fer  witli  or  interrupt  him, 

!  been  so  dii  poi  i  d,  I 

nately  dinner 

rtled 
old  I  i  of 

i  Viper,  and  evident  ad- 
miration of  1  He  j 
his  arm   with  an  air  of   prodigious 
politene   i  to   the    gaunt  Mrs.  Al 
man  Addlehead,  v.h  ise  tied 


lord  led  down  Miss  Quirk — and  the 
rest  followed  in  no  particular  order — 
Titmouse  arm  in  arm  with  Gammon, 
■k  care  to  place  him  next  to 
himself,  (Gammon.)  It  was  really  a 
dashing  sort  of  dinner.  Quirk  had, 
d,  long  been  c<  L<  brated  for  his 
Sunday  dinners.  Til 
seen  anything  like  it  ;  and  was  quite 
bewildered— particularly  at  the  num- 
ber of  differently  shaped  and  coloun  d 
glasses,  &c.  &c.  kc,  placed  opposite 
to  him.  He  kept  a  constant  eye  on 
the  movements  of  Gammon,  and  did 
whatever  he  did,  as  if  the  two  had 

i  moved  by  the  same  set  of  springs, 
and  was  thus  saved  innumerable  em« 
barrassments  and  annoyances.  What 
chiefly  struck  his  attention  was  a  pro- 

■  us  number  of  dishes,  great  and 
small,  as  if  half-a-dozen  dinners  had 
been  crowded  into  one;  the  rapidity 
with  which  they  were  changed,  and 
plates  tei  ion ; 

the  incessant  imitations  to  take  wino 
that  were  flying  about  during  tho 
whole  of  dim:.;-.  For  a  considerable 
while  Titmouse  was  too  much  flurried 
to  i  ojoy  himself;  hut  a  few  glas  tea  of 
chan  ,  I  in  elevating  his 

spirits  to  the  proper  pitch— and  would 
soon  have  driven  them  far  beyond  it. 
Almost  everybody,  except  the  great 
folk  at  the  top  of  the  table,  asked  him 
;  and  he  constantly  tilled 

Jn  fact  Gammon,  r Ilect- 

ing  a  scene  at  his  own  chamber,  soon 

Lved  that,  unless  he   interfered, 

would  he  drunk  long  before 

dinner  was  over.    I  te  had  not  imagi  •  d 

i  be  i  ontain  so  exquisite  a  drink 

bampagne  ;    and  he  could    h 
fallen  down  and  worshipped  it,  as  it 
Qg  and    f  out    of  (he 

1  ea  assured 

that  he  would  he  ill  if  he  drunk 
t,  many  eyes  w.  ; 

not  the  cusl 

lo  do   ■  i|>  from    his 

wine  or  chal- 

et.    But  Titmou   ■   bad   taken  a 

:>  r quantity  on  1  card, 

-n  thus  intei  fored,  tl 
that    gentleman   was    aware  of,   and 

i  to  o,  i  very  voluble.     Guess  tho 
i  !  made,  w Ian  he  called 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


187 


out  with  a  confident  air — "  Mr.  Alder- 
man !  Your  health  !  " — whether  more 
to  that  great  man's  astonishment  or 
disgust  I  cannot  undertake  to  say  : 
but  after  a  steady  stare  for  a  moment 
or  two  at  Titmouse,  "  Oh  !  I  shall  be 
very  happy,  indeed,  Mr.  Gammon," 
he  called  out,  looking  at  the  latter 
gentleman,  and  drinking  with  him. 
That  signified  nothing,  however,  to 
Titmouse,  who,  indeed,  did  not  see 
anything  at  all  pointed  or  unusual, 
and  gulped  down  his  wine  as  eagerly 
as  before. 

"Cool  puppy,  that,  Miss  Quirk, 
must  say,"  snuffled  the  offended 
Alderman  to  Miss  Quirk. 

"  He's  young,  dear  Mr.  Alderman," 
said  she,  sweetly  and  mildly — "and 
when  you  consider  the  immense  for- 
tune he  is  coming  into — ten  thousand 
a-yeav,  my  papa  says " 

"  That  don't  make  him  less  a  puppy 
— nor  a  brute,"  interrupted  the  ruffled 
Alderman,  still  more  indignant ;  for 
his  own  forty  thousand  pounds,  the 
source  of  all  his  social  eminence,  sunk 
into  insignificance  at  the  sound  of  the 
splendid  income  just  about  to  drop 
into  the  lap  of  Titmouse.  Mr.  Bluster, 
who  headed  the  table  on  Miss  Quirk's 
left-hand  side,  and  who  felt  that  he 
aught  to  be,  but  knew  that  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Alderman  he  was  not, 
the  great  man  of  the  day,  observing 
the  irritation  under  which  his  rival 
was  suffering,  immediately  raised  his 
threatening  double-glasses  to  his  eyes, 
and  in  a  tone  of  ostentatious  conde- 
scension, looking  down  the  table  to 
Titmouse,  called  out,  "  Mr.  Titmash 
■ — may  I  have  the  honour  of  drinking 
wine  with  you  ?" 

"  Ya — as,  brother  Bumptious,"  re- 
plied Titmouse,  who  could  never  bear 
to  hear  his  name  mis-pronounced,  and 
he  raised  Ms  glass  to  his  eye;  "was 
just  going  to  ask  you  .'"  All  this  was 
done  in  such  a  loud  ami  impudent 
tone  and  manner,  as  made  Gammon 
still  more  uneasy  for  his  young  com- 
panion. But  his  sally  had  been  re- 
ceived by  the  company  as  a  very  smart 
retort,  and  produced  a  roar  of  laughter, 
every  one  being  glad  to  see  Mr.  Bluster 
snubbed,  who  bore  it  in  silent  dignity, 


though  his  face  showed  his  chagrin  and 
astonishment  ;  and  he  very  "heartily 
agreed,  for  once  in  his  life,  with  the 
worshipful  person  opposite  to  him  in 
his  estimate  of  our  friend  Titmouse. 
"Mr.  Titmouse!  Mr.  Titmouse!  my 
daughter  wonders  you  won't  take  wine 
with  her,"  said  Mr.  Quirk  in  a  low 
tone — "will  you  join  us  ?  we're  going 
to  take  a  glass  of  champagne." 

"  Oh  !  'pon  my  life— delighted  "— 
quoth  Titmouse. 

"Dora,  my  dear!  Mr.  Titmouse 
will  take  wine  with  you ! — Jack,"  (to 
the  servant,)  "fill  Miss  Quirk's  and 
Mr.  Titmouse's  glasses  to  the  brim." 

"  Oh  no  !  dearest  papa." 

"  Tho  !  pho  !  —nonsense — the  first 
time  of  asking,  von  know,  ah,  ha!  " 

"  Well !  If  it  must  be,"  and  with 
what  a  graceful  inclination — with  what 
a  sly  searching  glance,  and  fascinating 
smile,  did  she  exchange  courtesies  wilii 
Titmouse  !  He  felt  disposed  to  take 
wine  with  her  a  second  time  immedi- 
ately ;  but  Gammon  restrained  him. 
Mr.  Toady  Hug,  having  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  brilliant  prospects 
of  Titmouse,  earnestly  desired  to  exert 
his  little  talents  to  do  the  agreeable, 
and  ingratiate  himself  with  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ;  but  there  was  a  counteracting 
force  in  another  direction,  the  attorney, 
Mr.  Flaw,  who  had  the  greatest  prac- 
tice at  the  Clerkenwell  sessions,  sat 
beside  him,  and  received  his  most 
respectful  and  incessant  attentions  ; 
Hug  speaking  ever  to  him  in  a  low 
confidential  whisper,  constantly  cast- 
ing a  furtive  glance  towards  Bluster 
and  Slang,  to  see  whether  they  were 
observing  him.  In  "  strict  confidence  " 
he  assured  Mr.  Flaw  how  his  case,  the 
other  day,  might  have  been  won,  if 
such  and  such  a  course  had  been 
adopted,  "which  would  have  been 
the  line  he"  (Hug)  "would  have 
taken  ; "  and  which  he  explained  with 
anxious  energy.  "I  must  say,  Flip 
regularly  threw  the  case  away — no 
doubt  of  it  !  By  the  way,  what  be- 
came of  that  burglary  case  of  yours, 
on  Friday  ?  " 

"  Found  guilty,  poor  fellows  !  " 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?  " 

"Fact,  by  Jove,  though  !  " 


183 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"Hovr  could  Gobble  have  Inst  that 
verdict  I  I  assure  you  I  would  have 
bet  ten  to  one  on  your  getting  a 
verdict  ;  for  I  read  over  your  brief  as 
it  laj  bei  ide  me,  and  upon  my  honour, 
Mr.  Flaw,  it  was  most  admirably  got 
up.  Everything  depends  on  the 
brief " 

"Glad  you  thought  so,  sir,"  replied 
Flaw,  wondering  how  it  was  that  he 
had  never  1"  fore  thought  of  giving  a 
brief  to  Mr.  Hug. 

"  It's  a  great  mistake  of  counsel  not 
to  pay  the  utmost  attention  to  their 
briefs.  For  my  part,"  continued  Mr. 
Hug,  in  a  still  lower  tone,  "  I  make  a 
point  of  reading  every  syllable  in  my 
brief,  however  long  it  is." 

"It's  the  only  way,  depend  on  it, 
sir.  We  attorneys,  you  know,  see  and 
know  so  much  of  the  ease,  conversing 
confidentially  with  the  prisoners " 

"Ay,  and  beyond  that,  Your  prac- 
tical   suggestions,    my  dear    sir,    are 

•ften Now,    for    instance,    in   the 

brief  I  was  alluding  to,  there  was,  I 
recollect  —  one  most  —  uncommonly 
acute  suggestion." 

"Which  was  it,  sir?"  enquired  the 
attorney  briskly,  his  countenance  .bow- 
ing the  progress  of  Hug's  lubricating 
process. 

"  Oh  — why — a — a — hem  !  "  stam- 
mered Hug,  somewhat  nonplussed — 
"No;  it  would  hardly  he  fair  t  i 
Gobble,  and  I'm  sorry  indeed " 

"  Well,  well— it  can't  he  helped 
noiv — hut  I  must  say  that  once  or 
twice   latterly  I've  thought,   myself, 

that  Mr.  Gobble  has  rather By  the 

V  •,  Mr.  Ih:;/,  shall  you  he  in  town 
this  week,  till  the  end  of  thi         ions?" 

"Ye  —  e  —  s!"  hastily  whispered 
Mug,  after  glancing  guiltily  toward-; 
his  brethren,  who,  though  they  did 
not  seem  to  do  so,  were  really  watch- 
ing him  closely. 

"  I'm  happy  to  hear  it  !  —You've 
heard  of  Aaron  1  too. lie,  who  was  com- 
mitted   for    that    burglary   at  ? 

"Well,  1  defend  him,  and  shall  be 
happy  to  give  you  t  he  bi  ief.  1  >o  vou 
1  d  Mr.  Doll  I'1  Hugnodded.  '"Idea! 
he  will  be  youi  junior.  Where  an 
your  chamber  ,  Mr.  Hug'  '<" 

"No.   4,  Cant   Court,  Gray's  Inn. 


When,  my  dear  sir,  docs  the  case  come 
on  ?  " 

"  Thursday — perhaps  Wednesday." 

"  Then  do  come  and  breakfast  wi'h 
mo,  and  we  can  talk  it  over,  you  know, 
so  nicely  together." 

"Sir,  you're  very  polite.  I  will  do 
myself  the  pleasure — "  replied  Mr. 
Flaw — and  took  wine  with  Mr.  Ho 

This  little  stroke  of  business  over, 
the  disengaged  couple  were  at  liberty 
to  attend  to  the  general  conversation 
of  the  tahle.  Mr.  Bluster  and  Mr. 
Slang  kept  the  company  in  almost  a 
constant  roar,  with  descriptions  of 
scenes  in  court,  in  which  they  had,  of 
course,  been  the  principal  actors ;  and 
according  to  their  own  accounts  they 
must  be  wonderful  fellows.  Such 
botherers  of  judges  ! — Such  bafflers  and 
browbeaters  of  witnesses  ! — Such  bam- 
boozlers  of  juries ! 

You  should  have  seen  the  sneering 
countenance  of  Hug  all  the  while.  He 
never  once  smiled  or  laughed  at  the 
brilliant  sallies  of  his  brethren,  and 
did  his  best  to  prevent  his  new  patron, 
Mr.  Flaw,  from  doing  so- -com t  U 
putting  his  hand  before  his  mouth., 
ami  whispering  into  Mr.  Flaw's  ear  at 
the  very  point  of  the  joke  or  story — 
and  the  smile  would  disappear  fri 
the  countenance  of  Mr.  Flaw. 

The  alderman  laughed  till  the  tears 
ran  out  of  his  little  eyes,  which  he 
constantly  wiped  with  his  napkin. 
Amidst  the  general  laughter  and  ex- 
citement, l\Iiss  Quirk,  leaning  her  chin 
on  In  r  hand,  her  elbow  resting  on  the 
tahle,  several  times  directed  soft,  lan- 
guishing looks  towards  Titmouse,  un- 
observed by  any  one  hut  himself  ;  and 
they  were  not  entirely  unsuccessful, 
although  Titmouse  was  wonderfully 
taken  with  the  stories  of  the  two  COUn- 

Drs,  and  believed  them  to  be  two  of 
the  greatest  men  he  had  evei  een  or 
In  aid  of,  and  at  the  head  of  their 
profi  Bsion. 

"Ton  my  soul—]  hope,  ir,  you'll 
have  tho  e  two  gents  in  my  case  I " 
■iid  he  e  irnestly  to  <  lammon, 

"  Unfortunately,  your  ease  will  not 

eon ii  iii  theircoui  I  ,"  i  aid  ( lammon, 

with  a  very  expri        i       jlo. 

"Why,    can't    it  Come    on   while   1 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


189 


choose  ? — or  when  you  like  ?  "  enquired 
Titmouse  surprisedly. 

Mr.  Quirk  had  been  soured  during 
the  whole  of  dinner,  for  hehad  anxiously 
desired  to  have  Titmouse  sit  beside 
him  at  the  bottom  of  the  table  ;  but 
in  the  little  hubbub  attendant  upon 
coming  down  to  dinner  and  taking 
places,  Titmouse  slipped  out  of  sight 
for  a  minute ;  and  when  all  were 
placed,  Quirk's  enraged  eye  perceived 
him  seated  in  the  middle  of  the  table, 
beside  Gammon.  Gammon  always  got 
hold  of  Titmouse.  Old  Quirk  could 
have  flung  a  decanter  at  his  head. — 
In  his  own  house  ! — at  his  own  table  ! 
Always  anticipating  and  circumventing 
him. 

"Mr.  Quirk,  I  don't  think  we've 
taken  a  glass  of  wine  together  yet,  have 
we  ?"  said  Gammon  with  a  bland  and 
cordial  manner,  at  the  same  time  pour- 
ing himself  out  a  glass  of  wine.  He 
perfectly  well  knew  what  was  annoying 
his  respected  partner,  whose  look  of 
quaint  embarrassment,  when  so  sud- 
denly assailed,  infinitely  amused  him. 
"Catch  me  asking  you  here  again, 
Master  Gammon,"  thought  Quirk, 
"the  next  time  that  Titmouse  dines 
here !  "  The  reason  why  Mr.  Snap 
had  not  been  asked  was,  that  Quirk 
had  some  slight  cause  to  suspect  his 
having  conceived  the  notion  of  paying 
his  addresses  to  Miss  Quirk — a  thing 
at  any  time  not  particularly  palatable 
to  Mr.  Quirk  ;  but  in  the  present  con- 
juncture of  circumstances  quite  out  of 
the  question,  and  intolerable  even  in 
idea.  Snap  was  not  slow  in  guessing 
the  reason  of  his  exclusion,  which 
had  greatly  mortified,  and  also  not  a 
little  alarmed  him.  As  far  as  he 
could  venture,  he  had,  during  the 
week,  endeavoured  to  "  set "  Titmouse 
"  against "  Miss  Quirk,  by  such  faint 
disparaging  remarks  and  insinuations 
as  he  dared  venture  upon  with  so 
difficult  a  subject  as  Titmouse,  whom 
he  at  the  same  time  inflamed  by  repre- 
sentations of  the  splendid  matches  he 
might  very  soon  command  among  the 
highest  women  of  the  land.  By  these 
means  Snap  had,  to  a  certain  extent, 
succeeded  ;  but  the  few  melting  glances 
which    had    fallen    upon    Titmouse's 


sensitive  bosom  from  the  eyes  of  Miss 
Quirk,  were  beginning  to  operate  a 
slight  change  in  his  feelings.  The  old 
alderman,  on  an  intimation  that  the 
"  ladies  were  going  to  withdraw,"  laid 
violent  hands  on  Miss  Quirk,  (he  wa3 
a  "privileged  "  old  fool,)  and  insisted 
on  her  singing  his  favourite  song, — • 
"My  Friend  and  Pitcher."  His  re- 
quest was  so  warmly  seconded  by  the 
rest  of  the  company,  Titmouse  as  loud 
and  eager  as  any,  that  she  was  fain  to 
comply.  She  sung  with  some  sweet- 
ness, and  much  self-possession.  She 
carried  Titmouse's  feelings  along  with 
her  from  the  beginning,  as  Gammon, 
who  was  watching  him,  perceived. 

"Most  uncommon  lovely  gal,  isn't 
she  ?"  whispered  Titmouse,  with  great 
vivacity. 

"  Very  !  "  replied  Gammon  drily, 
with  a  slight  smile. 

' '  Shall  I  call  out  encore  ?  A'n't  that 
the  word  ?  Ton  my  soul,  most  lovely 
gal !  she  must  sing  it  again." 

"No,  no — she  wish.es  to  go — 'tis 
not  usual :  she  will  sing  it  for  you,  I 
dare  say,  this  evening,  if  you  ask  her." 

"Well  —  most  charming  gal!  — 
Lovely !  "— 

"Have  patience,  my  dear  Tit- 
mouse," said  Gammon,  in  a  low  whis- 
per, "in  a  few  months'  time  you'll 
soon  be  thrown  into  much  higher  life 
than  this — among  really  beautiful,  and 
rich,  and  accomplished  women " — 
[and,  thought  Gammon,  you'll  resemble 
a  monkey  that  has  found  his  way  into 
a  rich  tulip-bed !] 

"  Fancy  Miss  Tag-rag  standing  be- 
side her,"  whispered  Titmouse,  scom- 
fully. 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  gently  laughed  Gammon 
— "both  of  them,  in  their  way,  are 
very  worthy  persons  ;  but  " — Here  the 
ladies  withdrew.  'Twas  no  part  of 
Gammon's  plans  that  Titmouse  should 
become  the  son-in-law  of  either  Quirk 
or  Tag-rag.  Mr.  Gammon  had  formed 
already,  vastly  different  plans  for  him  ! 

As  soon  as  Quirk  had  taken  the  head 
of  the  table,  and  the  gentlemen  drawn 
together,  the  bottles  were  pushed  round 
very  briskly,  accompanied  by  no  less 
than  three  different  sorts  of  snuff- 
boxes, all  belonging  to  Mr.  Quirk — all 


190 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAlt. 


of  them  presents  from  clients.  One 
was  a  huge  affair  of  Botany  Bay  wood, 
with  a  very  flaming  inscription  on  the 
inside  of  the  lid;  from  which  it  ap- 
pealed tint  its  amiable  donors,  who 
were  trying  the  effect  of  a  change  of 
climate  on  their  moral  health  a1 
expense  of  a  grateful  country,  owed 
their  valuable  lives  to  the  pro 
skill  and  exertions  of  "Caleb  Quirk, 
Esq."  In  short,  the  other  two  were 
trophi  s  of  a  similar  description,  of 
which  their  possessor  was  very  just* y 
not  a  little  proud  ;  and* as  he  saw  Tit- 
mouse adorning  them,  it  occurred  to 
him  as  very  possible  that,  within  a  few 
months'  time,  he  should  be  in  ]  osses- 
sion  of  a  ma  I  gold  snuff-box, 

in  acknowledgment  of  the  services  he 
should   have  n  n  !<  red   to  his  di  ' 
guished  guest  and  client.     Titm 
was  in  the  highest  possible  spi 
This,  his  first  glimpse  into  high  life, 
equalled  all  his  expei  tation  i.      I.' 
and    round   went    the   bottles— crack 
went  joke  after  joke.    Sling  sung  i 
upon  song,  of,  however,  bo  v<  ry  i 
and   broad  a  character  as   infinitely 
■isted    Gammon,   and   apparently 
shocked     the    alderman  ; — though    I 
greatly  distrust  that  old  sinner's  sin- 
cerity in  the  matter.     Then  Ghastly *s 
JierfoTmances  commenced.     Poor  fel- 
ow  !  he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost 
1"  earn  the  good   dinner  he  had  just 
devoured  :  but  when  he  was  in  the 
very  middle  of  one  of  his  most  im- 
pasi  Loned  scenes — undoubtedly  "  ' 
ing  a  passion  to  rags,"— Mr.  Quirk 
interrupt  sd,     impatiently  ■ —  "  O 
come,  Gl  we've  had  enoti  ;h  i  f 

that  sort — it  don't  suit  at  all! — Lord 
bless  us  ! — don't  roar  so,  man  !  " 

Poor  Ghastly  instantly  re  umed  his 
seat,  with  a  chagrined  and  melancholy 
air. 

i  something  funny,  "snuffled 
the  al 

"Let1  h  ive  the  i  horus  of  Pigs  and 
Duel     "  Baid  Quirk  ;    '•  that 

J   coul  the 

animals  were  running,  and 

out  the  i ""in." 
The  actor  did  as  he  was  desired,  i 
men  li,  and  was  much 

applauded.     At  length  <  lammon  hap- 


pened to  get  into  a  discussion  with 
Mr.  Bluster  upon  Borne  point  connected 
with  the  II  ibi  as  Corpus  Act,  in  which 
our  friend  Gammon,  who   never 

ted  in  discussion,  and  was  > 
accurate  in  whatever  he  knew,  had 
glaringly  the  best  of  it.  His  calm, 
smiling  self-possession  almost  drove 
poor  Bluster  frantic.  The  less  he 
knew,  of  course  the  louder  he  talked, 
the   more  vehement  and   positive  he 

■me  ;  at  length  offering  &bet  that 
he  was  right;  at  which*  lammon  bov  . 
smiled,  and  closed  the  discussion. 
While  engaged  in  it,  he  had  of  course 
be<  n  unable  to  keep  his  eye  upon  Tit- 
mouse, who  drunk,  consequently,  like 
a  little  fish,  never  letting  the  bottle 
pa  shim.  Every  one  abou'„  him  filled 
his  glass  every  time — why  should  not 

he? 

Hug  sit  next  to  Viper  ;  feared  him, 
and  avoided  discussion  with  him  ;  Epr, 
though  they  agreed  in  their  n 

b  were  of  th  ■  loo    si  ana  lowest 
L  i  iption,  they  had  a  per- 

il to  the  other.  In 
spite  of  their  wishes,  they  at  length 
got  (  1  in  a  very  virulent  con- 

troversy, and  said  si  many  insulting 
things  to  each  other,  that  the 
I  he  I  .  who   had    for  some   1  i 

b  en  amu  i  I,  got  at  length  —not  di  i- 

gusted — hut  alarmed,  for  the  possible 
i.  'i Its.  Mr.  Quirk,  therefore,  inter- 
fered. 

"Bravo!  bravo!  bravo!"  he  ex- 
claimed, as  Viper  concluded  a  most 
envenomed    pa  "  that    will    do, 

Viper — whip  it  in!"  the  next  Flash — 
'twill  he  a  capital  leader!  It  will 
produce  a  sensation!  And  in  the 
mean  time,  gentlemen,  let  me  req 
you  to  fill  your  glasses — bumpers  for 
1  have  a  toast  to  pri  n   which 

you'll  all  feel  inti  n  sted  when  you  I 
who's  th  of  it.     It  is  o  g  mtle- 

man  who  is  likely  soon  to  1  ited 

ion  whii  u  N  formed 

him — hem  !  hem  ! — to  adorn   — " 
"  Mr.  Quirk's  pro  your  health, 

TitmOU  e  !  "  ■  i  (lammon  to  h:s 

\  i  i  y 
ome  time,  had  at  li 
bUi  el  -his  I 
on  his  ha  d,  his  i  Ibow  on  the  lablo — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


191 


Lis  eyes  languidly  half  open,  and  his 
face  exceedingly  pale.  Gammon  saw 
that  he  was  in  truth  in  a  very  ticklish 
condition. 

"  I — wish — you'd — let  me — go  out 
— I'm  devilish  ill" — said  Titmouse, 
faintly.  Gammon  made  a  signal  to 
Quirk,  who  instantly  ceased  his  speech ; 
and,  coming  down  to  Titmouse,  he 
and  Gammon  hastily  led  him  out  of 
the  room,  and  into  the  nearest  bed- 
chamber, where  he  began  to  be  very 
ill,  and  so  continued  for  several  hours. 
Old  Quirk,  who  was  a  long-headed 
man,  was  delighted  by  this  occurrence  ; 
for  he  saw  that  if  he  insisted  on  Tit- 
moose's  being  put  to  bed,  and  passing 
the  night- — and  perhaps  the  next  day 
— at  Alibi  House,  it  would  enable  Miss 
Quirk  to  bring  her  attractions  to  bear 
upon  him  effectively,  by  exhibiting 
those  delicate  and  endearing  attentions 
which  are  so  soothing,  and  indeed 
necessary  to  an  invalid.  Titmouse 
continued  severely  indisposed  during 
the  whole  of  the  night ;  and,  early  in 
the  morning,  it  was  thought  advisable 
to  send  for  a  medical  man,  who  pro- 
nounced Titmouse  to  be  in  danger  of  a 
bilious  fever,  anel  to  require  rest,  and 
care,  and  medical  attendance  for  some 
days  to  come.  This  was  rather  "too 
much  of  a  good  thing"  for  old  Quirk 
— but  there  was  no  remedy.  Fore- 
seeing that  Titmouse  would  be  thrown 
constantly,  for  some  little  time  to 
come,  into  Miss  Quirk's  company,  her 
prudent  parent  enjoined  upon  Mrs. 
Alias,  his  sister,  the  necessity  of  im- 
pressing on  his  daughter's  mind  the 
great  uncertainty  that,  after  all,  ex- 
isted as  to  Titmouse's  prospects  ;  and 
the  consequent  necessity  there  was  for 
her  to  regulate  her  conduct  with  a 
view  to  either  failure  or  success — to 
keep  her  affections,  as  it  were,  in  abey- 
ance. But  the  fact  was,  that  Miss 
Quirk  had  so  often  heard  the  subject 
of  Titmouse's  brilliant  expectations 
talked  of  by  her  father,  anel  knew  so 
well  his  habitual  prudence  anel  cau- 
tion, that  she  looked  upon  Titmouse's 
speedy  possession  of  ten  thousand  a- 
year  as  a  matter  almost  of  certainty. 
She  was  a  girl  of  some  natural  shrewd- 
11  bs,  but   of  an  early  inclination  to 


maudlin  sentimentality.  Had  she 
been  blessed  with  the  vigilant  and 
affectionate  care  of  a  mother  as  she 
grew  up,  (her  mother  having  died 
when  Miss  Quirk  was  but  a  child,) 
and  been  thrown  among  a  different  set 
of  people  from  those  who  constantly 
visited  at  Alibi  House — and  of  whom 
a  very  favourable  specimen  has  been, 
laid  before  the  reader  —  Miss  Quirk 
might  really  have  become  a  very 
sensible  and  agreeable  girl.  As  it  was, 
her  manners  had  contracted  a  certain 
coarseness,  which  at  length  overspread 
her  whole  character ;  and  the  selfish 
and  mercenary  motives  by  which  she 
could  not  fail  to  perceive  all  her  father's 
conduct  regulated,  infected  herself. 
She  resolved,  therefore,  to  be  governed 
by  the  considerations  so  urgently 
pressed  upon  her  by  both  her  father 
and  her  aunt. 

It  was  several  days  before  Titmouse 
was  allowed,  by  his  medicnl  man,  to 
quit  his  bedroom  ;  and  it  is  impossible 
for  any  woman  not  to  bo  touched  by 
the  sight  of  a  sudden  change  effected 
in  a  man  by  severe  indisposition  and 
suffering — even  be  that  man  so  poor  a 
creature  as  Titmouse.  He  was  very 
pale,  and  considerably  reduced  by  tho 
s  ivere  nature  of  his  complaint,  and  of 
the  powerful  medicines  which  had  been 
administered  to  him.  "When  he  made 
his  first  appearance  before  Miss  Quirk, 
one  afternoon,  with  somewhat  feeble 
gait,  and  a  languid  air  that  mitigated, 
if  it  did  not  obliterate,  the  foolish  and 
conceited  expression  of  his  features, 
she  really  regarded  him  with  consider- 
able interest ;  and,  though  she  might 
hardly  have  owned  it  even  to  herself, 
his  expected  good  fortune  invested  him 
with  a  kind  of  subdued  radiance.  Ten 
thousand  a-yrar  /—Miss  Quirk's  heart 
fluttered  !  "By  the  time  that  he  was 
well  enough  to  take  his  departure,  she 
had,  at  his  request,  read  over  to  him 
nearly  half  of  that  truly  interesting 
work  —  the  Newgate  Calendar;  she 
had  sung  to  him,  and  played  to  him, 
whatever  he  asked  her  ;  and,  in  short, 
she  felt  that  if  she  could  but  be  certain 
that  he  would  gain  his  great  lawsuit, 
and  step  into  ten  thousand  a-year,  she 
could  love  him.     She  insisted,  on  the 


192 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


day  of  Lis  quitting  Alibi  House,  that 
he  should  write  in  her  album  ;  and  he 
very  readily  complied.  It  was  nearly 
ten  minutes  before  he  could  get  a  pen 
to  suit  him.  At  length  he  succeeded, 
and  left  the  following  interesting  me- 
mento of  himself,  in  the  very  centre 
of  a  fresh  page  : — 

"  Tittlebat  Titmouse  Is  My  name, 
England  Is  My  Nation, 
London  la  My  dwelling-Place, 

And  Christ  la  My  Salvation. 

"  Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
"  halibi  lodge." 

Miss  Quirk  turned  pale  with  aston- 
ishment  and  vexation  on  siring  this 
elegant  and  interesting  addition  to  her 
album.  Titmouse,  on  the  contrary, 
looked  at  it  with  no  little  pride;  for 
having  had  a  capital  pen,  and  his  hi 
being  in  his  task,  he  had  produced 
what  he  conceived  to  lie  a  very  superior 
specimen  of  penmanship  :  in  fact,  the 
iturc  was  by  far  the  best  he  had 
overwritten.  When  he  had  gone,  Miss 
Quirk  was  twenty  times  on  the  point 
of  tearing  out  the  leaf  which  had  been 
so  dismally  disfigured  ;  but  on  her 
father  coming  home  in  the  evening, 
he  laughed  heartily — "and  as  to  tear- 
ing it  out,"  said  he,  "let  us  first  sec 
Which  way  the  verdict  is." 

Titmouse  became,  after  this,  a  pretty 
frequent  visitor  at  Alibi  House  ;  grow- 
ing more  and  more  attached  to  Miss 
Quirk,  who,  however,  conducted  her- 
self towards  him  with  much  judgment. 
His  inscription  on  her  album  hid  done 
a  vast  deal  towards  cooling  down  the 
ardour  with  which  she  had  1  een  dis- 
posed to  regard  even  the  future  owner 
of  ten  thousand  a-year.  Poor  Snip 
seemed  to  have  lost  all  chs  nee,  1 
treated  with  greater  coldne  a  by  M  i  3 
Quirk  on  every  succ  ■  ding  \  i 
Alibi  House.  At  this  he  was  sorely 
discomfit*  d  ;  for  she  would  have  what- 
ever money  her  father  mi,  lit  i 

in  th  •  pai  tnership  hi  ini  ss.  "1'was  a 
difficult  thing  for  him  to  pi  erve  his 
temper  in  h  atimacy  « ith  Tit- 

mouse, who  had  bo  grievously  interfered 
with  hi 

The  indisposition  T  have  been  men- 
tioning, prevented  Titmouse  from  pay- 


ing his  promised  visit  to  Satin  Lodge. 
On  returning  to  his  lodgings,  from 
Alibi  House,  he  found  that  Tar 
had  either  called  or  sent  every  day  to 
enquire  after  him  with  the  most  affec- 
tionate anxiety  ;  and  one  or  two  n< 
lying  on  his  table,  apprised  him  of  the 
lively  distress  which  tin;  ladies  of  Satin 
Lodge  were  enduring  on  his  account, 
and  implored  him  to  lose  not  a  moment 
in  communicating  the  state  of  his 
health,  and  personally  assuring  them 
of  his  safety.  Though  the  image  of 
Miss  Quirk  was  continually  before  his 
eyes,  Titmouse,  nevertheless,  had  cun- 
ning enough  not  to  drop  the  slightest 
hint  to  the  Tag-rags  of  the  true  stato 
of  his  feelings.  Whenever  any  en- 
quiry, with  ill-disguised  anxiety,  was 
made  by  Mrs.  Tag-rag  concerning  Alibi 
House  and  its  inmates,  Titmouse  would, 
to  be  sure,  mention  Miss  Quirk,  but  in 
such  a  careless  and  slighting  way  as 
gave  great  consolation  and  encoui 
ment  to  Tag-rag,  his  wife,  and  daugh- 
ter. When  at  Mr.  Quirks,  he  s\ 
somewhat  unreservedly  of  the  amiable 
inmates  of  Satin  Lodge.  These  two 
dons  were  alm<  si  the  only  private 
residences  visited  by  Titmouse,  who 
spent,  his  time  much  in  the  wav which 
1  have  already  d<  cribed.  How  ho 
go1  through  his  days  1  can  hardly  tell. 
At  his  lodgings  he  ;;..t  up  very  late, 
and  went  to  lied  very  lite.  He  never 
read  any;  hing  except  ing  occasionally  a 
song-book  lent  him  by  Snap,  era  novel, 
or  some  such  book  as  "  Boxiana,"  from 
the    circulating    library.       Dawdling 

over  his  die  is  and    his   breakfast,  then 

whistling  and  humming,  took  up  so 
much  of  every  day  as  h  •  passe  I  ai  his 
lodgings.    The  re  I  \  asapenl  in  idling 

it    the  town,  lool  ing  in  at   1 1 
windows,  and  now  and  then  going  to 

■  pel  ty  exhibition.    When  ovi  i 
came,  he  \  lyjoined  by  Si 

w  hen  they  won  d  • ,  end  the  n 
gether  in  the  manner  J  b  idy 

desci ilied.     As  ofti  ii  as  he  dared,  he 
called  at  Mes  i  i.  Quirk,  1 1  immon,  and 
."-nap's    offii  e    at    Saffron     Hill. 
worried  them  not  a  lil  I  le  by  enqui 
concerning  the  i  tate  of  hie  affairs,  and 
the  cause  of  the  delay  in  comment 
proceedings.     As  fur  Huckaback,   by 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


193 


the  way,  Titmouse  cut  him  entirely ; 
saying  that  he  was  a  devilish  low 
fellow,  and  it  was  no  use  knowing  him. 
He  made  many  desperate  efforts,  both 
personally  and  by  letter,  to  renew  his 
acquaintance  with  Titmouse,  but  in 
vain.  I  may  as  well  mention,  bj-  the 
way,  that  as  soon  as  Snap  got  scent  of 
the  little  money  transaction  between 
his  friend  and  Huckaback,  ha  called 
upon  the  latter,  and  tendering  him 
twelve  shillings,  demanded  up  the 
document  which  he  had  extorted  from 
Titmouse.  Huckaback  held  out  ob- 
stinately for  some  time — but  Snap  was 
too  much  for  him,  and  talked  in  such 
a  formidable  strain  about  an  indictment 
for  a  conspiracy  (!)  and  fraud,  that 
Huckaback  at  length  consented,  on 
receiving  twelve  shillings,  to  deliver 
uptne  document  to  Snap,  on  condition 
of  Snap's  destroying  it  on  the  spot. 
This  was  done,  and  so  ended  all  inter- 
course— at  least  on  this  side  of  the  grave 
— between  Titmouse  and  Huckaback. 

The  sum  allowed  by  Messrs.  Quirk 
and  Gammon  to  Titmouse,  was  amply 
sufficient  to  have  kept  him  in  comfort ; 
but  it  never  would  have  enabled  him 
to  lead  the  kind  of  life  which  I  have 
described — and  he  would  certainly  have 
got  very  awkwardly  involved,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  kindness  of  Snap  in 
advancing  him,  from  time  to  time, 
such  sums  as  his  exigencies  required. 
In  fact,  matters  went  on  as  quietly 
and  smoothly  as  possible  for  several 
months  —  till  about  the  middle  of 
November,  when  an  event  occurred 
that  seemed  to  threaten  the  total 
demolition  of  all  his  hopes  and  ex- 
pectations. 

He  had  not  seen  or  heard  from 
Messrs.  Quirk  or  Gammon  for  nearly 
a  fortnight ;  Snap  he  had  not  seen  for 
nearly  a  week.  At  length  he  ventured 
to  make  his  appearance  at  Saifron  Hill, 
and  was  received  with  a  startling 
coldness — a  stern  abruptness  of  man- 
ner, that  frightened  him  out  of  his 
wits.  All  the  three  partners  were 
alike — as  for  Snap,  the  contrast  be- 
tween his  present  and  his  former  man- 
ner was  perfectly  shocking  ;  he  seemed 
quite  another  person.  The  fact  was, 
that  the  full  statement  of  Titmouse's 


claims  had  been  laid  before  Mr.  Subtle, 
the   leading  counsel  retained  in  his 
behalf,  for  his  opinion,  before  actually 
commencing    proceedings ;    and     the 
partners  were  indeed  thunderstruck  on 
receiving  that  opinion  :  for  Mr.  Subtle 
pointed    out    a   radical   deficiency   of 
proof  in  a  matter  which,  as  soon  as 
their   attention    was    thus    pointedly 
called  to  it,  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Gam- 
mon   were    amazed    at    their   havinf 
overlooked,     and    still    more    at    its 
having    escaped    the    notice    of    Mr. 
Tivsayle,    Mr.     Mortmain,    and    Mr. 
Frankpledge.     Mr.  Quirk  hurried  with 
the  opinion  to  the  first  two  gentlemen  ; 
and  after  a  long  interview  with  each, 
they  owned  their  fears  that  Mr.  Subtle 
was  right,  and  that  the  defect  seemed 
incurable  ;  but     they     showed     their 
agitated   clients,   that  they  had  been 
guilty  of  neither  oversight  uor  ignor- 
ance, inasmuch  as  the  matter  in  ques- 
tion   was   one   of  evidence   only — one 
which  a  nisi  jn-ius  lawyer,  with  a  full 
detail  of  "proofs"  before  him,  could 
hardly  fail  to  light  upon — but  which, 
it  would  be  found,  had  been  assumed 
and  taken  for  granted  in  the  cases  laid 
before  conveyancers.     They  promised 
to  turn  it  over  in  their  minds,  and  to 
let  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Gammon  know 
if  anything   occurred    to   vary   their 
impression.      Mr.    Tresayle   and   Mr. 
Mortmain,     however,     preserved     an 
ominous  silence.     As  for  Frankpledge, 
he  had  a  knack,  somehow  or  another, 
of  always    coming   to  the  conclusion 
wished  and  hoped  for  by  his  clients ; 
and,  after   prodigious  pains,    wrote  a 
very  long  opinion,  to  show  that  there 
was  nothing  in  the  objection.     Neither 
Mr.    Quirk  nor  Mr.    Gammon  could 
understand  the  process  by  which  Mr. 
Frankpledge  arrived  at  such  a  result ; 
but,  in  despair,  they  laid  his  opinion 
before  Mr.  Subtle,  in  the  shape  of  a 
second  case  for  his  opinion.     It  was, 
in  a  few  days'  time,  returned  to  them, 
witli  only  a  line  or  two — thus  : — 

"With  every  respect  for  the  gentle- 
man who  wrote  this  opinion,  I  cannot 
perceive  what  it  has  to  do  with  the 
question.  I  see  no  reason  whatever  to 
depart  from  the  view  I  have  already 
taken  of  this  case. — J.  S. " 


194 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


Here  was  something  like  a  dead 
lock,  indeed ! 

"We're  don-1,  Gammon!"  id 
Quirk  with  a  dismayed  air,  I  fammon 
seemed  lost,  and  made  no  answer. 

"Does  anything — eh!  Anything 
occur  to  you  ?  Gammon,  I  u-ill  Bay 
this  for  you — you're  a  longheaded 
fellow  !  "     Still  Gammon  spoke  not. 

"Gammon!  Gammon!  I  really 
believe — vou  begin  to  see  something." 

"Its  to  be  done,  Mr.  Quirk!"  said 
Gammon  at  length,  with  a  grave  and 
apprehensive  look,  and  a  check  paler 
than  before. 

"Eh?   how?      Oh,    I    see!— Know 
what   you    mean,    Gammon,"    replied 
Quirk  with  a  hurried  whisper,  glanc- 
ing at  both  doors  to  see  that  they 
sale. 

"  Wo  must  resume  our  intercourse 

with  Titmouse,  and  let  matters  go  on 

fire,"  said  Gammon  with  a  very 

anxious,   but,   at    the  same   time,   a 

determined  air. 

"  I — I  wonder  if  what  has  occurred 
tn  you  is  what  has  occurred  to  me?" 
enquired  Quirk  in  an  eager  whisper. 

"Pooh  !  pooh!  Mr.  Quirk." 

"Gammon,  dear  Gammon,  no  mys- 
tery !  You  know  1  have  a  deep  stake 
in  this  matter  !  " 

"So  have  I,  Mr.  Quirk,"  replied 
Gammon  with  a  sigh.  "  However " — 
Here  the  partners  put  their  heads 
close  together,  and  whispered  to  ea  b 
other  in  a  low,  earnest  tone,  for  ^ 
minutes.  Quirk  rose  from  his  seat, 
and  took  two  or  three  turns  aboul  the 
room  in  silence,  Gammon  watching 
him  calmly. 

To  his  inexpressible  relief  and  joy, 
within  a  few  hours  of  the  happening 

colloquy,  Titmoii 
hi  -1  mi  precis*  ly  1  i 

n  ith  Me    rs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap. 

In  order  to  bring  on  the  cause  for 
trial  at  the  next  spring  assizes,  it  was 

-,  that  the  declaration  in  e, 
im  nl  should  be  served  on  tl 
in  j,  i  !i  bi  fore  Hilary  term  ;  and, 

in  a  matter  of  such  magnitude,  if 
deemed  expedient  for  Snap  t  i  go  down 
uml    pi  i  anally  effei  t    the  b<  i  i  ice   in 
question.      Ju  consequence,   al  o,   of 


some  very  important  suggestions  as  to 
the  evidence,  given  by  the  junior  in 
the  cause,  it  was  arranged  that  Snap 
should  go  down  about  a  week  before 
the  time  fixed  upon  for  effecting  the 
service,  and  make  minute  enquiries 
as  to  one  or  two  facts  which  it  was 
understood    could  be  esti  i    in 

evidence.  As  soon  as  Titmouse  heard 
of  this  movement,  that  Snap  was 
piling  direct  to  Yatton,  the  scene  of 
his,  Titmouse's,  future  greatness,  he 
made  the  most  pertinacious  and  vi 
meiit  entreaties  to  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Gammon  to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
him,  even  going  down  on  his  k.  1 1  s. 
There  was  no  resisting  this  ;  but  they 
exacted  a  solemn  pledge  from  him  that 
he  would  place  himself  entirely  at  the 
disposal  of  Snap ;  go  under  sunn; 
[i  i  ned  name,  and,  in  short,  neither 
i.  nor  do  anything  tending  to  disclose 
their  real  character  or  errand. 

Snap  and  Titmouse  established 
themselves  at  the  Hare  and  Hounds 
Inn  at  Grilston ;  and  the  former 
immediately  began,  cautiously  and 
quietly,  to  collect  such  evidence  as 
he  could  discover.     One  of  the  first 

ons  to  whom  he  went  was  old 
blind  Bess,  rlis  many  pressing  ques- 
tions at  length  stirred  up  in  the  old 
woman's  mind  recollections  of  long- 
forgotten  names,  persons,  places, 
scenes,  and  associations,  thereby  pro- 
ducing an  agitation  not  easily  to  be 

rid  of,  and  which  ha  1  by  no  means 
subsided  when  Dr.  Tatham  and  Mr. 
Aubrey  paid  her  the   I  -  day 

visit,  which  has  been  already  described. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  reader  has  had  already  pretty 
im  t  indical  ions  i  f  the  manner  in 
which  Ti 

;  their  Btay  in  Yi  rk- 
e,.and  which,    1    fear,   have 
[i  d  to  raise  either  of  these  gentle- 
men in  the  reader's  estui  al  ion.     Tit- 
nini:  ested  a  wry  ii. ii  ura]  anxiety 

to  «e  the  present  occupants  of  Yatton  j 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


195 


and  it  was  with  infinite  difficulty  that 
Snap  could  prevent  him  from  sneaking 
about  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  the  Hall,  with  the  hope  of  seeing 
them.  His  first  encounter  with  Mr. 
and  Miss  Aubrey  was  entirely  acci- 
dental, as  the  reader  may  remember  ; 
and  when  he  found  that  the  lady  on 
horseback  near  Yatton,  and  the  lady 
whom  he  had  striven  to  attract  the 
notice  of  in  Hyde  Park,  were  one  and 
the  same  beautiful  woman,  and  that 
that  beautiful  woman  was  neither  more 
nor  less  than  the  sister  of  the  present 
owner  of  Yatton — the  marvellous  dis- 
covery created  a  mighty  pother  in  his 
little  feelings.  The  blaze  of  Kate 
Aubrey's  beauty,  in  an  instant  con- 
sumed the  images  both  of  Tabitha 
Tag-rag  and  Dora  Quirk.  It  even  for 
a  while  outshone  the  splendours  of  ten 
thousand  a-year :  such  is  the  inex- 
pressible and  incalculable  power  of 
woman's  beauty  over  everything  in 
the  shape  of  man — over  even  so  des- 
picable a  sample  of  him  as  Tittlebat 
Titmouse. 

"While  putting  in  practice  some  of 
those  abominable  tricks  to  which, 
under  Snap's  tutelage,  Titmouse  had 
become  accustomed  in  walking  the 
streets  of  London,  and  from  which 
even  the  rough  handling  they  had  got 
from  farmer  Hazel  could  not  turn  him, 
Titmouse  at  length,  as  has  been  seen, 
most  unwittingly  fell  foul  of  that  fair 
creature,  Catharine  Aubrey  herself; 
who  seemed  truly  like  an  angelic  mes- 
senger, returning  from  her  errand  of 
sympathy  and  mercy,  and  suddenly 
beset  by  a  little  imp  of  darkness. 
When  Titmouse  discovered  who  was 
the  object  of  his  audacious  and  revolt- 
ing advances,  his  soul  was  petrified 
within  him  ;  and  it  was  fortunate  that 
the  shriek  of  Miss  Aubrey's  attendant 
at  length  startled  him  into  a  recol- 
lection of  a  pair  of  heels,  to  which  he 
was  that  evening  indebted  for  an  escape 
from  a  most  murderous  cudgeling, 
which  might  have  been  attended  with 
one  effect  not  contemplated  by  him 
who  inflicted  it  ;  viz.,  the  retention 
of  the  Aubreys  in  the  possession  of 
Yatton !  Titmouse  ran  for  nearly 
half-a-mile  on  the  high-road  towards 


Grilston,  without  stopping.  He  dared 
not  venture  back  to  Yatton,  with  the 
sound  of  the  lusty  farmer's  voice  in 
his  ears,  to  get  back  from  the  Aubrey 
Arms  the  horse  which  had  brought 
him  that  afternoon  from  Grilston,  to 
which  place  he  walked  on,  through 
the  snow  and  darkness;  reaching  his 
inn  in  a  perfect  panic,  from  which,  at 
length,  a  tumbler  of  stiff  brandy  and 
water,  with  two  or  three  cigars,  some- 
what relieved  him.  Forgetful  of  the 
solemn  pledge  which  he  had  given  to 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
not  to  disclose  his  name  or  errand, 
and  it  never  once  occurring  to  him 
that,  if  he  would  but  keep  his  own 
counsel,  Miss  Aubrey  could  never 
identify  him  with  the  ruffian  who  had 
assailed  her,  he  spent  the  interval 
between  eight  and  twelve  o'clock,  at 
which  latter  hour  the  coach  by  which 
he  had  resolved  to  return  to  London 
would  pass  through  Grilston,  in  in- 
dicting the  following  letter  to  Miss 
Aubrey  : — 

"Grilston,  January  Gth,  18 — . 
"Homouiied  Miss, 

"Hoping  No  Offence  "Will  Be  Taken 
where  None  is  meant,  (which  am  Sure 
of,)  This  1  send  To  say  "Who  I  Am 
which,  Is  the  Eight  And  True  Owner 
of  Yatton  which  You  Enjoy  Amongst 
You  All  At  This  present  (Till  The 
Law  Give  it  to  Me)  Which  It  quickly 
Will  And  which  It  Ought  to  Have 
done  WThen  I  were  First  bom  And 
Before  Yr  Respect.  Family  ever  Came 
into  it,  And  All  which  Yr.  bond. 
Brother  Have  so  unlawfully  Got  Pos- 
session Of  must  Come  Back  to  Them 
Whose  Due  It  is  wh.  Is  myself  as  will 
be  Sone  provd.  And  wh.  am  most 
truely  Sorry  Of  on  your  own  Acct. 
(Meaning  (bond.  Miss,)  you  Alone)  as 
Sure  as  Yatton  is  Intirely  Mine  So  My 
Heart  Is  yours  and  No  Longer  my  Own 
Ever  since  I  Saw  You  first  as  Can 
Easily  prove  but  wh.  doubtless  You 
Have  forgot  Seeing  You  Never  New, 
seeing  (as"  Mr.  Gammon,  My  Solliciter 
And  a  A'cry  Great  Lawyer,  say)  Cases 
Alter  Circumstances,  what  Can  I  say 
More  Than  that  I  Love  you  Most 
Avtaziuj    Such    As    Never   Thought 

O  2 


190 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


Myself  Capable  of  Doing  Before  and 
wh.  cannot  help  Ever  Since  I  First 
saw  Yor.  most  Lovely  ami  Divine  and 
striking  Face  wh,  have  Stuck  In  my 
Mind  Brer  Since  Day  and  Nighl  Bleep- 
ing ami  Waking  I  will  Take  my  Oath 
Never  <  if  Having  Lov'd  Any  one  I 
Though  (must  Say)  have  Had  a  Won- 
derful .Many  Offers  From  Females  of 
The  Highest  Hank  Since  my  Truly 
"Wonderful  Good  fortune  got  Talked 
About  every  "Where  but  have  Refused 
Them  All  for  yr  sake,  And  "Would  All 
Hie  World  Bnt  you.  "When  I  Saw 
You  on  Horseback  It  was  All  my 
Sudden  confusion  In  Seeing  you  (The 
Other  Gent,  was  One  of  my  Eespe. 
Solicitors)  w'»  Threw  Me  oil'  in  that 
Ridiculous  Way  wk  was  a  Great  Morti- 
fication And  made  My  brute  Of  A 
horse  go  on  so  For  I  Remembered  You 
and  was  "Wonderful  struck  with,  Tour 
Improve!  Appearance  (As  that  Same 
Gent,  can  Testify)  And  you  was  (Ilond. 
Miss)  Quite  AVrong  To  Night  when 
You  Spoke  so  Uncommon  Angry  To 
Me,  seeing  If  I  Had  Only  Known 
Whal  Female  It  Was  (meaning  yourself 
which  I  respect  So)  out  so  Late  Alone 
I  should  Have  Bpoke  quite  Different 
So  hope  You  Will  Think  Nothing 
More  Of  that  Truly  Unpleasant  Evt  tit 
Now  (Hond.  Madam)  What  I  Have 
To  say  Is  if  You  will  Please  To  Con- 
descend To  Yield  To  My  Desire  We 
Can  Live  Most  uncommon  I  lomfoi  I 
at  Yatton  Tog'ether  w'».  l'lace  shall 
Have  Great  Pleasure,  in  Marrying  You 
From  and  I  may  {perhaps)  No  Some- 
thing Handsome  fur  yr.  lvspectalilo 
Brother  And  Family,  wh.  can  Often 
Come  to  see  us  And  Live  in  the 
Neighbourhood,  if  You  Refuse  me, 
Will  not  say  What  shall  Happen  to 
Those  v, hi  li  am  Told)  Owe  me  •<  Pre- 
i  Long  /  ture  wh.  May  {perhaps) 
Make  a  Handsome  Abatement  in,  if 
You  And  I  ////  it. 

"Hoping  Yon  Will  Forget  What 
Have  So  Much  Grievd.  me,  And  Write 
pr.  return  of  Post, 

"  Am,  hond.  Miss 
"  Yr  most.  Loving  &  Devoted  Servant, 

"(Till    Death) 

"Tn  i  i.i.da  r  Titmouse. 
"(Private.)" 


This  equally  characteristic  and  dis- 
gusting production,  its  accomplished 
writer  sealed  twice,  and  then  left, 
together  with  sixpence,  in  the  hands 
<<f  the  landlady  of  the  Hare  and 
Hounds,  to  be  delivered  at  Yatton 
Hall  the  first  thing  in  the  morning. 
The  good  woman,  however — having 
no  particular  wisli  to  oblige  such  a 
strange  puppy,  whom  she  was  only 
too  glad  to  get  rid  of,  and  having  a 
good  deal  to  attend  to — laid  the  letter 
aside  on  the  chimney-piece,  and  en- 
tirely lost  sight  of  it  for  nearly  a 
fortnight.  Shortly  after  the  lament- 
able tidings  concerning  the  impending 
misfortunes  of  the  Aubrey  family  had 
been  communicated  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Grilston,  she  forwarded  the  letter, 
(little  dreaming  of  the  character  in 
which  its  writer  was  likely,  erelong, 
to  re-appear  at  Grilston,)  together  with 
one  or  two  others,  a  day  or  two  after 
Miss  Aubrey  had  had  the  interview 
with  her  brother  which  I  have  de- 
scribed to  the  reader  ;  but  it  lay  un- 
noticed by  any  one — above  all,  by  the 
sweet  sufferer  whose  namewasindii 
on  it — among  a  great  number  of  mis- 
cellaneous letters  and  papers  which 
had  been  suffered  to  accumulate  on  the 
library  table. 

Mr.  Aubrey  entered  the  library  one 
morning  alone,  for  the  purpose  of  at- 
tending to  many  matters  which  had 
been  long  neglected.    He  was  evidently 

thinner  :  his  face  was  pale,  and  hi-; 
manner  dejected:  still  then;  was  about 
him  an  air  of  calmness  and  resolution. 
Through  the  richly  -  pictured  old 
stained  -  glass  window,  the  mottled 
sunbeams  were  streaming  in  a  kind 
of  tender  radiance  upon  the  dear  old 
familiar  objects  around  him.  All  was 
silent.  Having  drawn  his  chair  to 
(he  table,  on  v, hi-  h  were  lying  a  con- 
fu  i  d  heap  of  letters  and  papers,  ho 
felt  a  momentary  repugnance  to  enter 
upon  the  task  which  he,  had  a 
to  him  elf,  of  opening  and  at  tending 
to  them  ;  and  walked  slowly  for  some 
time  up  and  down  the  loom,  with 
folded  arms,  uttering  occasionally  pro- 
At  length  he  at  down, 
and  commenced  the  disheartening  task 
of  opening  the  many  letters  before  l.im. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAIi. 


197 


One  of  the  first  he  opened  was  from 
Peter  Johnson  —  the  old  tenant  to 
whom  he  had  lent  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  pounds  ;  and  it  was  full  of 
expressions  of  gratitude  and  respect. 
Then  came  a  letter,  a  fortnight  old, 

bearing  the  frank  of  Lord  ,  the 

Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs. 
He  opened  it  and  read  : — 

"  Whitehall,  \§th  January,  18 — . 
"  My  dear  Aubrey, 

"You  will  remember  that  Lord 
— — 's  motion  stands  for  the  28th. 
We  all  venture  to  calculate  upon  re- 
ceiving your  powerful  support  in  the 
debate.  We  expect  to  be  much  pressed 

with  the  Duke  of 's  affair,  which 

you  handled  shortly  before  the  recess 
with  such  signal  ability  and  success. 
When  you  return  to  town,  you  must 
expect  a  renewal  of  certain  offers,  which 
I  most  sincerely  trust,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  public  service,  will  not  be  again 
declined. 

"Ever  yours  faithfullv, 

"C ■ 

"  (Private  and  confidential.) 
"  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq.,  M.P." 

Mr.  Aubrey  laid  down  the  letter 
calmly,  as  soon  as  he  had  read  it ; 
and,  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  seemed 
lost  in  thought  for  several  minutes. 
Presently  he  re-apj  lied  himself  to  his 
task,  and  opened  and  glanced  over  a 
great  many  letters  ;  the  contents  of 
several  of  which  occasioned  him  deep 
emotion.  Some  were  from  persons  in 
distress  whom  he  had  assisted,  and 
who  implored  a  continuance  of  his 
aid  ;  others  were  from  ardent  political 
friends  —  some  sanguine,  others  de- 
sponding— concerning  the  prospects  of 
the  session.  Two  or  three  hinted  that 
it  was  everywhere  reported  that  he 
had  been  offered  one  of  the  under 
secretaryships,  and  had  declined  ;  but 
that  it  was,  at  the  king's  desire,  to  be 
press  d  upon  him.  Many  letters  were 
on  private,  and  still  more  on  county 
business  ;  and  with  one  of  them  he 
was  engaged,  when  a  servant  entered 
with  one  of  that  morning's  county 
papers.  Tired  with  his  task,  Mr. 
Aubrey  rose   from   his   chair    as   (he 


servant  gave  him  the  paper  ;  and> 
standing  before  the  fire,  unfolded  the 
Yorkshire  Stingo,  and  glanced  list- 
lessly over  its  miscellaneous  contents. 
At  length  his  eye  lit  upon  the  follow- 
ing paragraph  : — 

"The  rumours  so  deeply  affecting  a 
member  for  a  certain  borough  in  this 
county,  and  to  which  we  alluded  in 
our  last  paper  but  one,  turn  out  to  be 
well-founded.  A  claimant  has  started 
up  to  the  very  large  estates  at  present 
held  by  the  gentleman  in  question  ; 
and  we  are  very  much  misinformed  if 
the  ensuing  spring  assizes  will  not 
effect  a  considerable  change  in  the 
representation  of  the  borough  alluded 
to,  by  relieving  it  from  the  Tory 
thraldom  under  which  it  has  been  so 
long  oppressed.  We  have  no  wish  to 
bear  bard  upon  a  falling  man  ;  and, 
therefore,  shall  make  no  comment 
upon  the  state  of  mind  in  which  that 
purson  may  be  presumed  to  be,  who 
must  be  conscious  of  having  been  so 
long  enjoying  the  just  rights  of  others. 
Some  extraordinary  disclosures  may 
be  looked  for  when  the  trial  comes  on. 
We  have  heard  from  a  quarter  on 
which  we  are  disposed  to  place  reliance, 
that  the  claimant  is  a  gentleman  of 
decided  Whig  principles,  and  who  will 
prove  a  valuable  accession  to  the 
Liberal  cause." 

Mr.  Aubrey  was  certainly  somewhat 
shocked  by  brutality  such  as  this  ; 
but,  on  Miss  Aubrey's  entering  the 
room,  he  quietly  folded  up  the  paper 
and  laid  it  aside,  fearful  lest  his  sister's 
feelings  should  be  pierced  by  so  coarse 
and  cruel  a  paragraph,  which,  in  fact, 
had  been  concocted  in  London  in  the 
office  of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap,  who  were,  as  before  stated, 
interested  in  the  Sunday  Flash,  which 
was  in  some  sort  connected,  through 
the  relationship  of  the  editors,  with 
the  Yorkshire  Stingo.  The  idea  had 
been  suggested  by  Gammon,  of  at- 
tempting to  enlist  the  political  feeling 
of  a  portion  of  the  county  in  favour 
of  their  client. 

"  Here  are  several  letters  for  you, 
Kate,"  said  her  brother,  picking  several 
of  them  out.  The  very  first  she  took 
up,  it  having  attracted  her  attention 


198 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


by  the  double  seal,  nnd  the  vulgar 
style  of  the  handwriting,  was  that 
from  Titmouse,  which  has  just  b  i  n 
laid  before  the  reader.  With  much 
Buxprise  she  opened  the  letter,  her 
brother  being  similarly  engaged  with 
his  own  ;  and  her  face  getting  gradu- 
ally paler  and  pal  r  a  i  she  went  on,  at 
length  she  flung  it  on  the  floor,  with  a 
passionate  air,  and  burst  into  tears. 
Her  brother,  with  astonishment,  ex- 
claimed,—  "Dear  Kate,  what  is  it?" 
and  lie  rose  and  stooped  to  pick  up 
the  letter. 

"  Don't— don't,  Charles  !  "  she  cried, 
putting  her  foot  upon  it,  and  flinj 
her  arms  round  his  neck.  "It  is  an 
audacious  letter — a  vulgar,  a  cruel 
letter,  dear  Charles!"  Her  emotion 
increased  as  her  thoughts  recurred  to 
the  heartless  paragraph  concemingher 
brother  with  which  the  letter  con- 
cluded. "I  could  have  overlooked 
everything  but  that,"  said  she,  unwit- 
tingly. With  gentle  force  he  succeeded 
string  hold  of  the  painfully  ridicu- 
lous and  contempt  ible  effusion.  He 
attempted  faintly  to  smile  several 
timrs  as  he  went  on. 

"  Don't— don't,  dearest  Charles!  1 
can't  bear  it.  Don't  smile — It's  very 
far  from  your  heart;  you  do  it  only  to 
assure  me." 

HereMr.  Aubrcyread  the  paragraph 
concerning  himself.      His  face  tun 
a  little  paler  than  before;  and  his 
quivered    with    suppressed    emotion. 
"He  is  evidently  a  very  foolish  fel- 
low !  "  he  exclaimed,  walking  tow 
the    window,  with   his  hack  to    his 
sister,  whom  he  did  not  wish  to  see 
how  much  he  was  affected  by  so  petty 
an  incident. 

"  \Yh:it  docs  he  allude  to,   Kate, 
when  he  talks  of  your  having  spoi  a 
fly  t  i  him,  and  thai   he  did  no1 
know   you  i "    he    enquired,    afti  c 
few  I  •'    j  in  ie,    returning    to 

her. 

"  Oh  dear  !— 1   am  bo  gru  ved  thai 
you  should  ha\  e  nol  iced  il     b 
you  ask  me  " — and  Bhe  told  him 
occurrence  alludi  d    to  in    the    letter. 
Mr.  Aubrey  drew  himself  up  urn 
1  ■    on,   and 

tl    him    becoming  still    1 


than  before,  ami  fell  the  kindling  anger 
of  his  eye. 

"  Forget  it  —  forget  it,  dea] 
rles!  —  So  despicable  a  being  is 
really  not  worth  a  thought,"  said 
Kate,  with  increasing  anxiety ;  for  she 
had  never  in  her  life  before  witne 
her  brother  the  subject  of  such  power- 
ful emotions  as  then  made  rigid  1  is 
ider  frame.  At  length,  drawing  a 
long  breath — 

"It  is  fortunate,  Kate,"  said  he, 
calmly,  "that  he  is  not  a  gentleman, 
and  that  I  endcavowr  to  be — a  CI 
Han."  She  flung  herarmsround  him, 
exclaiming,  "There  spoke  my  own 
noble  brother ! " 

"I  shall  preserve  this  letter  as  a 
curiosity,  Kate,"  said  he  presently  ; 
and  with  a  pointed  significance  of 
maimer,  that  arrested  his  sister's  at- 
tention, he  added,  —  "It  is  rather 
ingular,  but  some  lime  1"  fore  3  ou 
came  in,  1  opened  a  letter  in  w  I 
your  name  is  mentioned — I  cannot  say 
in  a  similar  manner,  and  yel  —in 
short,  it  is  from  Lord  de  la  Zouch, 
enclosing  0 


IWiss  Aubrey  suddenly  Mushed 
scarlet,  and  trembled  violently. 

"Don'l  be  agitated,  my  dear  Kate, 
the  enclosure  is  froj  1  Lady  de  la 
Zouch  ;  and  if  it  be  in  the  same  Btrain 
of  kindness  that  pervades  Lord  de  la 
/ouch's  lei  ter  to  me " 

"I  would  rather  that  you  opened 

and    lead    it,   Charles " — she   faltered, 

sinking  into  n  chair. 

"Come,  come,  dear  Kate  —  play 
the  woman  !  "  s  tid  her  brother,  « 
an  affectionate  air, — -"To  say  thai 
e  is  nothing  in  tb  e  letti  rs  that  I 
,  •  will  interest  you— very  deeply 
gratify  and  intere  t  your  feelings — 
would  be " 


'•  1    know — I — I — suspect — I" 

fait,  led     Mi     :    A:  Il    li.Ueh    . 

tation— "1  aha  I  1   I  irn." 

"Then  you  shall  tal  e  these  letters 
n  ith  \  ou  :  read  1 ' 

, "  .-aid  her  I  I  ing 

the  letters  into  hi  c  hand  v.  ith  a  1 

1  die,  thai  Boon,  how- 
ever, flitted  away — and,  leading  her 
to  the  door,  he  was  once  more  alono  ; 
and,  after  a  brief  interval  of  reverie, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


109 


he  wrote  answers  to  such  of  the  many- 
letters  before  him  as  he  considered 
earliest  to  require  them. 

Notwithstanding  the  judgment  and 
tenderness  with  which  Dr.  Tatham 
discharged  the  very  serious  duty 
which,  at  the  entreaty  of  his  afflicted 
friends,  he  had  undertaken,  of  break- 
ing to  Mrs.  Aubrey  the  calamity  with 
which  she  and  her  family  were 
menaced,  the  effects  of  the  disclosure 
had  been  most  disastrous.  They  had 
paralysed  her  ;  and  Mr.  Aubrey,  who 
had  long  been  awaiting  the  issue,  in 
sickening  suspense,  in  an  adjoining 
room,  was  hastily  summoned  in  to  be- 
hold a  mournful  and  heart-rending 
spectacle.  His  venerable  mother — she 
who  had  given  him  life  at  the  mortal 
peril  of  her  own  ;  she  whom  he 
cherished  with  unutterable  tenderness 
and  reverence  ;  she  who  doated  upon 
him  as  upon  the  light  of  her  eyes  ; 
from  whose  dear  lips  he  had  never 
heard  a  word  of  unkindness  or  sever- 
ity ;  whose  heart  had  never  known 
an  impulse  but  of  gentle,  noble,  un- 
bounded generosity  towards  all  around 
her — this  idolized  being  now  lay  sud- 
denly prostrated  and  blighted  before 
him 

Poor  Aubrey  yielded  to  his  long  and 
violent  agony,  in  the  presence  of  her 
who  could  apparently  no  longer  hear, 
or  see,  or  be  sensible  of  what  was 
passing  in  the  chamber. 

"My  son,"  said  Dr.  Tatham,  after 
the  first  burst  of  his  friend's  grief  was 
over,  and  he  knelt  down  beside  his 
mother  with  her  hand  grasped  in  his, 
"  despise  not  the  chastening  of  the 
Lord  ;  neither  be  weary  of  His  cor- 
rection : 

"  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth  He 
correc'.eth,  even  as  a  father  the  son  in 
whom  he  delighteth. 

"The  Lord  will  not  cast  off  for 
ever  ; 

"But  though  he  cause  grief,  yet 
will  he  have  compassion,  according  to 
the  multitude  of  his  mercies. 

"For  he  doth  not  afflict  willingly, 
nor  grieve  the  children  of  men." 

It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  Dr. 
Tatham  could  render  himself  audible 
while  murmuring  these  soothing  and 


solemn  passages  of  Scripture  in  the 
ear  of  his  distracted  friend,  beside 
whom  he  knelt. 

Mrs.  Aubrey  had  suffered  a  paralytic 
seizure,  and  lay  motionless  aCd  insen- 
sible ;  her  features  slightly  disfigured, 
but  partially  concealed  beneath  her 
long  silvery  grey  hair,  which  had,  in 
the  suddenness  of  the  fit,  strayed  from 
beneath  her  cap. 

"  But  what  am  I  about  ? "  at  length 
exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a  languid 
and  alarmed  air — "has  medical  assist- 


anee- 


"Dr.  Goddart  and  Mr.  Whateley 
are  both  sent  for  by  several  servants, 
and  will  doubtless  be  very  quickly 
here,"  replied  Dr.  Tatham  ;  and  while 
he  yet  spoke,  Mr.  "Whateley — who, 
when  hastened  on  by  the  servant  who 
had  been  sent  for  him,  was  entering 
the  park  on  a  visit  to  young  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  who  was  also  seriously  ill 
and  in  peculiarly  critical  circum- 
stances— entered  the  room,  and  im- 
mediately resorted  to  the  necessary 
measures.  Soon  afterwards,  also,  Dr. 
Goddart  arrived  ;  but,  alas,  how  little 
could  they  do  for  the  venerable 
sufferer ! 

During  the  next,  and  for  many  en- 
suing days,  the  lodge  was  assailed  by 
very  many  anxious  and  sympathiz- 
ing enquirers,  who  were  answered 
by  Waters,  whom  Mr.  Aubrey — op- 
pressed by  the  number  of  friends  who 
hurried  up  to  the  Hall,  and  insisted 
upon  seeing  him  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  dreadful  rumours 
were  correct — had  stationed  there  dur- 
ing the  day  to  afford  the  requisite 
information.  The  Hall  was  pervaded 
by  a  gloom  that  could  be  felt.  Every 
servant  had  a  woe-hegone  look,  and 
moved  about  as  if  a  funeral  were 
stirring.  Little  Chardes  and  Agnes, 
almost  imprisoned  in  their  nursery, 
seemed  quite  puzzled  and  confused  at 
the  strange  unusual  seriousness,  and 
quietness,  and  melancholy  faces  every- 
where about  them.  Kate  romped  not 
with  them  as  had  been  her  wont ;  but 
would  constantly  burst  into  tears  as 
she  held  them  on  her  knee  or  in  her 
arms,  trying  to  evade  the  continual 
questioning  of  Charles.     "J  think  it 


200 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAll. 


will  be  time  for  mc  to  cry  too  by-and- 
by  !  "  said  he  to  her  one  day,  with  an 
air  half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest,  thai 
made  poor  Kale's  tears  flow  afresh. 
Sleepless  nights  and  days  of  sorrow 
soon  told  upon  her  appearance.  Her 
glorious  buoy  nay  of  spirits,  that  crc- 
while,  as  it  were,  had  filled  the  whole 
Hall  with  gladness — where  were  they 
now!  Ah,  me!  the  rich  bloom  bad 
disappeared  from  her  beautiful  cheek  ; 
but  her  high  spirit,  though  oppre 
was  not  broken,  and  she  stood  firmly 
and  calmly  amid  the  scowling  skies 
and  lowering  tempests.  You  fancied 
you  saw  her  auburn  tresses  stirred 
upon  her  pale  but  calm  brow  by  the 
bn  ath  of  the  approaching  storm  ;  and 
tli.il  she  also  felt  it,  but  trembled  not, 
gazing  on  it  with  a  bright  and  sti  ad- 
fa  i  eye.  Her  heart  might  be,  indeed, 
bruised  and  shaken  ;  but  her  spirit 
was,  ay,  unconquerable.  Myglori 
Kate,  how  my  heart  goes  forth  towards 
you ! 

And  thou,  her  brother,  who  art  of 
kindred  spirit ;  who  art  supported  bj 
philosophy,  and  exalted  by  religi 
so  that  thy  constancy  cannot  be 
shaken  or  overthrown  by  the  black 
and  ominous  swell  of  trouble  which  is 
increasing  and  closing  around  thee,  1 
know  that  thou  wilt  outlive  the  storm 
— and  yet  it  rod  i  thee  ! 

A  month  or  two  may  see  thee  and 
thine  expelled  from  Old  Yatton,  and 
not  ne  rely  having  lost  everything, 
but  with  a  liability  to  thy  suco 
that  will  hang  round  thy  neck  like  a 
millstone.  What,  indeed,  is  to  be- 
come of  you  all?  Whither  will  you 
go?  And  your  suffering  mother, 
should  she  survive  so  long,  is  her 
precious  form  to  bo  borne  away  from 
Yatton  ? 

Around  thee  stand  those  who,  if 
thou  fullest,  will  perish— and  thai 
thou  kn  d  thy  calm,  sor- 

ul,  but  i  ire,  are  a  melan- 

choly group  -fn  1   mother — 

the  wile  of  thy  I a  '''tie 

children  —  thy   brave    and    beautiful 

r  -Yet    think    not,    Mi  iforti 

ov<  i'  thi  i  man  thou  ait  about  I.' 

achieve    thy    accustomi  d     ti  iumpha. 

Here,  behold  thou  haat  a  man  to  con- 


tend with  ;  nay,   more,  a  CHRIST!  \n" 

max,  who  hath  calmly  girded  up  his 
loins  against  the  coming  fight ! 

'Twas  Sabbath  evening,  some  five 
!.s  or  so  after  the  happening  of  the 
mournful  events  above  commemorated, 
and  Kate,  having  spent,  as  usual, 
several  hours  keeping  watch  beside 
the  silent  and  motionless  figure  of  h  :r 
mother,  had  quitted  the  chamber  for 
a  brief  interval,  thinking  to  relieve 
her  oppressed  spirits  by  walking,  for 
a  little  while,  up  and  down  the  long 
gallery.  Having  slowly  paced  back- 
wards and  forwards  once  or  twice,  sho 
rested  against  the  little  oriel  window 
at  the  furthest  extremity  of  the  gallery, 
and  gazed,  with  saddened  eye,  upon 
the  setting  sun,  till  at  length,  in  calm 
grandeur,  it  disappeared  beneath  the 
horizon.  'Twas  to  Kate  a  solemn  and 
mournful  sign;  especially  followed  as 
it  was  by  the  deepening  shadows  and 
gloom  of  evening.  She-sighed;  and, 
with  her  hands  crossed  on  her  bosom, 
gazed,  with  a  tearful  eye,  into  the 
darkening  sky,  where  glittered  the 
brilliant  evening  star.  Thus  she  re- 
mained, a  thousand  pensh  e  and  tend  i 
thoughts  passing  through  her  mind, 
till  the  increasing  chills  of  evening 
warned  her  to  retire.  "I  will  go, 
said  she  to  herself,  as  she  walked 
slowly  along,  "and  try  to  play 
evening  hymn — 1  may  not  have  many 
ne. re  opportunities  !  "  With  this  view, 
she  gently  opened  the  drawing-room 

d •,    and,    glancing    around,    found 

that   she  should  be  alone.     The  fire 
the  only  light.     She  opened  tho- 
rn with  a  sigh,  and  then  sat  down 
before   it  for  Eome  minutes  without 
touching  the  keys.      At  length   si  o 
struck  them  very  gently,  as  if  fearful 
of    disturbing  those  who,   she   soon 
illected,  were  too  distant  to  hear 
her.       Ahl     how    many    associations 
rred  up  |       ed  over 

■        'h, 

in  a  low  and  rather  tremulous  voice, 

•  gun — 
"S.i.m  will  the  evening  star,  will,  silver  ray, 
Bhed  its  mild  radiance  o'ertl  day  ; 

Resume  wo,  then,  eru  night  and  silence 

l- 
Thu   rites    which    holiness  and   heaven 
ordaiu " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


201 


She  sang  the  last  line  somewhat 
indistinctly  ;  and,  overcome  by  a  flood 
of  tender  recollections,  ceased  playing  ; 
then,  leaning  her  head  upon  her  hand, 
she  shed  tears.  At  length  she  re- 
sumed— 

"  Here   humbly  let  us  liope   our  Maker's 

smile 
Will  crown  with  sweet  success  our  earthly 

toil- 
And   here,   on   each   returning   Sabbath, 

join " 

Here  poor  Kate's  voice  quivered — 
and,  after  one  or  two  ineffectual  at- 
tempts to  sing  the  next  line,  she 
sobbed,  and  ceased  playing.  She  re- 
mained for  several  minutes,  her  face 
buried  in  her  handkerchief,  shedding 
tears.  At  length,  "I'll  play  the  last 
verse,"  thought  she,  "and  then  sit 
down  before  the  fire,  and  read  over 
the  evening  service,  (feeling  for  her 
little  prayer-book,)  before  I  return  to 
poor  mamma  !  "  "With  a  firmer  hand 
and  voice  she  proceeded — 

"  Father  of  Heaven !   in  whom  our   hopes 
confide, 
■Whose  power  defends  us,  and  whose  pre- 
cepts guide- 
In  life  our  guardian,  and  in   death  our 

friend, 
Glory  supreme  be  thine,  till   time   shall 
end!" 

She  played  and  sang  these  lines  with 
a  kind  of  solemn  energy  ;  and  she  felt 
as  if  a  ray  of  heavenly  light  had  trem- 
bled for  a  moment  upon  her  upturned 
eye.  She  had  not  been,  as  she  had 
supposed,  alone  ;  in  the  furthest  corner 
of  the  room  had  been  all  the  while 
sitting  her  brother — too  exquisitely 
touched  by  the  simplicity  and  good- 
ness of  his  sweet  sister,  to  apprize  her 
of  his  presence.  Several  times  his 
feelings  had  nearly  overpowered  him  ; 
and  as  she  concluded,  he  arose  from 
his  chair,  and  approaching  her,  after 
her  first  surprise  was  over, — "  Heaven 
bless  you,  dear  Kate  !  "  said  he,  taking 
her  hands  in  his  own.  Keither  of 
them  spoke  for  a  few  moments. 

"I  could  not  have  sung  a  line,  or 
played,  if  I  had  known  that  you  were 
here,"  said  she. 

"I  thought  so,  Kate." 

"J  don't  think  I  shall  ever  have 


heart    to    play   again !  "—They   were 
both  silent. 

"  Be  assured,  Kate,  that  submission 
to  the  will  of  God,"  said  Mr.  Aubrev, 
as  (he  with  his  arm  round  his  sist.'r) 
they  walked  slowly  to  and  fro,  "is  the 
great  lesson  to  be  learned  from  the 
troubles  of  life  ;  and  for  that  purpose 
they  are  sent.  Let  us  bear  up  a  while  ; 
the  waters  will  not  go  over  our  heads ! " 
_  "I  hope  not,"  replied  his  sister 
faintly,  and  in  tears. 

"How  did  you  leave  Acmes, 
Charles?" 

"She  was  asleep:  she  is  still  very 
feeble "  Here  the  door  was  sud- 
denly opened,  and  Miss  Aubrey's  maid 
entered  hastily,  exclaiming,  "Are  you 
here,  ma'am  ? — or  sir  ? " 

"Here  we  are,"  they  replied,  hurry- 
ing towards  her  ;  "  what  is  the 
matter  ? " 

"Oh,  madam  is  talking!  She  be- 
gan speaking  all  of  a  sudden.  She 
did,     indeed,     sir.       She's      talking, 

and "  continued  the  girl,  almost 

bivathless. 

"My  mother  talking  !"  exclaimed 
Aubrey,  with  an  amazed  air. 

"Oh  yes,  sir!  she  is — she  is  in- 
deed !  " 

Miss  Aubrey  sank  into  her  brother's 
arms,  overcome  for  a  moment  with  the 
sudden  and  surprising  intelligence. 

"  Rouse  yourself,  Kate  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed with  animation  ;  "did  I  not 
tell  you  that  Heaven  would  not  forget 
us  ?  But  I  must  hasten  up-stairs,  to 
hear  the  joyful  sounds  with  my  own 
ears — and  do  you  follow  as  soon  as  you 
can."  Leaving  her  in  the  care  of  her 
maid,  he  hastened  out  of  the  room  up- 
stairs, and  was  soon  at  the  door  of  his 
mother's  chamber.  He  stood  for  a 
moment  in  the  doorway,  and  his 
straining  ears  caught  the  gentle  tones 
of  his  mother's  voice,  speaking  in  a 
low  but  cheerful  tone.  liis  knees 
trembled  beneath  him  with  joyful 
excitement.  Fearful  of  trusting  him- 
self in  her  presence  till  he  had  become 
calmer,  he  noiselessly  sank  on  the 
nearest  chair,  with  beating  heart  and 
straining  ear — ay,  every  tone  of  that 
dear  voice  thrilled  through  his  heart. 
But  I  shall  not  torture  my  own  or  my 


202 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


reader's  heart  by  dwelling  upon  the 
Bcene  that  ensued.  Alas!  the  venerable 
sufferer's  tongue  was  indeed  loosed  ; — 
but  r<  asos  had  led  !  He  listened — he 
distingu  shed  herwords.  She  supposed 
that  all  her  children— dead  and  alive — 
■  romping  about  her  ;  she  spoke  of 
him  and  his  sister  as  she  had  spoken 
to  them  twenty  years  ago. 

As  soon   as  he  bad  made  tins  sad 
discovery,  overwhelmed  with  grief  he 
ii  I  out  of  the  room ;  and  niotion- 
i  r,  who  was  entering,  into 

an  adjoining  apartment,  communicated 
to  her,  with  great  agitation,  the  woful 
condition  of  their  mother. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Ttie  chief  corner-stone  suddenly 
found  wanting  in  tbe  glittering  fabric 
of  Mr.  Titmouse's  fortune,  so  that  to 
tbe  eyes  of  its  startled  architects, 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  it 
seemed  momentarily  threatening  to 
tumble  about  their  ears,  was  a  cer- 
tain piece  of  evidence  which,  bring  a 
matter-of-fact  man,  I  should  like  to 
explain  to  the  reader  1 1  fore  we  get  on 
any  further.  In  order,  howevec,  to  do 
this  effectually,  I  must  go  bark  to  an 
earlier  period  in  the  history  than  has 
b  en  yet  called  to  his  attention.     ]f  i! 

i.h  :11  have  been  unfortunate  enou<  li  to 

attract  the  ha  sty  ey  •  i  f  the  super! 

ler,  1  make  no 

'it  that  by  such  a  one  a  rtaiu  por- 
tions of  what  lias  gone  1  fore,  and 
Which  could  not  fail  of  attracting  the 

atiou  of  long-headi  d  people,  as 
1  ing  no!  I  brown  in  for  notliii  g,  (and 
therefore  to  be  borne  in  mind  w  itb  a 
view  to  al  explanation,)  I 

been  i  Iced  orforgi 

Nov.-,    I   can   fancy  that  the  sort  of 
i  I  in  my  ey 

vh,  ity  il   is  worth  soi      ; 

to  excite,  an 

i     e  as!  ed  himself  the  following  q 
tion,  viz. — 

How  did   Meai  re.  Quirl  .  I 
and  Snap,  ii;  quainted 

lotis  tenure  by  '■■  : 


Mr.  Aubrey  held  the  Yatton  propert}'  ! 
Why,  it  chanced  in  this  wise. 

Mr.  Parkinson  of  Giilston,  who  has 
been  already  introduced  to  the  reader, 
succeeded  to  bis  late  father,  in  one  of 
the  most  respectable  practices,  as  a 
country  attorney  and  solicitor  in  York- 
shire. He  was  a  highly  honourable, 
painstaking  man,  and  deservedly  en- 
joyed the  entire  confidence  of  all  his 
numerous  and  influential  clients.  Some 
twelve  years  b  fore  the  periodal  which 
this  history  commences,  Mr,  Parkinson, 
who  was  a  very  kind-he  .]•;<  .1  man,  had 
'i  into  his  service  an  orphan  boy  of 
the  name  of  Steggars,  at  first  merely  a3 
a  sort  of  errand-boy,  and  to  look  after 
the  office,  lie  .soon,  however,  display  d 
so  much  sharpness,  and  acquitted  him- 
self so  creditably  in  anything  that  ho 
happened  to  be  concerned  in,  a  little 
above  the  run  of  his  ordinary  duties, 
that  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  ho 
me  a  sort  of  clerk,  and  sat  and 
wrote  at  the  desk  it  bad  formerly  hi  D 
his  sole  province  to  dust.  Higher  and 
higher  did  he  rise,  in  process  of  time, 
in  his  master's  estimation;  and  at 
length  became  quite  a  factotum — as 
such,  acquainted  with  the  whole  course 
of  business  that  passed  through  tho 
office.     Many  interesting  matters  con- 

d  with   the    circumstances    and 

i  xi'nis  of  the  neighbouring  no- 
bility and  gentry  were  thus  constantly 
brought  under  his  notice,  and  now  and 
then  set  him  thinking  whether  tho 
knowledge  thus  acquired  could  not,  in 

way,  and  at  some  time  or  another, 
be  tinned  to  his  own  advantage  ;  for  1 
am  sorry  to  say  that  he  was  utterly 
unworthy  of  the  kindness  and    confi- 

e   of   Mr.    Pa  .    who   little 

thought  that  in  Steggars  ho  had  to 
deal  with — a  rogue  in  grain.     Such 

'    his    i  haracter,    and    such    his 
opportunities,    this    worthy   made    a 
1  irai  I  i  e  of  minuting  down,  from  I 
to  time,  anything  of  interest  or  ini- 
.        flairs  which  tl 

r     his     Untie. e\  ;  n     lal 

long    documents,    when 
a  oi 
for  his  purpose,  and  had  tho  oppi  r- 
tunity  of  lining  i 
the  n  of  Mr.  .lie 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


203 


thus  silently  acquired  a  mass  of  in- 
formation which  might  have  enabled 
him  to  occasion  great  annoyance,  and 
even  inflict  serious  injury  ;  and  the 
precise  object  he  had  in  view,  was 
either  to  force  himself,  hereafter,  into 
partnership  with  his  employer,  (pro- 
vided he  could  get  regularly  introduced 
into  the  profession,)  or  even  compel 
his  master's  clients  to  receive  him  into 
their  confidence,  adversely  to  Mr. 
Parkinson,  making  it  worth  his  while 
to  keep  the  secrets  of  which  he  had 
become  possessed.  So  careful  ought 
to  be,  and  indeed  generally  are,  at- 
torneys and  solicitors,  as  to  the 
characters  of  those  whom  they  thus 
receive  into  then-  employ.  On  the 
occasion  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  intended 
marriage  with  Miss  St.  Clair,  with  a 
view  to  the  very  liberal  settlements 
which,  he  contemplated,  a  full  abstract 
of  his  title  was  laid  by  Mr.  Parkinson 
before  his  conveyancer,  in  order  to 
advise  and  prepare  the  necessary  in- 
struments. Owing  to  enquiries  sug- 
gested by  the  conveyancer,  additional 
statements  were  laid  before  him  ;  and 
produced  an  opinion  of  a  somewhat 
unsatisfactory  description,  from  which 
I  shall  lay  before  the  reader  the 
following  paragraph  : — 

' '  There  seems  no  reason  for  sup- 
posing that  any  descendant  of  Stephen 
Dreddlington  is  now  in  existence  : 
still,  as  it  is  by  no  means  physically 
impossible  that  such  a  person  may  be 
in  esse,  it  would  unquestionably  be 
most  important  to  the  security  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's  title,  to  establish  clearly  the 
validity  of  the  conveyance  by  way  of 
mortgage,  executed  by  Harry  Dred- 
dlington, and  which  was  afterwards 
assigned  to  Geoffry  Dreddlington  on 
his  paying  off  the  money  borrowed  by 
his  deceased  uncle  :  since  the  descent 
of  Mr.  Aubrey  from  Geoffry  Dred- 
dlington would,  in  that  event,  clothe 
him  with  an  indefeasible  title  at  law, 
by  virtue  of  that  deed ;  and  any 
equitable  rights  which  were  originally 
outstanding,  would  be  barred  by  lapse 
of  time.  But  the  difficulty  occurring 
to  my  mind  on  this  part  of  the  case  is, 
that  unless  Harry  Dreddlington,  who 
executed  that  deed  of  mortgage,  sur- 


vived his  father,  (a  point  on  which  I 
am  surprised  that  1  am  furnished  with 
no  information,)  the  deed  itself  would 
have  beeu  mere  waste  parchment,  as  in 
reality  the  conveyance  of  a  person  who 
never  had  any  interest  in  the  Yatton 
property  —  and,  of  course,  neither 
Geoffry  Dreddlington,  nor  his  de- 
scendant Mr.  Aubrey,  could  derive 
any  right  whatever  under  such  an 
instrument.  In  that  case,  such  a 
contingency  as  I  have  above  hinted 
at  —  I  mean  the  existence  of  any 
legitimate  descendant  of  Stephen 
Dreddlington  —  might  have  a  most 
serious  effect  upon  the  rights  of  Mr. 
Aubrey." 

Now  every  line  of  this  opinion,  and 
also   even   of    the   Abstract   of   Title 
upon  which  it  was  written,  did  this 
quick-sighted   young   scoundrel   copy 
out,  and  deposit,  as  a  great  prize,  in 
his  desk,  among   other   similar  notes 
and    memoranda,    little    wotting    his 
master    the    while    of  what    he   was 
doing.     Some  year  or  two  afterwards, 
the    relationship    subsisting    between 
Mr.  Parkinson  and  his  clerk  Steggars, 
was  suddenly  determined  by  a  some- 
what   untoward    event  ;    viz.    by   the 
hitter's   decamping   with    the  sum   of 
£700   sterling,  being  the   amount  of 
money  due  on  a   mortgage  which  he 
had  been  sent  to  receive  from  a  client 
of  Mr.  Parkinson's.     Steggars  fled  for 
it — but  first  having  bethought  himself 
of  the    documents   to   which    I    have 
been  alluding,  and  which  he  carried 
with   him   to  London.     Hot  pursuit 
was   made  after  the  unfortunate  de- 
linquent, who  was  taken  into  custody 
two  or  three  days  after  his  arrival  in 
town,  while  he  was  walking  about  the 
streets,    with  the   whole   of  the   sum 
which  he  had  embezzled,  minus  a  few 
pounds,    upon   his    person,    in   bank- 
notes,      lie   quickly   found    his   way 
into  Newgate.     His  natural   sagacity 
assured  him  that  his  case,  was  rather 
an  ugly  one  ;  but  hope  did  not  desert 
him. 

"Well,  my  kiddy,"  said  Grasp,  the 
grim-visaged,  grey-headed  turnkey,  as 
soon  as  he  had  ushered  Steggars  into 
his  snug  little  quarters;  "here  you 
are,  you  see — isn't  you  ? "  " 


204 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"I  think  I  am,"  replied  Steggars, 
with  a  sigh. 

"  Well — and  if  you  want  to  have 
a  chance  of  not  going  across  the  water 
till  you're  a  many  years  older,  you'll 
pit  yourself  defended,  and  the  sooner 
the  better,  d'ye  see.  There's  Quirky 
Gammon,  and  Snap — my  eyes  !  how 
they  iJn  thin  this  here  plaee  of  ours, 
to  be  smv  !  The  only  thing's  to  get 
'em  Boon  ;  'cause,  ye  see,  they're  so 
run    after.      Shall    I    send    them    to 

you?" 

Steggars  answered  eagerly  in  the 
affirmative.  In  order  to  account  for 
this  spontaneous  good-nature  on  the 
part  of  Grasp,  I  must  explain  that 
old  .Mr.  Quirk  had  for  years  secured 
a  large  criminal  practice,  by  having  in 
his  interest  mos1  ofthe  officers  attached 
t>i  the  police-offices  and  Newgate,  In 
whom  he  gave,  in  fact,  systematic 
gratuities,  in  order  to  get  their  recom- 
mendations to  the  persecuted  indi- 
viduals who  came  into  their  power. 
Very  shortly  after  Grasp's  messenger 
had  reached  Saffron  Hill,  with  the 
intelligence  that  "there  was  some- 
thing new  in  (he  trap"  old  Quirk 
hustled  down  to  Newgate,  and  was 
introduced  to  Steggars,  with  whom  he 
Was  closeted  for  some  time.  He  took 
a  lively  interest  in  his  new  companion, 
whose  narrative  of  his  flight  and  cap- 
ture he  listened  to  in  a  very  kind  and 
sympathizing  way,  and  promised  to 
do  for  him  whatever  his  little  skill 
and  experience  could  do.  He  hinted, 
however,  that,  as  Mr.  Steggars  must 
re,  b  little  ready  mom  y  would 
be  required,  in  order  to  fee  counsel — 
whereat  Steggars  looked  very  di 
indeed,  and,  knowing  the  state  of  his 
hequer,  imagined  himi  elf  already 
i.  on  his  way  to  Botany 
Bay.  i  Md  M  r.  Quirk  asked  him  if  In- 
had  no  friends  who  would  raise  a  trifle 
for  n  '"  'hum  in  trouble,"-  and  on 
ivcring  in  the  negative,  he  ob  erved 
the  en!  husia;  m  of  the  respectable  old 
1  'man  visibly  and  rapidly  cooling 

<|o\\  ||. 

"  But  1 11  tell  you  what,  sir."  said 
poor  Sti  addenly,  "ill  haven't 

.1   may  have  mom  y'a  wort 
my  command  ; — I've  a  Little  box,  that's 


at  my  lodging,  which  those  that  got 
me  knew  nothing  of — and  in  which 
there  is  a  trifle  or  two  about  the  fami- 
lies and  fortunes  of  some  of  the  first 
folk  in  Yatton,  that  would  be  precious 
well  worth  looking  after,  to  those  that 
know  how  to  follow  up  such  matters." 

Old  Quirk  hereat  pricked  up  his 
ears,  and  asked  his  young  friend  how 
he  got  possessed  of  such  secrets. 

"Oh  tie!  lie!"  said  lie  gently,  as 
soon  as  Steggars  had  told  him  the 
pra»  tices  of  which  1  have  already  put 
the  reader  in  possession. 

"All — you  may  say  lie  !  fie  !  if  you 
like,"  quoth  Si *ars  earnestly  ;  "  but 

the  thing  is,  not   how    they  Were   C( 

by,  but  what  can  be  done  with  them, 
now  they're  got.    For  example,  there's 

i  ertain  member  of  parliament  in 
Yorkshire,  that,  high  as  he  may  hold 
his  head,  has  no  more  right  to  the 
estates  that  yield  him  a  good  ten  thou- 
sand a-year  than  I  have,  but  keeps 
some  folk  out  of  their  own,  that  could 
pay  some  other  folk  a  round  sum  to 
be  put  in  the  way  of  getting  their 
own  ;  "  and  that;  was  of  the 

■!  things  he  knew  of.  Here  old 
Quirk  rubbed  his  chin,  hemmed, 
tfed  about  in  his  seat,  took  oil'  his 
glasses,  wiped  them,  replaced  them  ; 
and  presently  went,  through  that  cere- 
mony again.  He  then  said  that  he 
had  the  honour  of  being  concerned  for 
a  great  number  of  gentlemen  in  Mr. 
gars'  "present  embarrassed  cir- 
cumstances,' but  wdio  had  always  been 
able  to  command  at  least  a  live-pound 
.  at  starting,  to  run  a  heat  for 
liberty. 

"Come,  come,  old  gentleman," 
quoth  Steggars  earnestly,"  I  don't  want 
to  o  over  the  water  before  my  time,  if 
I  can  help  it,  I  assure  you  :  and  I  Bee 
you  know  the  \  alue  of  what  1  've  go1  ! 
Such  a  gentlemi  >u   can    turn 

every  bit  of  paper  I  have  in  my  box 
into  n  fifty-pound  note." 

"  All  this  is  moonshine,  my  young 

I,"  said  old  Quirk  in  an  ii 
tone  and  manner. 

'•  Ah  !  is  it,  though  ?  To  be  able 
to  tell  the  ou  ner  of  a  fal  ten  thousand 

a-year,    that    you    can    Bpling    a   mine. 

under  his  feet  at  any  moment— eh  ? — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


205 


and  no  one  ever  know  how  you  came 
by  your  knowledge.  And  if  they 
wouldn't  do  what  was  handsome, 
couldn't  you  get  the  right  heii — and 
wouldn't  that — Lord  !  it  would  make 
the  fortunes  of  half-a-dozen  of  the  first 
houses  in  the  profession  !  "  Old  Quirk 
got  a  little  excited. 

"But  mind,  sir — you  see" — said 
Steggars,  "if  I  get  off,  I'm  not  to  he 
cut  out  of  the  thing  altogether — eh  ? 
I  shall  look  to  be  taken  into  your 
employ,  and  dealt  handsomely  by — ■ — ■" 

"Oh  Lord!"  exclaimed  Quirk  in- 
voluntarily— addiDg  quickly,  "Yes, 
yes  !  to  be  sure  !  only  fair ;  but  let  us 
first  get  you  out  of  your  present  diffi- 
culty, you  know  !  "  Steggars,  having 
first  exacted  from  him  a  written  pro- 
mise to  use  his  utmost  exertions  on  his 
(Steggars')  behalf,  and  secure  him  the 
services  of  two  of  the  most  eminent 
Old  Bailey  counsel— viz.  Mr.  Bluster 
and  Mr.  Slang— gave  Mr.  Quirk  the 
number  of  the  house  where  his  precious 
box  was,  and  a  written  order  to  the 
landlord  to  deliver  it  up  to  the  bearer  : 
after  which  Mr.  Quirk  shook  him  cor- 
dially by  the  hand,  and  having  quitted 
the  prison,  made  his  way  straight  to 
the  house  in  question,  and  sir  ceeded 
in  obtaining  what  he  asked  for.  He 
faithfully  performed  his  agreement 
with  Steggars  ;  for  he  retained  both 
Bluster  and  Slang  for  him,  and  got 
up  their  briefs  with  care  :  but,  alas  ! 
although  these  eminent  men  exerted  all 
their  great  powers,  they  succeeded  not 
in  either  bothering  the  judge,  bam- 
boozling the  jury,  or  browbeating  the 
witnesses,  (the  principal  one  of  whom 
was  Mr.  Parkinson ;)  Steggars  was 
found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be 
transported  for  life.  Enraged  at  this 
issue,  he  sent  a  message  the  next  day 
to  Mr.  Quirk  requesting  a  visit  from 
him.  When  he  arrived,  Steggars,  in 
a  very  violent  tone,  demanded  that 
his  papers  should  be  returned  to  him. 
'Tw.ts  in  vain  that  Mr.  Quirk  explained 
to  him  again  and  again  his  interesting 
position  with  reference  to  his  goods, 
chattels,  and  effects — i.  e.  that,  as  a 
convicted  felon,  he  had  no  further  con- 
cern with  them,  and  might  dismiss  all 
anxiety  on  that  score  from  his  mind. 


Steggars  hcreat  got  more  tunous  than 
before,  and  intimated  plainly  the 
course  he  should  feel  it  his  duty  to 
pursue — that,  if  the  papers  in  question 
were  not  given  up  to  him  as  he  desired, 
he  should  at  once  write  off  to  his  late 
employer,  Mr.  Parkinson,  and  acknow- 
ledge how  much  further  he  (Steggars) 
had  wronged  him  and  his  clients  than 
he  supposed  of.  Old  Quirk  very  feel- 
ingly represented  to  him  that  he  was  at 
liberty  to  do  anything  that  he  thought 
calculated  to  relieve  his  excited  feel- 
ings :  and  then  Mr.  Quirk  took  a  final 
farewell  of  his  client,  wishing  him 
health  and  happiness. 

"  I  say,  Grasp  !  "  said  he,  in  a  whis- 
per, to  that  grim  functionary,  as  soon 
as  he  had  secured  poor  Steggars  in  his 
cell,  "  that  bird  is  a  little  ruffled  just 
now — isn't  he,  think  you  ? " 

"Lud,  sir,  the  nat'ralist  thing  in 
the  world,  considering " 

"Well — if  he  should  want  a  letter 
taken  to  any  one,  whatever  he  may 
say  to  the  contrary,  you'll  send  it  on 
to  Saffron  Hill— eli  ?  Understand  ?— 
He  may  be  injuring  himself,  you 
know  ;  "  and  old  Quirk  with  one  hand 
clasped  the  huge  arm  of  Grasp  in  a 
familiar  way,  and  with  the  forefinger 
of  the  other  touched  his  own  nose,  and 
then  winked  his  eye. 

"All  right!"  quoth  Grasp,  and 
they  parted.  Within  a  very  few  hours' 
time,  Mr.  Quirk  received,  by  the  hand 
of  a  trusty  messenger,  from  Grasp,  a 
letter  written  by  Steggars  to  Mr.  Par- 
kinson ;  a  long  and  eloquent  letter  to 
the  purport  and  effect  which  Steggars 
had  intimated.  Mr.  Quirk  read  it  with 
much  satisfaction,  for  it  disclosed  a 
truly  penitent  feeling,  and  a  desire  to 
undo  as  much  mischief  as  the  writer 
had  done.  He  (Mr.  Quirk)  was  not 
in  the  least  exasperated  by  certain 
very  plain  terms  in  which  his  own  name 
was  mentioned  ;  but,  making  all  due 
allowances,  quietly  put  the  letter  in 
the  fire  as  soon  as  he  had  read  it.  In 
due  time  Mr.  Steggars,  whoso  health 
had  suffered  from  close  confinement, 
caught  frequent  whiffs  of  the  fresh 
sea-breeze,  having  set  out,  under  most 
favourable  auspices,  for  Botany  Bay  ; 
to  which  distant  but  happy  place,  he 


206 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


had  been  thus  fortunato  in  securing, 
so  early,  an  appointment  for  life. 

Such,  then,  were  the  miserable 
means  by  which  Mr.  Quirk  1> 
acquainted  with  the  exact  state  of 
Mr.  Aubrey's  title :  on  first  becoming 
apprised  of  which,  Mr.  Gammon  either 
felt,  or  affected,  great  repugnance  to 
taking  any  part  in  the  affair.  He 
appeared  to  suffer  himself,  at  length, 

yever,  to  be  over-persuaded  by 
Quirk  into  acquiescence ;  and,  that 
point  gained  —  having  ends  in  view 
of  which  Mr.  Quirk  had  not  the  lcasl 
conception,  and  which,  in  fact,  had  hut 
suddenly  occurred  to  Mr.  Gammon 
himself — worked  his  materials  with  a 
caution,  skill,  em  I  -y,  and  perseverance, 
which  soon  led  to  important  results. 
Guided  by  the  suggestions  of  acute 
and  experienced  counsel,  after  much 
pains  and  considerable  expense,  they 
succeeded  in  discovering  that  precious 
specimen  of  humanity,  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, who  hath  already  figured  so  pro- 
minently in  this  history.  "When  they 
came  to  set  down  on  paper  the  r< 
of  all  their  researches  and  enquiries, 
in  order  to  submit  it  in  the  shape  of  a 
case  for  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Mortmain 
and  Mr.  Frankpledge,  in  the  manner 
which  has  been  already  described,  it 
looked  perfect  on  paper,  as  many  a 
faulty  pedigree  and  abstract  of  title 
had  looked  before,  and  will  yet  look. 
It  was  quite  possible  for  even 
Tresayle  himself  to  overlook  the  defect 
whioh  had  been  pointed  out  by  Mr. 
Subtle.  That  which  is  stated  to  a 
conveyancer  as  a  fact — any  particular 
event,  for  instance,  as  of  a  death,  a 
birth,  or  a  marriage,  at  a  particular 
time,  which  the  very  nature  of  the 
render  i  highly  pn  he  may 

easily  assume  to  be  so.     But  when  the 
omes  under  the  acute 
and  need  eye  of  a  nisi  p 

lawyer,  who  knows  that  he  will  have 
to  prove  his  ease,  step  by  step,  the 

JCtof  things  is  SOOn  changed.    "  1  »e 

sou  (tpparcntibus,  ut  de  aon  ea  istcnti- 


bu°,"  saith  Lord  Coke,  "eadem  est 
ratio."  The  first  practitioner  at  the 
common  law  before  whom  the 
came,  in  its  roughest  and  earliest  t 
in  order  that  he  might  "lick  it  into 
shape,"  and  "advise  generally,"  pre- 
paratory to  its  "  being  laid  before 
counsel,"  was  Mr.  Traverse,  a  yoi 
pleader,  whom  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Gammon  were  disposed  to  take  by  the 
hand.  He  wrote  a  very  showy,  but 
superficial  and  delusive  opinion  ;  and 
put  the  intended  protege' of  his  clients, 
as  it  were  by  a  kind  of  hop,  step,  and 
jump,  into  possession  of  the  Yattou 
estates.  Quirk  was  quite  delighted 
on  reading  it ;  but  Gammon  shook  his 
head  with  a  somewhat  sarcastic  smile, 
and  said  he  would  at  once  prepare 
a  case  for  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Lynx, 
whom  he  had  pitched  upon  as  the 
junior  counsel  in  any  proceedings 
which  might  be  instituted  in  a  couit 
of  law.  Lynx  (of  whom  I  shall  speak 
ifter)  was  an  experienced,  hard- 
headed,  vigilant,  and  accurate  lawyer  ; 
the  very  man  for  such  a  ease,  requir- 
ing, as  it  did,  most  patient  and  minute 
examination.     With  an  eye  fitted 

"  To  inspect  a  mite,  not  comprehend  tho 
heaven," 

he  crawled,  as  it  were,  over  a  case; 
and  thus,  like  as  one  can  imagine  that 
a  beetle  creeping  over  the  floor  of  St. 
Paul's  would  detect  minute  Haws  and 
fissures  that  would  be  invisible,  to  the 
»  of  Sir  Chri  topher  Wren  himself, 
spied  out  defects  that  much  nobler 
optics  would  have  overlooked.  To 
come  to  plain  matti  r-of-fact,  however, 
I  have  beside  me  the  original  opinion 
written  by  Mr.  Lynx  ;  and  shall  treat 
ader  to  a  taste  of  it — giving  him 
suffici.  d.1  to  (  aable  him  to  i  date 
the  ticklish  position  of  affairs  with 
Mr.  Titnv  use.     To  make  it  not  alto- 

.      let     US     Slip] 

i   of  the  ;  bo  1 

thing  like  this  (as  far  as  concerns  our 

pre  i  tit  purpose) : — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAD. 
(Dredplingtoit.) 


207 


(Harry  D.) 


(diaries  D.) 


(Stephen  D.) 


(A  female,  descendant 
marries  Gabriel  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  through  whom 

Tittlebat  Titmouse 
claims.) 

Be  pleased  now,  unlearned  reader, 
to  bear  in  mind  that  "  Dreddlington," 
at  the  top  of  the  above  table,  is  the 
common  ancestor ;  having  two  sons, 
the  elder  "Harry  D."  the  younger 
"  Cliarles  D.  ;"  which  latter  has,  in 
like  manner,  two  sons,  "  Stephen  D." 
the  elder  son,  and  "  Geoffry  D."  the 
younger  son ;  that  Mr.  Aubrey,  at 
present  in  possession,  claims  under 
"  Geoff  ry  D."  Now  it  will  be  incum- 
bent on  Titmouse,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  establish  in  himself  a  clear  inde- 
pendent title  to  the  estates  ;  it  being 
sufficient  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  (possession 
being  nine-tenths  of  the  law,)  to  falsify 
Titmouse's  proofs,  or  show  them  defec- 
tive— "because,"  saith  a  very  learned 
sergeant,  who  hath  writ  a  text-book 
xipon  the  Action  of  Ejectment,  "the 
plaintiff  in  an  action  of  ejectment 
must  recover  upon  the  strength  of  his 
own  title,  not  the  weakness  of  his 
adversary's." 

Now,  things  standing  thus,  behold 
the  astute  Lynx  advising  (inter  alia) 
in  manner  following  ;  that  is  to  say — 

"It  appears  clear  that  the  lessor  of 
the  plaintiff  (i.  e.  Tittlebat  Titmouse) 
will  be  able  to  prove  that  Dreddling- 
ton (the  common  ancestor)  was  seised 
of  the  estate  at  Yatton  in  the  year 
1740  ;  that  he  had  two  sons,  Harry 
and  Charles,  the  former  of  whom,  after 
a  life  of  dissipation,  appears  to  have 
died  without  issue  ;  and  that  from  the 
Litter  (Charles)  are.  descended  Stephen, 


(Geoffry  D.) 


(A  female  descendant 

marries  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq., 

father  of  the  present 

possessor.) 


the  ancestor  of  the  lessor  of  the  plain- 
tiff, and  Geoffry  the  ancestor  of  the 
defendant.  Assuming,  therefore,  that 
the  descent  of  the  lessor  of  the  plaintiff 
from  Stephen,  can  be  made  out,  as 
there  r.ppears  every  reason  to  expect, 
[on  this  point  Lynx  had  written  four 
brief  pages,]  a  clear  prima  facie  case 
will  be  established  on  the  part  of  the 
lessor  of  the  plaintiff.  As,  however, 
it  is  suspected  that  Harry  D.  executed 
a  conveyance  in  fee  of  the  property,  in 
order  to  secure  the  loan  contracted  by 
him  from  Aaron  Moses,  it  will  be  ex- 
tremely important  to  ascertain,  and,  if 
possible,  procure  satisfactory  evidence, 
that  his  decease  occurred  before  the 
period  at  which,  by  his  father's  death, 
that  conveyance  could  have  become 
operative  upon  the  property  :  since  it 
is  obvious  that,  should  he  have  sur- 
vived his  father,  that  instrument,  Icing 
outstanding,  may  form  a  complete 
answer  to  the  case  of  the  lessor  of  the 
plaintiff.  The  danger  will  be  obviously 
increased,  should  the  debt  to  Aaron 
Moses  prove  to  have  been  paid  off,  as 
is  stated  to  be  rumoured,  by  Geoffry 
D.,  the  younger  son  of  Charles  D.  : 
for,  should  that  turn  out  to  be  the 
case,  he  would  probably  have  taken  a 
conveyance  to  himself,  or  to  trustees  for 
his  benefit,  from  Aaron  Moses — which 
being  in  the  power  of  the  defendant, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  would  enable  him  to  make 
out  a  title  "to  the  property,  paramount 
to  that  now  attempted  to  be  set  up  on 


208 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


behalf  of  Mr.  Titmouse.  Every  pos- 
sible exertion,  therefore,  should  be 
made  to  ascertain  the  precise  perio  1  of 
the  death  of  Harry  D.  The  registries 
of  the  various  parishes  in  which  the 
family  may  have  at  any  time  resided, 
should  he  carefully  searched ;  and  on 
examination  made  in  the  churi  hi  s  and 
churchyards,  of  all  tombstones,  escut- 
cheons, &e.,  belonging,  or  .supposed  to 
belong,  to  the  Dredolington  family, 
and  by  which  any  light  can  be  thrown 
upon  this  most  important  point.  It 
appears  clear  that  Dreddlington  (the 
common  ancestor)  died  on  tlvc  7th 
August  1742  : — the  question,  therefore, 
simply  is,  whether  the  death  of  his  eld  si 
son  (Harry)  t  >ok  place  prior  or  subse- 
quent to  tluit  period.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  the  defendant  maybe  in  possession 
of  some  better  evidence  on  this  point 
than  is  possessed  by  the  lessor  of  the 
plaintiff.  The  natural  presumption 
certainly  seems  to  be,  that  the  son, 
being  the  younger  aud  stronger  man, 
was  the  survivor." 

The  above-mentioned  opinion  of  Mr. 
Lynx,  together  with  thai  of  .Mr.  Snl 
entirely  corroborating  it,  (and  winch 
was  alluded  to  in  a  late  chapter  of  this 
history,)  and  a  pedigree,  were  Lying  on 
the  table,  one  day,  at  the  oiliec  at 
Saffron  Hill,  before  the  anxious  and 
perplexed  parties,  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Gammon. 

Gammon  was  looking  attentively, 
and  with  a  very  chagrined  air,  at  the 
pedigree;  ;..id  Quirk  was  looking  at 
Gammon. 

"Now,  Gammon,"  said  the  former, 
"just  let  me  see  again  where  the 
exact  hitch  is— eh  ?  You'll  think  me 
perhaps  infernally  stupid,  but — curse 
me  if  1  can  Bee  it !  " 

"See  it,  my  dear  sir !  Here,  here  ! " 
replied  Gammon  with  sudden  impa- 
i;  ace,  putting  his  finger  two  or  three 
fcimi  i  to  ihe  words  "  Harry  D." 

"Lord  bl  i  us  I  1  >on'i  l»-  so  sharp 
with  one,  <;  immon  !  I  know  as  weD 
as  you  that,  that's  about  v,  hi  re  I  be 
1 1  ick  is ;  hut  v.  hi!  i  i  be  precise  thing 
we're  in  wanl  of,  eh  '( " 

"  Proof,  my  dear  eir,  of  the  death 

of  Harry  1  dreddlington  i  ome  t  ime  -no 

:  to  tho  7th 


August  1712  ;  and  in  default  thereof, 
Mr.  Quirk,  we  are  all  flat  on  our  backs, 
and  had  better  never  have  stirnd  in 
the  business." 

"  You  know,  Gammon,  you're  better 
up  in  these  matters  than  I  —  (only 
because  I've  not  been  able  to  turn  my 
attention  to  'em  since  I  first  bej 
business) — so  just  tell  me,  in  a  word, 
what  good's  to  be  got  by  showing  that 
fellow  to  have  died  in  his  father's  life* 
time?" 

"  Yoti  don't  show  your  usual  acute- 
ness,  Mr.  Quirk,"  replied  Gammon 
blandly.  "  It  is  to  make  waste  paper 
of  that  confounded  conveyance  which 
he  executed,  and  which  Mr.  Aubrey 
has,  and  with  which  he  may,  at  a 
stroke,  cut  the  ground  from  under  our 
feet." 

"The  very  thought  makes  one  fid 
quite  funny  —  don't  it,  Gammon?" 
quoth  Quirk,  with  a  flustered  air. 

"It  may  well  do  so,  .Mr.  Quirk. 
Now  we  are  fairly  embarked  in  a  cause 

win-re  SUCCeSS  will  be  a!  ten  led  with  SO 

many  splendid  results,  .Mr.  Quirk — 
though  I'm  sure  you'll  always  bear  me 
out  in  saying  how  very  unwilling  I 
was  to  take  advantage  of  the  villany 
of  that  miscreant  Steg — hem— — " 

"Gammon,  Gammon,  you're  always 
harking  hack  to  that — I'm  tired  of 
hearing  on't !  " 

"  Well,  now  we're  in  it,  I  don't  see 
why  we  should  allow  ourselves  to  be 
baffled  by  trifles.  The  plain  question 
is,  undoubtedly,  whether  we  are  to 
.  'end  still,  or  go  on."  Mr.  Quirk 
gazed  at  Mr.  Gammon  with  an  anxious 
and  puzzled  look. 

"How  d'ye  make  out — in  a  legal 
way,  you  know,  Gammon — when  a 
man  died — 1  mean,  of  a  natural 
death/"  enquired  Quirk,  who  was 
familiar  enough  with  the  means  of 
proving  the  exact  hour  of  certain 
violent  deaths  at  1  lebtor's  Door. 

"  oh  !  there  are  various  method  I 
doing  so  ■•■   i Lr,"  replied  *  I 

mon  carelessly.     "  Entries  in  fan 

bibles    and     prayer-1 ks,    n 

tombstones — ay,  by  the  way.  \\  old 
tombstone,"     continued      Gammon 
ihgly,     "that    would    Bl  til"    the 
lei  incss !  " 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


209 


"  An  old  tombstone ! "  echoed  Quirk  ' 
briskly.    ' '  Lord,  Gammon,  so  it  would ! 
That's  an  idea  ! — I  call  that  a  decided 
idea,  Gammon.     'Twould  be  the  very 
thin.c; !  " 

"The  very  thing  !  "  repeated  Gam- 
mon, pointedly.  They  remained 
silent  for  some  moments. 

"Snap  could  not  have  looked  about 
him  sharply  enough,  when  he  was 
down  at  Yatton  !  "  at  length  observed 
Quirk,  in  a  low  tone  Hushing  all  over 
as  he  uttered  the  last  words,  and  felt 
Gammon's  cold  grey  eye  settled  on 
him  like  that  of  a  snake. 

"He  could  not,  indeed,  my  dear 
sir,"  replied  Gammon,  while  Quirk 
continued  gazing  earnestly  at  him, 
now  and  then  wriggling  about  in  his 
chair,  rubbing  his  chin,  and  drumming 
with  his  fingers  on  the  table. — "  And 
now  that  you've  suggested  the  thing, 
it's  not  to  be  wondered  at — you  know, 
it  would  have  been  an  old  tombstone 
— a  sort  of  fragment  of  a  tombstone, 
perhaps — so  deeply  sunk  in  the  ground, 
probably,  as  easily  to  have  escaped 
observation,  eh  ?  Does  not  it  strike 
you,  so,  Mr.  Quirk  ?  "  All  this  was  said 
by  Gammon  in  a  musing  manner,  ami 
in  a  very  low  tone  of  voice  ;  and  he 
was  delighted  to  find  his  words  sinking 
into  the  eager  mind  of  his  companion. 

"  Ah,  Gammon  !  "  exclaimed  Quirk, 
with  a  sound  of  partly  a  sigh,  and 
partly  a  whistle,  (the  former  being  the 
exponent  of  the  true  state  of  his  feel- 
ings, i.  e.  anxiety — the  latter  of  what 
he  wished  to  appear  the  state  of  his 
feelings,  i.e.  indifference. ) 

"Yes,  Mr.  Quirk?" 

"You're  a  deep  devil,  Gammon — 
I  will  say  that  for  you  ! "  replied 
Quirk,  glancing  towards  each  door, 
and,  as  it  were,  unconsciously  drawing 
his  chair  a  little  closer  to  that  of 
Gammon. 

"  Nay,  my  dear  sir  !  "  said  Gammon, 
with  a  deferential  and  deprecating 
smile,  "  you  give  me  credit  for  an 
acuteness  I  feel  I  do  not  deserve  !  If, 
indeed,  I  had  not  had  your  sagacity 
to  rely  upon,  ever  since  I  have  had  the 
honour  of  being  connected  with  you 

ah,  Mr.  Quirk,  you  know  you  lead 

—I  folic  V," " 


' '  Gammon,  Gammon  !  Come — your 
name's  Oily — — " 

"In moments  like  these,  Mr.  Quirk, 
I  say  nothing  that  I  do  not  feel," 
interrupted  Gammon  gravely,  putting 
to  his  nose  the  least  modicum  of  snuff 
which  he  could  take  with  the  tip  of 
his  finger  out  of  the  huge  box  of  Mr. 
Quirk,  who,  just  then,  was  thrusting 
immense  pinches  every  half  minute  up 
his  nostrils. 

"  It  will  cost  a  great  deal  of  money 
to  find  that  same  tombstone,  Gam- 
mon !  "  said  Quirk,  in  almost  a  whis- 
per, and  paused,  looking  intently  at 
Gammon. 

"  I  think  this  is  a  different  kind  of 
snuff  from  that  which  you  usually 
take,  Mr.  Quirk,  isn't  it?"  enquired 
Gammon,  as  he  inserted  the  tips  of 
his  fingers  into  the  box. 

"  The  same — the  same,"  replied 
Quirk  mechanically. 

"You  are  a  man  better  equal  to 
serious  emergencies  than  any  man  I 
ever  came  near,"  said  Gammon;  "I 
perceive  that  you  have  hit  the  nail  on 
the  head,  as  indeed  you  always  do." 

"Tut!  Stuff,  Gammon;  you're 
every  bit  as  good  a  hand  as  I  am." 
Gammon  smiled,  shook  his  head,  and 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"'Tis  that  practical  sagacity  of 
yours,"  said  Gammon— "you  know  it 
as  well  as  I  can  tell  you — that  has 
raised  you  to  your  present  professional 
eminence."  He  paused,  and  looked 
very  sincerely  at  his  senior  partner. 

"Well,  I  must  own  I  think  I  do 
know  a  trick  or  two,"  quoth  Quirk, 
with  a  sort  of  grunt  of  gratification. 

"Ay,  and  further,  there  are  some 
clever  men  that  never  can  keep  their 
own  counsel ;  but  are  like  a  hen  that 
has  just  laid  an  egg,  and  then  goes 
foolishly  cackling  about  everywhere, 
and  then  her  egg  is  taken  away  ;  but 
you " 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Quirk  ;  "  that's 
devilish  good,  Gammon  !  —  Capital ! 
Gad,  I  think  I  see  the  hen!  Ha, 
ha!" 

"Ha,  ha!"  echoed  Gammon  gen- 
tly. "  But  to  be  serious,  Mr.  Quirk  ; 
what  I  was  going  to  say  was,  that  I 
thoroughly  appreciate  your  admirable 

P 


210 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


caution  in  not  confiding  to  any  one — 
no,  not  even  to  mc — the  exact  means 
by  which  you  intend  to  extricate  us 
from  our  present  dilemma."  ]l  re 
Quirk  got  very  fidgety,  and  twirled 
his  watch-key  violently. 

"Hem!     But— hem!     Ay— a— a," 
he  grunted,  looking  with  an  un 
air  at  his  calm  b  i      tpanion  ;  "  I 

didn't  mean  so  much  as  all  that,  either, 
I  nmon;  for  two  heads,  in  my  opinion, 
aye  better  than  one.  You  must  own 
that,  Gammon!"  said  he,  not  at  all 
relishing  the  heavy  burd<  n  of  respon- 
sibility which  lie  felt  that  Gammon 
■was  about  to  devolve  upon  his  (Quirk's) 
shoulders  exclusively. 

"  'Tis  undoubti  dly  rather  a  serious 
business  on  which  we  are  now  enter- 
said   Gammon;    "and   I   hare 
always  admired  a  saying   which  you 
years  ago  told  me  of  that  great  man 
hiavel " 

[<  )h,  i  rammon  !  Gammon  !   You  well 
know  that  poor  old  Mr.  Quirk  never 
L  ard  of  the  name  of  that  same  Machi- 
ii!l  tl.i ;  moment !] — 

"That  '  when  great  affairs  are  stir- 
ring, amaster-moj  e  should  1"'  confined 
to  the  master-mind  that  projects  it.' 
I  understand!  I  see !  I  will  not, 
therefore,  enquire  into  the  precise 
means  by  which  I  am  satisfied  you 
will  make  it  appear,  in  due  turn  . 
(while  I  am  d  getting  up  the 

subordinate,  but  very hai  '  (ails 

ofth  il  case,)  that  Hairy  L 

dlington  died  before  tltc  7th  of  August 
1742."  Here,  taking  out  bis  watch — 
"Bless    me,    Mr.    Quirk,   how    time 

{!  -Two   o'clock  !      I    ought   to 
lave    been    at    Mes  rs.    Gregson's    a 
qu  irter  of  an  hour  ago." 

a  moment  or  two    can't 
aify  I     It — it,"  said  Quirk  hesitat- 
y,  "it  was  you,  wasn't  it,  that 
thouj  Ii1  of  the  tombstone  ?  " 

"II  lear  Mr.  Quirk"—  i 

rnpi  d  Gammon,  with  a  look  of  as- 
I  ment  and 

—  honour 

( :  i.  i  aon  !  "  snicl 

attempted  b>  take  the  credit  of " 

i    mmencc  I  I  u  j  when  a  ■ 


entering,  put  an  end  to  the  colloquy 
between  the  partners,  each  of  whom, 
presently,  was  sitting  alone  in  bis  own 
room— for  Gammon  found  that  be  was 
too  late  to  think  of  keeping  his  en- 
gagement with  Messrs.  Grcgson  ;  if 
ind  d  ho  had  ever  made  any — whi 
in  fact,  he  had  not.  Mr.  Quirk  sal  in 
a  musing  posture  for  nearly  half  an 
hour  after  he  and  (I  immon  had  separ- 
ated. "Gammon  is  a  deep  one  !  I'll 
be  shot  if  ever  there  was  his  equal," 
s.iid  Quirk  to  himself,  at  length  ;  and 
starting  off  his  chair,  with  his  bands 
crossed  behind  him,  he  walked  softly 
to  and  fro.  "  I  know  what  he's  driving 
at — though  he  thought  I  didn't !  He'd 
let  me  scratch  my  bands  in  getting 
the  blackberries,  and  then  he'd  come 
smiling  in  to  cat  'em  !  But — share 
and  share  alike — share  profit,  share 
danger,  Mast  r  Gammon  ; — you  may 
find  that  Caleb  Quirk  is  a  match  for 
Oily  Gammon — I'll  have  you  in  for  it, 
on  •  way  or  another  !  "  Here  occurro  1 
a  long  pause  in  his  thoughts.  "  Really 
1  doubt  the  tiling's  growing  unman- 
a'1  be  worth  the 
risk  ! — Risk,  indeed — 'fore  Gad- 
neither  more  nor  less  than "    Here 

ac  '-tain  picture  hanging,  covered  with 
black  crape,  in  the  drawing-room  at 
Alibi    II"  mi  1   to  have  gli 

down  from  its   station,  and    to   stan  I 
before  his  eyes  with  the  crape  drawn 
aside  —a  ghastly   objei  I     eugh  !     Ho 
(ruddered,   and  invol  closed 

his  eyes.     "How  devilish  odd  that  I 
should  just  now  have*  happened    to 
k  of  it  !  "  he  inwardly  exclaim*  1, 
sinking  into  his  chair,  in  a  sort  of  i 

"  1) — n  the  picture  !  "  at  length  ho 
exclaimed,  almost  loud,  gottil 
and  more  flustered — "  I'll  burn  it !    It 
sha'n't  disgrace  my  drawing  room  any 

er  !  "     Here  Quirk  al st  fancied 

ome  busy  little  B 
I  |  ;  ;ure.  wril  in  ;  the 

•■ '  ■  ■  ■     Quikk"  at  tli    boi  torn 
f  it ;  and  a  .  over 

Presently  1 

ed  up,  and  took  down  one  of  several 

well-worn   dingy-looking   b  oks   that 

!  on   the  i  lume  of 

Bun  I  t,  ho 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


211 


put  on  his  glasses,  and  with  a  little 
trepidation  turned  to  the  head  ' '  For- 
gery," and  glanced  over  it,  divided  as 
it  was  into  two  great  heads — "Forgery 
at  Common  Law,  and  Forgery  by 
Statute,"  with  many  able  observations 
of  the  learned  compiler,  and  important 
" cases"  cited.  At  length  his  eye  lit 
upon  a  paragraph  that  seemed  suddenly 
to  draw  his  heart  up  into  his  throat, 
producing  a  sensation  that  made  him 
involuntarily  clap  his  hand  upon  his 
neck. 

"Oh,  Gammon!!"  ho  muttered, 
drawing  oil  his  glasses,  sinking  back  in 
his  chair,  and  looking  towards  the  door 
that  opened  into  Gammon's  room  ;  in 
which  direction  he  extended  his  right 
arm,  and  shook  his  fist.  "  You  pre- 
cious villain  ! — I've  an  uncommon  in- 
clination," at  length  thought  he,  "to 
go  down  slap  to  Yorkshire — say  no- 
thing to  anybody — mike  reace  with 
the  enemy,  and  knock  up  the  whole 
thing! — For  a  couple  of  thousand 
pounds — a  trifle  to  the  Aubreys,  I'm 
sur;.  Were  /in  his  p'ace,  I  shouldn't 
grudge  it ;  and  why  should  he  ? — By 
Jove,"  he  got  a  little  heated — "that 
would  bo,  as  Gammon  has  it,  a  master 
move!  and  confined,  egad!  to  the  master 
mind  that  thought  of  it ! — Why  should 
he  ever  know  of  the  way  in  which  the 
thing  blew  Tip  ? — Really  'twould  be 
worth  half  the  money  to  do  Gammon 
so  hollow  for  once — by  George  it  would ! 
— Gammon,  that  would  slip  Caleb 
Quirk's  neck  so  slyly  into  the  halter, 
indeed !  " 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Mr.  Quirk," 
said  Gammon,  suddenly  re-entering  the 
room  after  about  an  hour's  absence, 
during  which  he  too  had,  like  his 
senior  partner,  been  revolving  many 
things  in  his  mind — "it  has  occurred 
to  me,  that  I  had  better  immediately 
go  down  to  Yatton,  alone." 

Hereat  Mr.  Quirk  opened  both  his 
eyes  and  his  mouth  to  their  very 
widest ;  got  very  red  in  the  face  ;  and 
stared  at  his  placid  partner  with  a 
mingled  expression  of  fear  and  wonder. 
"Hang  me,  Gammon  !  "  at  length  he 
exclaimed,  desperately,  slapping  his 
fist  upon  the  table — "  if  I  don't  think 
you're  the  very  devil  himself!  " — and 


he  sank  back  in  his  chair,  verily  be- 
lieving, in  the  momentary  confusion 
of  his  thoughts,  that  what  had  been 
passing  through  his  mind  was  known 
to  Gammon ;  or  that  what  had  been 
passing  through  his  (Quirk's)  mind, 
had  also  been  occurring  to  Gammon, 
who  had  resolved  upon  being  before- 
hand in  putting  his  purposes  into 
execution.  Gammon  was  at  first  com- 
pletely confounded  byQuirk's  reception 
of  him,  and  stood  for  a  few  moments, 
with  his  hands  elevated,  in  silence. 
Then  he  approached  the  table,  and  his 
eye  caught  the  well-thumbed  volume 
of  Burns'  Justice,  open  at  the  head, 
"_JFOHG(5iir)!"— and  the  quick- 
sighted  Gammon  saw  how  matter3 
stood  at  a  glance  —  the.  process  by 
which  the  result  he  had  just  witnessed 
had  been  arrived  at. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Quirk,  what  new  vagary 
now  1 "  he  enquired,  with  an  air  of 
smiling  curiosity. 

"Vagary  be  !"    growled    old 

Quirk  sullenly,  without  moving  in  his 
chair. 

Gammon  stood  for  a  moment  or  two 
eyeing  him  with  a  keen  scrutiny. 
"  What  ! "  at  length  he  enquired, 
good-humouredly,  "  do  you  then  really 
grudge  me  any  share  in  the  little  en- 
terprise ? " 

"  Eh  ?  "  quickly  interrupted  Quirk, 
pricking  up  his  ears.  "Do  you  intend 
to  play  MacJcivel !  eh  ?  What  must 
you  go  down  alone  to  Yatton  for,  Gam- 
mon ? "  continued  Quirk  anxiously. 

"  Why,  simply  as  a  sort  of  pioneer 
— to  reconnoitre  the  churchyard — eh  ? 
I  thought  it  might  have  been  of 
service  ;  but  if — " 

"Gammon,  Gammon,  your  hand! 
I  understand,"  replied  Quirk,  evidently 
vastly  relieved — most  cordially  shaking 
the  cold  hand  of  Gammon. 

"But  understand,  Mr.  Quirk,"  said 
he  in  a  very  peremptory  manner,  "no 
one  upon  earth  is  to  know  of  my  visit 
to  Yatton  except  yourself." 

He  received  a  solemn  pledge  to  that 
effect ;  and  presently  the  partners 
s  ;p  irated,  a  little  better  satisfied  with 
each  other.  Though  not  a  word  passed 
between  them  for  several  days  after- 
wards on  the  topic  chiefly  discussed 

P  2 


212 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


during  the  interview  above  described, 
the  reader  may  easily  imagine  that 
neither  of  them  dropped  it  from  his 
thoughts.  .Mr.  Quirk  paid  one  or  two 
visits  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Hounds- 
ditch,  (a  perfect  hotbed  of  clients,) 
where  resided  two  or  three  gentlemen 
of  the  Jewish  persuasion,  who  had  I 
placed,  from  time  to  time,  under  con- 
siderable  obligations  by  the  firm  of 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  in  respect 
of  professional  services  rendered  both 
to  thems  Lves  and  to  their  friends. 
One  of  them,  in  particular,  had  a  pain- 
ful consciousness  that  it  was  in  old 
Mr.  Quirk's  power  at  any  time,  by  a 
whisper,  to   place   his — the   aforesaid 

Israelite's  —neck  in  an  unsightly  n 

that ''very  now  and  then  mi  [hi  beseen 
dangling  from  a  b  iam  opposite  I  tebtor's 

Door,    Kewgale,    about    eight    o'clock 

in  the  morning  ;  him,  therefore,  every 
[deration  of  interest  and  of  grati- 
tude, combined  to  render  subservient 
to  the  reasonable  wishes  of  Mr.  Quirk. 
He  was  a  most  ingenious  little  fellow, 
and  had  a  great  taste  for  the  imitative 
arts  —so  strong  a  taste,  in  fact,  that  it 
had  once  or  twice  placed  him  in  Borne 
jeopardy  with  tin-  Goths  and  Vandals 
of  the  law,  who  characterized  the  uoble 
art  in  whi  h  lit  excelled  by  a  very 
ugly  and  formidable  word,  and  annex  I 
the  most  barbarous  penalties  to  its 
practice.  What  passed  between  him 
and  old  Quirk  on  the  occasion  of  their 
interviews,  I  know  not;  but  one  after- 
noon, the  latter,  on  returning  to  his 
office,  without  saying  anything  to  any- 
body, having  bolted  the  door,  took  out 
of  his  pocket  sevi  ral  little  pieces  of 
paper,  containing  pretty  little  pictur- 
esque devices  of  a  IV a  jra  int  iry  chai 
ter,  with  ant  ique  1  '  ter  i  and  figures  on 

them  -crumbling  pi s  of  stone,  some 

looking  more   and  some  less  sunk  ill 
t  he  ground,  and  overgrown  with  grass  : 
po    ibly  they  were  designs  for  orna- 
ments to  be  added    to   that    tasteful 
— Alibi   House— possibly   in- 
to led  to  j  I     ■  Quirk's  allium. 
1 1           r  this  might  be,  after  he  had 
refully  compared 
i]  Borne  i  ime, 
h  I  il  Li  !  tli  .11  up  in  a  sh  ••  i  of  p  ipor, 
1  it  up  -with  cert  duly  not 


steadiest  hand  in  the  word — and  then 
deposited  it  in  an  iron  safe. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Yattox,  the  recovery  of  which  was 
the  object  of  these  secret  and  fonnid" 

able  movements  and  preparations,  not 
to  say  machinations,  was  all  thi;  while 
the  scene  of  deep  affliction.  The 
lamentable  condition  of  his  mother 
plunged  Mr.  Aubrey,  his  wife  and 
sister,  into  profounder  grief  than  had 
been  oc  :asioned  by  the  calamity  which 
menaced  them  all  in  common.  H  id 
lie  been  alone,  he  would  have  en- 
countered the  sudden  storm  of  ad- 
ver  iiy  with  unshrinking,  nay  cheerful 
firmness  ;  but  could  it  be  so,  when  he 
bad  ever  before  him  those  whose  ruin 
was  involved  in  his  own  ? — Poor  Mrs, 
Aubrey,  his  wife,  having  been  two  or 
t  hree  weeks  confined  to  her  bed,  during 
which  time  certain  fond  hopes  of  the 
husband  had  been  blighted,  was  almost 
overpowered,  when,  languid  and  feeble, 
supported  by  Mr,  Aubrey  and  Kate, 
Bhe  lirst  entered  the  bed-room  of  the 
venerable  sufferer.  What  a  differec 
ind 1,  was  there  between  the  appear- 
ance of  all  of  them  at  that  moment, 
and  on  the  Christmas  day  when,  a 
happy  group,  they  were  cheerfully 
enjoying  the  festivities  of  the  Beasonl 
Kale  was  now  pale,  and  somewhat 
thinner;  her  beautiful  features  ex- 
hibited a  careworn  expression  ;  yet 
tlere,  was  a  serene  lustre  in  her  blue 
eye,  and  a  composed  resolution  in  her 
air,  which  bespoke  the  superiority  of 
her  soul.  What  it  had  cost  her  to 
bear  with  any  Bemblanoe  of  self- 
I".    est  ion,  or  km  I  be  sad  sp 

t  i  le  now  presented  by  her  mother  ! 
What  a  tender  and  vigilant  nurse  was 

he,   to    oue    \\  ho   could    no    longer   be. 

sensible  of,  or  approci  ite,  her  a1  ten- 
i  mi  i !     How  that  Bweel  girl  humoured 
all    In  r  mother's  lilt  le  eccenl  rici 
and  i  1 1  excitement,  nnd 

ie.1    herself    to    every    varying 

of  her   mental   mi  lad)  I     She 

had  i]  'I   her  Feasibilities  and 

igs    as    to   bo   able   t  ■>   w  lint  .iu 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


213 


perfect  cheerfulness  and  composure  in 
her   mother's  presence,   on   occasions 
which    forced    her  brother,    and  his 
shaken  wife,  to  turn  aside  with  an  eye 
of  agony — overcome  by  some  touching 
speech  or  wayward  action  of  the  un- 
conscious    sufferer,     who     constantly 
imagined    herself,    poor   soul !    to   be 
living   over   again   her   early  married 
life  ;    and   that    in   her   little    grand- 
children she  beheld    Mr.  Aubrey  and 
Kate   as    in   their    childhood !      She 
would  gently  chide  Mr.   Aubrey,  her 
husband,  for  his   prolonged   absence, 
asking  many  times  a  day  whether  he 
had    returned    from    London.     Every 
morning  old  Jacob   Jones  was  shown 
into  her  chamber,  at  the  hour  at  which 
1ij  had  been  accustomed,  in  happier 
days,  to  attend  upon  her.     The  faith- 
ful old  man's  eyes  would  be  blinded 
with  tears,  and  his  voice  choked,  as 
he  was  asked  how  Peggy  got  over  her 
yesterday's  journey ;  and   listened   to 
questions,    messages,    and   directions, 
which  had  been  familiar  to  him  twenty 
years     before,     about     villagers     and 
tenants  who  had  long  lain  mouldering 
in   their  humble  graves  —  their  way 
thither  cheered  and  smoothed  by  her 
Christian    charity  and    benevolence ! 
'Twas  a  touching  sight  to  see  her  two 
beautiful  grandchildren,  in  whose  com- 
pany she  delighted,  brought,    with    a 
timorous  and   half-reluctant  air,  into 
her  presence.     How  strange  must  have 
seemed    to   them   the   gaiety   of    the 
motionless  figure  always  lying  in  the 
bed  ;  a   gaiety  which,    though  gentle 
as  gentle  could  be,  yet  sufficed  not  to 
assure  the  little  things,  or  set  them 
nt    their    ease.      Though    her    mild 
features  ever  smiled  upon  them,  and 
aer  voice  was  cheerful,  still  'twas  from 
n  prostrate  figure  that  never  moved, 
and  was  always  surrounded  by  calm, 
quiet  figures,  with  sorrowful  constraint 
in  their   countenances  and   gestures ! 
Charles   would    stand    watching   her, 
with  apprehensive  eye — the  finger  of 
one  hand  raised  to  his  lip,  while  his 
other    retained    the   hand    that    had 
brought  him  in,  as  if  fearful  of  its 
quitting  hold  of  him  ;  the  few  words 
he  could  be  brought  to  speak  were  in 
a  subdued  tone  and  hurried  utterance  : 


—and  when,  having  been  lifted  up  to 
kiss  his  grandmamma,  he  and  his  sister 
were  taken  out  of  the  chamber,  their 
little  breasts  would  heave  a  sigh  which 
showed  how  relieved  they  were  from 
their  recent  constraint. 

How  woefully  changed  was  every- 
thing in  the  once  cheerful  old  Hall! 
Mr.  Aubrey  sitting  in  the  library, 
intently  engaged  upon  books  and 
j  apers — Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  now 
and  then,  arm  in  arm,  walking  slowly 
up  and  down  the  galleries,  or  one  of 
the  rooms,  or  the  hall,  not  with  their 
former  sprightly  gaiety,  but  pensive, 
and  often  in  tears,  and  then  returning 
to  the  chamber  of  their  suffering  parent. 
All  this  was  sad  work,  indeed,  and 
seemed,  as  it  were,  to  herald  in  coming 
desolation  ! 

But    little   variation   occurred,   for 
several  weeks,  in  the  condition  of  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  except  that  she  grew  visibly 
feebler.     One  morning,  however,  about 
six  weeks  after  her  seizure,  from  cer- 
tain symptoms  the  medical  men  inti- 
mated  their   opinion   that   some   im- 
portant   change    was   on   the   eve    of 
taking  place,  for  which  they  prepared 
t  he  family.     She  had  been  very  restless 
during    the    night.       After  'frequent 
intervals  of  uneasy  sleep,   she  would 
awake    with     evident     surprise     and 
bewilderment.     Sometimes  a  peculiar 
smile  would  flit   over   her   emaciated 
features ;    at   others,    they   would   be 
overcast  with  gloom,  and  she  would 
seem    struggling    to    suppress    tears. 
Her  voice,  too,  when  she  spoke,  was 
feeble  and  tremulous  ;  and  she  would 
sigh,  and  shake  her  head  mournfully. 
Old  Jacob  Jones,  not  being  introduced 
at  the  accustomed  hour,  she  asked  for 
him.     When  he  made  his  appearance, 
she  gazed  at  him  for  a  moment  or  two, 
with  a  puzzled  eye,  exclaiming  "Jacob! 
Jacob  !  is  it  you  ?  "  in  a  very  low  tone  ; 
and    then   she    closed    her   eyes,    ap- 
parently falling  asleep.     Thus  passed 
the  day  ;  her  daughter  and  daughter- 
in-law  sitting  on  either  side  the  bed, 
where    they  had   so   long   kept   their 
anxious   and    affectionate  vigils — Mr. 
Aubrey  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  bed — ■ 
and  Dr.  Goddart  and  Mr.  Whateley  in 
frequent    attendance.       Towards    the 


2U 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


evening,  Dr.  Tatham  also,  as  had  been 
his  daily  custom  through  her  illm  ss, 
appeared,  and  in  a  low  tone  read  over 
the  service  for  the  visitation  of  the 
sick.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Aubrey 
was  obliged  to  quit  the  chamber,  in 
order  to  attend  to  sonic  vi  ry  p:essing 
matters  of  business  ;  and  he  had  been 
i  d  for  nearly  an  hour,  intending 

almost  every  moment  to  return  tolas 
mother's  chamber,  when  Dr.  Tatham 
entered,  as  Mr.  Aubrey  was  subscrib- 
ing his  name  to  a  letter,  and,  with  a 
little  earnestness,  said — "Come,  my 
friend,  let  us  return  to  your  mother  ; 
methinks  she  is  on  the  eve  of  some 
decisive  :    the  issue    is  with 

God."  Within  a  very  few  mom 
they  were  both  at  the  bedside  of 
Mrs.  Aubrey.  A  large  chamber-lamp, 
standing  on  a  table  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  bed,  diffused  a  soft  light 
over  the  room,  rendering  visible  at  a 
glance  the  silent  and  sad  group  col- 
ic, ted  round  the  bed,  all  with  their 
eves   directed   towards   the   vene 

re  who  lay  upon  it.  Mr.  Aubrey 
sat  beside  his  wife  close  to  his  mother  ; 
and  taking  her  thin,  emaciated  hand 
into  his  own,  gently  raised  it  to  his 
lips.  She  seemed  dozing :  but  his 
action  appeared  to  rouse  her  for  a 
Presently  she  fixed  her  eye 
upon  him— its  expression,  the  while, 
slowly  but  perceptibly  changing,  and 
exciting  strange  fee  ings  within  him. 
lie  trembled,  and  removed  not  his  eye 
from  hers.  He  turned  very  pale— for 
the  whole  expression  of  his  mother's 
countenance,  which  was  turned  full 
towards  him,  was  changing.  Through 
the  clouded  windows  of  the  falling 
fabric,  behold  !  its  long-imprisoned 
u  had  .-M  I.  en  from  i; 
por,  and  was  looking  at  him.  Ri  a- 
son  was  re-ap]  It,  was,  indei  d, 

his  moth  i  r,   and    in  Tier  right  tn 
that  was  gazing  at  him.     He  scar 

:  In  d.      At    length    surj  i  i  e  and 
appri  !i  iiision  \  i  Idea  before  a  gu:  h  of 
tend  ; ;  '    i  and  love.     With  w !  at  an 
ible   loi  k  was  his  moth  c  al 
thai  '  iml     II is  lip 

quiverel  -hi 

he  fell    her  fingers  very  gently  com- 
l:i  ■  <a\  n,  liis  tci  I  <  -'■'  n. 


Gently  leaning  forward,  be  kissed  her 
cheek,  and  sank  on  one  knee  beside 
the  bed. 

"Is  it  you,  my  son?"  said  she,  in 

a  very  low  tone,  hut  in  her  own  voi 

and  it  stirred  up  instantly  a  thousand 

fond  recollections,  almost  overpowering 

him.    He  ki    ed  her  hand  with  fervent 

energy,  but  spoke  not.    She  continued 

gazing  at  him  with  mingled  solemnity 

and  fondness.     Her  eye  seemed  bright* 

ening  as  it  remained  fixed  upon  him. 

Again  she  spoke,  in  a  very  low  hut 

1    ir voice — every  thrilling  word  being 

heard  by  every  one  around   her — "  Or 

the  silver  cord  be  loosed,  or  the 

n  bowl  be  broken,  or  (he  pitcher  be 

en  at  the  fountain,  or  (he  wheel 

n  at  the  cistern, — Then  shall  the 

dust  /■<  turn  to  the  earth  as  it  was  ;  and 

:i<     spirit  shall  return  unto   God  who 

it."     It  would  be  in  vain  to  at- 

t  in;  t  to  describe  the  manner  in  which 

these  words  were  spoken  ;  and  which 

fell  upon   those  who  heard  them   as 

though  they  were  listening  to  one  from 

the  dead. 

"My  mother!  —  my  mother  I "  at 
length  faltered  Aubrey. 

"Cud   bless  thee,  my  son!"  said 
she  solemnly.      "And  Catharine,  my 

daughter— God    bless    the< " 

atly  added,  j  ently  turning  round 
her  head  towards  the  quarter  whence  a 
stilled  sob  issued  from  Miss  Aubrey, 
who  ro  e,  trembling,  and  leaning  over, 
kissed  her  mother.  "Agnes,  are  you 
here — and    your    little   ones? — God 

bless "    Her  voice  got  fainter,  and 

her  eyes  closed.  Mr.  Whateley  gave 
her  a  few  drops  of  ether,  and  she  pre- 
sently revived. 

"God  hath  been  very  good  to  you, 
mi  dam,"      id  Dr.  Tatham,  obsen 
ha-  eye  fixed  upon  him,  "  to 
you  thus  to  your  childi 

"  I  have  been  1"  ent — long ! — 

1  wake,  my  children,  but  to  bid  yon 
farewell,  for  i  \  n  earth." 

"  Say    uol     I  ■.     my    mother —  my 

[ous  mother  1  "  exclaimed  her  son, 

in  vain  endeavouring  to  suppress  his 

"  1  do,  my  son  !    Weep  not  for  c 
I  am  old,  and   am  summoned  away 
from  ami         ou"-   She  a  ased,  a 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


215 


from  exhaustion ;   and  no  one  spoke 
for  some  minutes. 

"It  may  be  that  God  hath  roused 
me,  as  it  were,  from  the  dead,  to  com- 
fort my  sorrowful  children  with  words 
of  hope,"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  with 
much  more  power  and  distinctness 
than  before.  "Hope  ye,  then,  in 
God  ;  for  ye  shall  yet  praise  him  who 
is  the  health  of  your  countenance,  and 
your  God!" 

"We  will  remember,  my  mother, 
your  words  !  "  faltered  her  son. 

"  Yes,  my  son — if  days  of  darkness 
be  at  hand  " — She  ceased.  Again  Mr. 
"Whateley  placed  to  her  white  lips  a 
glass  with  some  reviving  fluid — looking 
ominously  at  Mr.  Aubrey,  as  he  found 
that  she  continued  insensible.  Miss 
Aubrey  sobbed  audibly  ;  indeed,  all 
present  were  powerfully  affected. 
Again  Mrs.  Aubrey  revived,  and  swal- 
lowed a  few  drops  of  wine  and  water. 
A  heavenly  serenity  diffused  itself 
over  her  emaciated  features. 

"We  shall  meet  again,  my  loves  ! — 
I  can  no  longer  see  you  with  the  eyes 
of" — Mr.  Whateley  observing  a  sudden 
change,  came  nearer  to  her. 

"Peace!  peace!"  she  murmured 
almost  inarticulately.  A  dead  silence 
ensued,  interrupted  only  by  smothered 
sobs.  Her  children  sank  on  their 
knees,  and  buried  their  faces  in  their 
hands,  trembling. 

Mr.  Whateley  made  a  silent  signal  to 
Dr.  Tatham,  that  life  had  ceased — that 
the  beloved  spirit  had  passed  away. 
"  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away :  blessed  be  the  name  of 
the  Lord!"  said  Dr.  Tatham,  with 
tremulous  solemnity.  Mrs.  Aubrey 
and  Miss  Aubrey,  no  longer  able  to 
restrain  their  feelings,  wept  bitterly  ; 
and,  overpowered  with  grief,  were  sup- 
ported out  of  the  room  by  Dr.  Tatham 
and  Mr.  Aubrey.  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  the  venerable  mother  of 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  no  more,  universal 
reverence  was  testified  for  her  memory, 
and  sympathy  for  the  afflicted  sur- 
vivors, by  even  those,  high  and  low, 
in  the  remoter  parts  of  the  neighbour- 
hood who  had  no  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  the  family.  Two  or  three 
dxvs  afterwards,  the  undertaker,  who 


had  received  orders  from  Mr.  Aubrey 
to  provide  a  simple  and  unexpensive 
funeral,  submitted  to  him  a  list  of 
more  than  thirty  names  of  the  nobility 
and  gentry  of  the  country,  who  had 
sent  to  him  to  know  whether  it  would 
be  agreeable  to  the  family  for  them  to 
be  allowed  to  attend  Mrs.  Aubrey's 
remains  to  the  grave.  After  much 
consideration,  Mr.  Aubrey  accepted  of 
this  spontaneous  tribute  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  his  mother,  "fwas  a 
memorable  and  melancholy  day  on 
which  the  interment  took  place — one 
never  to  be  forgotten  at  Yatton.  What 
can  be  more  chilling  than  the  gloomy 
bustle  of  a  great  funeral,  especially  in 
the  country ;  and  when  the  deceased 
is  one  whose  memory  is  enshrined  in 
the  holiest  feelings  of  all  who  knew 
her  ?  What  person  was  there,  for 
miles  around,  who  could  not  speak  of 
the  courtesies,  the  charities,  the  good- 
ness of  Madam  Aubrey  ? 

When  the  ear  heard  her,  then  it 
blcsscel  her  ;  and  tvhen  the  eye  saw  Iter, 
it  gave  ivitness  to  her  : 

Because  she  delivered  the  p>oor  that 
cried,  and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that 
had  none  to  help  him. 

The  blessing  of  him  tliat  was  ready 
to perish  cameupon  her,  and  she  canned 
the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy. 

She  teas  eyes  to  the  blind,  and  feet 
was  she  to  the  lame. 

She  icas  a  mother  to  the  poor. 

Pale  as  death,  the  chief  mourner, 
wrapped  in  his  black  cloak,  is  step- 
ping into  the  mourning-coach.  No 
one  speaks  to  him  :  his  face  is  buried 
in  his  handkerchief;  his  heart  seems 
breaking.  He  thinks  of  her  whose 
dear  dust  is  before  him  ; — then  of  the 
beloved  beings  whom  he  has  left  alone 
in  their  agony  till  his  return — his  wife 
and  sister.  The  procession  is  moving 
slowly  on — long,  silent  rows  of  thu 
tenantry  and  villagers,  old  and  young, 
male  and  female — not  a  dry  eye  among 
them,  nor  a  syllable  spoken — stand  on 
each  side  of  the  way  ;  no  sound  heard 
but  of  horses'  feet,  and  wheels  crush- 
ing along  the  wet  gravel — for  the  day 
is  most  gloomy  and  inclement.  A3 
they  quit  the  gates,  carriage  after 
carriage  follows  in  the  rear ;  and  the 


21G 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


sorrowful  crowd  increases  around  them. 
LI. my  have  in  their  hands  the  bibles 
ami  prayer-books  which  had  been  given 
them  by  her  who  now  lies  in  yonder 
hearse;  and  a  few  can  recollect  the 
day  when  the  late  lord  of  Yatton  led 
her  along  from*  the  chnrch  to  the  Hall, 
his  y  r  ng  and  blooming  bride — in 
pride,  and  joy — and  they  are  now  going 
to  lay  her  beside  him  again.  Tiny 
enter  the  Utile  churchyard,  and  are 
met  by  good  Dr.  Tatham,  in  his  sur- 
plice, bareheaded,  and  with  booh  in 
hind;  with  full  eye  and  quivering  lip 
he  slowly  precedes  the  body  into 
the  church.  His  voice  frequently 
trembles,  and  sometimes  he  pauses 
while  reading  (he  service.  Now  they 
are  standing  bareheaded  at  the  vault's 
mouth  —  the  last  sad  rites  are  being 
performed  ;  and  probably,  as  is  think- 
ing the  chief  mourner,  over  the  last  of 
his  race  who  will  rest  in  that  tomb  | 

Long  after  the  solemn  ceremony  was 
over,  the  little  churchyard  remained 
filled  with  mournful  groups  of  villagers 
and  tenants,  who  pressed  forward  to 
the  dark  mouth  of  the  vault,  to  take 
their  last  look  at  the  coffin  which 
contained  the  remains  of  her  whose 
memory  would  live  long  in  all  their 
hearts.  "Ah,  dear  old  madam," 
quoth  Jonas  Higgs  to  himself,  as  he 
finished  bis  dreary  day's  labours,  by 
temporarily  closing  up  the  mouth  of 
the  vault,  "they  might  have  turned 
thee,  by-and-by,  out  of  yonder  Hall, 
but  they  shall  not  touch  thee  here  !  " 

Thus  died,  and  was  buried,  Madam 
Aubrey  ;  aiidshe  is  not  yetforgolb  n. 

How  desolate  seemed  the  Hill,  the 

next  morning,  to  the  bereaved  inmates, 

as,  dii       1    i  i   d  ep  mourning,   they 

at  the  cheerless  breakfast  t  tble  ! 

id  his  wife  and  .si. tci' — ■ 
who  could  hardly  answer  his  brief 
enquiries.  The  gloom  occasioned 
throughout  the  Hall,  tor  the  last  ten 

,  by  the  blind  i  being  constantly 

drawn    down,    now    that    they    were 

.  q  up,  bad  given  waj  to  a  i  taring 

light  and    disti  .    that    almost 

!,  (l  and  offended  I  be  eyes  of  t  boso 
whose  hearts  were  'lark  with  sorrow- 
as  ever.  Every  •  ninded  them 
of  the  ab  lonce  of  < 


stood  empty  in  its  accustomed  place. 
There,  also,  was  her  Bible,  on  the 
little  round  table  near  the  window. 
The  mourners  seemed  relieved  by  the 
i  ntrance,  by-and-by,  of  the  children^ 
but  they  also  were  in  mourning  !  Let 
US,  however,  withdraw  from  this  scene 
of  suffering,  where  every  object,  every 
recollection,  every  association,  causes 
the  wounded  heart  to  bleed  afresh. 

Great    troubles   seem    coining  upon 
them  ;  and  now  that  they  have  bu 

■  dead  out  of  their  sight,  and  when 
time  shall  begin  to  pour  his  balm  i 
their  present  smarting  wounds,  1  doubt 
not  that  they  will  look  those  troubles 
in  the  face,  calmly  and  with  fortitude, 
not  forgetful  of  the  last  words  of  her 
for  whom  t'ny  now  mourn  so  bitterly, 
and  whom,  beloved  and  venerable 
being!  God  hath  mercifully  taken 
away  from  evil  days  that  are  to  come. 

After  much  and  anxious  considera- 
tion, they  resolved  to  go,  on  the  en- 
suing Sunday  morning,  to  church, 
where  neither  Mrs.  Aubrey  nor  Kate 
had  been  sine'  the  illness  of  her 
mother.  The  little  church  was  crowd- 
ed; almost  every  one  pie  ides 
wearing  a  saddened  countenance,  i  \- 
hibited  some  outward  mark  of  respect, 
in  their  dress— some  badge  of  mourn- 
ing— such  as  their  little  means  admit- 
ted of.  The  pulpit  and  reading  desk 
w  re  bung  in  black,  as  also  was  Mr. 
Aubrey's  pew—an  object  of  deep  in- 
terest to  the  congregation,  who  ex- 
pected to  sec  at  L<  member  of 
the  family  at  the  Hall.  They  were 
disappointed.  A  little  b(  lore  l>r. 
Tatham  took  bis  place  in  the  re  iding- 
de  k,  the  well-known  sound  of  the 
family  carria                        i  i    beard,    as 

it    dl'eW   Up    before    the  :      1 1 . •  1    p;v- 

sently,  Mr.  Aubrey  appeared  at  the 
chun  h  door,  with  his  wire  and  si:  I  r 
on  either  arm  ;  all  of  th<  m,  of  COUI 
in   the  deepest  mourning    Mrs.  and 
Miss  Aub  a  cono  aled 

bi  neath  their  long  crape  veils.     For 

i  ime  afti  r  taking  thi  Lr  bi 
they  si    m  d  oppressi  d  w  ith  emotion, 
evidently  weeping.    Mr.  Aubrey,  how- 
".  i  r,  exhibited  great  composun  . 

luntenance  bore  the  traces  of  the 
Buffei  ing  he  had  undergone.     M  i  i.  .v  u- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


217 


brey  seldom  rose  from  her  seat ;  but 
Kate  stood  up,  from  time  to  time, 
with  the  rest  of  the  congregation ; 
her  white  handkerchief,  however, 
might  be  seen  frequently  raised  to 
her  eyes,  beneath  her  black  veil.  As 
the  service  went  on,  she  seemed  to 
have  struggled  with  some  success 
against  her  feelings.  To  relieve  her- 
self  for  a  moment  from  its  oppressive 
closeness,  she  gently  drew  aside  her 
veil  ;  and  thus,  for  a  few  minutes, 
exhibited  a  countenance  inexpressibly 
beautiful.  She  could  not,  however, 
long  bear  to  face  a  congregation,  every 
one  of  whom  she  felt  to  be  looking  on 
her,  and  those  beside  her,  with  atil-c- 
tionate  sympathy  ;  and  rather  quickly 
drew  her  veil  again  over  her  face, 
without  again  removing  it.  There 
was  one  person  present,  on  whom  the 
brief  glimpse  of  her  beauty  had  pro- 
duced a  prodigious  impression.  As 
he  gazed  at  her,  the  colour  gradually 
deserted  his  cheek  ;  and  his  eye  re- 
mained fixed  upon  her,  even  after  she 
had  drawn  down  her  veil.  He  experi- 
enced emotions  such  as  he  had  never 
known  before.  So  that  teas  Miss 
Aubrey! 

Mr.  Gammon — for  he  it  was,  and 
he  had  gone  thither  under  the  ex- 
pectation of  seeing,  for  the  first  time, 
some  of  the  Aubrey  family — generally 
passed  for  a  cold-blooded  person  ;  and 
in  fact  few  men  living  had  more  con- 
trol over  their  feelings,  or  more  sys- 
tematically checked  any  manifestations 
of  them  ;  but  there  was  something  in 
the  person  and  circumstances  of  Miss 
Aubrey — for  by  a  hurried  enquiry  of 
the  person  next  to  him  he  learned  that 
it  was  she — which  excited  new  feelings 
in  him.  Her  slightest  motion  his  eye 
watched  with  intense  eagerness  ;  and 
faint  half-formed  schemes,  purposes, 
and  hopes,  passed  in  rapid  confusion 
through  his  mind,  as  he  foresaw  that 
circumstances  would  hereafter  arise  by 
means  of  which — 

"Good  heavens!  how  very — very 
beautiful  she  is  !  "  said  he  to  himself, 
as,  the  service  over,  her  graceful  figure, 
following  her  brother  and  his  wife  with 
slow  sad  step,  approached  the  pew  iu 
which  he  «Tas  standing,  on  her  way  to 


the  door.  He  felt  a  sort  of  cold  shud- 
der, as  her  black  dress  rustled  past, 
actually  touching  him.  What  was  he 
doing  and  meditating  against  that 
lovely  being  ?  And  for  whom — dis- 
gusting reptile  ! — for  Titmouse  ?  He 
almost  blushed  with  a  conliiet  of  emo- 
tions, as  he  followed  almost  immedi- 
ately after  Miss  Aubrey,  never  losing 
sight  of  her  till  her  brother,  having 
handed  her  into  the  carriage,  got  in 
after  her,  and  they  drove  olf  towards 
the  Hall. 

The  reader  will  not  be  at  a  loss  to 
account  for  the  presence  of  Gammon 
on  this  occasion,  nor  to  connect  it  with 
a  great  trial  at  the  approaching  York 
assizes.  As  he  walked  back  to  Gril- 
ston  to  his  solitary  dinner,  he  was  lost 
in  thought ;  and  on  arriving  at  the 
inn,  repaired  at  once  to  his  room, 
where  he  found  a  copy  of  the  Sunday 
Flash,  which  had,  according  to  orders, 
been  sent  to  him  from  town,  under 
his  assumed  name,  "Gibson."  He 
ate  but  little,  and  that  mechanically; 
and  seemed  to  feel,  for  once,  little  or 
no  interest  in  his  newspaper.  He  had 
never  paid  the  least  attention  to  the 
eulogia  upon  Miss  Aubrey  of  the  little 
idiot  Titmouse,  nor  of  Snap,  of  whom 
he  entertained  but  a  very  little  higher 
opinion  than  of  Titmouse.  One  thing 
was  clear,  that  from  that  moment  Miss 
Aubrey  formed  a  new  element  in  Mr. 
Gammon's  calculations  ;  and  for  aught 
I  know,  may  occasion  very  different 
results  from  those  originally  contem- 
plated by  that  calm  and  crafty  person. 

As  it  proved  a  moonlight  night,  he 
resolved  at  once  to  set  about  the  im- 
portant business  which  had  brought 
him  into  Yorkshire  ;  and  for  that  pur- 
pose set  off  about  eight  o'clock  on  his 
walk  to  Yatton.  About  ten  o'clock 
he  might  have  been  seen  gliding  into 
the  churchyard,  like  a  dangerous 
snake.  The  moon  continued  to  shine 
—  and  at  intervals  with  brightness 
sufficient  for  his  pirpose,  which  was 
simply  to  reconnoitre,  as  closely  as 
possible,  the  little  churchyard — to  as- 
certain what  it  might  contain,  and 
v)hat  were  its  capabilities.  At  length 
he  approached  the  old  yew-tree,  against 
whose  huge  trunk  he  leaned  with  folded 


213 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


arms,  apparently  in  a  reverie.  Hear- 
ing a  noise  aa  of  some  one  opening  the 
gale  by  which  he   had  entered,   he 

ed  farther  into  the  gloom  behind 
him  ;  and  turning  his  head  in  the 
direction  whence  the  sound  came,  he 
■  one  entering  the  i  hurch- 
yard.  His  heart  beat  quickly;  and 
he  suspected  that  he  had  been  watched  : 
yet  there  was  surely  no  harm  in  1> 

i,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  looking 
about  him  in  a  country  churchyard. 
It  was  a  gentleman  who  entered, 
dressed  in  deep  mourning;  and  Gam- 
mon quickly  recognised  in  him  Mr. 
Aubrey  —  the  brother  of  her  whose 
beautiful  image  still  shone  before  his 
mind's  eye.  What  could  he  be  want- 
ing there?  —  at  that  time  of  night? 
Gammon  was  not  kept  long  in  doubt ; 
for  the  stranger  slowly  bent  his  steps 
towards  a  large  high  tomb,  in  fat  t 
central  object,  next  to  the  yew-tree, 
in  the  churchyard — and  stood  gazing 
at  it  in  silence  for  soim   time. 

"That   is,    no  doubt,   where   Mrs. 
Aubrey   was   buried    the    other  d: 
thought  he,  watching  the  movements 
of  fc]  "  t,  who  pn  sently  raised 

his  handkerchief  to  his  eyes,  ami  for 
some  moments  seemed  indulging  in 
great  grief.  Gammon  distinctly  1) 
either  a  sob  or  a  sigh,  "lie  mil  I 
have  been  very  feel  of  her,"  thought 
Gammon.  "  Well,  if  we  succeed,  the 
excellent  old  1  idy  will  have  escap    I   i 

,t  deal  of  trouble — -that's  all." 
"If  we  surer,:,//"  That  remind  d 
him  of  what  he  had  for  a  few  mom 
1  t.  sight  of,  namely,  his  own  obja  t 
in  coming  thither;  and  he  felt  a  sud- 
den chill  of  remorse,  which  increa  d 
n;>'>:i  him  till  he  almost  trembled,  as 
],  cyeconth  I  ed  on  M  p.  Aub 
and  he  I]  "  ■  y — 

I    the  mi  er  ruin 

■ 
both     the   unhallowed    i  '  hi'  h 

they — v.  hi  h  b  itemplati 

ing  to  f.a-  that  purp     ■. 

mon'  i  condil  ion  wo  ■  ' 
every    monu  at    m  for 

virtue,  in  the  hape  i  f  M  i  Aubrey, 
1..  fan  to  Bhine  e^  ery  monu  at  in  ] 

radiant  loV(  :  him    -alel  he 

almost  felt  an  inclb  ation  to  s  u  i 


every  person  connected  with  the  e7?far« 
prise  in  which  he  was  engaged,  if  it 
would  give  him  a  chance  of  winning 
the  favour  of  Mis3  Aubrey  Presently, 
however,  .Mr.  Aul  dently  heav- 

ing a  deep  sigh,  bent  his  steps  slowly 
back  again,  ami  quitted  the  church- 
yard. Gammon  watched  his  figure 
out  of  sight,  and  then,  for  the  first 
time  since  Mr.  Aubrey's  appearance, 
:hcd  freely.  Relieved  from  the 
pressure  of  his  presence,  Gammon  be- 
gan to  take  calmer  and  justcr  views 
of  his  position;  and  he  reflected, 
that  if  he  pushed  on  the  present  affair 
to  a  successful  issue,  he  should  be 
much  more  likely,  than  by  prematurely 
ending  it,  to  gain  his  objects.  lie  there- 
fore resumed  his  survey  of  the  scene 
around  him  ;  and  which  presented 
appearances  highly  satisfactory,  y. 
ing  from  the  expression  which  now 
and  then  animated  Ins  count  nai 
At  length  lie  wandered  round  to  the 
i  :  1  of  the  church,  where  a 
11,  half-covered  with  ivy, 
indicat  id  tint  there  had  formerly  sto  id 
building  apparently  of  earlier 
date  than  (he  church.  Such  was 
i  foun  1  l.i'i 
standing  in  a  sort  of  inclosure,  which 
had  once  been  the  site  of  an  old 
chapeL  And  here  he  had  not  1 
long  making  his  observations,  befi  re 
he  achieved  a  discovery  of  so  extra- 
ordinary a  nature  ;  one  so  unlikely, 
:■  tie-  ,  ;r,  ilM1:  tances,  to  have  hap- 

1  ;    one    SO    I  d     to     ha!!!  ■ 

ordinary  call  I  [ling   the 

course  of  events,  that  the  reader 
may  well  dish  ■.,  hat  I  ai 

to     tell    him,    and    treat    it 
urdly    improbable.      In    short,    not 
to  keep    him  in   suspen  ■■,    Gammon 

I  vidl  tee    of  tllO 

l  of  H  n  in  his 

i's  lifetime  ;   by  means   of  i 
ti  ]     '         toml  i  he 

;   ami  as  he 
\\  ed   that  old  Quirk   should 
i  d,  hi  fore  the   , 

<  am.'  into  COUl't.  lb'  almost  stumbled 
Over  it.      "1'was  an  old      I    l      ug  stone, 

scarce   two    feet  above    the    ground, 
v  eo\  erod  with  i  dp  u  tly 

hid   by  rubbish  and  old  damp  gi 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


219 


The  moon  shone  brightly  enough  to 
enable   Gammon,    kneeling  down,    to 
decipher,  beyond  all  doubt,  what  was 
requisite  to  establish  that  part  of  the 
case  which  had  been  wanting.     For  a 
moment  or  two   he   was  disposed  to 
doubt  whether  he  was  not  dreaming. 
"When,  at  length,  he  took  out  pencil 
and  paper,  his  hands  trembled  so  much 
that  he  felt  some  difficulty  in  making 
an  exact  copy  of  the  inestimable  in- 
scription.    Having  done  this,  he  drew 
a  long  breath  as  he  replaced  the  pencil 
and  paper   in    his    pocket-book,   and 
almost  fancied  he  heard  a  whispering 
sound  in  the   air — "Verdict  for  the 
plaintiff."     Quitting  the  churchyard, 
he  walked  back  to  Grilston  at  a  much 
quicker  rate   than  that  at  which  he 
had  come,  his  discovery  having  won- 
derfully elated  him,  and   pushed  all 
other   thoughts    entirely   out    of  his 
mind.      But,    thought   he,    doubtless 
the  other  side  are  aware  of  the  exist- 
ence   of    this    tombstone — they    can 
hardly  be  supposed  ignorant  of   it ; 
they  must  have  looked  up  their  evi- 
dence as  well  as  we — and  their  atten- 
tion    has    been    challenged     to     the 
existence  or  non-existence  of  proof  of 
the  time  of  the  death  of  Harry  Dred- 
dlington  : — well — if  they  are  aware  of 
it,  they  know  that  it  cuts  the  ground 
from  under   them,    and    turns    their 
conveyance,  on  which,  doubtless,  they 
are  relying,  into  waste  paper  ;  if  they 
are  not,  and  are  under  the  impression 
that  that  deed  is  valid  and  effectual,  our 
proof  will  fall  on  them  like  a  thunder- 
bolt.      "Gad,"— he  held  his  breath, 
and  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  road 
■ — "how  immensely  important  is  this 
little  piece  of  evidence  !     AVhy,  if  they 
knew  of  it — why  in  Heaven's  name  is 
it  there  still  ?     What  easier  than   to 
have  got  rid  of  it  ? — why,  they  may 
still :    what    can    that   stupid    fellow 
Parkinson  have  been  about  ?     Yet,  is 
it  because  it  has  become  unimportant, 
on  account  of  their  being  in  posses- 
sion  of    other  evidence  ?     What  can 
they  have  to  set  against  so   plain  a 
case   as   ours  is,   with  this  evidence  ? 
Gad,  I'll  not  lose  one  day's  time  ;  but 
I'll  have  half-a-dozen  competent  wit- 
nesses to  inspect,   and  speak  to  that 


same  tombstone  in  court."  Such  were 
some  of  the  thoughts  which  passed 
through  his  mind  as  he  hastened 
homeward ;  and  on  his  arrival,  late  as 
it  was — only  the  yawning  ostler  being 
up  to  let  him  in — he  sat  down  to  write 
a  letter  off  to  Mr.  Quirk,  and  made  it 
into  a  parcel  to  go  by  the  mail  in  the 
morning,  acquainting  him  with  the 
truly  providential  discovery  he  had 
just  made,  and  urging  him  to  set 
about  getting  up  the  briefs,  for  the 
trial,  without  delay  ;  he,  himself,  pur- 
posing to  stop  at  Grilston  a  day  or  two 
longer,  to  complete  one  or  two  other 
arrangements  of  an  important  nature. 
As  soon  as  Mr.  Quirk  had  read  this 
letter,  he  devoutly  thanked  God  for 
His  goodness  ;  ami,  hurrying  to  his 
strong-box,  unlocked  it,  took  out  a 
small  sealed  packet,  and  committed  it 
to  the  flames. 

Mr.  Aubrey,  as  soon  as  he  had  re- 
covered from  the  first  shock  occasion,  d 
by  the  communication  by  Mr.  Parkin- 
son of  the  proceedings  against  him,  set 
about  acquainting  himself,  as  minutely 
as  he  could,  with  the  true  state  of  the 
case.  He  had  requested  Mr.  Parkin- 
son to  obtain  from  one  of  the  counsel 
in  London,  Mr.  Crystal,  a  full  account 
of  the  case,  in  an  elementary  form,  for 
his  own  guidance  ;  and  on  obtaining  a 
remarkably  clear  and  luminous  state- 
ment, and  also  consul!  ing  the  various 
authorities  cited  in  it — such,  at  least, 
as  could  be  supplied  to  him  by  Mr. 
Parkinson — the  vigorous  practical 
understanding  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  aided 
by  his  patient  application,  soon  mas- 
tered the  whole  case,  and  enabled  him 
to  appreciate  the  peril  in  which  he  was 
placed.  Sincj  he  could  derive  no 
title  through  the  conveyance  of  Harry 
Dreddlington  (which  had  been  got  in 
by  Geoffry  Dreddlington,)  owing  to 
the  death  of  the  former  in  his  father's 
lifetime,  as  he  (Mr.  Aubrey)  under- 
stood from  his  advisers  could  be  easily 
proved  by  the  present  claimant  of  the 
property  ;  the  right  of  accession  of 
Geoffry  Dreddlington's  descendants 
depended  entirely  upon  the  fact 
whether  or  not  Stephen  Dreddlington 
had  really  died  without  issue  ;  and  as 
to  that,  certain  anxious  and  extensive 


220 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


enquiries  instituted  by  Messrs.  Run- 

nington  and  Mr.  Parkinson,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  suggestions  of  their  able 
and  experienced  counsel,  had  led  tl 
to  entertain  serious  doubts  concerning 
the  right  of  Geoflry's  descendants  to 
have    int  red    into  ion.      By 

what  means  his  opponents  had  obtained 
their  clue  to  the  state  of  his  title, 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  advisers 
could  frame  a  plausible  conjecture. 
It  was  certainly  possible  that  Stephen 
Dreddlington,  who  was  known  to  have 
been  a  man,  like  his  uncle  Harry,  of 
wild  and  eccentric  habits,  and  to 
have  been  supposed  to  leave  no  issue, 
might  have  married  privately  some 
woman  of  inferior  station,  and  left 
issue  by  her,  who,  living  in  obscurity, 
ami  at  a  distance  from  the  seat  of  the 
family  property,  could  have  no  oppor- 
tunity of  enquiring  into  or  ascertaining 
their  position  with  reference  to  the 
estates,  till  some  acute  and  enterprising 
attorneys,  like  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap,  happening  to  get 
hold  of  them,  and  family  papers  in 
their  possession,  had  taken  up  their 
case.  "When  with  impres  ions  i  uch  as 
these,  Mr.  Aubrey  p  rased  and  rc- 
perused  the  'pinions  of  the  eonvcy- 
ancer  given  on  the  occasion  of  his 
(Mr.  Aubrey's)  marriage,  he  was  con- 
founded at  tin-  supinencss  and  indiffer- 
v,  hich  be  had  even  twice  exhi- 
bited, and  felt  disposed  now  greatly  to 
rvalue  the  importance  of  every 
adverse  circumstance.  The  boldness, 
again,  and  systematic  energy  with 
which  the  case  of  the  claimant  was 
prosecuted,  and  the  eminent  legal 
opinions  whii  h  were  alleged,  and  with 
evciy  appearance  of  truth,  to  concur 
in  his  favour,  afforded  additional 
grounds  for  rational  apprehension. 
He  looked  the  danger,  however,  full 
in  the  face,  and  as  far  as  lay  in  his 
powi  r,  prepan  d  for  the  evil  day  which 
might  so  soon  come  upon  him.  Certain 
nsive  and  somewhat  costly  alter- 
al  ions  v.  hich  he  had  b  ien  on  the  point 
of  commencbig  at  Yatton,  he  aban- 
d,    Bui  for  tl  I  interfen  nee 

of  friends,  lie  would  at  once  h  ive  given 
up  his  e  tal  !i-  hment  in  < rrosvenor 
Street,  and  applied  for  the  Chiltern 


Hundreds,  in  order  to  retire  from 
political  life.  Considering  the  possi- 
bility of  his  soon  being  declared  the 
wrongful  holder  of  the  property,  he 
contracted  his  expenditure  as  far  as 
he  could,  without  challenging  un- 
necessary public  attention  ;  and  paid 
into  his  banker's  hands  all  his  Christ- 
mas rents,  sa  redly  resolving  to  abstain 
from  drawing  out  one  farthing  of  what 
might  soon  be  proved  to  belong  to 
another.  At  every  point  occurred  the 
dreadful  question — if  1  am  declared 
never  to  have  been  the  rightful  owner 
of  the  property,  how  am  I  to  discharge 
my  frightful  liabilities  to  him  who  is  I 
Mr.  Aubrey  hail  nothing  except  the 
Yatton  property.  He  had  but  an 
insignificant  sum  in  the  funds  ;  Mrs. 
Aubrey's  settlement  was  out  of  lands 
at  Yatton,  as  also  was  the  little  income 
bequeathed  to  Kate  by  her  father. 
Could  anything,  now,  be  conceived 
more  dreadful,  under  these  circum- 
stances, than  the  mere  danger — the 
slightest  probability—  "(  their  ]•■ 
deprived  of  Vat  ion  '-. — and  with  a  debt 

of  at  the  very  least  SIXTY  THOUSAND 
POl  S'DS,  due  to  him  who  had  1 
wrongfully  kept  out  of  his  property  ! 
That  was  the  millstone  which  seemed 
to  drag  them  all  to  the  bottom. 
Against,  that,  what  could  the  kindness 
of  the  in.  aerous  friends,    what 

could  his  own  most  desperate  exertions, 
avail  ?  All  this  had  poor  Aubrey 
constantly  before  his  eyes,  together 
with — his  wife,  his  sister,  his  i  hildren. 
What  was  to  become  of  themf  It 
was  long  before  the  real  nature  and 
extent  of  his  danger  became  known 
amongst  his  friends  and  neighbours. 
When,  however,  thej  were  made  aware 
of  it,  an  extraordinary  interest  and 
sympathy  were  excited  throughout 
almost  the  whole  county.  Whenever 
ittoi Hey,  Mr.  Parkinson,  appeared 
in  public,  he  was  besieged  by  m 
anxious  enquiries  concerning  his  dis- 
tinguished client,  whose  manly  mo- 
del ty  and  fortitude,  under  the  | ■ 
of  his  Buddeu  and  almost  unpi 
dented  difficulty  and  pi  i  il.  ena<  ared 
him  more  than  ever  to  all  w  ho  had  an 
opportunity  of  apprecial  ing  his  po  ■ 
t  ion.  With  what  intense  and  absoi  bing 


TEN  THOUSAND.  A- YEAR. 


221 


interest  were  the  ensuing  assizes  looked 
for  !     At  length  they  arrived. 

The  ancient  city  of  York  exhibited, 
on  the  commission  day  of  the  Spring 
Assizes  for  the  year  IS — ,  the  usual 
scene  of  animation  and  excitement. 
The  High  Sheriff,  attended  by  an  im- 
posing retinue,  went  out  to  meet  the 
Judges,  and  escorted  them,  amidst  the 
shrill  clangour  of  trumpets,  to  the 
Castle,  where  the  commission  was 
opened  with  the  usual  formalities. 
The  Judges  were  Lord  "Widdrington, 
the  Lord  Chief-Justice  of  the  King's 
Bench,  and  Mr.  Justice  Grayley,  a 
puisne  judge  of  the  same  court — both 
admirable  lawyers.  The  former  was 
possessed  of  the  more  powerful  intel- 
lect. He  was,  what  may  be  called  a 
great  scientific  lawyer,  referring  every- 
thing to  principle  as  extracted  from 
precedent.  Mr.  Justice  Grayley  was 
almost  unrivalled  in  his  knowledge  of 
the  details  of  the  law  ;  his  governing 
maxim  being  ita  lex  scripta.  Here 
his  knowledge  was  equally  minute  and 
accurate,  and  most  readily  applied  to 
every  case  brought  before  him.  Never 
sat  there  upon  the  bench  a  more  pains- 
taking judge — one  more  anxious  to  do 
right  equally  in  great  things  as  in 
small.  Both  were  men  of  rigid  in- 
tegrity :  'tis  a  glorious  thing  to  be 
able  to  add — when,  for  centuries,  have 
other  than  men  of  rigid  integrity  sat 
upon  the  English  Bench  ?  Lord  Wid- 
drington, however,  in  temper  was 
stern,  arbitrary,  and  overbearing,  and 
his  manners  were  disfigured  not  a 
little  by  coarseness  ;  while  his  com- 
panion was  a  man  of  exemplary  ami- 
t  ability,  affability,  and  forbearance. 
Lord  Widdrington  presided  at  the 
Civil  Court,  (where,  of  course,  would 
come  on  the  important  cause  in  which 
we  are  interested,)  and  Mr.  Justice 
Grayley  in  the  Criminal  Court. 

Soon  after  the  sitting  of  the  court, 
on  the  ensuing  morning — "Will  your 
Lordship  allow  me,"  rose  and  enquired 
the  sleek,  smiling,  and  portly  Mr. 
Subtle,  dead  silence  prevailing  as  soon 
as  he  had  mentioned  the  name  of  the 
cause  about  which  he  was  enquiring, 
"to  call  your  attention  to  a  cause  of 
Doc  on  the  demise  of  Titmouse  v.  Joltcr, 


—a  special  jury  cause,  in  which  there 
are  a  great  many  witnesses  to  be  ex^ 
amined  on  both  sides — and  to  ask  that 
a  day  may  be  fixed  for  it  to  come 
on  ?  " 

"  Whom  do  you  appear  for,  Mr. 
Subtle  ? "  enquired  his  Lordship. 

"For  the  plaiDtiff,  my  Lord." 

"  And  who  appears  for  the  defend- 
ant ? " 

"The  Attorney-General  leads  for 
the  defendant,  my  Lord,"  replied 
Mr.  Sterling,  who,  with  Mr.  Crystal, 
was  also  retained  for  the  defendant. 

"  Well,  perhaps  you  can  agree  be- 
tween yourselves  upon  a  day,  and  in 
the  mean  time  similar  arrangements 
may  be  made  for  any  other  special 
jury  causes  that  may  require  it." 
After  due  consultation,  Monday  week 
was  agreed  upon  by  the  parties,  and 
fixed  by  his  lordship,  for  the  trial  of 
the  cause.  During  the  Sunday  pre- 
ceding it,  York  was  crowded  with 
persons  of  the  highest  distinction 
from  all  parts  of  the  county,  who  felt 
interested  in  the  result  of  the  groat 
cause  of  the  assizes.  About  mid-day 
a  dusty  travelling  carriage-and-four 
dashed  into  the  streets  from  the 
London  road,  and  drove  up  to  the 
principal  inn  ;  it  contained  the  At- 
torney-General (who  just  finished 
reading  his  brief  as  he  entered  York) 
and  his  clerk.  The  Attorney-General 
was  a  man  of  striking  and  highly  intel- 
lectual countenance  ;  but  he  looked, 
on  alighting,  somewhat  fatigued  with 
his  long  journey.  He  was  a  man 
of  extraordinary  natural  talents,  and 
also  a  first-rate  lawyer  —  one  whose 
right  to  take  the  woolsack,  when- 
ever it  should  become  vacant,  was 
recognized  by  all  the  profession.  His 
professional  celebrity,  and  his  coming 
down  special  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, added  to  the  circumstance  of 
his  being  well-known  to  be  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  his  client,  Mr.  Aubrey 
— whence  it  might  be  inferred  that 
his  great  powers  would  be  exerted  to 
their  utmost — was  well  calculated  to 
enhance  the  interest,  if  that  were 
possible,  of  the  occasion  which  ha  L 
brought  him  down  at  so  gnat  an 
expense,    and   to  sustain   so    heavy  a 


222 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


responsibility   as    the    conduct    of  a 
Cause  of  such  magnitude. 

lie  came  to  lead  against  a  formidable 
opponent.    Mr.  Subtle  was  the  leader 
of    the    Northern   circuit,    a   man   of 
matchless  tact  and  practical  sagacity, 
and  most  consummately  skilful  in  the 
conduct  of  a  cause.     The  only  thing 
he  ever  looked  at  was  the  verdict,  to 
lie  gaining  of  which  In;  directed  ail 
his  energies,  and  sacrificed  every  other 
consideration.       As    for    display,    he 
despised   it.     A  speech,    as  such,   was 
his    aversion.       He    entered     into    a 
friendly,    hut   exquisitely   crafty   con- 
versation with  tin;  jury  ;  for  he  was  so 
quick  at  perceiving  the  effect  of  his 
address  on   the  mind   of  each   of  the 
twelve,   and   dexterous    in   accommo- 
dating himself  to  what  he  detected  to 
he  the  passing  mood  of  each,  that  they 
fit    as    if    they   were    all    the    while 
reasoning  with,  and  being  convinced 
by  him.     His   placid,  smiling,  hand- 
some   countenance,    his    gentlem 
bearing  and  insinuating  addri     .  full 
of    go  d-natured  cheerful   confidence 
in   his   cause,    were   irresistible.      ]!■ 
flattered,  he  soothed,  he  fascinated  the 
jury,   producing  an   impression  upon 
their    minds    which    they    often    felt 
indignant  at  his  opponent  attempting 
to   ciface.     In   fact,    as   a   nisi  prim 
leadei   he  was  unrivalled,  as  well  in 
stating  as  in  arguing  a  case,  as  well  in 
examining  as  cross-examining  a  wit- 
I       .It  required   no  little  practical 
■1  to  form  an  adequate  estimate  of 
Mr.  Subtle's  skill  in  the  management 
of  a  cause  ;  for  he  did  everything  with 
ing,  <■  a.  1.    i,  unconcerned 
air,  in  the  great  pinch  and  strain  of  a 
case,  equally  as  in  the  petti   I  details, 
that  you  would  he  apt  to  suspect  that 
none  I'ut  the  ea  I   tand  mo  t  straight- 
forward  11  to  his  lot. 

Titmouse,  Titmouse,  methinks  the 
fat  d  you  in  assigning  to  you 

Mr.  Subtle  ! 

Next    came    Mr.    Qi  [CKSiWEn,    a 
man  t  but    wild  who 

re©  Lved  what  ra  ly  be  called  a 
retainer.     What  was  no  to 

Mr.  Subtle  !  The  fii  l  and  the  I  i  I 
thing  he  thoughl  of  in  a  can  e,  was — 
him  elf.     1 1 


jury  feel  as  if  a  whirlwind  were  raging 
about  them,  and  he  the  spirit  who 
had  raised  it.  His  object  was  either 
to  dazzle  or  overpower  them.  lie 
wrapped  himself  round  in  tl  nig 

garment  of  display  ;  the  gaudy  patch- 
work of  multifarious  superficial  ac- 
quirements. This  was  the  strange, 
noisy  object,  flinging  about  wildly, 
in   all    directions,  the    fir  and 

arrows  of  sarcasm  and  invective,  which 
occupied   their  eye  and  car  till   he  had 

lier  he  nor  they  v 
thinking  all  the  while  of  his  dismayed 
and  injured  client,  till  reminded  <  f 
him  by  the  adverse  charge  of  the 
judge,  accompanied  by  a  slight  sw  el- 
and shrug  of  the  shoulders  from  Mr. 
Subtle.  Why,  then,  was  such  a  man 
retained  in  the  cause?  'Twas  a  fancy 
of  Quirk's,  a  vast  political  admirer  of 
Quicksilver's,  who  had  made  one  or 
two  most  splendid  speeches  for  him  in 
Lib  1  cases  brought  against  tie 

Gammon  mosl    i  ex- 

dated,  !nt  Quirk  was  inexorable ; 
and  himself  carried  his  retainer  to 
Mr.  Quicksilver.  Gammon,  however, 
was  somewhat  consoled  by  the  re- 
flection, that  this  wild  el. 'pliant  would 
he,  in  a  manner,  held  in  check  by 
Mr.  Subtle  and  Mr.  Lynx,  who,  he 
hop<  d,    would    prevent    s  ;  oua 

mischief  from  happening.      Lynx  nos- 
d    the    qualities  which   hi  •    i 

to  \ ..ii.     ]  have  partly 
Lbed  him  already.     He  was  a  man 
of  minute  accuracy;   and    "got   up" 
every  case  in  which  he  was  1  as 

if  his  life  had  depended  on  lie   iv  u'.t. 
Nothing  escaped  him.     He  kept   his 
mind  constantly  even  with  the  current. 
of  the  cause,     lie.  was  a  man  to  sti 
r,  if  ever  that  I  nld  get, 

fur  an    ii. slant,  on    the  wrong    tack,  or 

he  uncertain   as   to   his  course.     1 1  is 

ei  and  ii  ;  .  in- 

l,  with  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Subtle, 

with    M  l\  Quick  silver    were 

always  worth   attending  to,  and   ■ 

Bequently  receive  d  w  itli  di  f  ; 

For  M  i'.  Aul  lso  was  rctaini  d  a 

formidable  bar.    M  r.  A ;  torni  j  -<  Si 
a   man  much  superior,  in  pob 
lied  and  legal  1. 1  .  to  ]\lr. 

Sul>!  v.     1 1  is  mind  v.      d  lied 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


223 


by  its  tranquil  power.  He  had  a  rare 
arid  invaluable  faculty  of  arraying 
before  his  mind's  eye  all  the  facts  and 
bearings  of  the  most  intricate  case, 
and  contemplating  them,  as  it  were, 
not  successively,  but  simultaneously. 
His  perception  was  quick  as  light ; 
and,  at  the  same  time — rare,  most  rare 
accompaniment ! — his  judgment  sound, 
his  memory  signally  retentive.  In- 
ferior, possibly,  to  Mr.  Subtle  in  rapid 
and  delicate  appreciation  of  momentary 
advantages,  he  was  sagacious  where 
Mr.  Subtle  was  only  ingenious.  Mr. 
Attorney-General  had  as  much  weight 
with  the  judge  as  Mr.  Subtle  with  the 
jury.  With  the  former,  there  was  a 
candour  and  straightforwardness  —  a 
dignified  simplicity — which  insensibly 
won  the  confidence  of  the  judge  ;  wh  •, 
on  the  other  hand,  felt  himself  obliged 
to  be  ever  on  his  guard  against  the 
slippery  sophistries  of  Mr.  Subtle, 
whom  he  thus  got  to  regard  with 
constant  suspicion. 

Mr.  Sterling,  the  second  counsel 
for  the  defendant,  was  a  king's  counsel, 
and  a  rival  of  Mr.  Subtle  upon  the 
circuit.  He  was  a  man  of  great  power  ; 
and,  on  important  occasions,  no  man 
at  the  bar  could  acquit  himself  with 
more  distinction.  As  a  speaker,  he 
was  eloquent  and  impressive,  perhaps 
deficient  in  vivacity  ;  but  he  was  a 
man  of  clear  and  powerful  intellect  ; 
prompt  in  seizing  the  bearings  of  a 
case  ;  a  capital  lawyer ;  and  possessing, 
even  on  the  most  trying  occasions, 
imperturbable  self-possession. 

Mr.  Crystal,  with  some  faults  of 
manner  and  bearing,  was  an  honour- 
able high-minded  man  ;  clear-sighted 
and  strong-headed  ;  an  accurate  and 
ready  lawyer  ;  vigilant  and  acute. 

See,  then,  the  combatants  in  this 
memorable  encounter  :  for  Titmouse — 
Mr.  Subtle,  Mr.  Quicksilver,  Mr. 
Lynx;  for  Mr.  Aubrey — Mr.  At- 
tui:xi:y-General,  Mr.  Sterling,  Mr. 
Crystal. 

The  consultation  of  each  party  was 
long  and  anxious. 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  Sunday 
evening,  at  Mr.  Subtle's  lodgings, 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Mortmain,  whom 


they  had  brought  down  to  watch  the 
case,  made  their  appearance  shortly 
after  Mr.  Quicksilver  and  Mr.  Lynx. 

"Our  case  seems  complete,  nou)," 
said  Mr.  Subtle,  casting  a  penetrating 
and  most  significant  glance  at  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Gammon,  and  then  at  his 
juniors,  to  whom,  before  the  arrival  of 
their  clients  and  Mr.  Mortmain,  he 
had  been  mentioning  the  essential  link 
which,  a  month  before,  lie  had  pointed 
out  as  missing,  and  the  marvellous 
good-fortune  by  which  they  had  been 
able  to  supply  it  at  the  eleventh  hour. 

"  That  tombstone's  a  godsend, 
Subtle,  isn't  it  ?  "  said  Quicksilver  with 
a  giim  smile.  Lynx  neither  smiled  nor 
spoke.  He  was  a  very  matter-of-fact 
person.  So  as  the  case  came  out  clear 
and  nice  in  court,  he  cared  about 
nothing  more.  But  whatever  might 
be.  the  insinuation  or  suspicion  implied 
in  the  observation  of  Mr.  Subtle,  the 
reader  must,  by  this  time,  be  well 
aware  how  little  it  was  warranted  by 
the  facts. 

"  I  shall  open  it  very  quietly,"  said 
Mr.  Subtle,  putting  into  his  pocket 
his  penknife,  with  which  he  had  been 
paring  his  nails,  while  Mr.  Quicksilver 
had  been  talking  very  fast.  "  What 
do  you  think,  Mr.  Lynx  ?  Had  I 
better  allude  boldly  to  the  conveyance 
executed  by  Harry  Dreddlington,  and 
which  becomes  useless  as  soon  as  we 
prove  his  death  in  his  father's  life- 
time." 

"Ah!  there's  that  blessed  tomb- 
stone again,"  interposed  Quicksilver. 

—"Or,"  resumed  Mr.  Subtle,  "  con- 
tent myself  with  barely  making  out 
our  pedigree,  and  let  it  come  from  the 
other  side  ? " 

"I  think,  perhaps,  that  the.  latter 
would  be  the  quieter  and  safer  course," 
re] died  Lynx. 

"  By  the  way,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr. 
Subtle  suddenly,  addressing  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  "how  do 
ive  come  to  know  anything  about  the 
mortgage  executed  by  Harry  Dred- 
dlington !  " 

"Oh!  that,  you  know,"  replied 
Quirk  quickly,  "we  first  got  scent  of 
in  Mr.  "  Here  he  paused  sud- 
denly, and  turned  quite  red. 


224 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"It  was  suggested,"  said  Gammon 
calmly,  "by  one  of  the  gentlemen 
whose  opinions  we  have  taken  in  the 
case — I  forget  by  whom— that,  from 
some  recital,  it  was  probable  that 
there  exist  d  such  an  instrument ;  ami 
that  put  us  on  making  enquiry." 

"  Nothing  more  likely,"  added 
Mortmain,  "than  that  it,  or  an  ab- 
stract, or  minute  of  it,  should  get  into 
Steph<  :i  Diedd  ling  ton's  hands." 

"Ah!  well!  w.-ll!  —  I  must  say 
there's  rather  an  air  of  mystery  about 
the  case.  But  —  about  that  tomb- 
store — what  sort  of  witnesses  will 
speak " 

"Will  that  evidence  be  requisite," 
enquired  Lynx,  "in  the  plaintiff's 
case  ?  All  we  shall  have  to  do,  will 
be  to  prove  the  fact  that  Harry  died 
without  issue,  of  which  there's  satis- 
factory evidence ;  and  as  to  the  time 
of  h's  death,  that  will  become  material 
onlv  if  tliey  put  in  the  conveyance  of 
Ham.'' 

"True— true;  ah!  I'll  turn  that 
over  in  my  mind.  Relyrapon  it,  I'll 
give  Mi-.  Attorney-General  as  little  to 
lay  bold  of  as  possible.  Thank  you, 
Mr.  Lynx,  for  the  hint.  Now,  gj  n- 
tlemen,  one  other  question — -What 
kind  of  people   are   the  wit- 

i  3  who  prove  the  later  steps  of 
the  pedigree  of  Mr.  Titmouse  .'  Re- 
i  h  ? — Von  know  a  good 
deal  will  depend  on  the  credit  they 
may  obtain  with  the  jury." 

"They're  very  decent  creditable 
persons,  you  will  find,  sir,"  said  Gam- 
mon. 

"ii ',    good.      Who    struck    the 

sped  il  jury  '  " 

"We  did,  sir." 

"  We-.l,  I  must  Bay  that  was* a  very 
prudent  step  for  you  to  take  !  con- 
sidering the  rank  in  life  and  circum- 

0f      tie' 

Howi  v.  p,  to  be  sure,   if  you  didn't, 
they    would — so — well  ;     good-]  i 
gentli  men,  •.  So  the  con- 

sultation brol  •■  ap  ;  ami  M-     r    Quirk, 
1      anion,  and  Snap  n  turned  home  to 

their  inn,  in  B  LIOUS  and  air. 

inoocl. 

"  You're  a  marvellous  prudent  per- 
son, Mr.  Quirk,"  Baid  Gammon,  in  a 


somewhat    fierce    whisper,    as     they 
walked  along,  "I  suppose  you  would 
have   gone   on   to   explain   the   li 
matter  of  Steggars,  and  so  have  had 
our  briefs  thrown  at  our  heads " 

"Well,  well,  that  was  a  slip." 
Here  they  reached  their  inn.  Tit- 
mouse was  staying  there  ;  and  in 
Messrs,  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snaps 
absence,  he  had  got  very  drunk,  and 
was  quarrelling  under  the  archway 
with  Boots  ;  so  they  ordered  him  to 
bed,  they  themselves  sitting  up  till  a 
very  late  hour  in  the  morning. 

The  consultation  at  the  Attorney- 
Gem  ral's  had  taken  place  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  within  an 
hour  af:er  his  arrival  ;  and  had  been 
attended  by  Messrs.  Sterling,  Crysta1, 
and  Mansfield, — by  Mr.  Runnington, 
and  Mr.  Parkinson,  and  by  Mr.Aubrey, 
whom  the  Attorney-General  received 
with  the  most  earnest  expressions  of 
sympathy  and  friendship  ;    list  i 

I  ion  and  every  obsei  ration 
of  his  with  the  utmost  deference. 

"It  would  lie  both  id'e  and  unkind 
to  disguise  from  you,  Aubrey,"  said 
be,  "that  our  position  is  somewhat 
precarious.  It  depends  entirely  on  the 
e  may  have  of  breaking  down 
the  plaintiff's  case  ;  for  we  have  but  a 
slender  case  of  our  own.  I  suppose 
can  bring  proof  of  the  death  of 
1  in iv  Dreddlington  in  his  father's 
lifetime?" 

"Oh  yes,  sir!"  answered  Mr. 
Parkinson,  "there  is  an  old  tomb- 
behind  Yatton  church  which 
establishes  that  Eact  beyond  all  doi 
and  a  week  or  two  ago  no  fewer  than 
live  or  six  persons  have  been  carefully 
insped ing  it  ;  doubl  less  tie  y  will  he 
calli  d  as  witnesses  to-morrow." 

"  1  feared  as  much.  Tie  n  are  ours 
no  more  than  wat<  hing  briefs.  De- 
pend upon  it,  they  would  not  have 
carried  on  the  affair  with  so  high  a 
hand,  if  tley  h,.d  not  pretty  firm 
ind  under  foot  !  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap  are  toh  rably  will 
known  in  town--- not  0V<  /•-scrupulous, 
eh,  Mr.  Runnington  f" 

"Indeed,  Mr.  Attorney,  you  ar3 
right.  I  don't  doubt  they  are  pre- 
pared to  go  all  lengths." 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


225 


""Well,  we'll  sift  their  evidence 
pretty  closely,  at  any  rate.  So  you 
really  have  reason  to  fear,  as  you 
intimated  when  you  entered  the  room, 
that  they  have  valid  evidence  of 
Stephen  Dreddlington  having  left 
issue  ? " 

"Mr.  Snap  told  me,"  said  Mr. 
Parkinson,  "this  morning,  that  they 
would  prove  issue  of  Stephen  Dredd- 
lington, and  issue  of  that  issue,  as  clean 
as  a  whistle — that  was  his  phrase." 

"We  mustn't  take  all  for  gospel 
that  lie  would  say." 

"They've  got  two  houses  filled  with 
witnesses,  I  understand,"  said  Mr. 
Kunnington. 

"Do  they  seem  Yorkshire  people, 
or  strangers  ? " 

"Why,  most  of  them  that  I  have 
seen,"  replied  Parkinson,  "  seem 
strangers." 

"Ah,  they  will  prove,  I  suppose, 
the  later  steps  of  the  pedigree,  when 
Stephen  Dreddlington  married  at  a 
distance  from  his  native  county." 

They  then  entered  into  a  very  full 
and  minute  examination  of  the  case  ; 
after  which,— "Well,"  said  the  At- 
torney-General, evidently  fatigued 
with  his  long  journey,  and  rising 
from  his  chair,  "  we  must  trust  to 
what  will  turn  up  in  the  chapter  of 
accidents  to-morrow.  I  shall  be  ex- 
pected to  dine  with  the  bar  to-day," 
he  added;  "hut  immediately  after 
dinner — say  at  seven  o'clock,  1  shall 
he  here,  and  at  your  service,  if  any- 
thing should  he  required."  Then  the 
consultation  broke  up.  Mr.  Aubrey 
had,  at  their  earnest  entreaty,  brought 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  from  Yatton, 
on  Saturday  ;  for  they  declared  them- 
selves unable  to  bear  the  dreadful  sus- 
pense in  which  they  should  be  left  at 
Yatton.  Yielding,  therefore,  to  these 
their  very  reasonable  wishes,  he  had 
enraged  private  lodgings  at  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town.  Oil  quitting  the 
consultation,  which,  without  at  the 
same  time  affecting  over-strietiu-ss,  he 
had  regretted  being  fixed  for  Sunday 
— but  the  necessity  of  the  case  ap- 
peared to  warrant  it — he  repaired  to 
the  magnificent  minster,  where  the 
evening  prayers  were  being  read,  and 


where  wero  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate. 
They  were  chanting  the  prayers  as  lie 
entered,  and  was  placed  in  a  stall 
nearly  opposite  to  where  those  whom 
he  loved  so  fondly  were  standing.  The 
psalms  allotted  for  the  evening  wero 
those  in  which  the  royal  sufferer, 
David,  was  pouring  forth  the  deepest 
sorrows  of  his  heart  ;  and  their  appro- 
priateness to  his  own  state  of  mind, 
added  to  the  effect  produced  by  the 
melting  melody  in  which  they  were 
conveyed  to  his  ears,  excited  in  him, 
and,  he  perceived,  also  in  those  oppo- 
site, the  deepest  emotion.  The  glorious 
pile  was  beginning  to  grow  dusky  with 
the  stealing  shadows  of  evening ;  and 
the  solemn  and  sublime  strains  of  the 
organ,  during  the  playing  of  the 
anthem,  filled  the  minds  of  all  present 
who  had  any  pretensions  to  sensibility, 
with  mingled  feelings  of  tenderness 
and  awe.  Those  in  whom  we  are  so 
deeply  interested,  felt  their  minds  at 
once  subdued  and  elevated  ;  and  as 
they  quitted  the  darkening  fabric, 
through  which  the  pealing  tones  of 
the  organ  were  yet  reverberating,  they 
could  not  help  enquiring,  Should  they 
ever  enter  it  again,  —  and  in  what 
altered  circumstances  might  it  be  ? 

To  return,  however — though  it  is, 
indeed,  like  descending  from  the  holy 
mountain  into  the  bustle  and  hubbub 
of  the  city  at  its  foot — Mr.  Parkinson, 
being  most  unexpectedly  and  unfor- 
tunately summoned  to  Grilston  that 
afternoon,  in  order  to  send  up  some 
deeds  of  one  of  his  distinguished  clients 
to  London,  for  the  purpose  of  imme- 
diately effecting  a  mortgage,  set  oil'  in 
a  post-chaise,  at  top  speed,  in  a  very 
unenviable  frame  of  mind;  and  by 
seven  o'clock  was  seated  in  his  office 
at  Grilston,  busily  turning  over  a  great 
number  of  deeds  and  papers,  in  a  largo 
tin-case,  with  the  words  "Right  Hon- 
ourable the  Earl  of  Yelverton,"  painted 
on  the  outside  Having  turned  over 
almost  everything  inside,  and  found 
all  that  he  wanted,  ho  was  going  to 
toss  back  again  all  the  deeds  which 
were  not  requisite  for  his  immediate 
purpose,  when  he  happened  to  see  ono 
lying  at  the  very  bottom,  which  ho 
had  not  before  observed.     It  was  not 


220 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


a  large,  but  an  old  deed — and  ho  took 
it  up  and  hastily  examined  it. 

We  have  seen  a  piece  of  unexpected 
good  fortune  on  the  part  of  Gammon 
and  his  client ;  and  the  reader  will  not 
be  disappointed  at  finding  something 
of  a  similar  kind  befalling  Mr.  Aubrey, 
even  at  the  eleventh  hour.  Mr.  Park- 
inson's journey,  which  he  had  execrated 
a  hundred  times  over  as  he  came  down, 
produced  a  discovery  which  made  him 
tremble  all  over  with  agitation  and 
excitement,  and  begin  to  look  upon  it 
as  almost  owing  to  an  interference 
of  Providence.  The  deed  he  looked 
at  bore  an  endorsement  of  the  name  of 
"  Drcddlington. "  After  a  hasty  glance 
over  its  contents,  he  tried  to  recollect 
by  what  accident  a  document,  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Aubrey,  could  have  found 
its  way  into  the  box  containing  Lord 
Yelverton's  deeds ;  and  it  at  length 
occurred  to  him  that,  about  a  twelve- 
month before,  Mr.  Aubrey  had  pro- 
posed advancing  several  thousand 
pounds  to  Lord  Yelverton,  on  mort- 
gage of  a  portion  of  his  lordship's 
property — but  which  negotiation  had 
afterwards  been  broken  oii* ;  that  Mr. 
Aubrey's  title-deeds  happened  to  be  at 
the  same  time  open  and  loose  in  his 
office — and  he  recollected  having  con- 
siderable trouhle  in  separating  the 
respective  documents  which  had  got 
mixed  together.  This  one,  after  all, 
had  been  by  some  accident  over- 
looked, till  it  turned  up  in  this  most 
timely  and  extraordinary  manner ! 
Having  hastily  effected  tho  object 
which  had  brought  him  back  to  Gril- 
eton,  he  ordered  a  post-chaise  and 
four,  and  within  a  quarter-of-an-hour 
was  thundering  hack,  at  top  speed,  on 
his  way  to  York,  which,  the  horses 
reeking  and  foaming,  he  reached  a 
little  after  ten  o'clock.  He  jumped 
out,  with  the  precious  deed  in  his 
poi  ket,  the  instant  that  his  ch 
door  was  openi  d,  and  ran  off,  without 
than — "  I'm  gone  to  the 
Ati  neral's."    This  was  heard 

by  many  passers-by  and  persons  stand- 
ing round;  audit  Bpreau  far  and  wide 
that  something  of  the  ntmost  import- 
ance,  had   transpired,   with  refen 
to  the  great  ejectmout  cause  of  Mr, 


Aubrey.  Soon  afterwards,  messengers 
and  clerks,  belonging  to  Mr.  Running* 
ton  and  Mr.  Parkinson,  were  to  bo 
seen  running  to  and  fro,  summoning 
Mr.  Sterling,  Mr.  Crystal,  Mr.  Mans- 
field, and  also  Mr.  Aubrey,  to  a  second 
consultation  at  the  Attorney-General's. 
About  eleven  o'clock  they  were  all 
assembled.  The  deed  which  had  occa- 
sioned all  his  excitement,  was  one 
calculated  indeed  to  produce  that 
effect ;  and  it  filled  the  minds  of  all 
present  with  astonishment  and  delight. 
In  a  word,  it  was  a  deed  of  confirma- 
tion by  old  Drcddlington,  the  father 
of  Harry  Drcddlington,  of  tho  con- 
veyance by  the  latter  to  Geotfry 
Dreddlington,  who,  in  the  manner 
already  mentioned  to  the  reader,  had 
get  an  assignment  of  that  conveyance 
to  himself.  After  the  Attorney-General 
had  satisfied  himself  as  to  the  account 
to  be  given  of  the  deed — the  custody 
from  whence  it  came,  namely,  tho 
attorney  for  the  defendant ;  Mr.  Park- 
inson undertaking  to  swear,  without 
any  hesitation,  that  whatever  deeds  of 
Mr.  Aubrey's  he  possessed ,  he  had 
taken  from  the  muniment-room  at 
Yatton — the  second  consultation  broke 
up.  Mr.  Aubrey,  on  hearing  the 
nature  and  effect  of  the  instrument 
explained  by  tho  Attorney-General 
and  Mr.  Mansfield,  and  all  his  counsel, 
in  short,  concurring  in  opinion  as  to 
tho  triumphant  effect  which  this 
instrument  would  produco  on  tho 
morrow,  may  be  pardoned  for  regard- 
ing it,  in  the  excitement  of  the  mo- 
ment, as  almost  a  direct  interference 
of  Providence. 

A  few  minutes  before  nino  o'clock 
on  the  ensuing  morning,  the  occasional 
shrill  Masts  of  the  trumpets  announced 
that  the  judges  were  on  their  way  to 
the  castle,  the  approaches  to  which 
were  crowd*  d  wif  h  i  an  iagi  a  and  pe- 
destrians of  a  hi  bly  n  i  actable  ap- 
I  i  trance.    As  th  ed 

ing  nine.  Lord  Widdrington  took 
his  Beat,  and  the  swearing  of  the  spe- 
cial jury  commend  d.  'I  he  oo  u  t  v.;i* 
crowd  'I  almost  to  suffocation  ;  all  tho 
chief  places  being  lilhd  with  persona 
of  distinction  in  tho  county.  The 
benches  on  •  le  of  the  judge 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


were  occupied  by  ladies,  who — especial- 
ly  the  Countess  of  Oldacre  and  Lady 
De  la  Zouch — evinced  a  painful  degree 
of  anxiety   and   excitement  in   their 
countenances  and    demeanour.      The 
bar  also  mustered  in  great  force  ;  the 
crown  court  being  quite  deserted,  al- 
though a  great  murder  case  was  going 
on  there.     The  civil  court  was  on  the 
present  occasion  the  point  of  attrac- 
tion, not  only  on  account  of  the  in- 
teresting nature  of  the  case  to  be  tried, 
but  of  the  keen  contest  that  was  ex- 
pected between  the  Attorney-General 
and  Mr.  Subtle.     The  former,  as  he 
entered  —  his    commanding    features 
gazed  at  by  many  an  anxious  eye  with 
hope,  and  a  feeling  that  on  his  skill 
and  learning  depended   that  day  the 
destination  of  the  Yatton  property — 
bowed  to  the  judge,  and  then  nodded 
and  shook  hands  with  several  of  the 
counsel  nearest  to  him  ;   then  he  sat 
down,  and  opening  his  bag,  took  out 
his  huge  brief,  and  began  turning  over 
its  leaves  with  a  calm  and  attentive 
air,    occasionally  turning  round  and 
conversing  with  his  juniors.     Every 
one  present  observed  that  the  defend- 
ant's counsel  and  attorneys  wore  the 
confident  looks  of  winning  men  ;  while 
their  opponents,  quick-sighted  enough, 
also   observed  the   circumstance,  and 
looked,  on  that  account  alone,  a  shade 
more  anxious   than  when   they  had 
entered   the   court.      Mr.    Subtle  re- 
quested   Gammon,    whose    ability  lie 
had  soon  detected,  to  sit  immediately 
beneath   him;   next  to   Gammon  sat 
Quirk,    then    Snap,    and    beside   him 
Mr.  Titmouse,  with  a  staring  sky-blue 
flowered  silk  handkerchief  round  his 
neck,  a  gaudy  waistcoat,  a  tight  sur- 
tout,  and  white  kid  gloves.  He  looked 
exceedingly  pale,  and  dared  hardly  in- 
terchange a  word  with  even  Snap,  who 
was  just  as  irritable  and  excited  as  his 
senior  partners.    It  was  quickly  known 
all  over  the  court  who  Titmouse  was. 
Mr.  Aubrey  scarcely  showed  himself 
in  court  all  day,  though  he  stood  at 
the  door  near  the  bench,  and  could 
hear  all  that  passed  ;  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
and  one  or  two  other  personal  friends 
standing  with  him,  engaged,  from  time 
to  tunc,  in  anxious  conversation. 


227 


The  jury  having  been  BWorn,  Mr 
■Lynx  rose,  and  in  a  few  hurried  sen- 
fences,    to    the   lay  audience  utterly 
unintelligible,    intimated    the   nature 
ot   the   pleadings  in  the  cause.     The 
Attorney- General  then  rose,   and   re- 
quested that  all  the  witnesses  mi"ht 
leave  the  court.     As  soon  as  the  little 
disturbance  occasioned   by  this  move 
had  ceased,  Mr.  Subtle  rose,  and  in  a 
low  but  distinct  tone  said,   "May  it 
please  your  Lordship— Gentlemen  of 
the  Jury,— In  this  cause  I  have  the 
honour  to  appear  before  you  as  counsel 
for  the  plaintiff ;  and  it  now  becomes 
my  duty  to  state,  as  briefly  as  I  can, 
the  nature  of  his  case.     It  is  impos- 
sible,  gentlemen,   not   to  notice   the 
unusual  interest  excited  by  the  cause  ; 
and  which  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the  very  large  estates  in  this  county 
which  are  sought  this  day  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  a  comparative  stranger,  from 
the   family  who    have   long  enjoyed 
them,  and  of  whom  I  am  anxious  to 
say  everything  respectful ;  for  you  will 
very  soon  find  that  the  name  on  the 
record   is   that  of  only  the   nominal 
defendant ;    and  although  all  that  is 
professed  to  be  this  day  sought  for,  is 
a  very  trifling  portion  of  the  property, 
your  verdict  will  undoubtedly  decide 
the  question  as  to  the  true  ownership 
and   enjoyment   of   the  large   estates 
now  held  by  the  gentleman  who  is  the 
substantial  defendant  —  I  mean  Mr. 
Aubrey,  the  member  of  Parliament  for 
the  borough  of  Yatton."     Aware  of 
the  watchful  and  formidable  opponent 
who  would  in  due  time  answer  him, 
and  also  of  being  himself  entitled  to 
the  general  reply — to  the  last  word — 
Mr.    Subtle    proceeded   to    state   tho 
nature  of  tho  plain  tin" 'a  case  with  tho 
utmost  brevity  and  clearness.  Scarcely 
any  sound  was  heard  but  that  of  tho 
pens  of  the  short-hand  writers,  and  of 
the  counsel  taking  their  notes.     Mr. 
Subtle,  having  handed  up  two  or  three 
copies  of  the  pedigree  which  he  held 
in  _  his  hand  to   the  judge  and  jury, 
pointed    out    with    distinctness    and 
precision   every  link  in  the  chain  of 
evidence   which   lie    intended   to   lay 
before  the  jury  ;  and  having  done  this 
—  having    presented    as    few    salient 


228 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


points  of  attack  to   his   oppouent  as 
ho  possibly  could — he  sat  down,  pro- 
fessing Ids  entire   ignorance  of  what 
case  could  be  set  up  in  answer  to  that 
which  he   had  opened.     He  had  not 
been  on  his  legs  quite  half-an-hour ; 
and  when  he  ceased — how  lie  had  dis- 
appointed  every  one   present,  except 
the  judge  and  the  bar  !     Instead  of  a 
speech  befitting  so  great  an  occasion — 
impressive   and   eloquent  —  here   had 
been  a  brief  dry  statement  of  a  few 
uninteresting    facts  —  dates,    births, 
deaths,    marriages,  registers,    entries, 
inscriptions,  deeds,  wills — without  a 
single  touch  of  feeling  or  ray  of  elo- 
quence.     The  momentary   feeling   of 
disappointment  in  the  audience,  how- 
ever—  almost  all  of  whom,    it   may 
easily  be  believed,  were  in  the  interest 
of  the   Aubreys — quickly    yielded    to 
one  of  satisfaction  and  relief ;  as  they 
thought  they  might  regard  so  meagre 
a  speech  as  heralding  in  as  meagre  a 
case.     As  soon  as  he  sat  down,    Mr. 
Quicksilver  rose  and   called  the  first 
witness.       "  We're    safe  !  "     said    the 
Attorney-General  to  Mr.  Sterling  and 
Mr.  Crystal,  with  his  hand  before  his 
mouth,   and  with   the    very  faintest 
whisper  that  could  be  audible  to  those 
whom  he  addressed;  and  thewitm    - 
having  been  sworn,  they  all  resumed 
their   seats   and    their   writing.     The 
first  and  the  subsequent  witness  estab- 
lished   one   or    two    preliminary   and 
formal  points— the  Attorney-General 
rcely  rising  to  put  a  question  to 
them.       The    third    witness    was    ex- 
amined  by  Mr.  Subtle   with   apparent 

unconcern,  but  really  with  exquii  ite 
tety.     From   the  earnestness  and 
attention  with  which  the  words  of  the 
witness  were  watched  and  taken  down 
by  both    tli>'  judge  and   the  counsel, 
v,h  ■  knew  much  b  tter  than  the  audi- 
i  rain  of  the  c  ise  com- 
menced, it  mu  t  1m\  e  appe  ired  to  the 
i  it  In  r  Mr.  Subtle  under- 
estimated,   or    his    opponents    over- 
1,  the  value  of  the  e^  idi  nee 
now  in  proc  ss  of  '  I  by 

Mr.    Subtle,    in  .    pointed 

<ju:  nd  with  a  smiling  uncon- 

cerned countenance. 

,  Bir,"  gruffly  interposed 


Lord    Widdrington,    addressing    fhe 
witness. 

"Take  time,  Mr.  Jones,"  said  Mr. 
Subtle  blandly,  fearful  of  ruffling  or 
discomposing  an  important  witn< 
The  Attorney-General  rose  to  cross- 
examine  ;  pressed  him  quietly  but 
closely  ;  varied  the  shape  of  his  ques- 
tions ;  now  he  soothed,  then  he  start- 
led by  his  sternness  ;  but  sat  down, 
evidently  having  produced  no  impres- 
sion. Thus  it  was  with  one  or  two 
succeeding  witnesses ;  the  Attorney- 
General,  on  each  occasion,  resuming 
his  seat  after  his  abortive  efforts,  with 
perfect  composure.  At  length,  how- 
ever, by  a  very  admirable  and  well- 
sustained  fire  of  cross-questioning,  ho 
completely  demolished  a  material  wit- 
ness ;  and  the  hopes  of  all  interest-  d 
in  behalf  of  his  clients  rose  high.  Mr. 
Subtle,  who  had  been  all  the  while 
paring  his  nails,  and  from  time  to  time 
smiling  with  a  careless  air,  (though  you 
might  as  safely  have  touched  a  tigress 
suckling  her  cubs,  as  attempted  at  that 
moment  to  disturb  him,  so  absorbed 
was  he  with  intense  anxiety,)  believing 
that  he  could  establish  the  I  icts 

by  another  and,  as  he  believed,  a  better 
witness,  did  not  re-examine  ;  but  call- 
ing that  other,  with  an  air  of  non- 
chalance, succeeded  in  extracting  from 
him  all  that  the  other  had  failed  in, 
and  in  baffling  all  the  attempts  of 
the  Attorney-!  rem  ral  to  all.  d  hia 
credit,  or  disturb  his  equanimity.  At 
length,  another  witness  being  in  tho 
box, — 

"My  Lord,  1  <  eject  to  that  ques- 
tion," said  Mr.  .attorney-General,  a9 
Mr.  Subtle,  amidst  many  indifferent 
and  apparently  irrelevant  question,;, 
quietly  slipped  in  one  of  the  greatest 
possible  importance,  had  it  been  an« 

:  wired  as  !iu  desired.  Twas  quite 
delightful  to  see  the  Attorney-General 
and    his    experienced    and    watchful 

juniors,  all   rise   at  one  and    the   sumo 

Hi :  showing  how  vain  were  the 
tricks  and  ingenuity  of  their  sly  op- 
ponent. Mr.  Attorney-General  stated 
his  objection,  briefly  and  pointedly; 

Bubi  Le  answered  him,  followed  by 
Quicksilver  and  Lynx  ;  and  then  Mr. 
At  torney-Gi  aero]   replied,  with 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


force  and  clearness.      This  keen  en- 
counter of  their  wits  over — 

"I  shall  allow  the  question  to  be 
put,"  said  Lord  Widdrington,  after  a 
pause—"  But  I  have  great  doubts  as 
to  its  propriety.  I  will  therefore  take 
a  note  of  Mr.  Attorney-General's  ob- 
jection." 

Four  or  five  similar  conflicts  arose 
during  the   course   of  the   plaintiff's 
case ;— now  concerning  the  competency 
of  a  witness — then  as  to  the  admissi- 
bility of  a  document,  or  the  propriety 
of  a  particular  question.     On  each  of 
these  occasions  there  were  displayed 
on  both  sides  consummate  logical  skill 
and  acuteness,  especially  by  the  two 
leaders.  Distinctions  the  most  delicate 
and  subtle  were  suggested  with  sud- 
denness, and  as  promptly  encountered  ; 
the  most  artful  manoeuvres  to  secure 
dangerous  admissions  resorted  to,  and 
baffled  ;  the  more  recondite  principles 
of  evidence  brought  to  bear  with  ad- 
mirable readiness  on  both  sides.     To 
deal  with  them,  required  indeed  the 
practised,   penetrating,    and   powerful 
intellect  of  Lord  "Widdrington.     Some 
points  he  dispo-ed  of  promptly,  to  the 
satisfaction  of  both  parties  ;  on  others 
he  hesitated,  and  at  length  reserved 
them.      Though   none   but  the   more 
experienced  and  able  members  of  the 
bar  could  in  the  least  degree  enter  into 
and  appreciate   the  nature   of    these 
conflicts,  they  were  watched  with  un- 
tiring attention  and  eagerness  by  all 
present,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen — 
by  the  lowly  and  the  distinguished. 
And  though  the  intensity  of  the  feel- 
ings of  all  was  manifest   by  a  mere 
glimpse   round    the    court,    yet    any 
momentary  display  of  eccentricity  on 
the  part  of  a  witness,  or  petulance  or 
repartee  on  the  part  of  counsel,  would 
occasion  a  momentary  merriment  that 
in  point  of  fact  served  only  as  a  sort 
of  relief  to  the  strained  feelings  of  the 
audience,   and  instantly  disappeared. 
The  tombstone  part  of  the  case  was 
got  through  easily  ;  scarce  any  attempt 
1  Neing  mads  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Aubrey's 
counsel,  to  resist  or  interfere  with  it. 
But  the  great — the  hottest  part  of  the 
fight — occurred  at  that  point  of  the 
case,  where  Titmouse's  descent  from 


229 


Stephen  Dreddlington  was  sought  to 
be  established.     This  gentleman,  who 
had  been  a  very  wild  person,  whose 
movements  were  very  difficult  to  be 
traced  or  accounted  for,  had  entered 
the  navy,  and  ultimately  died  at  sea, 
as  had  always  been  imagined,  single 
and  childless.    It  was  proved,  however, 
that  so  far  from  such  being  the  case' 
he  had  married  a  person  at  Portsmouth^ 
of  inferior  station  ;  and  that  bv  her  he 
had  a  daughter,  only  two  years  before 
his  death,  which  happened  at  sea,  as 
has   been   stated.     Both  mother  and 
daughter,  after  undergoing  great  priva- 
tion, and  no  notice  being  taken  of  the 
mother  by  any  of  her  late  husband's 
family,   removed  to  the  house   of    a 
humble  and  distant  relative  in  Cum- 
berland, where  the  mother  afterwards 
died,  leaving  her  daughter  only  fifteen 
years  old.     When  she  grew  up,   she 
lived  in  some  menial  capacity  in  Cum- 
berland,  and  ultimately  married  one 
Gabriel  Tittlebat  Titmouse  ;  who,  after 
living  for  some  years  a  cordwainer  at 
Whitehaven,  found  his  way  to  Grilston, 
in  Yorkshire,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
which  town  he  had  lived  for  soma 
years,  in  very  humble  circumstances. 
There  he  had  married  ;  and  about  two 
years  afterwards  his  wife  died,  leaving 
a  son — our  friend  Tittlebat  TitmouseT 
Both   of    them    afterwards    came    to 
London  ;  where,  in  four  or  five  years' 
time,  the  father  died,  leaving  the  little 
Titmouse    to    flutter  and    hop  about 
in  the  wide  world  as  best  he  could.  • 
During  the  whole  of  this  part  of  the 
case   Mr.    Gammon  had   evinced  his 
deep  anxiety,  and  at  a  particular  point 
— perhaps  the  crisis — his  agitation  was 
excessive  ;  yet  it  was  almost  entirely 
concealed  by  his  remarkable  self-con- 
trol.    The  little  documentary  evidence 
of  which  Gammon,  at  his  first  inter- 
view with  Titmouse,  found  him  pos- 
sessed, proved  at  the  trial,  as  Gammon 
had  foreseen,  of  great  importance.    The 
evidence  in  support  of  this  part  of  the 
case,  and  which  it  took  till  two  o'clock 
on  the  ensuing  afternoon  to  get  through, 
was  subjected  to  a  most  determined  and 
skilful   opposition   by   the    Attorney- 
General,  but  in  vain.     The  case  had 
been  got  up  with   the  utmost  care, 


230 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


under  tho  excellent  management  of 
Lynx  ;  and  Mr.  Subfile's  consummate 
tact  ami  ability  brought  it,  at  length, 
fully  and  distinctly  out  before  the 
jury. 

"That,  my  Lord,"  said  he,  as  he 
sat  down  after  re-examining  his  last 
witness,  "is  the  case  on  tho  part  of 
the  plaintiff."  On  this  the  judge  and 
jury  withdrew,  for  a  short  time,  to 
obtain  refreshment.  During  their  ab- 
sence, the  Attorney-General,  Mr.  Stea- 
ling, Mr.  Crystal,  and  Mr.  Mansfield, 
might  h:ive  been  seen,  with  their 
heads  all  laid  close  together,  engaged 
in  anxious  consultation — a  group  gazed 
at  by  the  eager  eyes  of  many  a  spectator 
whose  beating  heart  wished  their  cause 
God-speed.  The  Attorney-General  then 
withdrew  for  a  few  moments,  also  to 
6eek  refreshment ;  and  returning  at 
the  same  time  with  the  judge,  after  a 
moment's  pause  rose,  bowed  to  the 
judge,  then  to  tho  jury,  and  opened 
the  defendant's  case.  His  manner  was 
calm  and  impressive  ;  his  person  was 
dignified  :  and  his  clear,  distinct  voice 
fll  on  the  listening  car  like  the  sound 
of  silver.  After  a  graceful  allusion  to 
the  distinguished  character  of  his  friend 
and  client,  Mr.  Aubrey,  (to  whose 
eminent  position  in  tho  House  of 
Commons  he  bore  his  personal  testi- 
mony,) and  to  the  magnitude  of  the 
interests  now  at  stake,  he  proceeded — 
"  On  every  account,  therefore,  I  feel 
sensible,  gentlemen,  to  an  unusual  and 
most  painful  extent,  of  the  very  great 
responsibility  now  resting  upon  my 
learned  friends  and  myself;  lest  any 
miscarriage  of  mine  should  prejudice 
in  any  degree  the  important  interests 
committed  to  us,  orim]  air  tin-  strength 
of  the  case  which  I  am  about  to  submit 
to  you  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Aubrey:  a 
case  which,  I  assure  you,  unless  some 
extraordinary  mischance  should  befall 
us,  will  I  believe  annihilate  that  which, 
with  so  much  pains,  so  much  tact,  and 
so  much  a'  ility,  has  jusl  been  laid  be- 
fore you  by  my  learned  friend  Mr. 
Subtle  ;  tablish  tie-  di  fend  ml 

in  the  s  ife  po  s  ion  of  thai  large 
property  which  is  the  subject  of  the 
pi  enl  mi  I  oxtr  ordinary  and  unex- 
pected litigation.      But,   gentlemen, 


before  proceeding  so  far  as  that,  it  is 
fitting  that  I  should  call  your  attention 
to  the  nature  of  the  case  set  up  on  the 
part  of  the  plaintiff,  and  the  sort  of 
evidence  by  which  it  has  been  at- 
tempted to  be  supported  ;  and  I  am 
very  sanguine  of  being  successful  in 
showing  you  that  the  plaintiff's  wit- 
nesses are  not  entitled  to  the  credit  to 
which  they  lay  claim ;  and,  conse- 
quently, that  there  is  no  case  made 
out  for  the  defendant  to  answer."  lie 
then  entered  into  a  rigorous  analysis 
of  the  plaintiff's  evidence,  contrasting 
each  conflicting  portion  with  the  other, 
with  singular  force  and  cogency  ;  and 
commenting  with  powerful  severity 
upon  the  demeanour  and  character  of 
many  of  the  witnesses.  On  proceeding, 
at  length,  to  open  tho  case  of  tho 
defendant — "And  here,  gentlemen," 
said  he,  "I  am  reminded  of  the  ob- 
servation with  which  my  learned  friend 
concluded — that  lie  was  entirely  igno- 
rant of  the  case  which  we  meant  to  set 
up  in  answer  to  that  which  he  had 
opened  on  the  part  of  the  plaintiff. 
Gentlemen,  it  would  have  been  curious, 
indeed,  had  it  been  otherwise — had 
my  friend's  penetrating  eye  been  i 
to  inspect  the  contents  of  our  strong- 
box— and  so  become  acquainted  with 
the  evidence  on  whi<  h  my  client  rests 
his  title  to  the  property  now  in  dis- 
pute. He  has,  however,  succeeded  in 
entitling  himself  to  information  on 
that  point  ;  and  he  shall  have  it — and 
to  his  heart's  content."  Hero  Mr. 
Subtle  cast  a  glance  of  smiling  in- 
credulity towards  the  jury,  and  defi- 
ance towards  the  Attorney-General: 
he  took  his  pen  into  his  hand,  how- 
ever, and  his  juniors  looked  very  anx- 
Lou  i.  "  <  ientlemcn,"  continued  tho 
Attorney-General,  "I  will  now  con- 
cede to  my  learned  friend  every  inch 
of  the  case  which  he  has  been  en- 
deavouring to  make  out  ;  that  he  has 
completely  establi  ihed  his  pi  digree. — 
Mind,  gentlemen,  I  concede  this  only 

for   the    purpose    of   the    ea  e    will  ill    1 

am  about  to  lay  before  you."    He  then 
It)       onveyanco  by  Harry 

a  of  all   his  interest 

"  5f*ou     Forgot    that    he    died    in    his 
father's  lifetime,  Mr.  Attornoy-Gon- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


231 


eral,"  interposed  Mr.  Subtle,  with  a 
placid  smile,  and  the  air  of  a  man 
who  is  suddenly  relieved  from  a  vast 
pressure  of  anxiety. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  gentlemen,  not  a 
bit  of  it — 'tis  a  part  of  my  ease.  My 
learned  friend  is  quite  right  ;  Harry 
Dreddlington  did  die  in  his  father's 
lifetime  :—  but— "  Here  Mr.  Subtle 
gazed  at  the  Attorney-General  with 
unaffected  curiosity  ;  and,  when  the 
latter  came  to  mention  "the  Deed  of 
Confirmation  by  the  father  of  Harry 
Dreddlington,"  an  acute  observer 
might  have  observed  a  slight  change 
of  colour  in  Mr.  Subtle.  Mr.  Quick- 
silver went  on  writing  —  for  he  was 
entirely  out  of  his  depth,  and  therefore 
occupied  himself  with  thinking  over 
an  article  he  was  writing  for  some 
political  review.  Mr.  Lynx  looked  at 
the  Attorney-General  as  if  he  expected 
every  instant  to  receive  a  musket-ball 
in  his  breast. 

"What,  'confirm'  a  nullity,  Mr. 
Attorney-General?"  interrupted  Mr. 
Subtle,  laying  down  his  pen  with  a 
smile  of  derision ;  but  a  moment  or 
two  afterwards,  "Mr.  Mortmain," 
said  he,  in  a  hasty  whisper,  "what  do 
you  think  of  this  ?  Tell  me — in  four 
words — "  Mortmain,  his  eye  glued 
to  the  face  of  the  Attorney-General 
the  while,  muttered  hastily  something 
about — operating  as  a  new  grant — as 
a  new  conveyance. 

"  Pshaw  !  I  mean  what's  the  ansivcr 
to  it  ? "  muttered  Mr.  Subtle  im- 
patiently ;  but  his  countenance  pre- 
served its  expression  of  smiling  non- 
cha'ance.  "You  will  oblige  me,  Mr. 
Mortmain,"  he  by  and  by  whispered, 
in  a  quiet  but  peremptory  tone,  "  by 
giving  your  utmost  attention  to  the 
question  as  to  the  effect  of  this  deed — 
so  that  I  may  shape  my  objection  to 
it  properly  when  it  is  tendered  in  evi- 
dence. If  it  really  have  the  legal  effect 
attributed  to  it,  and  which  I  suspect 
is  the  case,  we  may  as  well  shut  up 
our  briefs.  I  thought  there  must  be 
some  such  cursed  point  or  other  in  the 
background." 

Gammon  saw  the  real  state  of  Mr. 
Subtle's  mind,  and  his  cheek  turned 
pale,  but  he  preserved  a  smile  on  his 


countenance,  as  ho  sat  with  his  arms 
folded.  Quirk  eyed  him  with  undis- 
guised agitation,  scarce  daring  to  look 
up  at  Mr.  Subtle.  Titmouse,  seeing  a 
little  dismay  in  his  camp,  turned  very 
white  and  cold,  and  sat  still,  scarce- 
daring  to  breathe  ;  while  Snap  looked 
like  a  terrier  going  to  have  its  teeth 
pulled  out. 

At  length  the  Attorney  -  General,' 
after  stating  that,  in  addition  to  the 
case  which  he  had  intimated,  as  rest- 
ing mainly  on  the  deed  of  confirmation, 
he  should  proceed  to  prove  the  pedigree 
of  Mr.  Aubrey,  sat  down,  having  spoken 
about  two  hours  and  a  half,  expressing 
his  conviction  that  when  the  defend- 
ant's evidence  should  have  been  closed, 
the  jury,  under  his  lordship's  direction, 
would  return  a  verdict  for  the  defend- 
ant ;  and  that,  too,  without  leaving 
the  jury-box,  where,  by  their  long  and 
patient  attention,  they  had  so  honour- 
ably acquitted  themselves  of  the  im- 
portant duty  imposed  upon  them  by 
the  constitution. 

"James  Parkinson  !  "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Sterling,  quietly  but  distinctly,  as  tho 
Attorney-General  sat  down.  "You 
are  the  attorney  for  the  defendant  ? " 
enquired  Mr.  Sterling,  as  soon  as  tho 
witness  had  been  sworn.  "Do  you 
produce  a  conveyance  between  Harry 
Dreddlington  and  Moses  Aaron  ?  "  &c. 
(specifying  it.)  It  was  proved  and  put 
in,  without  much  opposition.  So  also 
was  another  —  the  assignment  from 
Moses  Aaron  to  Geoffry  Dreddlington. 

"Do  you  also  produce  a  deed  be- 
tween Harry  Dreddlington  the  elder 
and  Geoffry  Dreddlington  ? "  and  he- 
mentioned  the  date  and  names  of  all 
the  parties.  Mr.  Parkinson  handed 
in  the  important  document. 

"  Stay,  stay  ;  where  did  you  get 
that  deed,  Mr.  Parkinson  1"  enquired 
Mr.  Subtle  sharply,  extending  his  hand 
for  the  deed. 

"From  my  office  at  Grilston,  where 
I  keep  many  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  title- 
deeds." 

"  When  did  you  bring  it  hither  » " 

"  About  ten  o'clock  last  night,  fur 
the  purpose  of  this  trial." 

"How  long  has  it  been  at  your 
office  'I  " 


232 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


"Ever  since  I  fetched  it,  a  year  or 
two  ago,  with  other  deeds,  from  the 
muniment-room  of  Yatton  Hall." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  solicitor 
to  Mr.  Aubrey  .;  " 

"For  this  ten  years  ;  and  myfather 
was  solicitor  to  his  father  for  twenty- 
five  years." 

"Will  you  swear  that  this  deed  was 
in  your  oiiice  before  the  proceedings 
in  this  action  were  brought  to  your 
notice  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  in 
the  world." 

"That  does  not  satisfy  me,  sir. 
"Will  you  swear  that  it  was  ?" 

"I  willySa"  replied  Mr.  Parkinson 
firmly.  "  It  never  attracted  any  more 
notice  from  me  than  any  other  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's  deeds,  till  my  attention  was 
drawn  to  it  in  consequence  of  these 
proceedings." 

"  Has  any  one  access  to  Mr.  Aubrey's 
deeds  at  your  office  but  yourself  .'" 

"None  that  I  know  of;  I  keep  all 
the  deeds  of  my  clients  that  are  at  my 
office  in  their  respective  boxes,  and 
allow  no  one  access  to  them,  exa  p1 
under  my  immediate  notice,  and  in 
my  ." 

Then  Mr.  Subtle  sal  down. 

"My  Lord,  we  now  propose  to  put 
in  11. is  deed,"  said  the  Attorney- 
>      i  ral,  unfoldin 

"Allow  me  to  look  at  it,  Mr.  At- 
torney," said  Mr.  Subtle.  Jt  was 
handed  to  him  ;  and  he,  his  juniors, 
and  Mr.  Mortmain,  rising  up,  were  en- 
gaged most  anxiously  in  scrutinizing  it 
for  some  minutes.  Mortmain  having 
looked  at  the  stamp,  sat  down,  and 
his  bag,  hastily  drew  out  an 
old  well-worn  volume,  w  '• 

np  acts  that  had  i 
pa  'I  from  the  time  of  Wil 
Third,   when,    I  believe,  the  hi 

:  was    c  inferred    upon 

1  '    ■  |      |  t  the 

I— then  at  his  book — th 

hi    be 

n,  v  iih  earnest  gesl  an  s,   pu 
Mr.  |  '"i  of  hi  -  opinion 

on   the  "  My    Lord, 

Mr.  Subtle  after  a  pause,  "I  object  to 
this  ii.  itrumenl  being  receivi  d  in 
evidence,  on  account  of  the  insufll  iency 


of  vhc  stamp."  This  pronucect  quite  a 
sensation  in  court.  Mr.  Subtle  then  pro- 
ceeded to  mention  the  character  of  the 
si  unp  affixed  to  the  deed,  and  read  the 
act  which  was  in  force  at  the  time  that 
the  deed  bore  date  ;  and,  after  a  few 
additional  observations,  sat  down,  and 
was  followed  by  Mr.  Quicksilver  and 
Mr.  Lynx.  Then  arose  the  Attorney- 
General,  having  in  the  mean  time  care- 
fully looked  at  the  Act  of  Parliament, 
and  submitted  to  his  Lordship  that 
the  stamp  was  sufficient ;  being  fol- 
lowed by  his  juniors.  Mr.  Subtle 
n  p'.i  d  at  some  length. 

"I  certainly  entertain  some  diffi- 
culty on  the  point,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"and  will  mention  the  matter  to  my 
brother  Grayley."  Taking  with  him 
the  deed,  and  Mr.  Mortmain's  Stamp 
Acts,  his  lordship  left  the  court,  and 
was  absent  a  quarter  of  an  hour — half 
an  hour — three  quarters  of  an  hour  ; 
and  at  length  returned. 

"  1  le^.  e  consulted,"  said  he,  as  soon 
as  he  had  taken  his  scat,  amidst  the 
profoundest  "  my    brot 

l(  \ .  and  we  have  very  fully  con- 
sidered the  point.  My  brother  hap- 
p  ns,  fortunately,  to  have  by  him  a 
manuscript  note  of  a  case  in  which  he 
was  counsel,  about  eighteen  years  ago, 
and  in  w  uich  the  <  xact  point  arose 
which  exists  in  the  present  case.     He 

then    read   out   of    a  thick  manuscript 

book,  which  he  had  brought  with  him 
from  Mr.  Justice  Grayley,  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  case  alluded  to,  and 
which  was  certainly  almost  precisely 
simitar  to  those  then  before  the  court. 
In  the  case  n  ferred  to,  the  stamp  had 
BScii  n1  ;  and  so,  his  Lord- 
ship and  his  brother  Grayley  were  of 
opinion,  was  the  stamp  in  the  deed 
then  before  him.    The  cloud  which  had 

d  upon  t  he  con  i  of  the 

At torney-( rencral  and  his  party,  ! 

!  upon  t' 
of  his  opponents.      "  Your  I 
will  perhaps  take  a  note  of  the  ol 
tini,"    said    Mr.     Si 

■  in.  ■].      Lord   Wi  Idi  Lngton  nod- 
ded,    and     immediately     made      the 
ite  (  nlry  in  hi 

"  ,\  ,/•,  then,  we  propo  e  to  put  in 
an  1  lead  this  di  i  d,"  said  t !.    Attorney- 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


233 


General,  with  a  smile  of  suppressed 
triumph,  holding  out  his  hand  towards 
Mr.  Lynx,  who  was  spelling  over  it 
very  eagerly — ■"  I  presume  my  learned 
friend  will  require  only  the  operative 
parts  to  be  read  " — here  Lynx,  with 
some  excitement,  called  his  leader's 
attention  to  something  which  had 
occurred  to  him  in  the  deed  :  up  got 
Quicksilver  and  Mortmain ;  aud 
presently — 

"Not  quite  so  fast,  Mr.  Attorney, 
if  you  please,"  said  Mr.  Subtle  with  a 
little  elation  of  manner — "I  have 
another,  aud  I  apprehend  a  clearly 
fatal  objection  to  the  admissibility  of 
this  deed,  till  my  learned  friend  shall 
have  accounted  for  an  erasure" — 

"Erasure!"  echoed  the  Attorney- 
General  with  much  surprise — "Allow 
me  to  see  the  deed  ;"  and  he  took  it 
with  an  incredulous  smile,  which, 
however,  disappeared  as  he  looked 
more  and  more  closely  at  the  instru- 
ment ;  Mr.  Sterling,  Mr.  Crystal, 
and  Mr.  Mansfield  also  looking  ex- 
tremely serious. 

"I've  hit  them  now"  said  Mr. 
Subtle,  to  those  behind  him,  as  he 
leaned  back,  and  looked  with  no  little 
triumph  at  his  opponents — ■"  by  Jove  ! 
— was  there  ever  anything  so  lucky  in 
this  world  before  ? "  From  what  ap- 
parently inadequate  and  trifling  causes 
often  flow  great  results  !  The  plain 
fact  of  the  case  was  merely  this.  The 
attorney's  clerk,  in  copying  out  the 
deed,  which  was  one  of  considerable 
length,  had  written  four  or  five 
words  by  mistake  ;  and  fearing  to  ex- 
asperate his  master,  by  rendering 
necessary  a  new  deed  and  stamp,  and 
occasioning  trouble  and  delay,  neatly 
scralchedout  the  erroneous  words,  and 
over  the  erasure  wrote  the  correct  ones. 
As  he  was  the  party  who  was  entrusted 
with  seeing  to  and  witnessing  the  exe- 
cution of  the  instrument,  he  of  course 
took  no  notice  of  the  alteration,  and — 
see  the  result  !  The  ownership  of  an 
estate  of  ten  thousand  a-year  about  to 
turn  upou  the  effect  of  this  erasure  ! 

"  Hand  me  up  the  deed,"  said  the 
Judge  ;  and  inspected  it  minutely  for  a 
minute  or  two. 

"JTos  any  one   a  ma^nifying-gla^s 


in  court  ? "  enquired  the  Attorney- 
General,  with  a  look  of  increasing 
anxiety.  No  one  happened  to  have 
one. 

"  Is  it  necessary,  Mr.  Attorney?"  said 
Lord  Widdrington,  handing  down  the 
instrument  to  him  with  an  ominous 
look. 

"Well — you  object,  of  course,  Mr. 
Subtle — as  I  understand  you — that 
this  deed  is  void,  on  account  of  an 
erasure  in  a  material  part  of  it '  "  en- 
quired Lord  "Widdrington. 

"  That  is  my  objection,  my  Lord," 
said  Mr.  Subtle,  sitting  down. 

"Now,  Mr.  Attorney,"  continued 
the  Judge,  turning  to  the  Attorney- 
General,  prepared  to  take  a  note  of  any 
observations  he  might  offer.  The 
spectators  —  the  whole  court  —  were 
aware  that  the  great  crisis  of  the 
case  had  arrived ;  and  there  was  a 
sickening  silence.  The  Attorney- 
General,  with  perfect  calmness  and 
self-possession,  immediately  addressed 
the  court  in  answer  to  the  objection. 
That  there  was  an  erasure,  which, 
owing  to  the  hurry  with  which  the 
instrument  had  been  looked  at,  had 
been  overlooked,  was  indisputable  ;  of 
course  the  Attorney-General's  argu- 
ment was,  that  it  was  an  erasure  in  a 
part  not  material  ;  but  it  was  easy  to 
see  that  he  spoke  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  argues  contra  sjjem.  "What 
he  said,  however,  was  pertinent  and 
forcible  ;  the  same  might  lie  said  of 
Mr.  Sterling  and  Mr.  Crystal;  but 
they  were  all  plainly  gravelled.  Mr. 
Subtle  replied  with  cruel  cogency : 
Mr.  Quicksilver  seized  the  opportunity 
— not  choosing  to  see  that  the  Judge 
was  with  them  —  to  make  a  most 
dangerous  but  showy  speech ;  Mr. 
Subtle  sitting  beside  him  in  the  ut- 
most distress,  looking  as  if  he  could 
have  withered  -him  with  a  word.  In 
consequence  of  some  very  unguarded 
admissions  of  Quicksilver,  down  came 
upon  him  Lord  Widdrington  ;  and 
Mr.  Subtle — the  only  time  during  the 
whole  cause  in  which  he  lost  his  self- 
command— uttered  a  half-stifled  curse 
at  the  folly  of  Quicksilver,  that  could 
be  heard  by  half  the  bar,  perhaps  even 
by  the  Judge,  who  greatly  relished  the 


234 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YE  AH. 


sure  he  was  making  of  Quick- 
silver's indiscretion.  At  length  he  sat 
down,  with  a  somewhat  foolish  air, 
Mr.  Subtle  turning  Lis  hark  full  upon 
Lim  before  the  wholecourt ;  but  when 
Lynx  rose,  and  in  a  business-like  way, 
with  only  a  word  or  two,  )  ul  the  | 

a  fully  h  fore  Lord  Widdiington, 
Hie  scowl  gradually  disappeared  from 
the  brow  of  Mr.  Subtle. 

"Well,"  said  Lord  Widdrington, 
when  Mr.  Lynx  bad  done,  "I  own  1 
feci  no  doubt  at  all  upon  the  matter  ; 
bul  as  it  is  certainly  of  the  greatest 
no  Lble  importance,  i  will  just  see  how 
it  strikes  my  broth*  r  Grayley."  With 
this  he  took  the  deed  in  his  hand,  and 
quitted  the  court.  He  touched  Mr. 
Aubrey,  in  passing  to  his  private  room, 
holding  the  deed  before  him.  After  an 
absence  of  about  ten  minutes,  Lord 
"Widdrington  returned. 

"Silence!  silence  there!"  bawled 
the  crier  ;  and  the  bustlo  had  soon 
subsided  into  profound  silence. 

"I  entertain  no  doubt,  nor  does  my 
brothi  r  Grayley,"  said  Lord  "Widdring- 
ton, "  that  I  ought  not  to  receive  this 
deed  in  evidence,  without  accounting 
for  an  erasure  occurring  in  a  clearly 
essential  part  of  it.  Unless,  theref  ire, 
you  are  prepared,  Mr.  Attorney,  with 
any  evidence  as  to  this  point,  I  shall 
not  receive  the  deed." 

There  was  a  feint  buzz  all  over  the 
court — a  buzz  of  excitement,  anxiety, 
and  disappointment.  The  Attorney- 
General  consulted  for  a  moment  or  two 
with  his  friends. 

"Undoubtedly,  my  Lord,  wo  are 
not  prepared  with  any  evidence  to 
explain  an  appearance  which  has  taken 
us  entirely  by  surprise.  After  this 
length  of  time,  my  Lord,  of  course " 

"Certainly — it  is  a  great  misfortune 
for  the  parties — a  great  misfortune. 
Of  course  you  tender  the  deed  in  evi- 
dence!" he  continued,  taking  a  note. 
"  We  do,  my  Lord,  certainly." 
You  should  hive  Been  the  faces  of 
Me-  ion,  and  Snap,  as 

they  looked  at  Mr.  Parkinson,  with 
an  agitated  air,  returning  the  ceji 
(1  i  1  to  the  hag  from  which  it  had 
been  lately  taken  with  so  confident 
and    triumphant   an   air  !  —  The    re- 


mainder of  tho  case,  which  had  been 
opened  by  the  Attorney-General  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  was  then  pro- 
ceeded with  ;  but  in  spite  of  all  tin  ir 
assumed  calmness,  the  disappointment 
and  distress  of  bis  counsel  were  per- 
ceptible to  all.  They  were  now  de- 
jected— they  felt  that  the  cause  was 
lost,  unless  some  extraordinary  good 
fortune  should  yet  befall  them.  They 
were  not  long  in  establishing  the 
descent  of  Mr.  Aubrey  from  GcotlYy 
Dreddlington.  It  was  necessary  to  do 
so  ;  for  grievously  as  they  had  keen 
disappointed  in  failing  to  establish  tho 
title  paramount,  founded  upon  the 
deed  of  confirmation  of  Mr.  Aubrey, 
it  was  yet  an  important  question  for 
the  jury,  whether  they  believed  tho 
evidence  adduced  by  the  plaintiff  to 
show  title  in  himself. 

"That,  my  Lord,  is  the  defendant's 
case,"  said  the  Attorney-General,  as 
his  last  witness  left  the  box  ;  and  Mr. 
Subtle  then  rose  to  reply.  He  felt 
how  unpopular  was  his  cause  ;  that 
almost  every  countenance  around  him 
bore  a  hostile  expression.  Privately, 
he  loathed  his  case  when  he  saw  tho 
sort  of  person  for  whom  he  was  strug- 
gling. All  his  sympathies — for  he  was 
a  very  proud,  haughty  man — were  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  whom  by  namo 
and  reputation  he  Well  knew  ;  with 
whom  he  had  often  sat  in  the  Houso 
of  Commons.  Now,  conspicuous  be- 
fore him,  sat  Lis  little  monkey-client, 
'lit mouse  —  a  ridiculous  object;  and 
calculated,  if  there  were  any  scope  for 
tie'  influence  of  prejudice,  to  ruin  his 
own  cause  by  the  exhibition  of  himself 
before  the  jury.  That,  was  the  vu 
idiot,  who  was  to  turn  the  admiraMo 
Aubreys  out  of  Yatton,  and  .send  them 
beggared  into  the  world! — Put  Mr. 
Subtle  was  a  high-minded  Engli  h 
advocate  ;  and  if  he  had  seen  Miss 
Aubrey  in  all  her  loveliness,  and  knew 
her  all  depended  upon  his  exertions, 
he  could  hai dly  have  exerted  him    11 

mora  fully  than   he  did   on   tho 

..'ii.    And  such,  at  length, 
was  the  effect  which  that  exquisil 

skilful   advocate   produced,  in    his  a  1- 
to    the  jury,    that    he    }••     an   to 

;  about  a  chang  •  in  tin'  feelinj  s  of 


II.  ,,    |  n. i  up  in  an  ex<  ited  manner,  ex;  laiming, 

bravo,  sir  '     P  ■  ■■  .  >  apital  !  " 


Hi. a  . !    bravo 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


235 


most  around  him :  'even  the  eye  of 
scornful  beauty  began  to  direct  fewer 
glances  of  indignation  and  disgust 
upon  Titmouse,  as  Mr.  Subtle's  irre- 
sistible rhetoric  drew  upon  their  sym- 
pathies in  his  behalf.  "My  learned 
friend,  the  Attorney-General,  gentle- 
men, dropped  one  or  two  expressions 
of  a  somewhat  disparaging  tendency, 
in  alluding  to  my  client,  Mr.  Titmouse ; 
and  shadowed  forth  a  disadvantageous 
contrast  between  the  obscure  and  igno- 
rant plaintiff,  and  the  gifted  defendant. 
Good  God,  gentlemen !  and  is  my 
humble  client's  misfortune  to  become 
his  fault  ?  If  he  be  obscure  and  igno- 
rant, unacquainted  with  the  usages  of 
society,  deprived  of  the  blessings  of  a 
superior  education — if  he  have  con- 
tracted vulgarity,  whose  fault  is  it  ? — 
"Who  has  occasioned  it  ?  Who  plunged 
him  and  his  parents  before  him  into 
an  unjust  poverty  and  obscurity,  from 
which  Providence  is  about  this  day  to 
rescue  him,  and  put  him  in  possession 
of  his  own  ?  Gentlemen,  if  topics  like 
these  must  be  introduced  into  this 
case,  I  ask  you  who  is  accountable  for 
the  present  condition  of  my  unfortun- 
ate client  ?  Is  he,  or  are  those  who 
have  been,  perhaps  unconsciously,  but 
still  unjustly,  so  long  revelling  in  the 
wealth  that  is  his  ?  Gentlemen,  in 
the  name  of  everything  that  is  manly 
and  generous,  I  challenge  your  sym- 
pathy, your  commiseration,  for  my 
client."  Here  Titmouse,  who  had 
been  staring  up  open-mouthed  for  some 
time  at  his  eloquent  advocate,  and 
could  be  kept  quiet  no  longer  by  the 
most  vehement  efforts  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  rose  up  in  an 
excited  manner,  exclaiming,  "Bravo! 
bravo,  bravo,  sir !  Ton  my  life, 
capital !  It's  quite  true  —  bravo  ! 
bravo  !  "  His  astounded  advocate 
paused  at  this  unprecedented  inter- 
ruption. "Take  the  puppy  out  of 
court,  sir,  or  I  will  not  utter  one  word 
more,"  said  he  in  a  fierce  whisper  to 
Mr.  Gammon. 

"Who  is  that?  Leave  the  court, 
sir !  Your  conduct  is  most  indecent, 
sir !  I  have  a  great  mind  to  commit 
you,  sir  I  "  said  Lord  Widdrington, 
directing  an  awful  look  down  to  the 


offender,  who  had  turned  of  a  ghastly 
whiteness. 
(  "Have  mercy  upon  me,  my  lord  I 
I'll  never  do  it  again,"  he  groaned, 
clasping  his  hands,  and  verily  believing 
that  Lord  "Widdrington  was  going  to 
take  the  estate  away  from  him. 

_  Snap  at  length  succeeded  in  getting 
him  out  of  court,  and  after  the  excite^ 
ment  occasioned  by  this  irregular  in- 
terruption had  subsided,  Mr.  Subtle 
resumed  : — 

"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  in  a  low 
tone,  "  I  perceive  that  you  are  moved 
by  this  little  incident ;  and  it  is 
characteristic  of  your  superior  feelings. 
Inferior  persons,  destitute  of  sensi- 
bility or  refinement,  might  have  smiled 
at  eccentricities  which  occasion  you 
only  feelings  of  greater  commiseration. 

I   protest,  gentlemen "   his  voice 

trembled  for  a  moment,  but  he  soon 
resumed  his  self-possession ;  and,  after 
a  long  and  admirable  address,  sat 
down  confident  of  the  verdict. 

"If  we  lose  the  verdict,  sir,"  said 
he,  bending  down  and  whispering  into 
the  ear  of  Gammon,  "  we  may  thank 
that  execrable  little  puppy  for  it." 
Gammon  changed  colour,  but  made  no 
reply. 

Lord  Widdrington  then  commenced 
summing  up  the  case  to  the  jury,  with 
his  usual  care  and  perspicacity.  No- 
thing could  be  more  beautiful  than 
the  ease  with  which  he  extricated  tho 
facts  of  the  case  from  the  meshes  in 
which  they  had  been  alternately  in- 
volved by  Mr.  Subtle  and  the  Attor- 
ney-General. As  soon  as  he  had 
explained  to  them  the  general  prin- 
ciples of  law  applicable  to  the  case, 
he  placed  before  them  the  facts  proved 
by  the  plaintiff,  and  the  answer  of  tho 
defendant  :  every  one  in  court  trem- 
bled for  the  result,  if  the  jury  took 
the  same  view  which  they  felt  com- 
pelled themselves  to  take.  He  sug- 
gested that  they  should  retire  to 
consider  the  case,  taking  with  them 
the  pedigrees  which  had  bei  n  handed 
in  to  them;  and  added  that,  if  they 
should  require  his  assistance,  he  should 
remain  in  his  private  room  for  an  hour 
or  two.  Both  judge  and  jury  then 
retired,  it  being  about  eight  o'clock. 


236 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Candles  wero  lit  in  the  court,  which 
continued  crowded  to  suffocation.  Few 
doubted  which  way  the  verdict  would 
go.  Fatigued  i  b  must  have  be  nj 
of  the  spectators  with  a  two  days' 
confinement  and  excitement  —  ladies 
as  well  as  gentlemi  n — scarce  a  pet 
thought  of  quitting  till  the  verdict 
had  been  pronounced.  After  an  hour 
and  a  half's  absence,  a  cry  was  heard 
■ — "  Clear  the  way  for  the  jury  ;  "  an  I 
one  or  two  officers,  with  their  wands, 
obeyed  the  directions.  As  the  jury 
wi  n  r  -entering  their  box,  struggling 
with  a  little  difficulty  through  the 
crowd,  Lord  Widdrington  resumed  his 
seat  upon  the  lunch. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  have  the 
goodness,"  said  the  ociate,  "to 
answer  to  your  names. — sir  Godolphin 

}•     Herbert "and,  while  their  names 

were  thus  called  over,  all  the  counsel 
took  their  pens,  and,  turning  over 
their  briefs  with  an  air  of  anxiety, 
j  pared  to  indorse  on  them  the  ver- 
dict. As  soon  as  all  the  jurymen  had 
answer  d,  a  profound  silence  ensued. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  enquired 
the  associate,  "are  you  agreed  upon 
the  verdicl  !  Do  you  find  your  verdict 
fur  the  plaintiff,  orfor  the  it  ? " 

"Jviii  the  it.aintifk,"  replied  the 
foreman  ;  on  which  the  officer,  amidst 
a  kind  of   blank    dismayed    si1.' 

:n''  time  some  hiero- 
glyphi  :s  upon  tin;  record,  muttered — 

"  /  i  -•  the  Plaintiff.-  ; 

one  i :  ' '  ■-/ ■••,  forty  shillings ;  " 

while  another  functionary  bawled  out, 

amidst    the    increasing   buzz  in    the 

court,   "Have   the  goodness  to  wait, 

gentlemen  of  the  jury.     You  will  be 

liately.  '     Whereupon,  to 

i    of    the 

imlearned  s]  .  and  the  aston- 

of  the  en  of 

t  elves — many  of  them 

f      w  ry  first    men  of  the   county — 

E     p  jumped  upon  the  form,  pulled  out 

hi-,  purse  w ith  an  air  of  exr 

Sir  Go- 
dolphin  Fitzherbort  and  his  com- 
]  with  the 

(  id.', 

and  the  court  adjourned  till  the  I 
morning. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"The  Attorney-General  did  his 
work    very    fairly,    I    thought  — eh, 

Lynx?"  said  Mr.  Subtle,  as,  arm-in- 
arm with  Mr.  Lynx,  he  quitted  tho 
castle-gates,  each  of  them  on  his  way 
to  their  respective  lodgings,  to  prepare 
for  their  next  day's  work. 

"  Yes— he's  a  keen  hand,  to  be  sun1 : 
he's  given  us  all  work  enough  ;  and, 
1  must  say,  it's  been  a  a  t-to 

between  you  !  I'm  vt  ry  glad  you  got 
the  verdict !  " 

"  It  wouldn't  have  done  to  be  beaten 
on  one's  own  dunghill,  as  it  wen — 
eh  ?     By  the  way,   Lynx,  that  was  a 

g 1  hit  of  yours  about  the.  erasure — I 

ought,  really,  if  it  had  occurred  to  mo 
at   the  time,   to  have  given  you  tho 
lit    of   it  —  'twas  entirely  yours, 
Lynx,  I  must  say." 

"Oh,  no!"— replied  Lynx  modestly. 
"It  was  a  mere  accident  my  lighting 
on  it ;  the  merit  was,  the  use  you 
made  of  it !  " 

"To  think  of  ten  thousand  a-year 
turning     on     that     same     trumpery 

• !  " 

"  But  are  you  sure  of  our  verdict  on 

that   ground,    Mr.   Subtle  ?     Do  you 

think    Widdrington     was    right    in 

I?" 

"Right?  to  be  sure  he  was!     But 

I  own  I  got  rather  uneasy  at  the  way 

the  A.ttorn  y-Gencral  put  it— that  tho 

•  Imd  mil  e  been  pesti  d,  and  could 

not  be  subsequently  de-vested  by  an 

alteration  or  blemi  b  in  the  instrument 

:  Dcing  tin'  passing  of  I  '  — 

eh?  that  was  a  good  point,  Lynx." 

"Ay,  but  as  Lord  Widdrington  put 
it  —  that    could   1"'   only  where 

t    wis   proved    to  exist  after  a 
plete  and    valid   deed   had   I 
once  i  ed." 

"True  —  true;  that's   the   an-- 
;  here,  I  is 

d  in  t]  • ;  no  pi 

i-i   fact,  that    it   eve]  deed — 

.  mere  wi  p." 

"To    !  (•    has    gi 

■  with  the  deed " 

"l  me  along  with  it  ? — 

|  What  1  tho  man 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


237 


who  lias  altered  it,  to  benefit  himself 
and  his  heirs,  keeps  it  snugly  in  his 
own  chest — and  then  that  is  of  itself 
to  he  sufficient  to " 

"  Yes — and  again,  you  know,  isn't 
it  the  general  rule  that  the  party  pro- 
ducing an  instrument  must  account 
for  the  appearance  of  erasure  or  altera- 
tion to  encounter  the  presumption  of 
fraud  ? — it  seems  good  sense  enough  !  " 

"  It's  really  been  a  very  interesting 
cause,"  said  Mr.  Subtle. 

"  Yery.  Some  capital  points — that 
of  Mortmain's  on  the  stamp  act " 

"Pish,  Lynx!  there's  nothing  in 
it !  I  meant  the  cause  itself  has  been 
an  interesting  one — uncommonly." 

Mr.  Subtle  suddenly  paused,  and 
stood  still.  "  God  bless  my  soul, 
Lynx — I've  made  a  blunder !  " 

"Eh!" 

"Yes — by  Jove,  a  blunder  !  Never 
did  such  a  thing  since  I've  led  a  cause 
before." 

"A  blunder?  Impossible! — What 
is  it  ?  "  enquired  Lynx  briskly,  prick- 
ing up  his  ears. 

"It  will  be  at  least  thirty  or  forty 
pounds  out  of  our  client's  pocket.  I 
forgot  to  ask  Widdrington  for  the 
certificate  for  the  costs  of  the  special 
jury.  I  protest  I  never  did  such  a 
thing  before — I'm  quite  annoyed — I 
hate  to  overlook  anything." 

"  Oh  !  is  that  all  ? "  enquired  Lynx, 
much  relieved — -"then  it's  all  right! 
While  you  were  speaking  to  Mr. 
Gammon,  immediately  after  the  ver- 
dict had  been  given,  1  turned  towards 
Quicksilver  to  get  him  to  ask  for  the 
certificate — but  he  had  seen  a  man 
with  the  new  'Times'  containing 
the  division  on  the  Catholic  claims, 
and  had  set  off  after  him  —  so  1 
took  the  liberty,  as  you  seemed  very 
earnestly  talking  to  Mr.  Gammon,  to 
name  it  to  the  judge — and  it's  all 
right." 

"  Capital ! — Then  there  isn  t  a  point 
missed  ?    And    in   a    good  two-days' 
'         I bat's  something." 
""D'ye  think  we  shall  keep  the  ver- 
dict, and  get  its  fruits,  Mr.  Subtle  ?" 

"We  shall  keep  the  verdict,  I've 
no  doubt ;  there's  nothing  in  Wid- 
drington's    notes    that    we    need    be 


afraid  of — but  of  course  they'll  put  U3 
to  bring  another  ejectment,  perhaps 
several." 

"Yes — certainly — there  must  be  a 
good  deal  of  fighting  before  such  a 
property  as  Yatton  changes  hands," 
replied  Lynx,  with  a  complacent  air ; 
for  lie  saw  a  few  pleasant  pickings  in 
store  for  him.  "By  the  way,"  he 
continued,  "  our  client's  a  sweet  speci- 
men of  humanity,  isn't  ho  ?  " 

"Faugh!  odious  little  reptile  !  And 
did  you  ever  in  all  your  life  witness 
such  a  scene  as  when  he  interrupted 
me  in  the  way  he  did  ? " 

"  Ha,  ha  !  Never  !  But,  upon  my 
honour,  what  an  exquisite  turn  you 
gave  the  thing — it  was  worth  more 
than  called  it  forth — it  was  admirable." 

"Pooh— Lynx!"  said  Mr.  Subtle, 
with  a  gratified  air;  "kuack — mero 
knack  —  nothing  more.  My  voice 
trembled  —  eh? — at  least  so  I  in- 
tended." 

"Upon  my  soul,  Mr.  Subtle,  I 
almost  thought  you  were  for  the 
moment  overcome,  and  going  to  shed 
tears. " 

"Ah,  ha,  ha  !— Delightful !  I  was 
convulsed  with  inward  laughter  !  Shed 
tears  ! !  Did  the  Bar  take  it,  Lynx  ? " 
enquired  Mr.  Subtle  ;  for  though  he 
hated  display,  he  loved  appreciatiori, 
and  by  competent  persons.  "  By  the 
way,  Lynx,  the  way  in  which  you've 
got  up  the  whole  case  does  you  vast 
credit — that  opinion  of  yours  on  the 
evidence  was — upon  my  word  —  the 
most  masterly"  —  here  he  suddenly 
ceased  and  squeezed  his  companion's 
arm,  motioning  him  thereby  to  silence. 
They  had  come  up  with  two  gentle- 
men, walking  slowly,  and  conversing 
in  a  low  tone,  but  with  much  earnest- 
ness of  manner.  They  were,  in  fact, 
B I  r.  Aubrey  and  Lord  De  la  Zoucb. 
Mr.  Subtle  and  Mr.  Lynx  crossed  over 
to  the  other  side  of  the  narrow  street, 
and  quickened  their  pace,  so  as  soon 
to  be  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  the 
persons  they  seemed  desirous  of  avoid- 
ing. Mr.  Subtle  was,  indeed,  unable 
to  bear  the  sight  of  the  man  whom 
his  strenuous  and  splendid  exertions 
during  the  last  two  days  had  tended 
to  strip  of  his  all — to  thrust  from  tho 


238 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


bright  domain  of  wealth,  prosperity, 
distinction,  into — as  it  were— outer 
darkness — the  outer  darkness  of  poverty 
— of  destitution. 

"  It's  a  bore  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  isn't 
it?"  quoth  the  matter-of-fact  Lynx. 

"It's  quite  frightful!"— replied 
Mr.  Subtle,  in  a  tone  of  voice  and  with 
a  maimer  which  showed  how  deeply 
he  felt  what  he  uttered.  "And  it's 
not  only  what  he  will  lose,  but  what 
he  will  be  liable  to — the  mesne  profits 
— sixty  thousand  pounds." 

"Oh! — you  think,  then,  that  we 
can't  go  beyond  the  statute  of  limita- 
tions f— Eh  ?— is  that  so  clear  ? "  Mr. 
Subtle  looked  sharply  at  Lynx,  with 
an  expression  it  would  be  difficult  to 
describe.  ""Well"  —  continued  the 
impenetrable  Lynx — "at  all  events 
I'll  look  into  it."  lie  felt  about  as 
much  sentiment  in  the  matter,  as  a  pig 
eating  acorns  would  feel  interest  in  the 
antiquity  of  the  oak  from  which  they 
fell,  and  under  whose  venerable 
shade  he  was  munching  and  stuffing 
himself. 

"By  the  way,  Lynx — aren't  you 
with  me  in  Higson  and  Mellington  ?  " 

"  Yes — and  it  stands  first  for  to- 
morrow morning." 

"  What's  it  about  ?  I'vo  not  opened 
my  papers,  and — why,  we've  a  con- 
sultation fixed  for  ten  to-night." 

"  It's  libel  against  a  newspaper 
editor — the  POMFEET  CoCKATEICE  ; 
and  our  client's  a  clergyman." 

"What  about  I" 

"Tithes — grasping,  cruelty,  and  bo 
forth." 

"Justification?" 
'  No — not  guilty  only." 

"Who  leada  for  the  defendant?" 

"  Mr.  Quicksilver." 

"  Oli ! — very  well.  We  must  have 
the  consultation  to-morrow  morning, 
at  the  Castle— ten  minutes  before  the 
sitting  of  the  court.  I'm  rather  tired 
to-night."  With  this  the  great  lead  c 
shook  bands  with  his  modei  t,  learned, 
laborious    junior  —  and    entered    his 

DgS. 

As   soon    as    Titmouse    h  1 1    been 
eji  i  ted  from  the  court,  in  t  he  sumi 
way  which  the  n  ider  will  rememl 
merely  on  account  of  his  having,  witli 


slight  indecorum,  yielded  to  the 
mighty  impulse  of  his  agitated  I 
ings,  he  began  to  cry  bitterly,  wring- 
ing his  hands,  and  asking  every  one 
about  him  if  they  thought  he  could 
get  in  again,  because  it  was  his  i 
that  was  going  on.  His  eyes  were  red 
and  swollen  with  weeping  ;  and  his 
little  breast  throbbed  violently  as  he 
walked  to  and  fro  from  one  door  of  the 
court  to  the  other.  "  Oh,  gents,  will 
you  get  me  in  again?"  said  he,  in 
passionate  tones,  approaching  two 
gentlemen,  who,  with  a  very  anxious 
and  oppressed  air,  were  standing 
together  at  the  outside  of  oue  of  the 
doors — in  fact,  Lord  l)e  la  Zouch  and 
Mr.  Aubrey ;  and  they  quickly  re- 
cognized in  Titmouse  the  gentleman 
whoso  claims  were  being  at  that  in- 
stant mooted  within  the  court.  "  Will 
you  get  me  in  ?  You  seem  such 
respectable  gents — Ton  my  soul  I'm 
going  mad  !  It's  my  case  that's  going 
on  1     I'm  Mr.  Titmouse " 

"We  have  no  power,  sir,  to  get 
you  in,"  replied  Lord  l)e  la  Zouch 
haughtily  :  so  coldly  and  sternly  as  to 
cause  Titmouse  involuntarily  to  shrink 
from  him. 

"The  court  is  crowded  to  the  very 
door,  sir — and  we  really  have  no  more 
right  to  be  present  in  court,  or  get 
others  into  court,  than  you  have,"  >  i  I 
Mr.  Aubrey,  with  mildness  and  dignity. 

"Thank  you,  sir!  Thank  you  I" 
quoth  Titmouse,  moving  with  an  ap- 
prehensive air  away  from  Lord  Do  la 
Zouch,  towards  Mr.  Aubrey.  "  Know 
quite  well  who  you  are,  sir  !  Ton  my 
solemn  soul,  sir,  sorry  to  do  all  this  ; 
but  law's  law,  and  right's  right,  all  the 
world  over." 

"  I  desire  you  to  leave  us,  sir,"  i 

Lord  De  la  Zouch  with  irrepressible 

oness;    "you  are  very  intrusive. 

How  can  we  catch  a  syllable  of  what 

is  going  on  while  you  arc  chattering 

in   this  way?"     Titmouse  saw   that 

Mr.  Aubrey  looked  towards  him  with 

a  very  different  expression  from  that 

ibited  by  his  forbidding  companion, 

and   would  perhaps   have   stood    his 

nd,  but  for  a  |  'i  of 

a   huge,    powdered,    broad-shouldered 

man,  in  a  i  plcndi  1  Ih ery,  i  ne  oi 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


239 


Lord  Do  la  Zouch's  servants,  who, 
with  a  great  thick  cane  in  his  hand, 
was  standing  at  a  little  distance  he- 
hind,  in  attendance  on  the  carriage, 
which  was  standing  in  the  castle-yard. 
This  man's  face  looked  so  ready  for 
mischief,  that  Titmouse  slowly  walked 
off.  There  were  a  good  many  standers- 
hy,  who  seemed  all  to  look  with  dislike 
and  distrust  at  Titmouse.  He  made 
many  ineffectual  attempts  to  persuade 
the  door-keeper,  who  had  assisted  in 
his  extrusion,  to  re-admit  him  ;  hut 
the  incorruptihle  janitor  was  proof 
against  a  sixpence  —  even  against  a 
shilling  ;  and  at  length  Titmouse  gave 
himself  up  to  despair,  and  thought 
himself  the  most  miserahle  man  in 
the  whole  world — as  very  probably, 
indeed,  he  was :  for  consider  what 
a  horrid  interval  of  suspense  he  had 
to  endure,  from  the  closing  of  Mr. 
Subtle's  speech  till  the  delivery  of  the 
verdict.  But  at  length,  through  this 
portentous  and  apparently  impenetra- 
ble cloud  burst  the  rich  sunlight  of 
success. 

"  Mr.  Titmouse  ! — Mr.  Titmouse  ! — 
Mr.  Tit " 


''Here!  Here  I  am!  Here  !  "• 
claimed  the  little  fellow,  jumping  off 
the  window-seat  on  which  he  had  been 
Bitting  for  the  last  hour  in  the  dark, 
half  stupefied  with  grief  and  exhaus- 
tion. The  voice  that  called  him  was 
a  blessed  voice — a  familiar  voice — the 
voice  of  Mr.  Gammon  ;  who,  as  soon 
as  the  jury  began  to  come  back,  on 
some  pretence  or  other  had  quitted  his 
seat  between  Quirk  and  Snap,  in  order, 
if  the  verdict  should  be  for  the  plain- 
tiff, to  be  the  very  first  to  communi- 
cate it  to  him.  In  a  moment  or  two 
Mr.  Gammon  had  grasped  both  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's hands.  "My  dear,  dear  Mr. 
Titmouse,  I  congratulate  you  !  You  are 
victorious !  God  grant  you  long  life  to 
enjoy  your  good  fortune  !  God  bless 
you,  Titmouse ! "  He  wrung  Tit- 
mouse's hands — and  his  voice  trembled 
with  the  intensity  of  his  emotions. 
Mr.  Titmouse  had  gone  very  white, 
and  for  a  while  spoke  not,  but  stood 
staring  at  Mr.  Gammon,  as  if  he  was 
hardly  aware  of  the  import  of  his  com- 
munication. 


"No  — but  —  is  it  so!  Honour 
bright  ? "  at  length  he  stammered. 

"It  is  indeed!  My  long  labours 
are  at  length  crowned  with  success  !— - 
Hurrah,  hurrah,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  " 

"I've  really  wow?  It  a'n't  a  joke 
or  a  dream  ? "  enquired  Titmouss  with 
quickly  increasing  excitement,  and  a 
joyous  expression  bursting  over  his 
features,  which  became  suddenly 
flushed. 

' '  A  joke  ? — the  best  you'll  ever  have. 
A  dream  ? — that  will  last  your  life. 
Thank  God,  Mr.  Titmouse,  the  battle's 
ours  ;  we've  defeated  all  their  villainy!" 

"  Tol  de  rol !  Tol  de  rol !  Tol  da 
lol,  lol,  lol,  rido  ! — Ah,"  he  added  in 
a  loud  truculent  tone,  as  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  and  Mr.  Aubrey  slowly  passed 
him, — "done  for  you  now — 'pon  my 
life  !  —  turned  the  tables  !  —  that  for 
you  !  "  said  he,  snapping  his  fingers  ; 
but  I  need  hardly  say  that  he  did  so 
with  perfect  impunity  as  far  as  those 
two  gentlemen  were  concerned,  who 
were  so  absorbed  with  the  grievous 
event  which  had  just  happened,  aa 
scarcely  to  be  aware  of  their  being 
addressed  at  all. 

"Aubrey,  it's  against  you  —  all  is 
lost ;  the  verdict  is  for  the  plaintiff!  " 
said  Lord  De  la  Zouch  in  a  hurried 
agitated  whisper,  as  he  grasped  the 
hand  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  whom  he  had 
quitted  for  an  instant  to  hear  the 
verdict  pronounced.  Mr.  Aubrey  for 
some  moments  spoke  not. 

"God's  will  be  done!"  at  length 
said  he  in  a  low  tone,  or  rather  in  a 
faint  murmur.  More  than  a  dozen 
gentlemen,  who  came  crowding  out, 
grasped  his  hand  with  great  energy 
and  vehemence. 

"  God  bless  you,  Aubrey  !  God  bless 
you  !  "  —  said  several  voices,  their 
speakers  wringing  his  hand  with  great 
vehemence  as  they  spoke. 

"Let  us  go,"  —  said  Lord  Do  la 
Zouch,  putting  Mr.  Aubrey's  arm  in 
his  own,  and  leading  him  away  from 
a  scene  of  distressing  excitement,  too 
powerful  for  his  exhausted  feelings. 

f'l  am  nothing  of  a  fatalist,"  said 
Mr.  Aubrey,  after  a  pause  of  some 
minutes,  during  which  they  had  quitted 
the  castlc-gates,  and  his  feelings  had 


240 


TEX  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


recovered  from  tho  shock  which  they 
had  just  before  Buffered  ; — "  I  am  no- 
'  of  a  fatalist,  but  I  ought  not  to 
f,el  the  Least  surprise  at  this  issue,  for 
I  have  long  had  a  setrle<-l  conviction 
that  such  to  the  issue.  For 
some  time  before  I  had  the  least  inti- 
mation of  the  commencement  of  these 
]  roc  lings,  I  was  oppressed  bya  sense 
of  impending  calamity " 

"  Well,  that  may  be  so  ;  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  the  mischief  is  finally 
done." 

"I  am  certain  of  it! — But,  dear 
Lord  De  la  Zoueh,  how  much  I  owe 
to  your  kindness  and  sympathy  !  "  said 
Mr.  Aubrey  with  a  slight  tremor  in 
his  voice. 

"  We  are  at  this  moment,  Aubrey, 
firmer  friends  than  we  ever  were  before. 
So  help  me  Heaven  !  I  would  not  lose 
your  friendship  for  the  world  ;  I  feel 
it  a  greater  honour  than  1  am  worthy 
of — I  do,  indeed,"  said  Lord  De  la 
Zonch  with  great  emotion. 

"There's  a  great  gulf  between  us 
though,  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  as  far  as 
Worldly  circumstances  are  concern.'! 
■ — you  a  peer  of  the  realm,  I  a  beggar." 

"Forgive  me,  Aubrey,  but  it  is  idle 
to  talk  in  that  way  ;  I  am  hurt  beyond 
measure  at  your  supposing  it  possible 
that  under  any  circumstances " 

"Believe  me,  I  feel  the  full  value 
of  your  friendship — more  valuable  at 
this  moment  than  ever." 

"That  a  serious  calamity  has  fallen 
upon  you  is  certain  ; — which  of  as, 
indeed,  is  safe  from  such  a  calamity  ? 
But  who  would  bear  it  with  the  calm 
fortitude  which  yon  have  already 
evinced,  my  dear  Aubrey  ?" 

'•  Ymu  speak  very  kindly,  Lord  De 

la  Zouch  ;  I  trust  I  shall  play  the  man, 

.  that  the  time  for  playing  a  man's 

part  lias  come,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  with 

an    air   of  mingled    melancholy 

i    olution.     "  I    feel  an  inexpressible 

fcion  in  the   reflection,  that  I 

no!  charge  myself  with  anything 

uncon8cii  ntions;  and,  as  for  the  future, 

]  put  my  trust,  in  < rod.     1  feel  as  if  I 

ild  submit  to  the  will  of  Heaven 
with  chi  a " 

"Don't     ttpeak    so    despondingly, 

Aubrey " 


"Despondingly?"  echoed  Mr.  Au- 
brey with  momentary  animation  — 
"  Despondingly  I  My  dear  friend,  I 
Feel  as  if  ]  were  indeed  entering  a  .-■ 
Mack  as  midnight — but  what  is  it  to 
the  vail  y  of  the  shadow  of  death,  dear 
Lord  De  la  Zouch,  which  is  before  a  1 
of  us,  and  at  but  a  little  distance  !  I 
assure  you  I  feel  no  vain-glorious  confi- 
dence ;  yet  I  seem  to  be  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  an  unseen  but  all-powerful 
supporter  !  " 

"  You  are  a  hero,  my  dear  Aid  .rev  !  " 
exclaimed  Lord  De  la  Zouch  with 
sudden  fervour. 

"And  that  support  will  embrace 
those  dearer  to  me  than  life — dearer — 

far — far" He  ceased:  his  feelings 

quite  overcame  him,  and  they  walked 
on  for  some  time  in  silence.  Soon 
afterwards  they  parted — for  Lord  Do 
la  Zouch  perceived  that  his  unfortun- 
ate companion  wished  to  be  alone.  Ho 
wrung  Mr.  Aubrey's  hands  in  silence  ; 
and  having  turned  in  the  direction  of 
his  hotel,  Mr.  Aubrey  made  for  his 
lodgings.  The  streets  were  occupied 
by  passengers,  some  returning  from  tho 
castle  after  tho  great  trial  of  the  day  ; 
others  standing  here  and  there,  in  little 
knots,  conversing  as  he  pass,  d  them  ; 
and  ho  felt  conscious  that  the  subject 
of  their  thoughts  and  conversation,  was 
himself  and  his  fallen  fortunes.  Several 
deep  drawn  sighs  escaped  him,  as  ho 
walked  on,  the  herald  of  such  dismal 
tidings,  to  those  whom  he  loved  :  and 
he  felt  but  for  that  which  supported 
him  from  within,  as  it  were,  a  fallen 
angel  so  far  as  concerned  this  world's 
honours  and  greatness.  The  splendours 
of  human  pomp  and  prosperity  seemed 
rapidly  vanishing  in  the  distance.  In 
the  temporary  depression  of  his  spirits, 
lie  experienced  feelings  somcv  hat  akin 
to  those  of  the  heart-sickened  exile, 
who  e  fond  eyes  are  riveted  upon  the 
mosques  and  minarets  of  his  native 
city,  bathed  in  the  soft.  Bunlight  of 
i  v.  rung,  where  are  the  cheri 
is  of  all  his  tenderest  thou 
and  feelings;  while  his  ve  rudly 

bearing  him  from  it,  amid  the  r; 
\\  ind,  the  increasing  and  ominous  swell 
of  the  waters,  tho  thi  kenin  ;  gloom  of 
night—  whith,  r?     The  Minster  cl 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


241 


struck  ten  as  he  passed  one  of  the 
corners  of  the  vast  majestic  structure, 
grey-glistening  in  the  faint  moonlight. 
The  melodious  chimes  echoed  in  his 
ear,  and  smote  hi3  subdued  soul  with  a 
sense  of  peculiar  solemnity  and  awe  ; 
tl iey  forced  upon  him  a  reflection  upon 
the  transient  littleness  of  earthly 
things.  Then  he  thought  of  those 
dear  beings  who  were  awaiting  his  re- 
turn, and  a  gush  of  grief  and  tender- 
ness overflowed  his  heart,  as  he 
quickened  his  steps,  with  an  inward 
and  fervent  prayer  that  Heaven  would 
support  them  under  the  misfortune 
which  had  befallen  them.  As  he  neared 
the  retired  row  of  houses  where  his 
lodgings  were  situated,  he  imagined 
that  he  saw  some  one  near  the  door  of 
Ins  lodgings,  as  if  on  the  look-out  for 
his  approach ;  and  who,  as  he  drew 
nearer,  at  length  entered  his  lodgings. 
This  was  a  person  whom  Mr.  Aubrey 
did  not  at  all  suspect — it  was  his 
worthy  friend  Dr.  Tatham  ;  who,  un- 
able to  quit  Yatton  in  time  to  hear  the 
trial,  had  early  that  morning  mounted 
his  horse,  and,  after  a  long  and  hard 
ride,  reached  York  soon  after  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  set  off  for  the  castle. 
Though  many  of  the  country  people 
then  in  York  were  aware  that  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Aubrey  were  also  there,  a 
delicate  consideration  for  their  exqtii- 
sitely  distressing  situation  restrained 
them  from  intruding  upon  their  pri- 
vacy, which  had  been  evidently  sought 
for  by  the  species  of  lodgings  which  M  r. 
Aubrey  had  engaged.  On  the  second 
day,  the  excellent  Dr.  Tatham  had 
been  their  welcome  and  instructive 
guest,  scarce  ever  leaving  them  ;  Mr. 
Aubrey's  groom  bringing  word,  from 
time  to  time,  from  his  master  how  the 
trial  went  on.  Late  in  the  evening, 
urged  by  Kate,  the  doctor  had  gone  off 
to  the  castle,  to  wait  till  he  could  bring 
iuttdiigence  of  the  final  result  of  the 
t  ial.  He  had  not  been  observed  by 
Mr.  Aubrey  amidst  the  number  of 
people  who  were  about ;  and  had  at 
length  fulfilled  his  mission,  and  been 
beforehand  with  Mr.  Aubrey  in  com- 
municating the  unfortunate  issue  of 
the  struggle.  The  instant  that  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  set   Lis   foot  within  the 


door,  he  was  locked  in  the  impassioned 
embrace  of  his  wife  and  sister.  None 
of  them  spoke  for  some  moments. 

"  Dearest  Charles  ! — we've  heard  it 
all — we  know  it  all !  "  at  length  they 
exclaimed  in  a  breath.  "  Thank  God, 
it  is  over  at  last  —  and  we  know 
the  worst! — Are  you  well,  deare  t 
I  'harles  ?  "  enquired  Mrs.  Aubrey  with 
fond  anxiety. 

"  Thank  God,  my  Agnes,  I  am 
well !  "  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  much  ex- 
cited—"and  thank  God  that  the 
dreadful  suspense  is  at  an  end  ;  and 
for  the  fortitude,  my  sweet  loves,  with 
which  you  bear  the  result.  And  how 
are  you,  my  excellent  friend  ? "  con- 
tinued he,  addressing  Dr.  Tatham, 
and  grasping  his  hands;  "my  vener- 
able and  pious  friend — how  it  refreshes 
my  heart  to  see  you !  as  one  of  the 
chosen  ministers  of  that  God  whoso 
creatures  we  are,  and  whose  dispen- 
sations we  receive  with  reverent  sub- 
mission !  " 

"  God  Almighty  bless  you  all,  my 
dear  friends !  "  replied  Dr.  Tatham, 
I  'O werfully  affected.  ' '  Believe  that  all 
this  is  from  Him  !  He  lias  wise  ends 
in  view,  though  we  see  not  nor  com- 
prehend them  !  Faint  not  when  ye  are 
rebuked  of  Him !  If  ye  faint  in  tlie 
day  of  adversity,  your  strength  is  small! 
But  I  rejoice  to  see  your  resignation  !  " 
— Aubrey,  his  wife,  and  sister,  were 
for  a  while  overcome  with  their 
emotions. 

"I  assure  you  all,"  said  Aubrey, 
"  I  feel  as  if  a  very  mountain  had 
been  lifted  off  my  heart !  How  1  dessed 
am  I  in  such  a  wife  and  sister !  "  A 
heavenly  smile  irradiated  his  pale 
features — and  he  clasped  his  wife  and 
then  his  sister  in  his  arms.  They 
wept  as  they  tenderly  returned  his 
embrace. 

"  Heaven,"  said  he,  "  that  gave  us 
all,  has  taken  all  :  why  should  we 
murmur  ?  He  will  enable  us,  if  we 
pray  for  his  assistance,  to  bear  with 
equanimity  our  present  adversity,  as 
well  as  our  past  prosperity  !  Como, 
Agnes  !   Kate  !  play  the  woman  !  " 

Dr.  Tatham  sat  silent  by  ;  but  the 
tears  ran  down  his  cheeks.  At  length 
Mr.    Aubrey    gave    them     a    general 

it 


242 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


account  of  what  had  occurred  at  the 
trial — and  which,  I  need  hardly  say, 
was  listened  to  in  breathless  silence. 

"Who  is  that  letter  from,  love, 
lying  on  the  table?"  enquired  Mr. 
Aubrey,  during  a  pause  in  the  con- 
versation. 

"It's  only  from  Johnson — dearest! 
to  say  the  children  are  quite  well,"  re- 
plied  Mrs.  Aubrey.  The  ruined  parents, 
as  if  by  a  common  impulse,  looked  un- 
utterable things  at  each  other.  Then 
the  mother  turned  deadly  pale  ;  and 
her  husband  tenderly  kissed  her  cold 
cheek  ;  while  Kate  could  scarcely  re- 
strain her  feelings.  The  excitement  of 
each  was  beginning  to  give  way  before 
sheer  bodily  and  mental  exhaustion  ; 
and  Dr.  Tatham,  observing  it,  rose  to 
take  his  departure.  It  was  arranged 
that  the  carriage  should  be  at  the  door 
by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to 
convey  them  back  to  Yatton — and  that 
Dr.  Tatham  should  breakfast  with,  and 
then  accompany  them  on  horseback, 
lie  then  took  his  departure  for  the 
ni.^ht,  with  a  very  full  heart ;  and  those 
whom  he  left  soon  afterwards  retired 
for  the  night ;  and  having  first  invoked 
the  mercy  and  pity  of  Heaven,  sank 
into  slumber  and  brief  forgetfulnesa  of 
the  perilous  position  in  which  they 
had  been  placed  by  the  event  of  the 
day. 

Somewhat  different  was  the  mode  in 
which  the  night  was  spent  by  the  vic- 
torious party.  Gammon,  as  has  b;en 
seen,  was  the  first  to  congratulate  Tit- 
mouse on  his  splendid  success.  The 
next  was  old  Quirk — who,  with  a  sort 
of  conviction  that  he  should  find  Gam- 
mon beforehand  with  him — bustled 
out  of  court,  leaving  Snap  to  pay  Hie 
jury,  settle  the  court-fees,  collect  the 
papers,  and  so  forth.  Both  Quirk  and 
Snap  (as  soon  as  lie  was  at  liberty) 
exhibited  a  courtesy  towards  Titmouse 
which  had  a  strong  dash  of  reven 
in  it,  Buck  as  was  due  to  the  possessor 
of  ten  thousand  a-year;  but  Gammon 
exhibited  the  tranq  f  fact 

:1  nee  of  a  man  who  had  deter- 
mined to  be,  and  indeed  knew  th 
was,  the  entire  i  E  Titmou  i 

"I— wish    you'd    call    a    coach,    or 
■■•  thing  of   that  'its. — I'm 


devilish  tired — I  am,  'pon  my  soul ! " 
said  Mr.  Titmouse  yawning,  as  he 
stood  on  the  steps  between  Quirk  and 
Gammon,  waiting  for  Snap's  arrival. 
He  was,  in  fact,  almost  mad — bursting 
with  excitement  ;  and  could  not  stand 
still  for  a  moment.  Now  he  whistled 
loudly  and  boldly;  then  he  hummed 
a  bar  or  two  of  some  low  comic  song  ; 
and  ever  and  anon  drew  on  and  off  his 
damp  gloves  with  an  air  of  petulant 
impetuosity.  Now  ho  ran  his  hand 
through  his  hair  with  careless  grace  ; 
and  then,  with  arms  folded  on  his 
breast  for  a  moment,  looked  eagerly, 
but  with  a  would-bo  languid  air,  at 
two  or  three  elegant  equipages,  which 
one  by  one,  with  their  depressed  and 
disappointed  inmates,  rolled  off.  At 
length  Lord  "Widdrington,  amidst  a 
sharp  impetuous  cry  of  "  Make  way  for 
the  judge  there — mako  way  for  his 
lordship  !  "  appeared  in  his  robes,  with 
a  wearied  air ;  and  passing  close  by 
Titmouse,  was  honoured  by  him  with 
a  very  fine  bow  indeed— not  beinj,', 
however,  in  the  least  aware  of  the  fact 
— as  he  passed  on  to  his  carriage.  Tho 
steps  were  drawn  up;  tho  door  was 
clo  ed;  and  amidst  a  sharp  blast  of 
trumpets,  the  carriage  drove  slowly 
oil",  preceded  and  followed  by  the  usual 
attendants.  All  this  pomp  and  cere- 
mony made  a  very  deep  impression 
upon  the  mind  of  Titmouse.  "Ah," 
thought  he,  with  a  sudden  sigh  of 
mingled  excitement  and  exhaustion — 
"who  knows  but  /  may  be  a  judge 
some  day?  It's  a  devilish  pleasant 
thing,  I'm  sure  !  "What  a  fuss  he  must 
make  wherever  he  goes !  Ton  my 
life,  quite  delightful  !"  As  there  was 
no  coach  to  be  had,  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
forced  to  walk  home,  arm-in-arm  with 
Mr.  Quirk  ami  Mr.  Gammon,  and  fol- 
lowed, at  a  little  distance,  by  a  knot 
of  persons,  acquainted  with  his  name 
ami  person,  and  feeling  towards  him  a 
strange  mixture  of  emotions — dislike, 
wonder,  contempt,  admiration.  Good* 
ness  gracious  !  that  stran 
tleman  was  now  worth,  it  was  said, 
ten  thousand  a-year;  and  was  Bquive 
of  Yatton!  !  Old  Quirk  shook  Tit- 
mouse's hand  with  irrepressible  en- 
can,    at   least  a  dozen    times  on 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


243 


their  way  to  the  inn  ;  while  Gammon 
now  and  then  squeezed  his  arm,  and 
spoke,  in  an  earnest  tone,  of  the  diffi- 
culties yet  to  be  overcome.  On  reach- 
ing the  inn,  the  landlady,  who  was 
standing  at  the  door,  and  had  evidently 
been  on  the  look-out  for  her  suddenly 
distinguished  guest,  received  him  with 
several  most  profound  curtsies,  and 
most  eager  and  respectful  enquiries 
about  his  health,  as  he  had  had  no 
luncheon — and  asking  what  he  would 
be  pleased  to  have  for  his  supper. 
She  added,  moreover,  that  fearing  his 
former  bedroom  might  not  have  been 
to  his  mind,  she  had  cbanged  it,  and 
he  would  that  night  sleep  in  the  very 
best  she  had. 

"We  must  make  a  night  on't,  eh  ? " 
quoth  Mr.  Quirk,  with  an  excited  air. 
His  partners  assented  to  it,  as  did  Mr. 
Titmouse ;  and  cold  beef,  sausages, 
fowl,  ham,  beef-steaks,  and  mutton- 
chops,  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness 
in  half-an-hour's  time.  Soon  after- 
wards Mr.  Titmouse  followed  the 
chambermaid  to  his  new  bedroom. 

"  This  is  the  room  we  always  give 
to  quality  folk — when  we  get  them," 
said  she,  as  she  set  his  candle  on 
the  drawers,  and  looked  with  a  little 
triumph  round  the  room. 

"  Ah — yes  ! — 'pon  my  soul — quite 
right — always  do  your  best  for  quality ! 
— Lovely  gal — eh  ? "  Here  lie  chucked 
her  under  the  chin,  and  seemed  dis- 
posed to  imprint  a  kiss  upon  her 
cheek:  but,  with  a  "Lord,  sir — that's 
Dot  the  way  quality  folks  behave  ! " 
she  modestly  withdrew.  Titmouse, 
left  alone,  first  threw  himself  on  the 
bed ;  then  started  off,  and  walked 
about ;  then  sat  down  ;  then  danced 
about ;  then  took  off  his  coat ;  then 
threw  himself  on  the  bed  again ; 
hummed,  whistled,  jumped  tip  again 
— in  a  sort  of  wild  ecstasy,  or  delirium. 
In  short,  it  is  plain  that  he  was  not 
master  of  himself.  In  fact,  his  little 
mind  was  as  agitated  by  the  day's 
event,  as  a  small  green  puddle  by  the 
roadside  for  a  while  would  be  on  a 
stone  being  suddenly  flung  into  it  by 
a  child.  While  Messrs.  Quirk  and 
Snap  were,  after  their  sort,  as  excited 
as  even  Mr.  Titmouse  was,  Gammon,  | 


retiring  to  his  bed  room,  and  ordering 
thither  pens,  ink,  and  paper,  sat  down 
and  wrote  the  following  letter  : — 

"  York,  5th  April,  18— 
"My  dear  Sir,— The  very  first 
leisure  moment  I  have,  I  devote  to 
informing  you,  as  one  of  the  most 
intimate  friends  of  our  highly  re- 
spected client,  Mr.  Titmouse,  of  tho 
brilliant  event  which  has  just  oc- 
curred. After  a  most  severe  and  pro- 
tracted struggle  of  two  days,  (the 
Attorney-General  having  come  down 
special  on  the  other  side,)  the  jury, 
many  of  them  the  chief  gentlemen  of 
the  county,  have  within  this  last  hour 
returned  a  verdict  in  favour  of  our 
common  friend,  Mr..  Titmouse — there- 
by declaring  him  entitled  to  the  whole 
of  the  estates  at  Yatton,  (ten  thousand 
a-year  rent-roll,  at  leasf,)  and,  by 
consequence,  to  an  immense  accumu- 
lation of  bygone  rents,  which  must  bo 
made  up  to  him  by  his  predecessor, 
who,  with  all  his  powerful  party,  and 
in  spite  of  the  unscrupulous  means 
resorted  to  to  defeat  the  ends  of  justice, 
is  dismayed  beyond  expression  at  tho 
result  of  this  grand  struggle — unpre- 
cedented in  the  annals  of  modern  liti- 
gation. The  result  has  given  lively 
satisfaction  in  these  parts — it  is 
plain  that  our  friend  Mr.  Titmouse 
will  very  soon  become  a  great  lion  in 
society. 

"To  you,  my  dear  sir,  as  an  early 
and  valued  friend  of  our  interesting 
client,  I  sit  down  to  communicate  the 
earliest  intelligence  of  this  most  im- 
portant event ;  and  I  trust  that  you 
will,  with  our  respectful  compliments, 
communicate  this  happy  event  to 
your  amiable  family — who,  I  am  per- 
suaded, must  ever  feel  a  very  warm 
interest  in  our  client's  welfare.  Ho 
is  now,  naturally  enough,  much 
excited  with  his  extraordinary  good 
fortune,  to  which  we  are  only  too 
proud  and  happy  to  have  contributed 
by  our  humble,  but  strenuous  and 
long-continued  exertions.  He  begs 
me  to  express  his  most  cordial  feelings 
towards  you,  and  to  say  that,  on  hi3 
return  to  town,  Satin  Lodge  will  be 
one  of  the  very  first  places  at  which 

E  2 


244 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


he  will  call.  In  the  mean  lime,  I  bi  ••; 
you  will  believe  me,  my  dear  sir,  with 
the  best  compliments  of  myself  and 
partners,  yours  most  sincerely, 

"Oily  Gammon. 
"Thomas  Taq-Rag,  Esq. 
tc.  &c.  &c." 

"That,  I  think,  will  abont  do"— 
quoth  Gammon  to  himself,  with  a 
th  nghtfnl  air,  as,  having  made  an 
exact  copy  of  the  above  letter,  he 
scaled  it  up  and  directed  it.  He  tben 
came  down-stairs  to  supper,  having 
I  i  •  sen!  tin-  letter  nit'  to  the  post- 
office.     "What  a  merry  meal  was  that 

g  supper!  Mr.  Titmouse,  Mr. 
Quirk,  and  Mr.  Snap,  ate  almost  to 
bursting:  Gammon  was  more  absti- 
nent—  hut  overpowered  by  t  lie  impor- 
tunities of  his  companions,  took  a  far 
greater  quantity  than  usual  of  the 
bouncing  bottled  porter,  the  hard  port, 
ami  fiery  sherry,  which  bis  companions 
drank  as  if  tiny  had  been  hut  water. 
Then  came  in  the  spirits—  with  hot 
water  and  cold  ;  and  to  these  all 
]  n  sent  did  ample  justice  ;  in  fact,  it 
was  very   hard  for  any  one  to  i 

the  other's  entreaties. — Mr.  Gam n 

in  due  time  felt  himself  going — bul 

:ed  as  if,  on  such  an  occa  ion,  he 
had  no  help  for  it.  Every  one  of  the 
partners,   at   different  stages  of   the 

CVe:  ie    ;i    spei  i  li    to  Titmouse, 

and  propoi  ed  his  health  ;  who,  of 
course,  replii  d  to  ,  ach,  and  drank  the 
health  of  each.  Presently  old  Quirk 
Bang  a  comic  song,  in  a  very  dismal 
key;  am!  then  lie  and  Snap  joined  iii 
led  '•  Handcuff  v.  Halter;"  at 
which  Gammon  laughed  heartily,  and 
listened  with  thai  d<  gree  of  pleased 

ntion,  which  Bhowed  that  he  had 
i  Lvi  d,  for  once  at  least,  to  abandon 
li  ill  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  pass- 
ing hour.     Then  Tit  mouse   b  gan  to 

k  of  win  Lould  do, 

as    lie   had   "touched    the    shiners" — 
hi--;  i  ins  i  nt'  .  I   his 

tion- 

m.     At   h  ngth  old  Mr. 

i  by  turns  l.ui;  is  [, 

and    talking,    leaned   back   in 

half-empt  iwll  umblor 

ill    I-       h  .l:d,   and  I 


fell   fast   asleep.       Gammon   also,    in 
spite  of  all  he  could  do,  began — the 
deuce  take  it! — to  feel  and  exhibit  the 
effects  of  a  hasty  and  hearty  meal,  and 
his  very  unusual  potations,  especially 
after  such  long  ahstinence  and  intense 
anxiety  as  he  had  experienced  during 
the  previous  two  days.     He  had  in- 
tended to  have   seen   them  all  under 
the  table  ;  hut  he  began  gradually  to 
feel  a  want  of  control  over  him. elf, 
his  thoughts,   and   feelings,   which  a 
little  disquieted  him,  as  he  now  and 
then  caught  glimpses  of  the  extent  to 
which  it.  was  proceeding.     "In  r.'vo 
Veritas,"  properly  translated,  means — 
that  when  a  man  is  fairly  under  the. 
influence  of  liquor,  you  see  a  sti 
manifestation    of    his   real    chain. 
The  vain  man  is  vainer  ;  the  voluble, 
Hole,  voluble;  the  morose,  more  mo- 
rose; the  passionate,  more  passionate  ; 
the    detractor,   more    detracting;    the 
sycophant,   more  sycophantic,   and  so 
forth.    Now  Mr.  Gammon  was  a  cold, 
caul  ious,  long-headed  Bchemei ;  and  as 
the  fumes  of  liquor  mounted  up  into 
his  head,  they  only  increased  the  action 
and   intensity  of  those   qualities   for 
which,  when  sober,   he  was  so  pre- 
eminently   distinguished,    only    that 
there  was  a  half-con  cious  want    of 
coherency    and    subordination.      The 
impulse  ami  the  habit  were  present; 
hut  there  Beemed  a  strange  disturbing 
force  :    in  short — what   is  the   use   of 
disguising  matters!  —  Mr.    Gammon 

getting  v.  ry  drunk  ;  and  he  felt 

very  sorry  for  it — hut  it  was  too  late. 

In  due  time  the  dismal  effort   not  to 

or  drunk,  ceased  -a  great  relii  i  ! 

Silent  and   n  ore   a  1  tit   he    bi  can 

and  more  observant  of  the  mo- 
tions of  Snap  and  Titmouse  ;  more 
and  more  &  iplicated  and  profound 
in  his  Bchemi  s  ai  d  purp  I  at 

leni  th  he  felt  as  if,  by  Borne  Lni  ■ 

ble    means,   ho   w<  re    taking 

If  in  —  inveigling  himself:  at 
whi  b  point,  after  a  vain  attempt  I  i 

rstand   his    exact    p<  sition   \\ ith 

uce  to  bimi  i  If,  he  I  low  ly,   but 

■■  •  -  .  :     i  from  his  chair  ; 

1  with  :'n  unsetl  li  d  i  j  e  ai  Tit- 
.11  minute  ;  n  qu 
smih  flitted  oa  i 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


245 


features  ;  and  ho  presently  rang  the 
bell.  Boots  having  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons, Gammon  with  a  very  turbid 
brain  followed  him  to  the  door,  with 
a  most  desperate  effort  to  walk  thither 
steadily — but  in  vain.  Having  reached 
his  room,  he  sat  down  with  a  sort  of 
suspicion  that  he  had  said  or  done 
something  to  commit  himself.  Vain 
was  the  attempt  to  wind  up  his  watch  ; 
and  at  length  he  gave  it  up,  with  a 
faint  curse.  "With  only  one  stocking 
off,  conceiving  himself  to  be  un- 
dressed, after  four  or  five  times  txying 
to  blow  out  his  candle  in  vain,  he 
succeeded  and  got  into  bed  ;  his  head, 
however,  occupying  the  place  in  the 
bed  assigned  to  his  feet.  He  lay  asleep 
for  about  half-an-hour — and  then  ex- 
perienced certain  insupportable  sensa- 
tions. He  was  indeed  very  miserable; 
and  lost  all  thoughts  of  what  would 
become  of  Titmouse — of  Quirk  and 
Snip — in  his  own  indisposition. 

"I  say,  Snap,"  quoth  Titmouse 
with  a  grin,  and  putting  his  finger 
to  his  nose,  as  soon  as  Gammon  had 
quitted  the  room  in  the  manner  above 
described  —  "Mr.  Quirk  a'n't  much 
company  for  us  just  now,  eh  ?  Shall 
we  go  out  and  have  some  fun  ? " 

"  Walk  will  do  us  good — yes.  Go 
where  you  like,  Titmouse,"  replied 
Snap,  who,  though  young,  was  a 
thoroughly  seasoned  vessel,  and  could 
hold  a  great  deal  of  drink  without 
seeming,  or  really  being  much  the 
worse  for  it.  As  for  Titmouse,  hap- 
pily for  him  !  (seeing  that  he  Avas  so 
soon  to  have  the  command  of  un- 
limited means,  unless  indeed  the  en- 
vious fates  should  in  the  mean  time 
interpose  to  dash  the  brimful  cup 
from  his  eager  lips,)  he  was  becoming 
more  and  more  accustomed  to  the 
effects  of  drink  ;  which  had,  up  to 
the  moment  I  am  speaking  of,  no 
other  effect  than  to  elevate  his  spirits 
Up  to  the  pitch  of  indefinite  daring 
and  enterprise.  "'Pon  my  life,  Snap, 
couldn't  we  stand  another  tumbler — 
eh  ?  Warm  us  for  the  night  air  ? " 
"What  shall  it  be?"  quoth  Snap, 
ringing  the  bell — "whisky  ?  " 

"Devil  knows,  and  devil  cares!" 
replied  Mr.  Titmouse  recklessly  ;  and 


presently  there  stood  before  the  frienda 
two  steaming  tumblers  of  what  they 
had  ordered.     Immediately  after  dis- 
posing of  them,   the  two  gentlemen, 
quite  up  to  the  mark,  as  they  expressed 
it — each  with  a  cigar  in  his  mouth — 
sallied   forth  in   quest  of  adventures. 
Titmouse  felt  that  he  had  now  become 
a  gentleman  ;  and  his  taste  and  feel- 
ings prompted  him  to  pursue,  as  early  as 
possible,  a  gentlemanly  line  of  conduct 
— particularly  in  his  amusements.     It 
was  now  past  twelve  ;  and  the  narrow 
old-fashioned  streets    of  York,    silent 
and  deserted,  formed  a  strong  contrast 
to  the  streets  of  London  at  the  same 
hour,  and  seemed  scarcely  to  admit  of 
much   sport.     But   sport   our  friends 
were   determined   to   have ;    and   the 
night  air  aiding  the  effect  of  their  mis- 
cellaneous potations,  they  soon  became 
somewhat  excited  and  violent.      Yet 
it  seemed  difficult  to  get  up  a  row — 
for  no  one  was  visible  in  any  direction. 
Snap,   however,   by  way  of  making  a 
beginning,  suddenly  shouted  "  Fire  !  " 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  Titmouse 
joined  him  ;  when  having  heard  half- 
a-dozen  windows  hastily  thrown  up  by 
the  dismayed  inhabitants  whom    the 
alarming    sounds  had    aroused    from 
sleep,  they  scampered  off  at  their  top 
speed.     In  another  part  of  the  town, 
they  yelled,  and  whistled,  and  crowed 
like  cocks,  and  mewed  like  cats — the 
last    two   being    accomplishments   in 
which  Titmouse  was  very  eminent — ■ 
and  again  took  to  their  heels.     Theu 
they  contrived  to  twist  a  few  knockers 
off  doors,  pull  bells,  and  break  a  lev/ 
windows  ;   and  while  exercising  their 
skill  in  this  last  branch  of  the  night's 
amusement,  Titmouse,  in  the  very  act 
of  aiming  a  stone  which  took  effect  iu 
the  middle  of  a  bed-room  window,  was 
surprised  by  an  old  watchman  waddling 
round   the   corner.     He  was  a  feeblo 
asthmatic  old  man  ;  so  Snap  knocked 
him  down  at  once,  and  Titmouse  blew 
out  the  candle  in  his  lantern,  which 
he  then  jumped  upon  and  smashed  to 
pieces,    and    knocked    its    prostrate 
owner's  hat  over  his  eyes.     Snap,  on 
some  strange  unaccountable  impulse, 
wrested   the   rattle   out   of    the.   poor 
creature's  hand,  and  sprang  it  loudly. 


2-10 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


This  brought  several  other  old  watch- 
men fromaifferent  quarters  ;  and  aged 
numbers  prevailing  against  youthful 

spirit — the  two  gentlemen,  after  a  con- 
siderable  scuflle,  were  overpowered  and 
conveyed  to  the  cage.  Snap  having 
muttered  something  about  demanding 
to  look  at  the  warrant.,  and  then  about 
a  malicious  arrest  and  false  imprison- 
ment, sank  on  a  form,  and  then  down 
upon  the  floor,  and  fell  fast  asleep. 
Titmouse  for  a  while  showed  a  very 
resolute  front,  and  swore  a  great  many 
oaths,  that  he  would  light  the  Boots 
at  the  inn  for  five  shillings,  if  he  dared 
show  himself;  but  all  of  a  sudden, 
his  spirit  collapsed,  as  it  were,  and  he 
sank  on  the  floor,  and  was  grievously 
indisposed  for  some  hours.  About 
nine  o'clock,  the  contents  of  the  cage 
— viz.  Snap,  Titmouse,  two  fanners' 
boys  who  had  been  caught  stealing 
cakes,  au   old   beggar,    and   a   young 

Eickpocket — were  conveyed  before  the 
ord  Mayor,  to  answer  for  their  several 
misdeeds.  Snap  was  woefully  crest- 
fallen. He  had  sent  for  the  landlord 
of  the  inn  where  they  had  put  up,  to 
come,  on  their  behalf,  to  the  Mansion- 
House  ;  but  he  told  Quirk  of  the  mes- 
sage he  bad  received.  Mr.  Quirk, 
finding  that  Gammon  could  not  Lave 
his  room  through  Bevera  indisposition 
— the  very  first  time  that  Mr.  Quirk 
had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  his  being  so 
overtaken — set  off,  in  a  very  mortified 
and  angry  mood,  in  quest  of  his  hope- 
fid  client  and  junior  partner.  They 
were  in  a  truly  dismal  pickle.  Tit- 
mouse, pale  as  death,  his  clothes  dis- 
ordered, and  one  of  his  shirt-collars 
torn  oil';  Snap  sat  beside  him  with  a 
sheepish  air,  looking  as  if  he  could 
hardly  keep  his  eyes  open.  At  him 
Mr.  Quirk  looked  with  keen  indigna- 
tion, but  spoke  not  to  him  nor  for 
him :  for  Titmouse,  however,  he  ex- 
pressed oiseral  ion,  and  en- 
tr<  ited  his  lordship  to  overlook  the 
little  misconduct  of  which  he  (Tit- 
mo  ise)  in  am 

m  at,  bad   been  Lition 

of  lii    n  la  for  t be  injury, 

both  to  pet  "ii  and  prop  1 1  v,  of  u  bii  h 
he  had  been  guilty.     i'>y  this  timi   bi 
lordship    bad    become  aware  of    I :  e 


names  and  circumstances  of  the  two" 
delinquents  ;  and,  after  lecturing  tliem 
very  severely,  he  lined  them  five  shil- 
lings a-pieoe  for  being  drunk,  and  per* 
mitted  them  to  be  discharged,  on  their 
promising  never  to  offend  in  the  liko 
way  again,   and  paying   three  pounds 
by  way  of  compensation  to  the  watch- 
man,  and  one  or  two  persons  whoso 
knockers   they   were   prov«d   to  havo 
wrenched   off,  and   windows   to  havo 
broken.      His   lordship   had    delayed 
the  case  of  Messrs.  Snap  and  Titmouse 
to  the  last ;  chiefly  because,  as  soon  as 
ho  had  found  out  who  Mr.  Titmouse 
was,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  would 
make  a  sort  of  little  star  at  the  great 
ball  to  be  given  by  the  Lady  Mayoress 
that  evening.     As  soon,  therefore,  as 
the  charge  had  been  disposed  of,  his 
lordship  desired  Mr.  Titmouse  to  follow 
him,  for  a  moment,  to  his  private  room. 
There,  having  shut  the  door,  he  gently 
chided  Mr.  Titmouse  for  the  indiscre- 
tion of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  and 
of  which  it  was  not  to  have  been  ex- 
pected that  a  gentleman  of  his  conse- 
quence in  the  county  would  be  guilty. 
His  lordship  begged   him  to  consider 
the  station  which  he  was  now  called 
to  occupy  ;    and,    in   alluding  to  the 
signal  event  of  the  preceding    day, 
warmly   congratulated   him   upon  it : 
and,  by  the  way,  his  lordship  trusted 
that    Mr.     Titmouse    would,    in    the 
evening,    favour    the    I*idy   Mayoress 
and  himself  with  his  company  at  the 

ball,  where  they  would  be  very  proud 
of  the  opportunity  of  introducing  him 
to  some  of  the  gentry  of  the  county, 
amongst  whom  his  future  lot  in  life 
was  likely  to  be  cast.  Mr.  Titmouse 
listened  to  all  this  as  if  he  were  in  a 
dnam.  His  brain  (the  little  of  it  that 
be  had)  was  yet  in  a  most  unsettled 
state;  as  also  was  his  stomach.   When 

he  beard  the  words"  Lady  .Mayoress," 
"ball,"  "mansion-house,"  "gently  of 
:  be  County,"  and  so  forth,  a  dim  virion 
Of  Spll  odour   flashed    b 

and,  v.  i: b  a  desperate  effort,  he  a    urcil 

lUld     he! 

very  ;  m  prou  I   to  accept  the 

invitation,  if   he   were   well  enough 

but  just  then   ho    was    uncouiii 
ill. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAH. 


247 


His  lordship  pressed  him  to  take  a 
glass  of  water,  to  revive  him  and 
settle  his  stomach  ;  but  Mi-.  Titmouse 
declined  it,  and  soon  afterwards  quitted 
the  room  ;  and,  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
Mr.  Quirk,  set  off  homeward — Snap 
walking  beside  him  in  silence,  with  a 
very  quaint  disconcerted  air — not  being 
taken  the  least  notice  of  by  Mr. 
Quirk.  As  they  passed  along,  they 
encountered  several  of  the  barristers 
on  their  way  to  court,  and  others, 
who  recognized  Titmouse  ;  and  with  a 
smile,  evidently  formed  a  pretty  ac- 
curate guess  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
the  triumph  of  the  preceding  day  had 
been  celebrated.  Mr.  Quirk,  finding 
that  Mr.  Gammon  was  far  too  much 
indisposed  to  think  of  quitting  York, 
at  all  events  till  a  late  hour  in  the 
evening,  and,  indeed,  that  Titmouse 
was  similarly  situated — with  a  very 
bad  grace  consented  to  them  stopping 
behind  ;  and  himself,  with  Snap — the 
former  inside,  the  latter  outside  — 
having  settled  with  most  of  the  wit- 
nesses, leaving  the  remainder,  with 
their  own  expenses  at  the  inn,  to  be 
settled  by  Mr.  Gammon — set  olf  for 
town  by  the  two  o'clock  coach.  It 
was,  indeed,  high  time  for  them  to 
return  ;  for  the  oppressed  inmates  of 
Newgate  were  getting  wild  on  account 
of  the  protracted  absence  of  their 
kind  and  confidential  advisers.  When 
they  left,  both  Gammon  and  Titmouse 
were  in  bed.  The  former,  however, 
began  to  revive,  shortly  after  the 
coach  which  conveyed  away  his  re- 
spected co-partners,  and  the  guard's 
horn  had  ceased  to  be  heard ;  and 
about  an  hour  afterwards  he  descended 
from  his  room,  a  great  deal  the  better 
for  the  duties  of  the  toilette,  and  a 
bottle  of  soda-water  with  a  little 
brandy  in  it.  A  cup  of  strong  tea, 
and  a  slice  or  two  of  dry  toast,  set 
him  entirely  to  rights, — and  then 
Gammon  —  the  calm,  serene,  astute 
Gammon — was  "  himself  again. "  Had 
he  said  anything  indiscreet,  or  in  any 
way  committed  himself,  overnight  ?— 
thought  he,  as  he  sat  alone,  with 
folded  arms,  trying  to  recollect  what 
had  taken  place.  He  hoped  not — but 
had  no  means  rf  ascertaining.      Then 


he  entered  upon  a  long  and  anxious 
consideration  of  the  position  of  aifairs, 
since  the  great  event  of  the  preceding 
evening.  The  only  definite  object 
which  he  had  had  in  view,  personally, 
in  entering  into  the  affair,  was  the 
obtaining  that  ascendancy  over  Tit- 
mouse, in  the  event  of  his  becoming 
possessed  of  the  magnificent  fortuna 
they  were  in  quest  of  for  him,  which 
might  enable  him,  in  one  way  or 
another,  to  elevate  his  own  position  in 
society,  and  secure  for  himself  per- 
manent and  solid  advantages.  In 
the  progress  of  the  affair,  however,  new 
views  presented  themselves  to  his  mind. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  after- 
noon Titmouse  recovered  sufficiently 
to  make  his  appearance  down-stairs. 
Soon  afterwards,  Gammon  proposed  a 
walk,  as  the  day  was  fine,  and  the 
brisk  fresh  country  air  would  be 
efficacious  in  restoring  Titmouse  to  his 
wonted  health  and  spirits.  His  sug- 
gestion was  adopted ;  and  soon  after- 
wards might  have  been  seen,  Gammon, 
supporting  on  his  arm  his  languid 
and  interesting  client  Mr.  Titmouse, 
making  their  way  to  the  river  ;  along 
whose  quiet  and  pleasing  banks  they 
walked  for  nearly  a  couple  of  hours 
in  close  conversation  ;  during  which, 
Gammon,  by  repeated  and  various 
efforts  succeeded  in  producing  an  im- 
pression on  Titmouse's  mini,  that 
the  good  fortune  which  seemed  now 
within  his  reach,  had  been  secured 
for  him  by  the  enterprise,  skill,  and 
caution  of  one,  Mr.  Gammon,  ouly ; 
who  would,  moreover,  continue  to 
devote  himself  to  Mr.  Titmouse's  in- 
terest, and  protect  him  from  the 
designs  of  those  who  would  endeavour 
to  take  advantage  of  him.  Mr.  Gam- 
mon also  dropped  one  or  two  vague 
hints  that  his  —  Titmouse's  —  con- 
tinuance in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
Yatton  property,  would  always  depend 
upon  the  will  and  power  of  him,  the 
aforesaid  Gammon  ;  in  whose  hands 
were  most  unsuspected,  but  potent 
weapons.  And  indeed  it  is  not  at  all 
impossible  that  such  may  prove  to  bo 
really  the  case. 

What  a  difference  is  there  between 
man   and  man,  ia   temper,  and   dis- 


218 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAH. 


position,  find  intellect!  Compare 
together  the  two  individuals  now 
walking  slowly,  arm-in-arm,  beside 
the  sweet  Ouse  ;  and  supposing  one 
to  have  designs  upon  the  other — 
disposi  '1  to  ensnare  and  overreach  him 
— what  chance  has  the  shorter  gentle- 
man! Compare  even  their  counten- 
ances— what  a  difference  ! 

Gammon  heard  with  uneasiness  of 
Titmouse's  intention  to  go  to  the  Lady 
Mayoress's  tail  that  evening;  and,  for 
many  reasons,  resolved  that  he  should 
not.  In  vain,  however,  did  Gammon 
try  to  persuade  him  that  he  was  asked 
only  to  be  turned  into  ridicule,  for 
that  almost  everybody  there  would  be 
in  the  interest  of  the  Aubreys,  and 
bitterly  opposed  to  him,  Mr.  Titmo 
in  spite  of  these  and  all  other  re- 
presentations, Titmouse  expressed  his 
d  termination  to  go  to  the  ball:  on 
which  Gammon,  with  a  good-natured 
smile,  exclaimed,  "Well,  well!" — 
and  withdrew  his  opposition.  Shortly 
after  their  return  from  their  walk, 
they  sat  down  to  dinner;  and  Gammon, 
with  a  di.'i  rful  air,  ordered  a  bottle  oi 
champagne,  of  which  ho  drank  about 
a  glass  and  a  half,  and  Titmouse  the 
remainder.  That  put  him  into  a 
humour  to  take  more  wine,  without 
much  pressing  ;  and  he  swallowed,  in 
rapid  succession,  a  glass  of  ale,  ami 
seven  or  eight  glasses  of  port  and 
sherry.  By  this  time  hi-  had  forgotten 
all  about  the  ball,  and  clamoured  for 
brandy  and  water.    Gammon,  however, 

that  his  did  was  answered.  Poor 
Titmouse  was  becoming  rapidly  more 
and  more  helpless  ;  and  within  half- 
an-hour's  time  was  assisted  to  his 
bi  -room  in  a  very  sad  state.  Tims 
Gammon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
bis   ]  -I   accomplished, 

although  it  pained  him  to  think  of  the 

p  >r  >ry  incom  iom  d  to 
the  unci  !  ;  who  had, 
howevi  i .  i  the  devices  of  those 
who  wished  publicly  to  expose  his  in- 
experience ;  and  as  for  the  means  which 
1      nmon  had   resort*  d  ion ler  to 

i   hi     purpose,     why,  he  may  be 
supposed  to  have  had  a  remoter  object 
in  view,  viz.  early  to  di  gust  him  i 
j 


Alas !  how  disappointed  were  the 
Mayor  and  Mayoress:  that  their  queer 
little  lion  did  not  make  his  appearance 
in  the  gay  and  brilliant  scene!  How 
many  had  they  told  that  he 
coming!  The  three  daughters  were 
almost  bursting  with  vexation  and 
astonishment.  They  had  been  disp 
to  entertain  a  warmer  feeling  than  that 
of  mere  curiosity  towards  the  new 
owner  of  an  estate  worth  ten  thousand 
a-year — had  drawn  lots  which  of  them 
was  first  to  dance  with  him;  and  had 
told  all  their  friends  on  which  of  them 
the  lot  had  fallen  :  Then,  again,  many 
of  the  county  people  enquired,  from 
time  to  time,  of  the  chagrined  little 
mayor  and  mayoress,  when  "Mr. 
Ticklemouse,"  "Mr.  Tipmouse,"  "Mr. 
Tipplebattlc,"  or  "  whatever  his  name 
might  be,"  was  coming;  full  of  real 
curiosity,  much  tinctured,  however, 
with  disgust  and  contempt,  to  see  the 
stranger,  who  had  suddenly  acquired  ?o 
commanding  a  station  in  the  county, 
so  strong  a  claim  to  their  sympathy 
and  respect. 

Then,  again,  there  was  a  very  great 
lion  there,  exhibiting  for  a  short  I 

only,  who  also  wished   to  see  the  ii 

lion,  and  expressed  keen  regrets  that 
it  was  not  there  according  to  appoint- 
ment. The  great  lion  was  Mr.  Quick- 
silver, who  had  stepped  in  for  about 
half-au-hour,  merely  to  show  bimsi  If; 
and  when  he  heard  of  the  expected 
arrival  of  his  little  client,  it  occurred 
to  Mr.  Quicksilver,  who  could  see 
i  everal  inches  beyond  by  no  meta 
short  nose,  that  Mr.  Titmouse  had 
gained  a  verdict  which   would  very 

s i  make  him  patron  of  tlie  borough 

of  Fa  '  *n  I  hal  he  probably  would 
(■ii  think  of  sitting  for  the  borough 
himself,  and  that  a  Little  public  civility 
1  lowed  upon  Mr.  Titmouse,  by  the 
Mr.  Qui<  ki  ilver,  one  of  the 
counsel    to  y  ilendid   exerl ions 

as  Indebted  for  his  all,  mighl  he, 
as   it  were,    bread    '■  He 

w,  to  be  found  aft*  r 
I  true  thai   Mr.  Quicksilvi  r,  in  a 
hitler  stream   of  eloquent    invei  live, 

had    I  '  V   dl  DOUnCl  d    the    system 

of  close  and  rotten   boroughs  J  but  his 

I  Lh    while,  Beer  tly  rebelled  ; 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


249 


and  he  knew  that  a  smut  borough  was 

•  DO 

a  thing  on  every  account  not  to  be 
sneezed  at.  He  sat  for  one  himself, 
though  he  had  also  contested  several 
counties  :  but  that  was  expensive  and 
harassing  work ;  and  the  borough  for 
which  he  at  present  sat,  he  had  paid 
far  too  high  a  price  for.  He  had  no 
objection  to  the  existence  of  close 
boroughs  ;  but  only  to  so  many  of 
them  being  in  the  hands  of  the  oppo- 
site part}'' ;  and  the  legislature  hath 
since  recognized  the  distinction,  and 
acted  upon  it.  Here,  however,  was 
the  case  of  a  borough  which  was  going 
to  change  hands,  and  pass  from  Tory 
to  "Whig  ;  and  could  Mr.  Quicksilver 
fail  to  watch  it  with  interest.  Was 
he,  therefore,  to  neglect  this  oppor- 
tunity of  slipping  in  for  Yatton — and 
the  straio  moving,  too,  in  town — a 
general  election  looked  for  ?  So  Mr. 
Quicksilver  really  regretted  the  absence 
of  his  little  friend  and  client,  Mr. 
Titmouse. 

Thus,  and  by  such  persons,  and  on 
such  grounds,  was  lamented  the  ab- 
secse  of  Mr.  Titmouse  from  the  ball  of 
the  Lady  Mayoress  of  York ;  none, 
however,  knowing  the  cause  which 
kept  him  from  so  select  and  dis- 
tinguished an  assembly.  As  soon  as 
Mr.  Gammon  had  sejn  him  properly 
attended  to,  and  expressed  an  anxious 
sympathy  for  him,  he  set  out  for  a 
walk — a  quiet  solitary  walk  round  the 
ancient  walls  of  York.  If  on  a  fin- 
night  you  look  up  into  the  sky,  and 
see  it  gleaming  with  innumerable  stars, 
and  then  fix  your  eye  intently,  without 
wavering,  upon  some  one  star  ;  how- 
ever vivid  and  brilliant  may  be  those 
in  its  immediate  vicinity,  they  will 
disappear  utterly,  and  that  on  which 
your  eye  is  fixed  will  seem  alone  in  its 
glory  — ■  sole  star  in  the  firmament. 
Something  of  this  kind  happened  with 
Mr.  Gammon  when  on  the  walls  of 
York — now  slowly,  then  rapidly  walk- 
ing, now  standing,  then  sitting  ;  all 
the  objects  which  generally  occupied 
his  thoughts  faded  away,  before  one 
on  which  his  mind's  eye  was  then 
fixed  with  unwavering  intensity — the 
visage  of  Miss  Aubrey.  The  golden 
fruit  that  was  on  the  eve  of  dropping 


into  the  hands  of  tho  firm— ten  thou- 
sand pounds — the  indefinite  and  varied 
advantages  to  himself,  personally,  to 
which  their  recent  successes  might  be 
turned,  all  vanished.  What  would 
he  not  undergo,  what  would  he  not 
sacrifice,  to  secure  the  favour  of  Miss 
Aubrey  ?  Beautiful  being — all  inno- 
cence, elegance,  refinement ; — to  pos- 
sess her  would  elevate  him  in  the  scale 
of  being  ;  it  would  purify  his  feelings, 
it  would  ennoble  his  nature.  What 
was  too  arduous  or  desperate  to  be 
undertaken  to  secure  a  prize  so  glorious 
as  this  ?  He  fell  into  a  long  reverie, 
till,  roused  by  a  chill  gust  of  night 
air,  he  rose  from  his  seat  upon  one  of 
the  niches  in  the  walls  ; — how  lonely, 
how  solitary  he  felt !  He  walked  on 
rapidly,  at  a  pace  that  suited  the 
heated  and  rapid  current  of  thoughts 
that  passed  through  his  mind. 

"No,  I  have  not  a  chance — not  a 
chance ! "  at  length  he  thought  to 
himself— "That  girl  will  be  prouder 
in  her  poverty,  than  ever  she  would 
have  been  in  her  wealth  and  splendour. 
Who  am  I  ? — a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  ;  a  firm  in 
bad  odour  with  the  profession ;  look- 
ing for  practice  from  polluted  sources, 
with  a  host  of  miscreants  for  clients — 
faugh !  faugh !  I  feel  contaminated 
and  degraded !  My  name  even  is 
against  me  ;  it  is  growing  into  a  by- 
word ! — -We  must  push  our  advantage 
— they  must  be  driven  from  Yat  ton — 
he,  she — all  of  them;  yes,  all."  He 
paused  for  a  long  time,  and  a  sort  of 
pang  passed  through  his  mind.  ' '  They 
are  to  make  way  for — Titmouse  ! — for 
Titmouse  !  !  And  he,  too,  loves  her— 
bah!"  He  involuntarily  uttered  this 
sound  fiercely,  and  aloud.  "  But  stay 
— he  really  is  in  love  with  Miss  Aubrey 
— that  I  know  ; — ah  !  I  can  turn  it  to 
good  purpose  ;  it  will  give  me,  by  the 
way,  a  hold  upon  the  little  fool  ;  I 
will  make  him  believe  that  through 
my  means  he  may  obtain  Miss  Aubrey  ! 
Misery  may  make  her  accessible  :  I 
can  easily  bring  myself  into  contact 
with  them,  in  their  distress  ;  for  th  're 
are  the  mesne  profits  —  the  mesne 
profits!  Heavens!  how  glorious,  bat 
how    dreadful    an    engine    are  they! 


£50 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YE  Aft. 


They  will  help  to  batter  down  the 
high  wall  of  pride  that  surrounds  litem 
and  her ;  but  it  will  require  infinite 
care  and  tact  in  the  use  of  such  an 
engine  I  I  will  be  all  delicacy  — 
gentleness — generosity  ;  I  will  appear 
friendly  to  her,  and  to  her  brother; 
and,  if  needs  must  he,  why  he  must 
he  enoshed.  There  is  no  help  for  it. 
He  looks  decidedly,  hy  the  way — a 
man  of  intellect.  I  wonder  how  he 
hears  it — how  they  all  hear  it — how 
she  bears  it !  Beggared  beauty — there's 
something  touching  in  the  very  sound  ! 
How  little  they  think  of  the  power 
that  is  at  this  moment  in  my  hands  !  " 
Here  a  long  interval  elapsed,  during 
which  his  thoughts  had  wandered  to- 
wards more  practical  matters.  "If 
they  don't  get  a  rule  nisi,  next  term, 
we  shall  he  in  a  position  to  ask  them 
what  course  they  intend  to  pursue  : 
Gad,  they  may,  if  so  disposed,  hold 
out  for — how  very  cold  it  is  !  " — he 
buttoned  his  coat — -"and,  what  have 
I  been  thinking  of?  Really  I  have 
been  dreaming  ;  or  am  I  as  great  a 
fool  as  Tittlebat  f"  Within  a  few 
minutes'  time  he  had  quitted  the  walls, 
and  descended,  through  one  of  the 
turreted  gateways,  into  the  town. 


CHATTER  XV. 

WHEN,  about  seven  o'clock  on  the 
morning    after    the    delivery   of    the 
Verdict,  which,  if  sustained,  consigned 
the  Aubreys  to  beggary,  they  me<  to 
partake  of  a  slight  and  hasty  break- 
ire  Betting  off  for  Fatten  ;  the 
of  each  bore  the  traces  of 
-I  suffering,  and  al  o  of  the  efforl a 
made  to  conceal  it.     Theysaluted  ea<  h 
othi  r  with  fervent  affection,  eai  h  at- 
tempting a  Bmile-  -but  a  smile,  how 
wan  and  forced  !     "  The  moment  has 
arrived,  and   Kate," 

her  brother  with  a  fond  air  1  ut  a  firm 
voice,  as  his  a  ter  was  preparing  I  a, 

in  :  Lli  i ,  f  arful  "f  lool  ing  at  i  ithei 

),,  i-    brother  or   Bi9tcr-in-low  ;    "  the 
moment  has  arrived   that  is  to  try 


what  stuff  we  are  made  of.  If  wo 
have  any  strength,  this  is  the  time  to 
show  it !  " 

"I'm  sure  I  thought  of  you  both 
almost  all  night  long  I  "  replied  Miss 
Aubrey  tremulously.  "  You  have  a 
lion's  heart,  dear  Charles  ;  and  yet 
you  are  so  gentle  with  us " 

"  1  should  be  a  poor  creature  indeed, 
Kate,  to  give  way  just  when  I  ought 
to  play  the  man.  Come,  dear  Kate,  1 
will  remind  you  of  a  noble  passage 
from  our  glorious  Shakspeare.  It 
braces  one's  nerves  to  hear  it !  "  Then, 
with  a  fine  impressive  delivery,  and 
kindling  with  excitement  as  he  went 
on,  Aubrey  began — 

"  In  the  reproof  of  chance 
Lies  the  truo  proof  of  men.     The  sea  being 

smooth 
How  many  shallow  bauble  boats  dare  sail 
Upon  her  patient  breast,  making  their  way 
With  those  of  nobler  hulk? 
But  Lot  the  ruffian  Boreas  once  enracfo 
The  gentle  Thotis,  and,  anon,  behold 
The  strong-ribb'd  bark  through  liquid  moun- 
tains cut, 
Bounding  between  the  two  moist  elements 
Like  Perseus'  horse  ;  whore's  then  the  saucy 

i"  at, 
Whose  weak  untimber'd  si.les  but  even  now 
C  •  rival'd  greatness?  Either  to  harbour  fled, 
Or  made  a  toast  for  Neptune  I — Even  so, 
Doth  valour  show,  and  valour's  worth  dJ  ■ 
inns  of  fortune."  * 

'Twas  kindly  meant  of  Aubrey  ;  ho 
thought  to  divert  the  excited  feelings 
of  his  wife  and  sister,  and  occupy  their 
imagination  with   the   vivid    imagery 

I    noble    sentiment    of    the    poet. 

While  he  repeated  the  above  lines, 
his  Bister's  eye  had  been  fixed  upon 
him  with  a  radiant  expression  of  reso- 
lution, her  heart  responding  to  what 
she  heard.  She  could  not,  however, 
!.  when  he  had  ceased.  For  her- 
self she  eared  not  |  but  when  I  he 
looked    at   her    brother,   and    thought 

ut'  him,   his  wife,   his  children,  her 

fortitude  yieldi  d   before    the   moving 

burst  into  tears. 

"Come,  Kate-   my  own  sweet,  good 

i;  ite ! "  said  he  chei  rfully,  laving  his 

i  upon  hers,  "  we  must  k'  ■  •]>  con- 

:  mt.  guard  against  our  feelings.  They 

will   be  ever  arraying  before  our  eyes 

(lie  past — the  dear,  delightful  past- 
happy  and  beautiful,  La  mournful  con« 

•  Tp  Uua  an  I  I 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


251 


trastwlth  the  present,  and  stirring  up, 
every  moment,  a  thousand  secret  and 
tender  associations,  calculated  to  shake 
our  constancy.  "Whenever  our  eyes 
do  turn  to  the  past,  let  it  he  with 
humble  gratitude  to  God  for  having 
allowed  us  all,  in  this  changing  world, 
so  long  an  interval  of  happiness  ;  such, 
indeed,  as  falls  to  the  lot  of  few. 
What!  shall  we  receive  good  at  the 
hand  of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive 
evil?" 

"  My  own  Charles  1 "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  rising  and  throwing  her  arms 
round  her  husband,  whose  countenance 
was  cairn  and  serene,  as  was  the  tone 
of  the  sentiments  he  expressed  solemn 
and  elevated.  Miss  Aubrey  was  over- 
come with  her  stronger  feelings,  and 
buried  her  face  in  her  handkerchief. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  carriage  drew 
up,  and  also  Dr.  Tatham,  on  horse- 
back. 

"Good  morning!  good  morning, 
my  friends,"  cried  he  cheerfully,  as 
he  entered,  holding  forth  both  his 
hands;  "yo\i  can't  think  how  fresh 
and  pleasant  the  air  is  !  The  country 
for  me,  at  all  times  of  the  year !  I 
hale  towns!  Did  you  sleep  well?  I 
slept  like  a  top  all  night  long ; — no,  I 
didn't  either,  by  the  way.  Come, 
come,  ladies  !  On  with  your  bonnets 
and  shawls  !  "  Thus  rattled  on  worthy 
little  Dr.  Tatham,  in  order  to  prevent 
anything  being  said  which  might  dis- 
turb those  whom  he  came  to  see,  or 
cause  his  own  highly-charged  feelings 
to  give  way.  The  sight  of  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Aubrey,  however,  who  greeted 
him  in  silence  as  they  hastily  drew  on 
their  bonnets  and  shawls,  overcame 
his  ill-assumed  cheerfulness  ;  and  be- 
fore he  could  bustle  back,  as  he  pre- 
sently did,  to  the  street  door,  his  eyes 
were  obstructed  with  tears,  and  he 
wrung  the  hand  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  who 
stood  beside  him,  with  convulsive 
energy.  They  soon  set  off,  and  at  a 
rapid  pace,  Dr.  Tatham  riding  along 
beside  the  carriage.  Yatton  was  about 
twelve  miles  off.  For  the  first  few 
miles  they  preserved  a  tolerable  show 
of  cheerfulness  ;  but  as  they  perceived 
themselves  nearing  Yatton,  it  became 
plainly  more  and  more  of  an  effort  for 


any  of  them  to  speak.  Dr.  Tatham, 
also,  talked  to  them  seldomer  through 
the  windows.  At  one  time  he  dropped 
considerable  behind ;  at  another,  he 
rode  as  much  ahead. 

"Oh,  Charles,  don't  you  dread  to 
see  Yatton?"  said  Miss  Aubrey  sud- 
denly, as  they  turned  a  familiar  corner 
of  the  road.  Neither  of  them  replied 
to  her. 

"When  you  come  to  the  village," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  presently,  to  the 
postilion,  "drive  through  it,  right  up 
to  the  Hall,  as  quickly  as  you  can." 
He  was  obeyed.  As  they  passed 
through  the  village,  with  their  win- 
dows up,  none  of  them  seemed  dis- 
posed to  look  through,  but  leaned 
back,  in  silence,  in  their  scats. 

"  God  bless  you  !  God  bless  you  !  I 
shall  call  in  the  evening,"  exclaimed 
Dr.  Tatham  ;  as,  having  reached  tho 
vicarage,  he  hastily  waved  his  hand, 
and  turned  off.  Soon  they  had  passed 
the  park  gates  ;  when  had  they  entered 
it  before  with  such  heavy  hearts  — 
with  eyes  so  dreading  to  encounter 
every  familiar  object  that  met  them  ? 
Alas  !  the  spacious  park  was  no  longer 
theirs  ;  not  a  tree,  not  a  shrub,  not  a 
flower,  not  an  inch  of  ground  ;  the 
trees  all  putting  forth  their  fresh  green 
leaves— nothing  was  theirs  ;  the  fino 
old  turreted  gateway,  an  object  always, 
hitherto,  of  peculiar  pride  and  attach- 
ment, their  hearts  seemed  to  tremble 
as  they  rattled  under  it. 

"  Courage,  my  sweet  loves  !  Cour- 
age !  courage  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Au- 
brey, grasping  each  of  their  hands,  and 
then  they  burst  into  tears.  Mr. 
Aubrey  felt  his  own  fortitude  griev- 
ously shaken  as  he  entered  the  Old 
Hall,  no  longer  his  home,  and  reflected, 
moreover — bitterest  thought  of  all — 
that  he  hail  been  declared  by  the  law 
to  have  been  hitherto  tho  wrongful 
occupant  of  it  ;  that  he  must  forth- 
with proceed  to  "set  his  house  in 
order,"  and  prepare  for  a  dreadful 
reckoning  with  him  whom  the  law 
had  declared  to  be  the  true  owner  of 
Yatton. 

The  formal  result  of  the  trial  at 
York  was,  as  has  been  already  inti- 
mated, to  declare  Mr.  Titmouse  entitled 


252 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAfw 


to  recover  possession  of  only  that  in- 
significant portion  of  Ihe  estates  held 
by  Jacob  Jolter  :  and  that,  too,  only 
in  the  event  of  the  tirst  four  days  of 
the  ensuing  term  elapsing)  without 
any  successful  attempt  being  made 
to  impeach,  before  the  court,  the  pro- 
priety of  the  verdict  of  the  jery.  It 
is  a  principle  of  our  English  law,  tVit 
the  verdict  of  a  jury  is,  in  general, 
irreversible  and  conclusive :  but,  inas- 
much as  that  verdict  may  have  been 
improperly  obtained—  as,  for  instance, 
either  through  the  misdirection  of  the 
judge,  or  his  erroneous  admission  or 
tion  of  evidence  ;  or  may  have  no 
force  in  point  of  law  by  reason  of  the 

i ileadings  of  the  party  for  whom  it  has 
ieen  giv(  n,  being  insufficient  to  war- 
rant the  court  to  award  its  final  judg- 
ment upon,  and  according  to,  such 
vi  rdict,  or  by  reason  of  the  discovery 
of  fresh  evidence  subsequently  to  the 
trial:  therefore  the  law  hath  given 
the  party  who  failedat  the  trial,  till 
tin1  end  of  the  first  four  days  of  the 
term  next  ensuing,  to  show  the  court 
why  the  verd  ined  by  his  oppo- 

ii'  ut  ought,  to  go  for  nothing,  and 
matters  remain  as  they  were  before 
th«-  trial,  or  a  new  trial  be  had.  So 
anxious  is  our  law  to  afford  the  ul  a 

and  opportunity  for  ascertaining 
what  ought  to  be  its  d<  ci  ion,  which, 
when  obtained,  is,  as  hath  been  said. 

tnnly  and  permanently  conchi 
upon  the  subject  ;  such  the  effectual 
and  practical  corrective  of  any  error  or 
miscarriage  in  the  working  of  that 
noble  engine — trial  by  jury.  Thus, 
then,  it  appears,  that  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Titmoui  e  and  his  adi  i  re  al 

all   events   stayed   till   the   first    fair 
days    (if    Eai  ter    term    should    hai  e 
During    the    com  iderable 
interval  thus  afforded  to  the  adi  i  1 1 
of  Mr.  Aubrey,  h  as  it  appcan  d 

i  the  nol  of  hi 
brii  fs,  \\  ith  the  indir 
corrob  I  from  the  sh 

i    v raters'    in.t  3,    e.  re- 

peat il  and  i 

i  i  .-ill  its  parts  and  1"  ai  Lngs,  bj   all 

bis  re.     It  m  ■.  be 

lhal    i  '■■  ry   point     in    the 

arable   to   t  i.i  u  i  li  nt  had  1 


distinctly  and  fully  raised  by  tho 
Attorney-General,  assi:  t<  d  by  bis  very 
able  juniors,  Mr.  .Stirling  and  V.r. 
Crystal  ;  and  so  was  it  with  the  coun- 
sel of  Mr.  Titmouse,  as,  indeed,  tho 
result  showed.  On  subsequent  ex- 
amination, none   of  them  could  dis- 

r  any  false  Btep,  or  any  advanl 
which  had  been  overlooked,  or  taken 
inefficiently.  Independently  of  various 
astute  objections  taken  by  the  Attor- 
ney-General to  the  reception  ofsevi  ral 
important  portions  of  the  plaintiff's 
evidence,  the  leading  points  relied  on 
in  favour  of  Mr.  Aubrey  were- 
impropriety  of  Lord  Widdrington'a 
rejection  of  the  deed  of  confirmation 
on  account  of  the  erasure  in  it ;  tho 
effect    of    that    deed,     assuming    the 

nc  not  to  have  warranted  its  re- 
jection ;  and  several  questions  arising 
out  of  the  doctrine  of  adverse  posses- 
sion, by  which  alone,  it  had  been  con* 
tended  at  the  trial,  that  the  claim  of 
the  desa  ndants  of  Stephen  Dreddli 
ton  had  been  peremptorily  and  finally 

d.  Two  very  long  consultations 
had  been  held  at  the  Attorney-Gen- 
eral's chambers,  attended  by  Mr.  Stir- 
ling, Mr.  Crystal,  Mr.  Mansfield,  the 
three  partners  in  the  Jinn  of  R 
ton  and  Company,  Mr.  Parkin 
and  Mr.  Aubrey — who  had  come  up 
to  town  for  the  purpose  alone.  Gn  atly 
to  the  surprise  of  all  of  them,  lie 
stated  most  distinctly  and  emphi 

.  that  he  insisted  on  no  ground  of 
ol  ji  ction  being  taken  I    his  op- 

ponent, except  smh  as  was  strictly 
just,  equitable,  honourable,  and  con- 
scientious. Bather  than  defeat  him 
on  mere  tei  hnii  alitics — rather  than 
avail  himself  of  mere  positive  r 
of  law,  while  the  i:n  ii  i,  as  between 
man    and   man,  was   substanti  illy    in 

ar  of  his  o]  pom  at-    Mr.  Aubn  y 
declared,  bowevi  r  al    urd  or  Quixi 
he  might  be  thought,  that  ho  would 
-   if  he  had  tin m-    lose  fifty  Vattons. 
Fiat  justilia,   ru  im.      "  Yon 

mean   to   say,    Aubrey,"    interrupted 

Ait. .in.  y-G(  in  ral    mildly,    afti  r 

ling  for  some  time  to  his  ft  it  ml 
:  |  with  i  \  ident  int.  ri   t, 

ration    pf    hi  i    pure    and    hi 
.   .  tci      "that  il 


.TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


253^ 


unconscientious  of  you  to  avail  your- 
self of  a  fixed  and  beneficial  rule  of 
law,  established  upon  considerations 
of  general  equity  and  utility — such, 
for  instance,  as  that  of  adverse  posses- 
sion in  order  to  retain  possession, 
while—" 

"  Pray,  Mr.  Attorney-General,  if  I 
had  lent  you  five  hundred  pounds 
seven  or  eight  years  ago,  would  you 
set  up  the  statute  of  limitations  against 
me  when  I  asked  for  repayment  ?  " 

"Excuse  me,  Aubrey,"  replied  the 
Attorney-General,  with  a  faint  flush 
upon  his  handsome  and  dignified  fea- 
tures ;  "  but  how  idle  all  this  is  !  One 
would  imagine  that  we' were  silting  in 
a  school  of  casuistry !  What  are  we 
met  for,  in  the  name  of  common  sense  ? 
For  what,  but  to  prevent  the  rightful 
owner  of  property  from  being  deprived 
of  it  by  a  trumpery  accidental  erasure 
in  one  of  his  title-deeds,  which  time 
has  deprived  him  of  the  means  of 
accounting  for  ? "  He  then,  in  a  very 
kind  way,  but  with  a  dash  of  peremp- 
toriness,  requested  that  the  case  might 
be  left  in  their  hands,  and  that  they 
might  be  given  credit  for  resorting  to 
nothing  that  was  inconsistent  with  the 
nicest  and  most  fastidious  sense  of 
honour.  This  observation  put  an  end 
to  so  unprecedented  an  interference  ; 
but  if  Mr.  Aubrey  supposed  that  it 
had  any  effect  upon  t'he  Attorney- 
General,  he  was  mistaken ;  for  of 
course  that  learned  and  eminent  per- 
son secretly  resolved  to  avail  himself 
of  every  conceivable  means,  great  and 
small,  available  for  overturning  the 
verdict,  and  securing  the  Aubreys  in 
the  possession  of  Yatton.  He  at  the 
same  time  earnestly  endeavoured  to 
moderate  the  expectations  of  his  client, 
declaring  that  lie  was  by  no  means 
sanguine  as  to  the  issue  ;  that  Lord 
Widdrington's  rulings  at  Nisi  J'rius 
were  very  formidable  things— in  fact, 
rarely  assailable  ;  and  then,  again,  the 
senior  puisne  judge  of  the  court — Mr. 
Justice  Grayley — had  been  consulted 
by  Lord  Widdiington  at  the  trial,  ami 
concurred  with  him  in  his  principal 
ruling,  now  sought  to  be  moved  against. 
At  the  close  of  the  second  consulta- 
tion, on  the  night  of  the  first  day  in 


Easter  term,  (the  Attorney-General  in- 
tending to  move  on  the  ensuing  morn- 
ing,) after  having  finally  gone  over  the 
case  in  all  its  bearings,  and  agreed 
upon  the  exact  grounds  of  moving — ■ 
the  Attorney-General  called  back  Mr. 
Runnington  for  a  moment,  as  he  was 
walking  away  with  Mr.  Aubrey,  and 
whispered  to  him,  that  it  would  be 
very  proper  to  assume  at  once  that  the 
motion  failed  ;  and  consider  the  best 
mode  of  negotiating  concerning  the 
surrender  of  the  bulk  of  the  property, 
and  the  payment  of  the  mesne  profits. 

"Oh!  Mr.  Aubrey  has  quite  made 
up  his  mind  to  the  worst,  Mr.  Attor- 
ney-General." 

"Ah,  well !  "  replied  the  Attorney- 
General  with  a  sigh ;  and  about  five 
minutes  after  Mr.  Eunnington's  de- 
parture, the  Attorney-General  stepped 
into  his  carriage,  which  had  been 
standing  for  the  last  hour  opposite 
his  chambers.  He  drove  down  to  the 
House  of  Commons,  where  he  almost 
immediately  after  delivered  a  long  and 
luminous  speech  on  one  of  the  most 
important  and  intricate  questions  that 
had  been  discussed  during  the  session. 
The  first  four  days  of  term  are  an 
awkward  interval  equally  to  incom- 
petent counsel  and  incompetent  judges 
— when  such  there  are.  The  slips  of 
both  then  come  to  light ;  both  have 
to  encounter  the  keen  and  vigilant 
scrutiny  of  a  learned,  acute,  and  inde- 
pendent body — the  English  bar.  If  a 
judge  should  happen  to  be  in  any 
degree  unequal  to  the  exigencies  of 
his  important  station  —  incompetent 
for  the  due  discharge  of  his  difficult 
functions  at  Nisi  Prius— what  a  store 
of  anxiety  and  mortifications  accumu- 
lates at  every  circuit  town  against  the 
ensuing  term  ;  where  his  misrulings  are 
distinctly  and  boldly  brought  under  the 
notice  of  the  full  court  and  the  assem- 
bled bar  !  What  must  be  his  feelings,  as 
he  becomes  aware  that  all  interested  in 
the  matter  look  out  for  a  p1<  ntifulcrop 
of  new  trials  from  the  circuit  which  he 
has  selected  to  favour  with  his  pre- 
sence. Great  causes  lost,  verdicts  set 
aside,  and  new  trials  ordered,  at  an 
enormous,  often  a  ruinous  expense, 
entirely  on  account  of  his  inability  to 


234 


TEN  , THOUS  AND .  A- YEAR. 


Bcize  tho  trao  point9  and  bearings  of  a 
case,  and  present  them  properly  to  a 
jury,  to  apply  accurately  the  principles 
of  evidence  !  How  exquisitely  painful 
to  suspect  that  as  soon  as  his  name 
is  announced,  the  anxious  attorneys 
withdraw  records  and  postpone  the 
trials  of  their  chief  causes,  in  all 
directions  trying  no  more  than  they 
can  possibly  help,  in  the  hope  that 
a  more  competent  judge  will  take  the 
circuit  after!  to  become,  every  now 
and  then,  aware  that  counsel  boldly 
speculate  at  the  trial  upon  his  in- 
experience and  ignorance  by  impudent 
experiments,  in  flagrant  violation  of 
elementary  principles!  And  then  for 
incompetent  counsel ;  is  not  his  a 
similar  position  ?  Set  to  lead  a  cause, 
before  a  host  of  keen  rivals,  watching 
his  every  step  with  bitter  scrutiny — 
feeling  himself  entirely  at  sea;  be- 
wildered anion;;  details  ;  forgetting  his 
points;  losing  his  presence  of  mind: 
with  no  fixed  principles  of  law  to 
guide  him  ;  laid  prostrate  by  a  Buddi  a 
objection,  of  which,  when  too  late  and 
the  mischief  is  done  and  irretrievable, 
h  sees,  or  has  explained  to  him  the 
fallacy,  and  absurdity,  and  even  audac- 
ity; discovering  from  indignant  juniors, 
oti  sitting  down,  that  he  lia-s  gone  to 
the  jury  on  quite  the  wrong  tack,  and 
in  effect  thrown  the  cause  away  ;  and 
at  length  he  creeps  into  court  on  the 
first  four  days  of  term,  to  endeavour 
to  retrieve  the  false  step  he  took  at  the 
trial  ;  but  in  vain,  and  he  dare  not 
look  his  attorney  in  the  face,  as  he  is 
refused  his  rule !  These  and  similar 
thoughts  may  perhaps,  on  such  occa- 
fi.iu  .  he  passing  through  tho  mind 
of  a  snarling  sarcastic  cynic,  disap- 
pointed in  h:s  Bearch  for  business,  dis- 
tanced in  the  race  for  promotion,  as 
he  sees  the  bench  occupied  with  grace- 
ful dignity  by  men  of  acknowledged 
fitm  'i   from  among  the  flower 

of  the  bar  ios1   qualified   by 

experii  nee,    learning,    intellect,    and 
baracter.     I  would  say  to  an 
enquirer,  go  now  into  any  one  of  the 
Bup  rior  com  i    countn     to 

any  courl  of  Nisi  Prius  in  the  I 
doni  ;  and    if  yo  le   to  ob 

and  you  shall  see,  you 


will  acknowledge  that  in  no  slnglo 
instance  has  the  precious  trust  of  ad- 
ministering justice  been  committed  to 
unworthy  or  incompetent  hands,  what- 
ev<  r  may  have  occasionally  been  the 
case  in  a  former  day.  And  in  like 
manner  may  we  rebuke  our  cynic,  in 
respect  of  his  disparaging  estimate  of 
the  leading  bar. 

The  spectacle  i  resented  by  the  court 
in  banc,  to  a  thoughtful  observer,  is 
interesting  and  imposing.  Here,  for 
instance,  was  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench,  presided  over  by  Lord  Wiil- 
drington,  with  three  puisne  judges — all 
men  of  powerful  understandings,  of 
great  experience,  and  of  deep  and  ex- 
tensive legal  knowledge.  Observe  the 
dignified  calmness  and  patience  with 
which  counsel  are  listened  to,  verboso 
even  and  tiresome  as  occasionally  they 
are  ;  the  judges  not  deranging  tin  IT 
thoughts,  or  the  order  in  which  tho 
argument  has  been,  with  much  anxiety 
and  can1,  prepared  for  them  before- 
hand—  by  incessant  suggestions  of 
crude  and  hasty  impressions — but  sus- 
pending their  judgment  till  fully  pos- 
sessed of  the  ease  brought  before  them 
by  one  whom  his  client  has  thought 
fit  to  intrust  with  the  conduct  of  his 
case.  They  never  interfere  but  in 
extreme  cases,  when  the  time  of  the 
court  is  being  plainly  wasted  by  loose 
irrelevant  matter.  Their  demean- 
our is  characterized  by  grave  courtesy 
and  forbearance  ;  and  their  occasional 
interference  is  received  by  the  bar  with 
profound  respect,  and  anxious  atten- 
tion. Never  is  to  he  seen  in  any  of 
our  courts  the  startling  spectacle  of 
personal  collision  between  judge  and 
counsel — each  endeavouring  to  rival 
the  other  in  a  perverse  exhibition  of 
acutem  sa  and  ingenuity.  On  the  con- 
trary, a  thoughtful  observer  of  what 

on    in    any   of   our  courts,    will 
i    lieve  that   our  judges  have,  deeply 

lend  the  truth  of  that  sayu 
Seneca — Nil  saw 

mink  NIMIO  ;  and  modelled  themselves 
it  portraiture  of  the  judi- 
-nice  drawn  by  the  most  illusti 
of  philo  iophers. 

"Patience  and  gravity  of  bearing, 
are  nn  essenl ial  part  of  justice  ;  and 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


an   over-speaking  judgo   is   no    well- 
tuned  cymbal.  Judges  ought  to  be  more 
learned    than   witty ;    more   reverend 
than  plausible  ;  and  more  advised  than 
confident.     It  is  no  grace  to  a  judge 
first  to  find  that  which  he  might*  have 
heard  in  due  time  from  the  bar  ;  or  to 
show  quickness  of  conceit,  in  cutting 
off  evidence  or  counsel  too  short,  or 
to  prevent  information   by  questions, 
though    pertinent."*      Our    English 
judges  are  indeed  worthy  of  the  affec- 
tion and  reverence  with  which,  both 
in   public   and   private,    they  are  re- 
garded ;  and  if  any  one  will  consider 
their  severe  and  almost  uninterrupted 
labours — the  toil  and  weight  of  respon- 
sibility they  bear,  equalled  by  that  of 
no  other  public  functionaries— he  will 
doubly  appreciate   the   courtesy  and 
forbearance   which  are   exhibited    by 
them,  and  forget  any  transient  glimpses 
of  asperity  or  impatience  on  the  part 
of  men  exhausted,  frequently,  by  both 
bodi  y  and   mental    labour.       But   I 
forgot  that  I  had  brought  the  reader 
into  the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  where 
he  has  been  standing  all  this  while, 
watching     Lord     "U'iddriuqton     "go 
through   the   bar,"   as  it  is  termed; 
namely,  calling  on  all  the  counsel  pre- 
sent, in  the  order  of  their  seniority  or 
position,  to  make  any  little  motion,  of 
course,  before  proceeding  with  the  prin- 
cipal business  of  the  day.    One  learned 
gentleman  moved,  for  instance,  to  dis- 
charge   a    fraudulent    debtor    out   of 
custody,  so  that  he  might  start  off  for 
the   continent  and  avoid   a    debt   of 
£3000,   because,   in   the   copy  of  the 
writ,  the  word  was  "sheriff,"  and  in 
the   writ  itself,    "sheriffs;"    and  in 
this  motion  he  succeeded,  greatly  to 
the  astonishment  of  Mr.  Aubrey.  "But 
the  court  said,  that  a  "copy"  meant 
a    copy ;    and    this   was  not  a    copy : 
where  was  the  line  to  be  drawn  ?  Were 
they  to  have  a  contest  on  every  occasion 
of    a    party's   carelessness   as  to   the 
materiality,  or  immateriality,   of  the 
variance  it  had   occasioned?     So  the 
rule  was  made  absolute,   with  costs. 
Another  scamp  sought  to  be  discharged 
out   of   custody— or  rather   that  his 
bail-bond  should  be  delivered  up  to  be 
*  Lord  Bacon.    Essays— ' '  Of  Judicature. " 


255 


cancelled,    because  his  name   therein 

was  called  "Smyth,"  whereas  in  tho 
writ  !t  was  "Smythc;"  but  after  his 
counsel  had  cited  half-a-dozen  cases, 
the  court  thought  that  the  maxim  of 
idem  sonans  applied,  and  discharged 
the   rule.     Then    half-a-dozen  youni 
gent:emen  moved  for  "judgment  as  in 
case  of  a  nonsuit"— sqme  of  them  wi'h 
real,  most  of  them  with  affected  self- 
possession  and  nonchalance  ;    another 
moved  for  an   attachment  against  a 
party  for  non-payment  of  costs,  pur- 
suant to  the  Master's  allocatur;  and 
the  last,  in  the  very  back  row  of  all 
in  a  husky  voice,  and  with  a  palpitat- 
ing heart,  rose  to  move  for 'a  "rule  to 
compute  principal  and  interest   on  a, 
bill  of  exchange."     Then  all  the  bar 
had  been  gone  through,  in  about  half, 
an-hour's   time;     during    which    tho 
Attorney-General  had  come  into  court 
and  arranged  all  his  books  and  papers 
before  him  ;    Mr.   Subtle  sitting  next 
to  him  with  a  slip  of  paper  before  him 
to  take  a  note  of  the  grounds  on  which 
he  moved. 

"  Does  any  other  gentleman  move  ? " 

enquned   Lord  Widdrington,  looking 

over  the  court.    He  received  no  answer" 

"Mr.   Attorney-General,"  said   he- 

and  the  Attorney-General  rose— 

"If  your  Lordship  pleases,"  com- 
menced the  Attorney-General,  slowly 
rising,  and   bowing— "in  a   case  of 
Doe    on    the    Demise    of   Titmouse 
against    Jolter,    tried    before    your 
Lordship  at   the  last   assizes  for  tho 
county   of  York,  I   have   humbly  to 
move  your  Lordship  for  a  rule  to  show 
cause  why  a  nonsuit  should  not  be  en- 
tcrcd,  or  why  the  verdict  entered  for  the 
plaintiff  should  not  be  set  aside,  and  a 
New   Trial  had."     He  proceeded  to 
state  the  facts  of  the  case,  and  what 
had  taken  place  at  the  trial,  with  treat 
clearness  and  brevity.     In  like  manner 
— with  perfect  simplicity  and  precision 
— he  stated  the  various  points  arising 
upon   the   evidence,  and   the   general 
grounds  of  law  which  have  been  already 
specified  ;  but  I  am  so  grateful  to  the 
reader  for  his  patience  under  the  in- 
fliction of  so  much  legal  detail  as  was 
contained  in  the  last  chapter  of  this 
history,  that  I  shall  now  content  my- 


23G 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAR, 


self  with  the  above  general  statement 

of  what  took  place  before  the  court. 
As  soon  as  lie  had  s  t  down,  the  court 
consulted  together  for  a  minute  or  two  ; 
and  then — 

"You  may  take  a  rule  to  show 
cause,  Mr.  Attorney -General,"  sai<l 
Lord  Widdrington. 

"On  all  the  grounds  I  have  men- 
tioned, my  Lord 

"Yes  — Mr.  Solicitor-General,  do 
you  move  ? " 

Up  rose,  thereat,  the  Solicitor- 
General. 

"  I  shall  discharge  your  rule,"  whis- 
pered Mr.  Subtle  to  the  Attorney- 
General. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  will,"  whispered 
trie  Attorney-General,  leaning  his  bead 
close  to  Mr.  Subtle,  ami  with  his  hand 
before  his  mouth.  Tlicn  his  clerk 
removed  the  battery  of  books  which 
stood  before  him,  together  with  his 
brief;  and  talcing  another  out  of  his 
1  ■,:  id  red  bag,  the  Attorney-! ;,  ■ 
was  soon  deep  in  the  details  of  an 
important  shipping  case,  in  which  he 
was  going  to  move  when  next  it  came 
to  hi-;  turn. 


Thus    the 


court  had  granted  a 
"rule  nisi,"  as  it  is  called,  (i.e.  it 
commanded  a  particular  thing  to  be 
done  "  unh  ■  "  sufficient  "  ca\ 
could  be  then  after  shown  to  the  courl 
why  it  should  not  be  done,)  for  either 
entering  a  nonsuit,  or  having  a  new 
tritl.  Now,  had  this  rule  been  ob- 
tained in  the  pre  enl  day,  at  leas!  two 
years  musl  have  elapsed,  owing  to 
the  in;;.:-  n  e  and  perhaps  unavoidable 
a-  of  bn  ine  s,  before  the  other 
-  ould  ii  i'  •■  be  in  hi  ard  in  answer 
to  it ;  so,  at  least,  it  has  b  en  reported 
to  me,  in  this  grei  □  old  solitude 
v  In  re  I  am  writ  in",  plea  antly  rccall- 
i  of  the   bustling 

]  life    from   which     ! 

thaul*  i'  il  f"i  h  vii  g  been  able,  with  a 

to 

]  '  :  fate 

ill  11  the    I 

in  Doc  d.   '/'. ' 

for,  t,  'd'  it  :   had 

Mr.  Aubri  y,  instead  of  the  hi:  h-mindi  d 

and  ntious  man  he  undoubl 

\.     ,  been  a  rogue,  he  might  have  bad 


the  opportunity  of  getting  in  twenty 
thousand  pounds,  and  setting  oil' with 
it  to  spend  upon  the  Continent,  as 
soon  as  he  found  that  the  court 
decided  against  him  :  or,  if  the  tenants 
should  have  been  served  with  notice 
not  to  pay  their  rents  to  any  one  but 
Mr.  Titmouse  —  at  all  events  not  to 
Mr.  Aubrey  —  how  was  Mr.  Aubrey 
and  his  family  to  have  subsisted  dur- 
ing this  interval  '< — and  with  the  possi- 
bility that,  at  the  end  of  the  two  years, 
Mr.  Aubrey  might  be  declared  to  be 
the  true  owner  of  Yatton,  and  con- 
sequently all  the  while  entitled  to 
those  rents,  &c,  the  non-payment 
of  which  might  have  entailed  upon 
him  the  most  serious  embarrassments. 
During  the  same  interval,  poor  Mr. 
Titmouse,  heart-sick  with  hope  de- 
ferred, might  have  taken  to  liquor,  as 
a  solace  under  his  misery,  and  drunk 
himself  to  death  before  the  rule  was 
di  charged — or  brought  his  valuable 
life  to  a  more  .sudden  and  abrupt 
elusion:  which  alfecting  event  would 
have  relieved  the  court  from  deciding 
several  troublesome  points  of  law, 
kept  the  Aubreys  in  |  n  id'  the 

Yatton  estates.  If  what  I  am  informed 
of  as  to  the  accumulal  [Tears  in 

tin'  (  '"in  t  of  King's  Bl  in  h  in  1  he  1 1 re- 
sent day,  in  spite  of  the  anxious  and 
unprecedented  exertions  of  its  very 
able  awd  active  judj  >  ,  lie  coi  rect,  I 
suspect  that  1  shall  not  be  belie 
when  1  inform  the  reader  that  within 
ten  or  twelve  days  after  the  rule  nisi, 

in  the  present  case,  had  been  moved, 
'•  c  rase  was  shown"  against  it  by  Mr. 
Subtle  and  Mr.  Lynx,  and  very  ad- 
mirably show  d  again  I  it  too.  i  Mr. 
Quicksilver,  unf<  for  the  in- 

tere  ts  of  Mr.  'I  i  ont, 

attending  a  great  meeting  in  the  I 
ed  by  himself,  to  e 

!  ;; 

ation  of  Mankind  on  the  Ba  i  of  Pure 
1;, .  :.  i  The  A.tton  .  -1 :  neral  ex- 
ert, d   himself  to  the  UtmOSt  ill  SU]>p"lt. 

of  his  rule.     |  le  fi  It  thai  I ; 
though  scarcely  at  ad  interfering  dur- 
ing In  dm ;  yet 
led,  perns ps,  one  oi  the  n 

tint      had      I 

beard    in    the  placi    where  lie 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


25? 


was  speaking.  Mr.  Sterling  and  Mr. 
Crystal,  wisely  avoiding  the  ground 
so  admirably  occupied  by  the  Attorney- 
General,  contented  themselves  with 
strengthening  those  positions  which 
appeared  to  them  less  fortified  by 
positive  authority  than  the  others ; 
and  then  the  court  said  they  would 
take  a  day  or  two's  time  to  consider  : 
"less  on  account,"  said  Lord  Wid- 
drington,  "of  the  difficulty  of  the 
case,  than  the  magnitude  of  the 
interests  which  would  probably  be 
all'ectcd  by  their  decision." 

1 '  You   have  them   dead  with  you, 
Subtle,"     whispered     the     Attorney- 
General,  a  slight  expression  of  ehagin 
stealing  over  his  features,  as  he  heard 
the  observation  of  Lord  Widdrington. 
"I  never  doubted  it,"  replied  Mr. 
Subtle  with  a  confident  air.      Every 
day  afterwards,  from  the  sitting  to  the 
rising  of  the  court,   did  the  anxious 
Aubrey  attend  in  the  King's  Bench,  to 
hear  the  judgment  of  the   court   de- 
livered.    At  length    arrived   the  last 
day  of  the  term.     Soon  after  the  sit- 
ting of  the  court,  Lord  Widdrington 
pronounced  judgment  in  two  or  three 
cases  ;  but  not   seeing  the    Attorney- 
General  (who  was  engaged  before  the 
House  of  Lords)  in  his  place,  delayed 
giving  judgment  in  the   case  of  Doe 
and    Jolter.     About   two    o'clock   he 
made   his    appearance  ;    and    shortly 
afterwards,   Lord   Widdrington,    after 
disposing  of  the  matter   then   before 
the  court,  said—"  There  was  a  case  of 
Doe  on  the  demise  of  Titmouse  against 
Jolter,  in  which,  early  in  the  term,  a 
rule  was   obtained,    calling  upon  the 
lessor  of  the  plaintiff  to  show  cause 
why" — and  he  proceeded  to  state  the 
rule,  and  then  to  deliver  the  written 
unanimous  judgment  of  the  court.     A 
clear  and  elaborate  statement  of  the 
facts,     out    of    which    the    questions 
submitted  to   the   court  had    arisen, 
and   of    those    questions    themselves, 
was  listened    to   by   Mr.    Aubrey   in 
breathless   suspense,   before  he   could 
obtain  the  faintest  intimation  of  the 
judgment  which  the  court  was  about 
to    pronounce.      Lord    Widdrington 
went  on  to  dispose,  one  by  one,  with 
painful  deliberation  and  precision,  of 


the  seven  points  presented  for  tho 
decision  of  the  court.  One  or  two 
questions  they  decided  in  favour  of  the 
defendant ;  but  added,  that  it  had 
become  unnecessary  to  do  so,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  answers  given  by  tho 
witnesses  to  other  questions,  at  the 
trial,  and  which  disposed  of  the  doubts 
arising  on  the  former  questions.  The 
documentary  evidence,  subsequently 
put  in,  got  rid  of  another  difficulty  in 
the  early  part  of  the  plaintiff's  case, 
and  rendered  immaterial  a  question 
put  by  the  plaintiffs  counsel,  and 
strenuously  objected  to  on  the  pail;  of 
the  defendant ;  which  question  the 
court  was  of  opinion,  as  had  been 
Lord  Widdrington  at  the  trial,  ought 
not  to  have  been  allowed.  Then,  as 
to  the  question  of  Adverse  posses- 
sion, on  which  very  great  stress  had 
been  laid  by  the  defendant's  counsel, 
the  court  was  of  opinion  that  none 
existed  ;  since  there  had  been  a  dis- 
ability— indeed,  a  series  of  disabilities,* 
— through  infincy,  coverture,  and  ab- 
sence beyond  seas,  of  the  various 
parties  through  whom  the  lessor  of  the 
plaintiff  claimed.  Finally,  as  to  tho 
question  concerning  the  ERASURE,  tho 
court  was  clearly  of  opinion,  that  the 
deed  in  which  it  occurred  had  been 
properly  rejected ;  inasmuch  as  the 
erasure  occurred  in  a  clearly  ma- 
terial part  of  the  deed,  and  there 
were  no  recitals  in  the  deed  by  which 
it  could  be  helped.  That  it  was  clearly 
incumbent  upon  those  profrering  the 
deed  in  evidence,  to  account  for  its 
altered  appearance,  although  the  deed 
was  more  than  thirty  years  old,  .and 
rebut  the  presumption  of  fraud  arising 
therefrom.  That  the  erasure  was  a 
clear  badge  of  fraud !  and  to  hold 
otherwise  would  be  to  open  a  wide 
door  to  frauds  of  the  most  extensive 
and  serious  description.  That  there 
had  been  no  evidence  offered  to  show 
that  the  deed  had  ever  been  a  valid 
deed  ;  the  very  first  step  failed  ;  and, 
in  short,  in  its  then  state,  it  was  iu 
contemplation  of  law  no  deed  at  all; 
and,   consequently,  had  been  properly 

*  If  the  reader  -will  refer  to  p.  220  ho 
may  see  how  the  dUabilitisa  here  alluded  to 
arose,  aud  affected  tho  case. 


258 


xilOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


rejected.  "For  all  hese  reasons, 
therefore,  we  are  clearly  of  opinion, 
that  the  verdict  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
turbed, ami  tin'  rule  will  consequently 
be  DISCHARGED."  As  these  last  words 
were  pronounced,  a  mist  seemed  for  a 
moment  to  intervene  between  Mr. 
Aubrey  and  the  objects  around  him  ; 
for  his  thoughts  hail  reverted  to  Yat- 
ton,  and  the  precious  ohjects  of  his 
affection  who  were  there,  in  sickening 
suspense,  awaiting  the  event;  which 
had  that  moment  taken  place.  The 
words  yi  t  Bounding  in  his  excited  ears, 
seemed  like  the  sentence  of  expulsion 
from  Paradise  passed  upon  our  dis- 
mayed  and  heart-broken  first  parents. 
Yes,  in  that  solemn  region  of  matter- 
of-fact  and  common-place — that  dend 
sea,  as  far  as  feeling,  sentiment,  inci- 
dent, or  excitement  is  concerned,  the 
Court  of  King's  Bench — there  sat  a 
man  of  exquisite  sensibility — pure  and 
high-minded — whose  feelings  were  for 
a  while,  paralysed  by  the  words  which 
had  fallen  from  the  judgment-seat, 
uttend  with  a  cold,  business-like, 
indifferent  air— oh  !  how  horridly  out 
of  concert  with  the  anxious  and  exciti  d 
tone  of  him  whom,  with  his  lovely 
family,  they  consigned,  in  fact,  to 
destitution  !  After  remaining  for  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  during  which 
brief  interval  he  resinned  the  control 
over  his  feelings  which  he  had  so  Ion;; 
and  successfully  struggled  to  maintain, 
he  rose,  and  quitted  the  court.  It 
was  a  In  avy,  lowering  afternoon — one 
which  seemed  to  harmonize  with  the 

■  my  and  desolate  mood  in  which 
lie  slowly  walked  homeward,  lie  en- 
countered many  of  his  friends,  on  foot, 
on  horseback,  and  in  carnages,  on 
their  way  down  to  the  Houses  of 
Parliament ;  the  very  Bight  of  them, 
in  the  morbid  state  of  his  feelii 
gave   him   a    pang   that    was    hide 

bable.     With    them   mutter.;  were 
the  thej   had  ever  been 

they  had  till  then  hecn  with  him-  and 
as  probably  they  would  be  with  them 
to  the  end  of  their  career  ;  hut  he  had 
been  forced,  suddenly  and  for  ever,  to 
quit  the  Bcene  of  high  excitement  he 
heaved  many  heavy  sighs,  as  ho  ex- 
changed nod  alter  nod  with  those  lu 


met,  as  he  approached  ("muring  Cross. 
Tlrro  he  encountered  Lord  C- — ,  the 
brilliant  Foreign  Secretary,  ami  in 
arm  with  two  eloquent  and  leading 
members  of  the  Government— all  of 
them  evidently  in  high  spirits,  on 
their  way  down  to  the  House. 

"  Ah !  —Aubrey  !  —  In  town  !— An 
age  since  wc  met!  " — exclaimed  they, 
in  a  breath,  shaking  him  cordially  by 
the  hand. — "  You  know,  of  course, 
that  the  budget  comes  on  to-night — 
eh  ? " 

"I  assure  you,"  said  Lord  C , 

"  our  friends  will  do  us  great  service — 
very  essential  service,  by  being  early 
in  their  attendance! — You  know  that 
Mr.  Quicksilver  intends  to  come  out 
against  us  to-night  in  great  force? — 
My  dear  Aubrey,  you  are  going  the 
wrong  way." 

"1  am  not  going  down  to  the  House 
to-night." 

"  Not  going  down  ?— Kh  !—  My  dear 
Aubrey,  you  astonish  me  ! — Have  you 
aired  off!  You  can't  think  how  1 
uncut,  your  absence  ! 

"  1  am  returning  to  Yorkshire  almost 
immediately." 

"  But  surely  you  can  come  for  an 
hour,  or  so,  to-night — eh?  Cornel 
Don't  let  a  trifle  stand  in  the  way." 

"  I  would  not  let  a  trifle  stand  in 
the  way,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  in  a 
tone  and  manner  that,  at  once  arrested 
tic  attention  of  them  whom  he  was 
addressing,  and  suddenly  reminded 
them  of  what,  in  their  political  eager- 
ness, they  had  for  a  moment  lost  sight 
of — namely,  the  perilous  position  of 
his  private  affairs. 

"My  dear  Aubrey,  1  bega  thousand 
pardons   for   intruding   such   matters 

upon    you,"    said    Lord    C ,    with 

sudden  earnestness;  "hut  shall  wo 
have  an  opportunity  of  meeting  before 

you  have  town  ?  " 

"  I  fear— not; — I  sel  off  by  the  mail 
to-morrow  evening-  and  have  in  the 
mean   time   much    to  attend    to,"    said 

.Mr.  Aubrey,  onable  to  repress  a  sigh 
— ami  'ley  parted.  Bui  for  a  deter- 
mination not   to  yield   to  a  morbid 

tbility,   lie  Would   have  got   into  n 

hackney-coach,  and  so  have  avoided 
the  "troops  of  friends  J"  the  hosts  of 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


259 


"  old  familiar  faces,"  all  wending  down 
to  the  scene  in  which  he  had  begun  so 
eminently  to  distinguish  himself— but 
from  which  he  seemed  now  to  be  for 
ever  excluded.  He,  therefore,  pur- 
sued his  way  on  foot.  One  of  those 
on  whom  his  troubled  eye  lit,  was  a 
well-known  figure  on  horseback— the 

great  Duke  of  ,  on  his  way  down 

to  the  House  of  Lords,  going  very 
slowly,  his  head  inclined  on  one  side, 
his  iron-cast  features  overspread  with 
an  expression  of  stern  thoughtfulness. 
He  did  not  observe  Mr.  Aubrey — in 
fact,  he  seemed  too  much  absorbed 
with  his  own  thoughts  to  observe  or 
recognise  anybody  ;  yet  he  now  and 
then  mechanically  raised  his  finger  to 
his  _  hat,  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
obeisances  of  those  whom  he  met. 
Poor  Aubrey  sighed  ;  and  felt  as  if 
circumstances  had  placed  him  at  an 
immeasurable  distance  from  him  whom, 
so  lately,  he  had  entertained  familiarly 
at  dinner  ;  that  there  seemed  suddenly 
to  have  arisen,  as  it  were,  a  great  and 
impassable  gulf  between  them. 

On  reaching  his  house  in  Grosvenor 
Street,  his  heart  fluttered  while  he 
knocked  and  rang  ;  and  he  seemed  to 
shrink  from  the  accustomed  obsequious 
voice  and  manner  of  the  powdered 
menial  who  admitted  him.  Having 
ordered  a  slight  dinner,  he  repaired  to 
his  library.  The  only  letter  which  had 
arrived  since  he  had  left  in  the  morn- 
ing, bore  the  Grilston  post-mark,  and 
was  in  the  handwriting  of  Mrs.  Aubrey. 
He  opened  it  with  trembling  eagerness. 
It  was  crossed— the  dear  familiar  hand- 
writing ! — from  beginning  to  end,  and 
full  of  heart  -  subduing  tenderness. 
Then  it  had  a  little  enclosure,  with  a 
strange,  straggling  superscription,  "To 
my  Papa  ;  "  and  on  opening  it  he  read, 
in  similar  characters — 

"My  dear  Papa,  I  love  you  veiy 
very  much.  Do  come  home.  Mamma 
sends  her  love.     Your  dutiful  son, 

"Charles  Aubrey. 
"P.S.  Agnes  sends  her  love;   she 
cannot  write  because  she  is  so  little. 
Please  to  come  home  directly, 

"Charles  A.,  Yatton." 

Aubrey  saw  how  it  was — that  Mrs. 

Aubrey  had  either  affected  to  write  in 


her  little  son's  name,  or  had  actually 
guided  his  pen.  On  the  outside  she- 
had  written  in  pencil — 

"Charles  says,  he  hopes  that   you 
will  answer  his  letter  directly." 

Aubrey's  lip  quivered,  and  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears.     Putting  the  letters 
into  his  bosom,  he  rose  and  walked  to 
and  fro,  with  feelings  which   cannot 
be  described.     The  evening  was  very 
gloomy  ;   it  poured   with  rain  inces- 
santly.    He  was  the  only  person   in 
that  spacious  and  elegant  house,  ex- 
cept the  servants  left  in  charge  of  it ; 
and  dreary  and  desolate  enough  it  felt. 
He  was  but  its  nominal  owner — their 
nominal  master  !    In  order  to  save  the 
post,  he  sat  down  to  write  home  — 
(home  !  his  heart  sank  within  him  at 
the   thought)  —  and  informed   Mrs. 
Aubrey  and  his  sister  of  the  event  for 
which   his   previous   letters  had  pre- 
pared them  ;    adding    that  he  should 
set  off  for  Yatton  by  the  mail  of  the 
ensuing  night,  and  that  he  was  per- 
fectly  well.     He  also  wrote  a  line  or 
two,  in  large  printed   characters,  by 
way  of  answer  to  his  little  correspond- 
ent, his  son,  towards  whom  how  his 
heart  yearned  !  and  having  dispatched 
his  packet,  probably  the  last  he  should 
ever  frank,  he  partook  of  a  hasty  and 
slight  dinner,  and  then  resigned  him- 
self to  deep  meditation  upon  his  critical 
circumstances.   He  was  perfectly  aware 
of  his  precise  position,  in  point  of  law, 
namely,  that  he  was  safe  in  the.  pos- 
session of  the  Yatton  property,  (with 
the  exception  of  the  trifle  wliich  was 
occupied  by  Jolter,  and  had  been  the 
object  of  the  action  just  determined,) 
till  another  action  should  have  been 
brought,  directly  seeking  its  recovery  ; 
and  that   by  forcing  his  opponent  ta 
bring  such  action,  he  might  put  him 
to  considerable  risk  of  retaining  his 
verdict,    and    thereby   greatly   harass 
him,  and    ward    off,   indefinitely,  the 
evil  day  from  himself.   By  these  means 
he  might  secure  time,  possibly,  also, 
favourable  terms  for   the  payment  of 
the  dreadful  arrear  of  mesne  profits, 
in  which  he  stood  indebted  to  his  suc- 
cessor.    To  this  effect  he  had  received 
several  intimations  from  as  upright  and 
conscientious  an  adviser,  Mr.  Ilunning- 

S  2 


2C0 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


ton,  as  was  to  be  found  in  tho  profes- 
sion. But  Mr.  Aubrey  had  decided 
upon  his  course  ;  lie  had  taken  his 
ground,  and  intended  to  maintain  it. 
However  sudden  and  unlooked-for  had 
been  the  claim  set  up  against  him,  it 
had  been  deliberately  and  solemnly  con- 
firmed by  the  law  of  the  laud  ;  and  he 
had  no  idea  but  of  yielding  it  a  prompt 
and  hearty  obedience.  He  resolved, 
therefore,  to  waste  no  time — to  fritter 
away  no  energy  in  feeble  dalliance 
with  trouble  ;  but  to  face  her  boldy, 
and  comply  with  all  her  exactions. 
He  would,  on  the  morrow,  instruct 
Mr.  Kunnington  to  write  to  his  oppo- 
nent's solicitors,  informing  them  that 
within  three  weeks'  time  the  estates 
at  Yatton  would  be  delivered  up  to 
their  client,  Mr.  Titmouse.  He  would 
also  direct  his  own  private  solicitor  to 
arrange  fur  the  quickest  possible  dis- 
posal of  his  house  iu  Grosvenor  Street, 
and  his  wines  and  his  furniture,  both 
there  and  at  Yattou.  He  resolved, 
moreover,  on  the  morrow,  to  take  the 
necessary  steps  for  vacating  his  scat  in 
Parliament,  by  applying  for  the  Stew- 
ardship of  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  ;  and 
having  determined  on  these  arrange- 
ments, consequent  upon  the  adverse 
decision  of  the  Court  of  King's  Bench 
of  that  day,  he  felt  the  momentary 
relief  and  satisfaction  of  the  seaman 
who  has  prepared  his  vessel  for  the 
approaching  storm.  He  felt,  indeed, 
relieved  for  a  while  from  a  dreadful 
pressure. 

"And  what,  now,  have  I  really  to 
complain  of?"  said  he  to  himself; 
"why  murmur  presumptuously  and 
vainly  against  the  dispensations  of 
Providence]  I  thank  God  that  1  am 
still  able  to  recognise  his  band  in  what 
has  befallen  me,  and  to  believe  that  he 
hath  done  all  things  well;  that  pros- 

Iierity  and  adversity  are  equally,  from 
lira,  means  of  accomplishing  his  all- 
wise   purposes  I     Is  it  for  me,   poor 

iusectl  to  question  the  g Iness,  tie' 

lorn,  or  the  .in  itice  of  my  Maker  ? 
I  thank  God  lor  the  firm  belief  1  have 

that  he  gOVCTM  the  World  ill  riglUcOUS- 

,  ami  that  he  has  declared  that  he 
will  protect  ami  bless  them  who  sin- 
cerely endeavour  to  discover,  and  con- 


form to,  his  will  concerning  them.  Ho 
it  was  that  placed  me  iu  my  late 
condition  of  prosperity  and  eminence  : 
why  should  I  fret,  when  he  sees  lit 
gently  to  remove  me  from  it,  and 
place  me  in  a  different  sphere  of  ex- 
ertion and  suffering?  If  the  dark 
heathen  could  spend  a  life  in  endeav- 
ouring to  steel  his  heart  against  the 
sense  of  suffering,  and  to  look  with 
cheerless  indifference  upon  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life,  shall  I,  a  Christian,  shrink 
with  impatience  and  terror  from  the 
first  glimpse  of  adversity  ?  Even  at 
the  worst,  how  favoured  is  my  situa- 
tion in  comparison  of  that  of  millions 
of  my  fellow-creatures  ?  Shall  I  not 
lessen  my  own  Bufferings,  by  the  con- 
templation of  those  which  the  Almighty 
has  t  bought  fit  to  inflict  upon  my  breth- 
ren ?  What  if  I,  anil  those  whom  I  love, 
Were  the  subjects  of  direful  disease — of 
vice — of  dishonour?  "What  if  I  were 
the  object  of  a  just  and  universal  con- 
tempt, given  up  to  a  reprobate  mind  ; 
miserable  here,  and  without  hope  here- 
after ?  Here  have  I  health,  a  loving 
family — have  had  the  inestimable  ad- 
vantages of  education,  and  even  now, 
in  the  imminent  approach  of  danger, 
am  enabled  to  preserve,  in  some  mea- 
sure, a  composure  of  feeling,  a  resolu- 
tion which  will  support  me,  and  those 
who  are  dearer  to  me  than  life."  Here 
his  heart  beat  quickly,  and  he  walked 
rapidly  to  and  fro.  "I  am  confident 
that  Providence  will  care  for  them  ! 
As  for  me,  even  in  sight  of  the  more 
serious  and  startling  peril  that  menaces 
me — what  is  it  to  a  Christian,  but  a 
trial  of  his  constancy  ?  There  hath  no 
tt  mptation  t<il<  ,*  you,  say  the  Scriptures 
written  for  our  instruction,  hut  such  as 
is  com  mini  tn  man ;  *  lut  Ood  is  faith- 
ful, wJto  will  not,  suffer  you  to  be  tempt*  d 
above  wliat  ye  arc  able,  lut  will  with 
(he  temptation,  also  make  a  way  to 
<«.',  that  '>/'■  may  be  able  to  bear  it." 
This  consolatory  passage,  led  Aubrey 

•  "  'Avtipumvof  "  signifies  in  this  place,  (1st 
Corinth,  x.  18,)  says  a  great  commentator 
<>i>  this  memorable  passage  of  Scripture, 
".Mali  an  Ls  Buited  to  tiiu  nature  and  cir- 

I  man:   BUch  aBOVI  •  y  man  may 

i  iii 'I  v  ex  i"  ct,  If  ho  considers  the  nature 
ol  ins  body  and  soul, and  bis  situation  in  iho 
present  world." 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


261 


in  a  calm  and  exalted  mood  of  mind, 
to  meditate  upon  that  picture  of  sub- 
mission to  manifold  misfortune,  simple 
and  sub'.ime  beyond  all  comparison  or 
approach,  drawn  by  the  pencil  of  one 
inspired  with  wisdom  from  on  high — 
calculated  at  once  to  solemnize,  to 
strengthen,  and  elevate  the  heart  and 
character  of  man  ;  and  which  is  to  be 
found  in  the  first  and  second  chapters 
of  the  Book  of  Job.  Oh,  reader  !  who, 
brilliant  as  may  be  at  this  moment  thy 
position  in  life,  may  have  been  hereto- 
fore, or  may  be  hereafter,  placed  in 
circumstances  of  dreadful  suffering  and 
peril,  suifer  him  whose  humble  labours 
now  for  a  moment  occupy  thy  atten- 
tion, reverently  to  refer  thee,  again  and 
yet  again,  to  that  memorable  passage 
of  holy  writ !  "With  danger  surround- 
ing him,  with  utter  ruin  staring  him 
in  the  face,  Mr.  Aubrey  read  this 
glorious  passage ;  his  shaken  spirit 
gathered  from  it  calmness  and  conso- 
lation, and,  retiring  early  to  bed,  he 
enjoyed  a  night  of  tranquil  undisturbed 
repose. 

"They  are  determined  not  to  let 
the  grass  grow  underneath  their  feet, 
Mr.  Aubrey,"  said  Mr.  Runnington, 
who,  the  next  morning,  made  his  ap- 
pearance at  breakfast,  pursuant  to 
appointment;  "'within  two  hours' 
time  of  the  court  delivering  judgment, 
yesterday  afternoon,  I  received  the 
following  communication. "  He  handed 
to  Mr.  Aubrey  this  letter : — 

"  Saffron  Hill,  1Uh  April,  18—. 
"Gentlemen, 

"Doc  d.  Titmoitse  v.  Jolter. 
"  The  rule  for  a  new  trial  herein 
having  been  this  day  discharged,  and 
the  unanimous  judgment  of  the  court 
delivered  in  favour  of  the  claims  to 
the  Yatton  estate  of  the  lessor  of  the 
pi  until!'  in  the  present  action,  we  shall 
feci  obliged  by  au  intimation  from  you, 
at  your  earliest  possible  convenience, 
of  the  course  which  your  client  may 
now  think  fit  to  adopt.  You  are,  of 
course,  aware  that  we  are  now  in  a 
situation  to  attack,  successfully,  the 
entire  property  at  Yatton,  at  present 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Aubrey  ;  and 
that,  had  we  thought  lit,   we  might 


have  sought  and  recovered  It  all  in  the 
action  which  has  just  been  decided  in 
favour  of  our  client.  It  is  now  in  our 
power  materially  to  strengthen  the 
evidence  adduced  at  the  late  trial : 
and  we  beg  to  be  informed  whether  it 
is  your  client's  intention  to  put  Mr. 
Titmouse  to  the  enormous  expense, 
and  the  delay  of  a  second  trial,  the 
issue  of  which  cannot  be  doubtful ;  or, 
with  the  promptitude  and  candour 
which  are  to  be  expected  from  a  gentle- 
man of  the  station  and  character  of 
your  client,  at  once  yield  to  our  client 
the  substantial  fruits  of  his  verdict. 

"If  his  reasonable  wishes  in  this 
matter  be  disregarded,  we  would  merely 
intimate  that  it  will  be  for  your  client 
most  seriously  to  weigh  the  conse- 
quences ;  to  see  whether  such  a  line  of 
conduct  may  not  greatly  prejudice  his 
interests,  and  place  him  in  a  far  worse 
position  than,  perhaps,  he  would  other- 
wise have  occupied.  As  we  understand 
your  client  to  be  in  town,  we  trust  you 
will  forgive  us  for  requesting  you  im- 
mediately to  communicate  with  him, 
and  at  your  earliest  convenience  enable 
us  to  announce  the  result  to  our  client. 
— We  are,  gentlemen,  your  obedient 
servants, 

"Quirk,  Gammon,  &  Snap. 

"Messrs.  Eunnington  &  Co." 

""Well — I  own  I  see  nothing  to  find 
fault  with  in  this  letter,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey  calmly,  but  with  a  suppressed 
sigh,  as  soon  as  he  had  read  the  letter. 

"  Rather  quick  work,  too — is  it  not, 
,Mr.  Aubrey  ? — within  an  hour  or  two 
after  judgment  pronounced  in  their 
favour : — but,  to  be  sure,  it's  very 
excusable,  when  you  consider  the  line 
of  business  and  the  sort  of  clients  that 
.Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  are 
accustomed  to." 

"I  have  made  up  my  mind  as  to 
the  course  I  shall  adopt,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey. 

"  Oh,  of  course,  that  is  quite  clear !  " 
said  Mr.  Runnington,  pouring  out  his 
coffee — "we  shall  stand  another  shot, 
and  see  if  there's  ammunition  enough 
left  for  the  purpose  :  and  we'll  tender 
a  bill  of  exceptions,  and  cany  the 
case  into  the  Exchequer  chamber,  and 


2G2 


TEX  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


thence  into  tlio  House  of  Lords — ah  ! 
we'll  work  them,  1  warrant  them  !  " — 
ami  he  rubbed  bis  hands,  with  a  little 
excitement  in  his  maimer. 

"Why,  Mr.  Runnington,"  answered 
Mr.  Aubrey  gravely,  "  would  it  not  be 
wanton — most  unconscientious  in  me 
to  put  them  to  the  expense  and  anxiety 
of  a  second  trial,  when  the  whole  case, 
on  both  sides,  has  been  fairly  brought 
before  both  the  court  and  the  jury  ?" 

"Good  Heavens,  Air.  Aubreyl  who 
ever  heard  of  an  estate  of  ten  thousand 
a-yesr  being  surrendered  after  one 
assault?" 

"If  it  were  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  a-year,  I  would  submit,  after 
such  a  trial  as  ours." 

"  How  do  we  know  what  fraud  and 
perjury  may  have  been  resorted  to  in 
order  to  secure  the  late  verdict,  and 
which  we  may  have  the  means  of  ex- 
ploding against  the  next  trial  ?  Ah, 
31  r.  Aubrey,  you  don't  know  the  cha- 
racter of  .Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  in  the  profession  ;  they  learn  a 
fresh  trick  from  every  scoundrel, 
swindler,  and  thief,  whoso  case  they 
undertake." 

"  1  thought  that  fraud  and  perjury 
were  never  to  be  presumed,  Mr.  Rnn- 
nington I  Besides,  hail  we  not  the 
advantage  of  most  acuto  and  experi- 
enced counsel?  How  could  it  escape 
than?" 

"I  would  only  venture  to  remind 
you,"  said  Mr.  Runnington,  firmly 
but  respectfully,  "of  the  observations 
of  the  Attorney-General,  at  our  last 
consultation." 

"J  thought  1  was  unanswered,  Mr. 
Runnington,  though  I  did  not  feel  a( 
liberty  to  press  the  matter,"  replied 
Mr.  Aubrey  with  a  melancholy  smile. 

"Excuse  me,  but  wc  must  take  the 
chance  of  a  second  trial,"  ^aid  Mr. 
Runnington. 

"lb  ided  upon  the  cours  i  I 

shall    adopt,"    replied    Mr.    Aubrey, 
calmly  and  determinedly  —  "I   shall 

inslre  L   J  eii    to    H  rile    I  his   day  to   III' 

gentlemen  upon  tin:  other  side,  and 

inform    them    that  within    line  l   v 

1  shall  bo  prepared  to  deliver  up  pos- 

Ki       :<>:i  of  Yatli.n." 

'•  .My  dear  i  irl     Do  I  hear  aright  J 


Deliver  up  possession  of  the  estates? 
and  within  three  weeks  ?" 

"That  was  what  1  said,  Mr.  Rnn- 
nington,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey  rather 
peremptorily. 

"I  give  you  my  honour,  Mr.  Au- 
brey, that  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
practice  I  never  heard  of  such  a  pro- 
cedure." 

"And  I  shall  further  request  you  to 
state  that  the  last  quarters  ten's  are 
in  my  banker's  hands,  and  will  be 
paid  over  to  the  order  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse." 

"Good  gracious,  Mr.  Aubrey  !"  in- 
terrupted Mr.  Runnington,  with  an 
air  of  deep  concern. 

"  1  have  well  considered  the  position 
in  which  I  am  placed,"  said  Mr.  Au- 
brey with  a  serious  air. 

"  It  is  very  painful  for  me  to  men- 
tion the  subject,  Mr.  Aubrey ;  but 
have  you  adverted  to  the  mesne 
profits  (" 

"I  have.  It  is,  indeed,  a  very 
fearful  matter :  and  I  frankly  own 
that  1  see  no  way  open  before  me,  but 
to  trust  to  the  forbearance  of " 

"  Forbearance  !— The  forbearance  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  I  ! 
or  of  any  one  counselled  by  them  !  " 

"Why,  what  can  I  do  ?  I  might 
as  well  undertake  to  pay  oil'  the 
national  debt  as  the  sum  of  sixty 
thousand  pounds." 

"That's  just  the  very  thing,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Runnington  with  a  dismayed 
air. 

""Whatever  honourable  negotiation 
can  effect,  I  leave  it  in  your  hands  to 
do.  With  reference  to  the  time  that 
may  be  obtained  for  the  liquidation  of 
it," — -Mr.  Aubrey  changed  colour,  but 
spoke  with  firmness- — "I  must  own 
that  this  is  a  matter  that  h  s  occa- 
sioned mi-  inexpressible  anxiety,  Mr. 
Itunnington.  1  really  do  not  see  what 
i  ugth  of  time  will  enable  me  to  dis- 
charge so  fearful  a  sum  of  money,  or 
e\  en  to  make  an  .  le  impression 

upon  it.     J  am  quite  at.  their  mei 
Here   both    maintained    a  silence  of 
d  minutes'  duration. 

"I  am  far  from  thinking  it  char 
that  equity  would  not  interpose  to 
relieve  again  t  mesne  profits,  in  bitch  a 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


263 


case  as  the  present — a  dormant  claim 
set  up." 

' '  1  cannot  see,  Mr.  Runnington,  on 
what  principle  such  an  interference 
could  be  supported." 

"No  more  do  I,  at  present, "replied 
Mr.  Runnington,  "but  I'll  lose  no 
time  in  having  the  best  advice  on  the 
subject.       Gracious    me !     when    one 

thinks  of  it,  it  deprives  one  of "  at 

this  moment  a  thundering  appeal  to 
the  knocker  of  the  door  announced  an 
arrival :    and    presently    the    servant 

entered  and  stated  that   Lord  C 

had  called,  and  was  waiting  in  the 
library.  After  repeating  two  or  three 
directions  to  Mr.  Runnington,  Mr. 
Aubrey  begged  to  be  excused,  and 
presently  entered  the   library,   where 

Lord  C was  paiting  to  receive  him. 

Lord  C was  a  middle-aged  man, 

tall,  of  elegant  person,  a  strikingly 
handsome  countenance,  and  most  win- 
ning address  ;  he  was  a  thorough  poli- 
tician, possessed  of  eloquence,  immense 
practical  knowledge,  and  a  very  com- 
manding intellect,  lie  was  made  for 
eminent  office,  and  got  through  the 
most  complicated  and  harassing  busi- 
ness with  singular  ease  and  celerity. 
He  had  for  several  years  entertained  a 
sincere  regard  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  whom 
he  considered  to  be  a  very  rising  man 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  who 
had,  on  several  occasions,  rendered 
him  special  service  in  debate.  He  had 
been  much  shocked  to  hear  of  the 
sudden  misfortune  which  had  befallen 
Mr.  Aubrey  ;  and  had  now  come  to 
Limwith  a  sincere  desire  to  be  of  ser- 
vice to  him ;  and  alsc,  not  without  a 
faint  hope  of  prevailing  upon  him  to 
come  down  that  evening  and  support 
them  in  a  very  close  division.  He  was 
as  kind-hearted  a  man  as  a  keen  poli- 
tician could  be. 

"1  am  really  shocked  beyond  ex- 
pression to  hear  all  this,"  said  he  after 
Aubrey  had,  at  his  earnest  request, 
explained  the  position  in  which  he 
was  placed  ;  the  dreadful  loss  lie  had 
sustained,  the  still  more  dreadful  lia- 
bilities to  which  he  was  subject. 
" Really  who  can  be  safe?  It  might 
have  happened  to  me — to  any  of  us  ? 
Forgive  me,  my  dear  Aubrey,"  con- 


tinued Lord  C earnest}}',   "If  I 

venture  to  express  a  hope  that  at  all 
events  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  your  family 
are  provided  for,  and  your  very  lovely 
sister  ;  she,  I  trust,  is  out  of  the  reach 
of  inconvenience  ? "  Mr.  Aubrey's  lip 
quivered,  and  he  remained  silent. 

"Allow  me  a  friend's  freedom, 
Aubrey,  and  let  me  repeat  my  ques- 
tion ;  are  your  family  provided  for  ?" 

"I  will  be  frank,  Lord  C ,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a  strong  effort 
to  preserve  his  composure.  "  The 
little  provision  that  was  made  for 
them  goes  with  Yatton  :  but  for  them 
— my  wife,  my  children,  my  sister — I 
could  have  submitted  to  this  misfor- 
tune with  unshrinking  fortitude  ;  but 
they  are,  alas,  involved  in  my  ruin ! 
My  wife  had  nothing  when  I  married 
her  ;  and  of  course  the  settlements  I 
made  on  her  were  out  of  the  Yatton 
property  ;  as  also  was  the  little  income 
left  my  sister  by  my  father.  With 
Yatton  all  is  gone — that  is  the  plain 
fact ;  and  there  is  no  disguising  it." 

Lord  C seemed  much  moved. 

"The  Duke  of ■,  I,  and  two  or 

three  other  of  your  friends,  were  talk- 
ing about  these  matters  last  night ; 
we  wish  we  could  serve  you.  Vv'hat 
is  the  sort  of  foreign  service  you  would 
prefer,  Aubrey  ? " 

"  Foreign  service, "  echoed  Mr.  Au- 
brey significantly. 

"Yes;  an  entire  change  of  scene 
would  be  highly  serviceable  in  divert- 
ing your  thoughts  from  the  distressing 
subjects  which  here  occupy  them,  and 
mu:t  continue  to  occupy  them  for 
some  time  to  come." 

"It   is   very   kindly  meant,    Lord 

C ;  but  do  you  really  think  I  can 

for  a  single  moment  entertain  the  idea 
of  quitting  the  country  to  escape  from 
pecuniary  liability  ? " 

"That's  the  point  exactly;  I  de- 
cidedly think  you  ought  to  do  so  ;  that 

you  must,"  replied  Lord  C in  a 

matter-of-fact  manner. 

"Nothing  upon  earth  shall  induce 
me  to  do  so,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey 
firmly.  "The  bare  idea  shocks  me. 
It  would  be  the  meanest,  most  un- 
principled conduct — it  would  reflect 
disgrace  on  the  King's  service." 


264 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIi. 


'Toll — this  is  more  eccentricity — 
knight-errantry  ;  I'm  sure  that  when 
you  are  iu  a  calmer  mood  you  will 
think  differently.  Upon  my  honour, 
I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  iu  my 
life.  Ave  you  to  stay  at  home,  to  have 
your  hands  tied  behind  your  hack,  and 
be  thrust  int.)  prison  —  to  court  de- 
struction for  yourself  and  yoor  family?" 
Mr.  Aubrey  turned  aside  his  head,  and 
remained  Bilent. 

"  1  must  plead  in  favour  of  Mrs. 
Aubrey — your  children — your  sweet 
lovely  sister;— good  God!  it's  quite 
shocking  to  think  of  what  you  are 
bringing  them  to." 

"  You    torture    my   feelings,    Lord 

C ,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  tremulously 

and  very  pale  ;  "but  you  do  not  con- 
vince my  judgment.  Every  dictate 
of  conscience  and  honour  combines  to 
assure  me.  that  I  should  not  listen  to 
your  proposal." 

"(loud  God!  what  an  outrage  on 
common  sense!  —  But  has  anything 
been  yet  said  on  the  subject  of  these 
liabilities — these  profits,  as   I 

Biippose  they  are  called  ?" 

"Nothing;  but  they  follow  as  a 
malt   r  ill'  course." 

"  How  is  it  that  you  owe  only  sixty 
thousand  pounds,  Aubrey  ? " 

"  Only  sixty  thousand  !" 

"At  the  rate  of  ten  thousand  a-year, 
you  must  have  had  at  least  a  hundred 
thousand  pounds  of  the  money  belong- 
ing to  your  successor— — " 

"  The  statute  of  limitations  prevents 
more  than  six  years'  arrears  being 
recoverable." 

"  But  do  you  intend,  Aubrey,  to 
avail  yourself  of  such  a  protection 
against  the  just  claims  of  this  poor, 
unfortunate,  ill-used  gentleman!  Are 
not  the  remaining  forty  thousand 
pounds  justly  due  -money  of  his  which 
yon  have  been  making  away  with  ! 
"Will  ymi  lei  aneie  technical  rule  of 
law  outweigh  the  dictates  of  honour 
and  conscience  ? " 

"  I  ri  ally  don't  exactly  understand 
your    drift,    I. mil    C    — ,"    said     Mr. 

Aubrey,  colouring  visibly  and  rapidly. 
"  Yoursovereign  has  a  right  to  com- 
mand your  services;  and,  by  ob 

him  and  serving  your  country,  you  are 


enabled  to  prevent  a  malignant  oppo- 
nent from  ruining  you  and  your  family, 
by  extorting  a  vast  sum  of  money  not 
equitably  due  :  1  protest  I  see  no  dif- 
ference iu  principle,  Aubrey,  between 
availing  yourself  of  the  statute  of  limit- 
ations, and  of  the  call  of  the  king  to 
foreign  service  ; — but  we  must  talk 
of  this  again.  By  the  way,  what  is  the 
name  of  your  worthy  opponent ?  Tittle- 
mouse,  or  some  such  strange  name  ?" 

"Titmouse! — By  the  way,  yon  lose 
a  seat  for  Yatton,"  said  Aubrey,  with 
a  faint  smile. 

Lord   C pricked   up   his   ears. 

"Ay,  ay!  how's  that?" 

"  The  gentleman  you  have  named 
professes,  I  understand,  Liberal  prin- 
ciples ;  probably  he  will  sit  for  the 
borough  himself;  at,,  all  events,  ho 
will  return  the  member." 

"  lie's  a  poor  ignorant  creature, 
isn't  he?  What  has  made  him  take 
up  with  Libera]  principles!   By  taking 

a  little  notii f  him  early,  one  might 

— eh  ?  —  influence  him  ;  —  but  —  of 
course  you  don't  intend  to  vacate  this 
session  ?" 

"  I  intend  this  day  to  apply  f"r  Iho 
Chiltern  Hundreds;  and  this  evening, 
if  you  like,  a  new  writ  may  be  moved 
for  the  borough  of  Yatton." 

"You  must  come  down  to-night, 
my  dear    Aubrey,   you    really  must," 

said    Lord   C ,    with   undisguised 

anxiety — with  more  than  he  had  shown 
during  the  interview.  "The numbers 
will  run  very  close  ;  they  are  stirring 
heaven  and  earth;  —  good  heavens! 
my  dear  Aubrey,  a  vote's  invaluable 
to-night  ; — (Sad,  you  shan't  have  the 
Chiltern  Hundreds  ;  you  mustn't  really 
apply  for  it — at  all  events,  not  till 
to-morrow." 

"I  shall  sit  no  more  iu  the  House 
of  Commons,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  with 
a  sad  determined  air;  "besides,  I 
leave  for  Yatton  by  to-night's  mail. 
There  are  those  waiting  for  me  whom 
vmi  would  not  have  me  disappoint, 
Lord  C !" 

"Not  for  worlds,  my  dear  Aubrey," 

replied  Lord  (' — — ,  half  absently  ;  he 

was  intensely  disappointed  at  not  ob- 
taining Mr.  Aubrey  SYote  that  evening; 
and  rose  to  go. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


2G5 


"  Then  I  direct  to  Yatton,  when  I 
have  occasion  to  write  to  you  ? "  said 
he. 

"For  the  next  three  weeks  only. 
My  movements  after  that  period  are 
not  yet  fixed." 

"Adieu,  Aubrey ;  and  I  entreat  of 
you  to  remember  me  most  sincerely  to 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  your  sister ;  and 
when  you  look  at  them,  remember — 
remember  our  conversation  of  to-day." 

With  this  Lord  C took  his  de- 
parture, and  left  poor  Aubrey  much 
depressed.  He  quickly,  however, 
roused  himself,  and  occupied  the 
principal  part  of  the  day  in  making 
the  necessary  and  melancholy  arrange- 
ments for  breaking  up  his  establish- 
ment in  Grosvenor  Street,  and  for 
disposing  of  his  wines,  books,  and 
furniture  at  Yatton.  He  also  in- 
structed a  house-agent  to  look  out  for 
two  or  three  respectable  but  small 
houses  in  the  outskirts  of  town,  out 
of  which  they  might  choose  the  one 
which  should  appear  most  suitable  to 
himself  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  on  their 
arrival  in  London.  About  eight  o'clock 
he  got  into  the  York  mail,  and  his 
heart  was  heavy  within  him. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TnE  result  of  a  very  long  consulta- 
tion between  Mr.  Runnington  and  his 
partners,  held  on  tho  day  after  his 
last  interview  with  Mr.  Aubrey,  was, 
that  he  drew  up  the  following  draft  of 
a  letter,  addressed  to  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap  : — 

"  Lincoln's  Inn,  26th  April,  18 — 
"  Gentlemen  : 

"JJoed.  Titmouse  v.  Joltcr. 
"  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  yester- 
day, (the  25th  inst.,)  we  beg  to  inform 
you,  that  after  the  judgment  in  this 
cause  pronounced  yesterday  in  the 
Court  of  King's  Bench,  our  client, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  does  not  intend  to  resist 
the  claim  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  to  the 
residue  of  the  Yatton  property.     We 


now,  therefore,  beg  to  give  you  notice 
that  on  the  17th  of  next  month  you 
will  be  at  liberty,  on  behalf  of  your 
client,  Mr. Titmouse,  to  take  possession 
of  all  the  property  at  Yatton,  at 
present  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Aubrey. 
The  whole  of  the  last  quarter's  rents, 
due  at  Lady-day,  have  been  paid  into 
the  bank  of  Messrs.  Harley,  at  Gril- 
ston,  and  will,  on  the  17th  of  May,  ba 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  your  client. 

"  We  are  also  instructed  to  request 
the  delivery  of  your  bill  at  as  early  a 
period  as  may  suit  your  convenience, 
with  a  view  to  its  immediate  examina- 
tion and  settlement. 

"We  cannot  forbear  adding,  while 
thus  implicitly  following  the  instruc- 
tions of  our  client,  our  very  great  sur- 
prise and  regret  at  the  course  which  ho 
has  thought  fit  to  adopt ;  since  we  havo 
the  strongest  reasons  for  believing, 
that  had  he  been  disposed  to  contest 
your  client's  claim  further,  in  accord- 
ance with  advice  receive  d  from  a  high 
quarter,  his  case  would  have  been 
materially  strengthened,  and  your 
difficulties  greatly  increased.  We  feel 
confident  that  the  magnanimity  dis- 
played by  our  client,  will  be  duly  ap- 
preciated by  yours. 

"We  are,  Gentlemen,  your 
"obedient  servants, 

"  IiUNNINGTON  &   CO. 

"  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  &  SNAr." 

"Really,"  said  Mr.  Runnington, 
when  he  had  read  over  the  above  to 
his  partners,  "  I  must  throw  in  a  word 
or  two  about  those  infernal  mesne 
profits— yet  it's  a  very  ticklish  subject, 
especially  with  such  people  as  these. 

One  partner  shook  his  head,  and  tho 
other  looked  very  thoughtful. 

"We  must  not  compromise  Mr. 
Aubrey,"  said  the  former. 

"We  have  had  no  instructions  on 
that  point,"  said  the  latter, — "  on  tho 
contrary,  you  told  us  yourself  that  your 
instructions  were  to  announce  an  un- 
conditional surrender." 

"  That  may  be  ;  but  in  so  desperate 
a  business  as  this,  I  do  think  we  have 
a  discretion  to  exercise  on  behalf  of 
himself  and  family,  which,  I  must 
say,  he  seems  quite  incapable  of  ex- 


2G6 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


erasing  himself.  Nay,  upon  my 
honour,  I  think  we  arc  bound  not  to 
forego  the  slightest  opportunity  of 
securing  an  advantage  fur  our  client." 
His  partners  seemed  struck  with  his 
observation  ;  and  Mr.  Itunnington, 
after  a  few  moments'  consideration, 
added  the  following  postscript : — 

"P.S.— As  to  the  mesne  profits,  by 
the  way,  of  course  we  anticipato  no 
difficulty  in  effecting  an  amicable  ar- 
rangement satisfactory  to  both  parties, 
due  consideration  being  had  for  the 
critical  position  in  which  our  client 
finds  himself  so  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly placed.  Indeed,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  conceive  that  Mr.  Aubrey, 
in  taking  the  step  of  which  we  have 
above  advised  you,  must  have  contem- 
plated  "    (here    Mr.    Itunnington 

paused  for  a  considerable  time,) 
"  being  met  in  a  similar  frank,  liberal, 
and  equitable  spirit. " 

It  was  agreed,  at  length,  that  the 
whole  amount  and  ctiect  of  the  above 
postscript  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a 
spontanci  ;estion  of  Messrs.  Bun- 

nington's,  not  in  anyway  implicating, 
or  calculated  in  any  event  to  annoy, 
Mr.  Aubrey  ;  and  a  fair  copy  of  the 
letter  and  postscript  having  been 
made,  it  was  signed  by  the  head  of  the 
firm,  and  forthwith  despatched  to 
Saffron  Hill. 

"Struck,  by  Jove,  Gammon!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Quirk,  as,  with  the  above 
letter  open  in  his  hands,  he  hurried, 
the  instant  that  he  had  read  it,  into 
the  room  of  his  wily  partner,  and  put 
the  letter  into  his  hands.  Gammon 
read  it  with  apparent  calmness,  but  a 
slight  flush  overspread  his  cheek  ;  and, 
as  he  finished  the  perusal,  a  subdued 
smile  of  excitement  and  triumph  stole 
over  his  countenance. 

"  Lord,  Gammon  !  isn't  it  glorious  ?" 
quoth    Mr.    Quirk  heatedly,  rubbing 
hi  ihandi  together;  ".vivo  us  your  b 
Gammon !     \\v'\  e  foughl   a  precious 
hard  little  together"-   and  he  Bhook 
bis    partn*  r's    band    with    \ 
cordialitj .      "  This  fellov    ' 
trump — isn't  he !     Rgad,  if  I'd  been  in 
his  shoes-  one  way  or  another,   I'd 

have    stuck    at    Yatton     for    a.    dozen 

years  I"  come    ah,  La  !  " 


"Yes,  I  am  sure  you  would  if  you 
had  been  able,"  replied  Gammon  drily, 
and  with  a  smile. 

"Ay,  that  I  would,"  replied  Mr. 
Quirk,  with  a  triumphant  chuckle  ; 
"but  now  to  come  to  business.  By  next 
quarter-day  Titmouse  will  have  £5000 
in  hard  cash, — half  of  it  on  the  17th 
of  next  month. — Lord  !  what  have  we 
done  for  him  !  "  he  added,  with  a  sort 
of  sigh. 

"  We've  put  an  ape  into  possession  of 
Paradise — that's  all" — said  Gammon, 
absently  and  half  aloud,  and  bitterly 
and  contemptuously. 

"  By  the  way,  Gammon,  you  see 
what's  said  about  our  Bill — eh  ?  The 
sooner  it's  made  out  the  better,  I 
should  say — and — ahem  !  hem  ! — while 
Mr.  Aubrey's  on  the  tight  rope  he 
won't  think  of  looking  down  at  the 
particular  items,  will  he?  I  should 
say,  now'a  our  time,  and  strike  while 
the  iron's  hot !  I've  got  rather  a  stilF 
entry,  1  can  assure  you.  I  must  i 
Snap's  done  his  duty,  and  /'tv  not  had 
my  eyesshut — ahem  !  "  here  Mr.  Quirk 
winked  very  knowingly. 

"You  must  not  uver-do  it,  Mr. 
Quirk — but  all  that  I  have,  as  usual, 
to  your  admirable  management  as  to 
that  of  a  first-rate  man  of  business. 
You  know  I'm  a  sad  hand  at  accounts  ; 
but  you  and  Snap  are — you'll  do  all 
that  should  be  done." 

"Ay,  ay — trust  us!"  interrupted 
Quirk  quickly,  with  a  significant  nod, 
and  fancying  himself  and  Snap  already 
at  work,  plundering  the  poor  Aubreys. 
"And,  by  the  way,  Gammon,  there 
are  the  mesne  profits — that's  a  mighty 
fine  postscript  of  theirs,  isn't  it '!"  and, 
replacing  his  spectacles,  he  read  over 
the  postscript  aloud.  "All  my  eye,  of 
com'  el  "  he  added,  as  he  hud  down 
the  letter, — "but  1  suppose  one  mil  t 
give  'em  a  little  time;  it  is  a  li 
hard  on  him  just  at  present ;  but  then, 
to  be  sure,  that's  his  look-out— not 
ours  or  Titmou  < '  I  iff  hand,  I  should 
on  lit  to  be  i  onteni  with 
twenty  thousand  down,  and  the 
in  two  years'  timo,  so  as  to  give  him 

time  to  look  about  him  a  litth " 

"That  will  be  quite  an  after  con« 
; t it m,"  said  Mr.  Gammon,  who. 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


2G7 


fir  the  last  few  minutes,  had  appeared 
lost  in  thought. 

"Egad— an  after  consideration? 
Hang  me  if  /  think  so,  Gammon ! 
There's  a  certain  bond — eh  ?  you  recol- 
lect  "  J 

"I  assure  you,  Mr.  Quirk,  that  my 
eye  is  fixed  quite  as  steadily  and 
anxiously  on  that  point  as  yours,"  said 
Cammon  gravely. 

' '  Thank  you— thank  you,  Gammon  ! " 
replied  Quirk  with  rather  a  relieved  air 
—"it  couldn't  possibly  be  in  better 
hands.  Lud — to  go  wrong  there  !  It 
would  send  me  to  my  grave  at  a  hand 
gallop — it  would,  so  help  me  Heaven, 
Gammon! — Titmouse  is  a  queer  hand  to 
deal  with— isn't  he  ?  Wasn't  he  strange 
and  bumptious  the  other  day  ?  Egad, 
it  made  me  quake  !  Need  we  tell  him, 
just  yet,"  he  dropped  his  voice,  "of 
the  letter  we've  got  ?  Couldn't  we 
safely  say  only  they  have  sent  us  word 
that  we  shall  have  Yatton  by  the 
17th?" 

"Very  great  caution  is  necessary, 
Mr.  Quirk,  just  now " 

' '  You  don't  think  the  young  scamp's 
going  to  turn  round  on  us,  aud  snap 
his  fingers  in  our  face,  eh  ? "  enquired 
Mr.  Quirk  apprehensively,  violently 
twirling  about  Ids  watch-key. 

"If  you  leave  him  implicitly  to  me, 
you  shall  get  all  you  want,"  repli  d 
Gammon,  very  gravely,  and  very 
pointedly.  Quirk's  colour  changed  a 
little,  as  he  felt  the  keen  grey  eye  of 
Gammon  fixed  upon  him,  and  he  in- 
voluntarily shrunk  under  it. 

"You'll  excuse  me,  Gammon,"  at 
length  said  he,  with  rather  a  disturbed 
air  ;  "but  there's  no  fathoming  you, 
when  you  get  into  one  of  yourmysteri- 
ous  humours  ;  and  you  always  look  so 
particularly  strange  whenever  you  get 
on  this  subject !  What  can  you  know 
that  I  don't— or  ought  not?" 

"Nothing — nothing,  I  assure  you," 
replied  Gammon  with  a  gay  smile. 

"Well,  I  should  have  thought  not. 
But  coming  back  to  the  main  point, 
if  one  could  but  touch  some  part  of  that 
same  ten  thousand  pounds,  I  should 
be  a  happy  man  ! — Consider,  Gammon, 
what  a  draught  there  has  been  on  my 
purse  for  this  la.^t  sixteen  months." 


_  "Well,  can  you  doubt  being  soon 
richly  repaid,  my  dear  sir  ?  Only  don't 
be  too  hasty." 

"I  take  it,  Gammon,  we've  a  lien 
on  the  rents  now  in  the  banker's  hands, 
and  to  become  due  next  quarter-day, 
and  on  the  first  instalment  of  the 
mesne  profits,  both  for  our  bill  of 
costs,  and  in  respect  of  that  same 
bond  ? " 

"Mesne  profits,  Mr.  Quirk?" 
echoed  Gammon,  rather  quickly ; 
"you  seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that 
they  are  all  ready  to  be"  paid  over ! 
Even  supposing  Titmouse  not  to  grow 
restive,  do  you  suppose  it  probable 
that  Mr.  Aubrey,  after  so  vast  and 
sudden  a  sacrifice,  can  have  more  than 
a  very  few  thousands — probably  hun- 
dreds— fo>  keep  him  from  immediate 
want,  since  we  have  reason  to  believe 
he  has  got  no  other  resources  than 
Yatton  ? " 

"  Not  got  'em — not  got  'em  ?  D— n 
him !  then  he  must  look  sharp  and 
get  'em,  that's  all !  You  know  we 
can't  be  trifled  with  ;  we  must  look 
after  the  interests  of— Titmouse.  And 
what's  he  to  start  with,  if  there's  no 
mesne  profits  forthcoming  ?  But,  hang 
it !  they  must :  I  should  say,  a  gentle 
pressure,  by  and  by,  as  soon  as  he's 
fairly  out  of  Yatton,  must  produce 
money,  or  security — he  must  know- 
quantities  of  people  of  rank  and  sub- 
stance that  would  rush  forward,  if 
they  once  heard  him  squeal " 

"  Ah,  you're  for  putting  the  thumb- 
screws on  at  once — eh  ?  "  enquired 
Gammon  with  subdued  energy,  and  a 
very  strange  sort  of  smile. 

"Ay — capital — that's  just  what  I 
meant," — quoth  Quirk. 

"  Heartless  old  scoundrel ! "  thought 
Gammon,  almost  expressing  as  much  ; 
but  his  momentary  excitement  passed 
off  unobserved  by  Mr.  Quirk.  "And, 
I  must  say,  I  agree  with  you,"  he 
added  ;  ' '  we  ought  in  justice  to  see 
you  first  reimbursed  your  very  heavy 
outlays,  Mr.  Quirk." 

"Well,  that's  honourable,  Gammon. 
— Oh,  Gammon,  how  I  tuish  you  would 
let  me  make  a  friend  of  you  ! "  sud- 
denly added  Mr.  Quirk,  eyeing  wist- 
fully his  surprised  companion. 


268 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YKAR. 


"If  you  havo  one  sincere,  dis- 
interested friend  in  the  world,  Mr. 
Quirk,  he  is  to  1"-  found  in  Oily 
Gammon,"  said  that  gentleman, 
throwing  great  warmth  into  his  man- 
ner, perceiving  that  Mr.  Quirk  was 
labouring  with  some  communication 
of  which  he  wished  to  deliver  himself. 

"  Gammon,  Gammon  !  how  I  wish  I 
could  think  so!  "  replied  Quirk,  look- 
ing earnestly,  yet  half  distrustuigry, 
at  Gammon,  and  fumbling  about  his 
hands  in  his  pockets.  The  mild  and 
friendly  expression  of  Gammon's 
countenance,  however,  invited  com- 
niunicativeness  ;  and  after  softly  open- 
ing and  shutting  the  two  doors,  to 
ascertain  that  no  one  was  trying  to 
overhear  what  might  he  passing,  he 
returned  to  his  chair,  which  he  drew 
closer  to  Gammon,  who  noticed  this 
air  of  preparation  with  not  a  little 
curiosity. 

"  I  may  he  wrong,  Gammon,"  com- 
menced Mr.  Quirk,  in  a  low  tone  ; 
"but  I  do  believe  you've  always  felt 
a  kind  of  personal  friendship  towards 
me;  and  there  ought  to  he  no  secrets 
among  friends.  Friends,  indeed? 
Perhaps  it's  premature  to  mention  so 
small  a  matter  ;  but  at  a  certain  silver- 
smith's, not  a  thousand  miles  from 
the  Strand,  there's  at  this  moment  in 
hand,  as  a  present  from  me  to  you — " 
[Oh  dear,  dear !  Mr.  Quirk !  what  a 
shocking  untruth!  and  at  your  ad- 
vanced period  of  life,  too!] — "as 
elegant  a  gold  snull'-box  as  can  he 
made,  with  a  small  inscription  on  the 
Ud.  I  hone  you  won't  value  it  the 
Lss  for  its  being  the  gift  of  old  Caleb 

Quirk "   he    paused,    and    looked 

earnestly  at  Mr.  Gammon. 

".My  dear  Mr.  Quirk,  you  have 
taken  me,"  said  he,  apparently  with 
gnat  emotion,  "quite  by  surprise. 
Value  it?  I  will  preserve  it  to  the 
lii  t  moment  of  my  life,  as  a  memo- 
rial <>f  one  whom  the  more  1  know  of, 
the  mule  I  respect  and  admire  !  " 

"You,  Gammon,  are  in  your  prime 
— scarce  even  that — hut  I  am  growiug 

old "  tears  appeared  to  glisten  in 

the-,  old  gentleman's  eyes;  Gammon, 
much  moved,  shook  him  cordially 
by  the    hind   in  silence,   wondering 


what  upon  earth  was  coming  next. 
"Yes;— old  Caleb  Quirk's  day  is 
drawing  to  a  close — 1  feci  it.  Gammon, 
I  feel  it!  But  1  shall  leave  behind 
iiu — a — a — child — an  only  daughter, 
Gammon;"  that  gentleman  gazed  at 
the  speaker  with  an  expression  of 
respectful  sympathy; — "Dora!  I 
don't  think  you  can  have  known  Dora 
so  long,  Gammon,  without  feeling  a 
lecllc  interest  in  her!"  Here  Gam- 
mon's colour  mounted  rapidly,  and  ho 
looked  with  feelings  of  a  novel  de- 
scription at  his  senior  partner.  Could 
it  he  possible  that  old  Quirk  wished 
to  bring  about  a  match  between  his 
daughter  and  Gammon  ?  His  thoughts 
were  for  a  moment  confused.  All  he 
could  do  was  to  bow  with  an  earnest 
— an  anxious— a  deprecating  air;  and 
Mr.  Quirk,  rather  hurriedly,  pro- 
ceeded, — "and  when  I  assure  you, 
Gammon,  that  it  is  in  your  power  to 
make  an  old  friend  and  his  only 
daughter  happy  and  proud," — Gam- 
mon began  to  draw  very  long  breaths, 
ami  to  look  more  and  more  appre- 
hensively at  his  senior  partner, — "in 
short,  my  dear  friend  Gammon,  let  mo 
out  with  it  at  once — my  daughter's  in 
love  with  Titmouse. " 

["  Whew  !  "  thought  Gammon,  sud- 
denly and  infinitely  relieved.] 

"Ah,  my  dear  Mr.  Quirk,  is  that 
all?"  he  exclaimed,  and  shook  Mr. 
Quirk  cordially  by  the  hand,- — "at 
length  you  have  made  a  friend  of  me 
indeed.  But,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I 
have  lon°;  suspected  as  much  ;  I  hava 
indeed!" 

"Have  you  really?  Well!  thero 
is  no  accounting  for  tastes,  is  there — 
especially  among  the  women  ?  Poor 
I  tola's  over  head  and  ears — quite  1 — 
she  is,  so  help  me  Heaven!"  con- 
tinued Quirk  energetically. 

"Well,  my  dear  sir,  and  why  this 
surprise!"    said    Gammon   earnestly. 

"1     eolisider    Titmouse     to    lie    ,1    very 

handsome  young  fellow  ;  and  that  ho 
is  already  rapidly  acquiring  very 
:  Lemanly  manners  ;  ami  as  to  his 
fortune  —  really,  it  would  lie  most 
desirable  to  bring  if  about.  Indeed, 
the  sooner  his  heart's  fixed,  and  his 
word's   pledged,   the   better — for  you 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


269 


must  of  course  be  aware  that  there 
■will  be  many  schemers  on  the  look- 
out to  entrap  his  frank  and  in- 
experienced nature, — look,  for  instance, 
at  Tag-rag." 

"  Eugh !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Quirk, 
with  a  sudden  motion  of  sickening 
disgust — "the  old  beast! — I  smoked 
him  long  ago !  Now,  that  I  call 
villainy,  Gammon  ;  infernal  villainy  ! 
Don't  you  ? " 

"  Indeed,  indeed,  Mr.  Quirk,  I  do  ; 
I  quite  agree  with  you  !  Upon  my 
honour,  I  think  it  is  a  part  of  even  my 
duty  towards  our  client,  if  possible,  to 
protect  him  against  such  infamous 
designs." 

"Eight — right,  Gammon;  by  Jove, 
you're  quite  right — I  quite  agree  with 
you ! "  replied  Quirk  earnestly,  not 
observing  the  lambent  smile  upon  the 
features  of  his  calm,  crafty,  and  sarcastic 
companion. 

"  You  see,"  said  Gammon,  "we've 
a  very  delicate  and  difficult  game  to 
play  with  old  Tag-rag.  He's  certainly 
a  toad,  ugly  and  venomous — but  then 
he's  got  a  jewel  in  his  head — he's  got 
money,  you  know,  and,  to  serve  our 
purposes,  we  must  really  give  him 
some  hopes  about  his  daughter  and 
Titmouse." 

' '  Faugh  !  eugh  !  feugh  !  Nasty 
wretch  !  a  little  trollop  !  It  makes 
one  sick  to  hear  of  her !  And,  by  the 
way,  now  we're  on  that  subject,  Gam- 
mon, what  do  we  want  of  this  wretch 
Tag-rag,  now  that  Titmouse  has 
actually  got  the  property  ?  " 

"  Want  of  him  ?  Money — security, 
my  dear  sir  ! — money  !  " 

"  But,  curse  me  !  (excuse  me,  Gam- 
mon,) why  go  to  Tag-rag  ?  That's 
what  I  can't  understand  !  Surely  any 
one  will  advance  almost  any  amount 
of  money  to  Titmouse,  with  such 
security  as  he  can  give." 

"  Very  possibly — probably " 

"Possibly?  Why,  I  myself  don't 
mind  advancing  him  five  thousand 
— nay,  ten  thousand  pounds--when 
we've  once  got  hold  of  the  title-deeds." 

"My  dear  sir,"  interrupted  Gam- 
mon calmly,  but  with  a  very  serious 
air,  and  a  slight  change  of  colour 
which  did  not  happen  to  attract  the 


notice  of  his  eager  companion,  "  there 
are  reasons  why  I  should  dissuade  you 
from  doing  so  ;  upon  my  word,  there 
are  ;  further  than  that  I  do  not  think 
it  necessary  to  go  ;  but  I  have  gone 
far  enough,  I  know  well,  to  do  you  a 
real  service." 

Mr.  Quirk  listened  to  all  this  with 
an  air  of  the  utmost  amazement — even 
open-mouthed  amazement.  "What 
reason,  Gammon,  can  there  be  against 
my  advancing  money  on  a  security 
worth  more  than  a  hundred  times  the 
sum  borrowed  ? "  he  enquired,  with 
visible  distrust,  of  his  companion. 

"  I  can  but  assure  you,  that  were  I 
called  upon  to  say  whether  I  would 
advance  a  serious  sum  of  money  to 
Titmouse,  on  the  security  of  the  Yat- 
ton  estates,  I  should  at  all  events 
require  a  most  substantial  collateral 
security." 

"Mystery  again!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Quirk,  a  sigh  of  vexation  escaping 
him.  "You'll  excuse  me,  Gammon, 
but  you'd  puzzle  an  angel,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  devil !  May  I  presume 
for  one  moment,  so  fir  on  our  personal 
and  professional  relationship,  as  to 
ask  what  the  reason  is  on  which  your 
advice  rests  ? " 

"  Mere  caution — excessive  caution — 
anxiety  to  place  you  out  of  the  way 
of  all  risk.  Surely,  is  your  borrower 
so  soon  to  be  pronounced  firm  in  the 
saddle  ? " 

"If  you  know  anything,  Gammon, 
that  I  don't,  it's  your  bounden  duty 
to  communicate  it.  Look  at  our 
articles  !  " 

"  It  is  ;  but  do  I  know  anything  1 
Prove  that,  Mr.  Quirk,  and  you  need 
trouble  yourself  no  more.  But,  in  the 
mean  while,  (without  saying  how  much 
I  feel  hurt  at  your  evident  distrust,)  I 
have  but  a  word  or  two  further  to  add 
on  this  point." 

When  Mr.  Gammon  chose,  he  could 
assume  an  expression  of  feature,  a  tone 
of  voice,  and  a  manner  which  indicated 
to  the  person  he  was  addressing,  that 
he  was  announcing  a  matured  opinion, 
an  inflexible  determination — and  this, 
moreover,  in  the  calmest,  quietest  way 
imaginable.  Thus  it  was  that  he  now 
said  to  Mr.  Quirk,  "My  opinion  is, 


270 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAT1. 


that  yon  should  get  some  third  parly 
or  parties  to  advance  any  required  sum, 
and  prevail  upon  Tag-rag  to  join  in  a 
collateral  security,  without — if  possible 
— making  him  aware  of  the  extent  of 
liability  he  is  incurring.  15y  exciting 
him  with  the  ridiculous  notion  of  an 
attachment  between  his  daughter  and 
Titmouse,  he  may  be  induced  to  give 
his  signature,  as  to  some  compliment- 
ary matter  of  form  only. — Now,  that's 
my  opinion,  Mr.  Quirk  ;  not  lightly 
or  hastily  formed;  and  it  rests  upon 
a  deep  feeling  of  personal  regard 
towards  you,  and  also  our  common 
interests." 

Mr.  Quirk  had  listened  to  this  com- 
munication in  perturbed  silence,  eyeing 
the  speaker  with  a  ludicrous  expression 
of  mingled  chagrin,  apprehension,  and 
bewilderment.  "Gammon,"  at  length 
said  he,  affecting  a  smile,  "do  you 
remember,  when  you,  and  I,  and  Dora, 
went  to  the  play  to  see  some  German 
thing  or  other — Foss  was  the  name, 
wasn't  it?" 

"Faust — Faust,"  interrupted  Gam- 
mon curiously. 

"Well;  and  now,  what  was  the 
name  of  that  fellow  that  was  always— 
Meth—Meph— what  was  it  ?" 

"Mephistophiles,"  replied  Gammon, 
unable  to  ropr<  83  a  smile. 

"  Ah— yes  !  so  it  was.  That's  all  ; 
I  only  wanted  to  think  of  the  name — 
I'd  forgotten  it.  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Gammon." 

This  was  poor  Mr.  Quirk's  way  of 
bring  very  sarcastic  with  his  friend. 
lie  thought  that  he  had  now  cut  him 
to  flir  v.  iv  ipuck. 

"  Jf  it  hadn't  been  for  what's  | 
between  us  to-day,  Gammon,  I  should 
almost  begin   to  think  that  you  were 
not  sinci  re  in  your  friendship " 

"  J)i  1  ]  ever  deceive  you  ?  Did  I 
ever  attempt  to  overreach  you  in  any- 
thing, Mr.  Quirk  I" 

"N — o — o — ,"  replied  Mr.  Quirk  - 
but   not  in   the  reai  i    inner,   "V 

onfidi  i't   tone   in   1 1 1  -  world, — 
"  1  certainly  can'l    < .  ievei  found  you 
.         but  I  II  tell  you  m  hat,  v..-  i 
keep  a  prel  ions  sharp  look-out  after 


oth  i .  too 
quired,    with    a 


don't  we  ? ' 
faint 


1 

v.  hi   h 


seemed  for  a  moment  reflected  upon 
the  face  of  Gammon. 

"  How  long,"  said  he,  "  I  am  to  be 
the  subject  of  such  unkind  suspicions, 
I  do  not  know  ;  but  your  nature  is 
suspicious  ;  and  as  every  one  has  his 
fault,  that  is  the  alloy  in  the  other- 
wise pure  gold  of  your  manly,  kind, 
and  straightforward  character.  Time 
may  show  how  you  have  wronged  me. 
My  anxious  wish  is,  Mr.  Quirk,  to  Bee 
your  daughter  occupy  a  position  in 
which  we  may  all  be  proud  to  see  her." 
Here  a  smile  shot  acrossQuirk's  anxious 
countenance,  like  evening  sunshine  on 
troubled  waters. 

"  I  do  really  believe,  Gammon."  said 
he  eagerly,  "  that  Dora's  just  the  kind 

of  girl  to  suit  Titmouse " 

"So  indeed,  my  dear  sir,  do  I. 
There's  a  mingled  softness  and  spirit 
in  }.!iss  Quirk— — " 

"She's  a  good  girl,  a  good  girl, 
Gammon  !  1  hope  he'll  use  her  well 
if  he  gets  her."  His  voice  trend! 
"  She's  got  very  much  attached  to 
him  !  Gad,  she's  quite  altered  lately  ; 
and  my  Bister  tells  me  that  she's 
always  playing  dismal  music  when 
he's  not  there.  Hut  we  can  talk 
over  these  matters  at  another  time, 
(lid,  Gammon,  you  can't  think  how 
it's  relieved  me,  to  open  my  mind 
to  you  on  this  matter  !  "We  quite 
understand  one  another  now,  Gam- 
mon—eh ! " 

"Quite,"  replied  Gammon  point- 
edly; and  Mr.  Quirk  having  quitted 
the  room,  the  former  prepared  to 
answer  Messrs.  Runnington  8  letter. 
But  first  he  leaned  back,  and  refl< 
on  several  points  of  their  kite  convers- 
ation. Of  course  he  had  resolved 
t  at  Miss  Quirk  should  never  become 
.Mis.  Titmouse.  And  what  struck  him 
as  not  a  little  singular  was  this  ;  viz. 
th  t  Mr.  Quirk  should  have  made  no 
.  vat  ion    <.n   the   ciivuin   taiic v    that 

Gammon    allowed    him    to    risk    his 
daughti  r,  and  her  all,  upon  i  h  m<  ea 

li  he  pronounci  d  too  frail  to 
i  nit  advancing  a  thousand  or  two  of 

money  !      \  ,  t  |  o  it  was. 

This  was  the  answer  he  pr<  ently 

wrote  to  the  J.  iter  of  JIcsms.  Running* 

ton  :  — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


271 


"  Saffroii  Hill. 
"  Gentlemen  : 

"Doc,  d.  Titmouse  v.  Jolter. 
"We  are  favoured  with  your  letter 
of  this  day's  date  ;  and  beg  to  assure 
you  how  very  highly  we  appreciate 
the  prompt  and  honourable  course 
which  has  been  taken  by  your  client, 
under  circumstances  calculated  to  ex- 
cite the  greatest  possible  commisera- 
tion. Every  expression  of  respectful 
sympathy,  on  our  parts,  and  on  that 
of  our  client,  Mr.  Titmouse,  which 
you  may  think  fit  to  convey  to  your 
distinguished  client,  is  his. 

"~We  shall  be  prepared  to  receive 
possession  of  the  Yatton  estates  on  the 
day  you  mention — namely,  the  17th 
May  next,  on  behalf  of  our  client,  Mr. 
Titmouse  ;  on  whose  behalf,  also,  we 
beg  to  thank  you  for  your  communi- 
cation concerning  the  last  quarter's 
rents. 

"  With  reference  to  the  question  of 
the  mesne  profits,  we  cannot  doubt 
that  your  client  will  promptly  pursue 
the  same  line  of  honourable  conduct 
which  he  has  hitherto  adopted,  and 
sincerely  trust  that  a  good  understand- 
ing in  this  matter  will  speedily  exist 
between  our  respective  clients. 

■ '  As  you  have  intimated  a  wish  upon 
the.  subject,  we  beg  to  inform  you  that 
we  have  given  instructions  for  making 
out  and  delivering  our  bill  herein. 
"We  are,  Gentlemen, 
"Your  humble  servants, 

"  Quirk,  Gammon,  &  Snap." 
"Messrs.  Kunnincjton  &  Co." 

Having  finished  writing  the  above 
letter,  Gammon  sat  back  in  his  chair, 
with  folded  arms,  and  entered  upon  a 
long  train  of  thought — revolving  many 
matters  which  were  worthy  of  the  pro- 
found consideration  they  then  received. 

When  Gammon  and  Titmouse  re- 
turned to  town  from  York,  they  were 
fortunate  in  having  the  inside  of  the 
coach  to  themselves  for  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  way— an  opportunity 
which  Gammon  improved  to  the  ut- 
most, by  deepening  the  impression  he 
had  already  made  in  the  mind  of  Tit- 
mouse, of  the  truth  of  one  great  fact — 
namely,  that  he  and  his  fortunes  would 


quickly  part  company,"  if  Gammon 
should  at  any  time  so  will — which 
never  would,  however,  come  to  pass, 
so  long  as  Titmouse  recognized  and 
deferred  to  the  authority  of  Gammon 
in  all  things.  In  vain  did  Titmouse 
enquire  how  this  could  be.  Gammon 
was  impenetrable,  mysterious,  authori- 
tative ;  and  at  length  enjoined  Tit- 
mouse to  absolute  secresy  concerning 
the  existence  of  the  fact  in  question, 
on  pain  of  the  infliction  of  those  con- 
sequences to  which  I  have  already 
alluded.  Gammon  assured  him  that 
there  were  many  plans  and  plots 
hatching  against  him  (Titmouse)  ;  but 
that  it  was  in  his  (Gammon's)  power 
to  protect  him  from  them  all.  Gam- 
mon particularly  enjoined  him,  more- 
over, to  consult  the  feeliugs,  and  attend 
to  the  suggestions  of  Mr.  Quirk,  wherein 
Mr.  Gammon  did  not  intimate  to  the 
contrary,  and  wound  up  all  by  telling 
him,  that  as  he,  Gammon,  was  the 
only  person  on  earth — and  this  he 
really  believed  to  be  the  case,  as  the 
reader  may  hereafter  see — who  knew 
the  exact  position  of  Titmouse,  so  ho 
had  devoted  himself  for  his  life  to  the 
advancing  and  securing  the  interests 
of  Titmouse. 

For  about  a  fortnight  after  their 
return,  Titmouse,  at  Gammon's  in- 
stance, continued  at  his  former  lodg- 
ings ;  but  at  length  complained  so 
earnestly  of  their  dismal  quietude,  and 
of  their  being  out  of  the  way  of  "  life," 
that  Gammon  yielded  to  his  wishes, 
and,  together  with  Mr.  Quirk,  con- 
sented to  his  removing  to  a  central 
spot — in  fact,  to  the  Cabbage-stalk 
Hotel,  Covent  Garden  —  a  queer 
enough  name,  to  be  sure  ;  but  it  was 
the  family  name  of  a  great  wholesale 
green-grocer,  who  owned  most  of  the 
property  thereabouts.  It  was  not  with- 
out considerable  uneasiness  and  anxiety 
that  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Snap  beheld 
this  change  effected,  apprehensive  that 
it  might  have  the  effect  of  estranging 
Titmouse  from  them  ;  but  since  Gam- 
mon assented  to  it,  they  had  nothing 
for  it  but  to  acquiesce,  considering 
Titmouse's  proximity  to  his  splendid 
independence.  They  resolved,  how- 
ever, as  far  as  in  each  of  them  lay,  not 


272 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


to  let  themselves  bo  forgotten  by  Tit- 
mouse. Pending  the  rule  for  the  new 
trial,  Mr.  Quirk  was  so  confident  con- 
cerning the  issue,  that  he  greatly 
increased  the  allowance  of  Titmouse  ; 
to  an  extent,  indeed,  which  admitted 
of  his  entering  into  almost  all  the 
gaieties  that  his  as  yet  scarce  initiated 
heart  could  desire.  In  the  first  place, 
he  constantly  added  to  his  wardrobe. 
Then  he  took  lessons,  every  other  day, 
in  "the  noble  art  of  self-defence;" 
which  gave  him  an  opportunity  of 
forming  with  great  ease,  at  once  an 
extensive  and  brilliant  circle  of  ac- 
quaintance. Fencing-rooms,  wrestling- 
rooms,  shooting-galleries,  places  for 
igeon-shootinc,    cock-fighting,     dog 


I 


hting,  and  billiard-rooms  ;  the  water 
and  boat-racing — these  were  the  daz- 
zling scenes  which  occupied  the  chief 
portion  of  each  day.  Then,  in  the 
evenings,  there  were  theatres,  great 
and  small,  the  various  taverns,  and 
other  places  of  nocturnal  resort,  which 
are  the  secret  pride  and  glory  of  the 
metropolis.  In  addition  to  this,  at  an 
advanced  period  of  the  night,  or  rather 
a  very  early  hour  in  the  morning,  he 
sedulously  strove  to  perfect  himself  in 
those  higher  arts  and  accomplishments, 
excelled  in  by  one  or  two  of  the  moro 
eminent  of  the  youthful  aristocracy, 
viz.  breaking  windows,  pulling  bells, 
wrenching  olf  knockers,  extinguishing 
lamps,  tripping  lipoid  women,  watch- 
men, and  children,  and  spoiling  their 
clothes  ; — ah,  how  often,  in  his  hum- 
bler days,  had  his  heart  panted  in 
noble  rivalry  of  such  feats  as  these, 
and  emulation  of  the  notoriety  they 
earned  for  the  glittering  miscreants 
who  excelled  in  them  !  Ah,  Titmouse, 
Titmouse  !  Now  is  your  time  I  Made 
nord  virtute,  pucr ! 

That  he  could  long  frequent  such 
scenes  as  the.se  without  forming  an 
extensive  and  varied  acquaintance, 
would  be  a  very  unlikoly  thing  to 
suppose  ;  and  there  was  one  who  would 
fain  have  joined  him  in  his  new  ad- 
Ventures — -one  who,  as  I  have  altf 

intimated,  had  initiated  him  into  the 
Bcenes  with  which  he  was  now  be- 
coming  so  familiar;  I  mean  Snap, 
who  had  been  at  once  his 


"  Guide,  philosopher,  and  friend;" 

but   who   now   had   fewer  and  fewer 
opportunities  of  associating  with  him, 
inasmuch  as  his  (Snap's)  nose  was  con- 
tinually "kept  at  the  grindstone"  in 
Saffron    Hill,  to   compensate   for  the 
lack  of  attention  to  the  business  of 
the  ofiice  of  his  senior  partners,  owing 
to  their  incessant  occupation  with  tho 
affairs  of  Titmouse.     Still,  however, 
he  now  and  then  contrived  to  remind 
Titmouse  of  his  (Snap's)  existence,  by 
sending  him  intimations  of  interesting 
trials  at  the  Old  Bailey  and  elsewhere, 
and  securing  him  a  good  scat  to  view 
both  the  criminal  and  the  spectators — 
often   persons   of   the  greatest   rank, 
fashion,  and  beauty;  for  so  it  happens 
that  in  this  country,  the  more  hideous 
tho  ciiinc,  the  moro  intense  the  curi- 
osity of  the  upper  classes  of  botli  sexes 
to  witness  the  miscreant  perpetrator; 
the  more  disgusting  the  details,  tho 
greater  tho  avidity  with  which  they 
are   listened   to  by  the   distinguished 
auditors  ;  —  tho   reason   being   plain, 
that,     as    they   have    exhausted    tho 
pleasures  and  excitements  afforded  by 
their  own   sphere,    their  palled    and 
sated     appetites    require    novel    and 
moro    powerful    stimulants.     Henco, 
at    length,   we    see     "fashionables" 
peopling  even  the  condemned  cell— - 
rushing,  in  excited  groups,  after  tho 
shuddering  malefactor,  staggering,  half 
palsied,  and  with  horror-laden  eye,  on 
Ids  way  to  the  gallows!     As  soon  as 
old  Quirk  had  obtained  an  inkling  of 
Titmouse's  taste  in  these  matters,  ho 
afforded  Titmouse  many  opportunities 
of  gratifying  it.     Once  or  twice   tho 
old  gentleman  succeeded  even  in  en- 
abling Titmouse  (severe  trial,  however, 
for    his    exquisite    sensibilities!)    to 
shake  tho  cold  and  pinioned  hands  of 
wretches  within  a  few  minutes'  time 
of  b  ing  led  out  for  execution  1 

This  is  a  brief  and  general  account 
of  tin:  way  in  which  Titmouse  passed 
his  time,  and  laid  the  groundwork  of 
that  solid,  extensive,  and  practical 
acquaintance  with  men  and  things, 
which  was  requisite  to  enable  him  to 
occupy  with  dignity  and  advantage 

the  splendid  station  to  which  ho  was 

on  the  point  of  being  elevated. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


273 


But  let  us  not  lose  sight  of  our 
early  and  interesting  friends,  the  Tag- 
rags — a  thing  which  both  Quirk  and 
Gammon  resolved  should  not  happen 
to  Titmouse  :  for,  on  the  veiy  first 
Sunday  after  his  arrival  in  town  from 
York,  a  handsome  glass  coach  might 
have  been  seen,  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  drawing  up  opposite  to 
the  gates  of  Satin  Lodge  ;  from  which 
said  coach,  the  door  having  been 
opened,  presently  descended  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Titmouse.  Now, 
the  Tag-rags  always  dined  at  about 
two  o'clock  on  Sundays  ;  and,  on  the 
present  occasion,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss 
Tag-rag,  together  with  a  pretty  con- 
stant visitor,  the  Eeverend  Dismal 
Horror,  were  sitting  at  their  dinner- 
table  discussing  as  nice  a  savoury  leg 
of  roast  pork,  with  apple-sauce,  as 
could  at  once  have  tempted  and  satis- 
fied the  most  fastidious  and  the  most 
indiscriminating  appetite. 

"Oh,  ma!"  exclaimed  Miss  Tag- 
rag  faintly,  changing  colour  as  she 
caught  sight,  through  the  blinds,  of 
the  approaching  visitors — "if  there 
isn't  Mr.  Titmouse ! "  and  almost 
dropping  on  the  table  her  plate,  in 
which,  with  an  air  of  tender  gallantry, 
Mr.  Horror  was  in  the  act  of  deposit- 
ing some  greens,  she  flew  out  of  the 
room,  darted  up-stairs,  and  in  a  trice 
was  standing,  with  beating  heart,  be- 
fore her  glass,  hastily  twilling  her 
ringlets  round  her  trembling  fingers, 
and  making  one  or  two  slight  altera- 
tions in  her  dress.  Her  papa  and 
mamma  started  up  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, hastily  wiping  their  mouths  on 
the  corners  of  the  table-cloth  ;  and, 
after  a  hurried  apology  to  their  reve- 
rend guest,  whom  they  begged  "to 
go  on  eating  till  they  came  back  " — 
they  bounced  into  the  drawing-room, 
just  time  enough  to  appear  as  if  they 
had  been  seated  for  some  time  ;  but 
tiny  were  both  rather  red  in  the  face, 
and  flustered  in  their  manner.  Yet, 
how  abortive  was  their  attempt  to 
disguise  the  disgraceful  fact  of  their 
having  been  at  dinner  when  their 
dislinguished  visitors  arrived  !  For, 
firstly,  the  house  was  redolent  of  the 
odours  of  roast  pork,  sage  and  onion- 


stum*  ng,  and  greens ;  secondly,  the 
red-faced  servant  girl  was  peering 
round  the  corner  of  the  kitchen  stairs, 
as  if  watching  an  opportunity  to  whip 
off  a  small  dinner  tray  that  stood 
between  the  dining-room  and  drawing- 
room  ;  and  thirdly,  they  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  countenance  of  the 
reverend  young  guest,  who  was  hold- 
ing open  the  dining-room  door  just 
wide  enough  to  enable  him  to  see  who 
passed  on  to  the  drawing-room ;  for,  in 
truth,  the  name  which  had  escaped 
from  the  lips  of  Miss  Tag-rag,  was 
one  that  always  excited  unpleasant 
feelings  in  the  breast  of  her  spiritual 
friend. 

"  Ah  !  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tag-rag  !  Ton 
my  soul — glad  to  see  you— and — hope 
you're  all  well  ? "  commenced  Tit- 
mouse, with  an  air  of  easy  confidence 
and  grace.  Mr.  Gammon  calmly  in- 
troduced himself  and  Mr.  Quirk. 

"  We  were  just  going  to  sit  down  to 
— lunch,"  said  Mr.  Tag-rag  hurriedly. 

"  You  won't  take  a  little,  will  you, 
gentlemen  ? "  enquired  Mrs.  Tag-rag 
faintly  ;  and  both  the  worthy  couple 
felt  infinite  relief  on  being  assured 
that  their  distinguished  visitors  had 
already  lunched.  Neither  Mr.  nor 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  could  take  their  eyes  off 
Mr.  Titmouse,  whose  easy  nonchalance 
convinced  them  that  he  must  have 
been  keeping  the  society  of  lords.  He 
was  just  enquiring — as  he  ran  his  hand 
through  his  hair,  and  gently  smacked 
his  slight  ebony  cane  against  his  leg — 
after  Miss  Tag-rag,  when,  pa'e  and 
agitated,  and  holding  in  her  hand  a 
pocket-handkerchief,  which  she  had 
first  suffused  with  musk  and  bergamot, 
designed  to  overcome  so  much  of  the 
vulgar  odour  of  dinner  as  might  be 
lingering  about  her — that  interesting 
young  lady  entered.  Titmouse  roso 
and  received  her  in  a  familiar,  forward 
manner  ;  she  turning  white  and  red 
by  turns.  She  looked  such  a  shrivel- 
led little  ugly  formal  creature,  that 
Titmouse  conceived  quite  a  hatred  of 
her,  through  recollecting  that  he  had 
once  thought  such  an  inferior  piece  of 
goods  superfine.  Old  Quirk  and  Tag- 
rag,  every  now  and  then,  cast  distrust- 
ful glances  at  each  other  ;  but  Gammon 


274 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


kept  all  in  a  calm  flow  of  small  talk, 
which  at  length  restored  these  whom 
they  had  come  to  see,  to  something 
like  self-posses  ion.  As  for  Mr.  Quirk. 
Hi.-  noon  iced  at  Miss  Tag- 

the  more  pride  and  satisfaction  he  fell 
in  reflecting  upon  Hie  unfavourable 
contrast  she  must  present,  in  Tit- 
mouse's eyes,  to  Miss  Quirk,  After  a 
little  farther  conversation,  principally 
concerning  tin-  brilliant  success  of  Tit- 
monse,  Mr.  Quirk  came  to  the  business 
of  the  day,  and  invited  Mr.,  Mrs., 
and  Miss  Tag-rag  to  dinner  at  Alibi 
House,  on  the  ensuing  Sunday,  at  six 
o'clock— apologizing  for  the  absenci 
of  Miss  Quirk,  on  the  score  of  indis- 
position— she  being  at  the  time  in  the 
highest  possible  state  of  health.  Mrs. 
Tag-rag  was  on  the  point  of  saying 
somethrn  ;  deprecatory  of  their  dining 
out  on  Sunday,  as  contrary  to  their 
rule  ;  bnt  a  sudden  recollection  of  the 
earthly  interests  she  might  peril  l>y  so 
doing,  aided  by  a  fearfully  significant 
glance  from  Mr.  Tag-rag,  restrained 
her.  The  invitation  was,  therefore, 
pted  in  a  eery  obsequious  manner  ; 
and  soon  afterwards  their  great  visitors 
took  their  departure,  having  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Tag-rag  in  a  state  of 
considerable  excitement.  Goodness! 
i  ould  there  1>  •  a  doubt  thai  1 1 
must  be  Borne  very  potent  attraction 
at  Satin  Lodge  to  bring  thither  Tit- 
mouse, after  all  that  had  occurred  ! 
And  where  could  reside  the  point  of 
thai  attraction,  but  in  Miss  Tag-rag? 
As  Boon  as  their  visitors'  glass-coach 
had  driven  off — its  inmates  laughing 
heartily  at  the  people  they  had  just 
quitted-  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Tag-rag 
returned  to  the  dining-table,  like  sud- 
denly disturbed  fowl  returning  to  their 
roost,  when  the  disturbance  has  ceased. 
I'  were  thi  ir  apologies  to   Mr. 

li  rror:  not  aware,  however,  that  1"' 
had  improved  the  opportunity  affordi  d 
by  their  e,   to  recruit    Ids  ex- 

hausti  d    i  nei  ;ie  i   w  ith    a    couple    of 

of  pi  from  ad 

which  stood  on  the     d  I      i  cir- 

cumstance which  he  did  not  deem 
important  ei  V.  he- 

mently  Buspi  cting  a    h<  did,  whit  v.  i 
the  slate  of  thin;;;  with    rcl   rence   to 


Mr.  Titmouse  and  Miss  Tag-rag,  it 
was  somewhat  of  a  trial  of  temper  to 
the  exemplary  young  pastor,  to  have 
to  listen,  for  the  remainder  of  the 
afternoon,  to  the  praises  of  Titmouse, 
and  speculations  concerning  the  im- 
mensity of  his  fortune — matters,  in- 
deed, (in  his  pious  estimation,)  of  tin: 
earth,  earthy.  In  vain  did  the  worthy 
minister  strive,  every  now  and  then, 
to  divert  the  current  of  conversation 
into  a  more  profitable  channel — <'.  c. 
towards  himself;  all  he  said  was  evi- 
dently lost  upon  her  for  whose  ear  it 
was  intended.  She  was  in  a  reverie, 
and  often  sighed.  The  principal  figures 
before  her  mind's  eye  were — Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  Esquire,  and  the  Rev. 
Dismal    Horror.    The    latter    was 

about  twenty-six,  (he  had  been  called 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  his 
sixteenth  year ;)  short ;  his  face  slightly 
pitted  with  small-pox  ;  his  forehead 
narrow  ;  his  eyes  cold  and  watery  ;  no 
eyebrows  or  whiskers ;  high  cheek- 
bones; his  short  dark  hair  combed 
primly  forward  over  each  temple,  and 
twisted  into  a  sort  of  topknot  in  front; 
lie  wore  no  shirt-collars,  but  had  a 
white  neck-handkerchief  tied  very 
formally,  and  was  dressed  in  an  ill- 
made  suit  of  black.  He  spoke  in  a 
drawling  canting  tone ;  and  his  counte- 
nance was  overspread  with  a  demure 
expression  of — cunning,  tryingto  look 
/•.  Hgious.  Then  he  was  always  talking 
ah  nt.  himself,  and  the  devil,  and  his 
chapel,  and  the  bottomless  pit,  and 
tho  number  of  souls  which  he  had 
s ived,  and  the  number  of  those  whom 
he  knew  were  damned,  and  many 
more  who  certainly  would  be  dami 
and  other  matters  of  that  sort,  in  trusted 
— it  would  seem — to  his  confidential 
keeping.  All  this  might  be  very  well 
in  its  way,  began  to  think  Miss  Tag- 
rag — but  it  v.  as  possible  to  choke  a 
dog  with  pudding.  Poor  girl,  i  in 
you  wonder  at  her  dwelling  fondly 
upon  the  image  of  Titmouse  !  So 
splendidly    dressed— so     handsome — 

b  IV  bionable  air—  and  with  -  -  ten 

thousand  a-yearl     Winn  she  put  all 

together,  it  almost  looked 

i  dream  ;  such  good  fortune  could 
di  hi  be  in  Btore  foi  a  poor  simple  girl 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


275 


like  herself.  Yet  there  was  such  a 
tiling  as — love  at  first  sight !  After 
tea  they  all  walked  down  to  Mr. 
Horror's  meeting-house.  It  was  very 
crowded  ;  and  it  was  remarked  that 
the  eloquent  young  preacher  had  never 
delivered  a  more  impassioned  sermon 
from  that  pulpit :  it  was  sublime.  Oh, 
how  bitterly  he  denounced  "  worldly  - 
mindedness  !  "  What  a  vivid  picture 
he  drew  of  the  fi.  mrishing  green  bay- 
tree  of  the  wicked,  suddenly  blasted  in 
the  moment  of  its  pride  and  strength  ; 
while  the  righteous  should  shine  like 
stars  in  the  firmament  for  ever  and 
ever !  Who  cannot  see  here  shadowed 
out  the  characters  of  Titmouse  and  of 
Horror  respectively?- — who  hesitate 
between  the  two  ?  And  when  at  length, 
the  sermon  over,  he  sat  down  in  his 
pulpit,  (the  congregation  also  sitting 
and  singing,  which  had  a  somewhat 
qiner  effect, )  and  drew  gracefully  across 
his  damp  forehead  his  white  pocket- 
handkerchief,  which  had  been  given 
him  by  Miss  Tag-rag  ;  and  looked  with 
an  air  of  most  interesting  languor  and 
exhaustion  towards  Mr.  Tag-rag's  pew, 
where  sat  that  young  lamb  of  his 
flock — Miss  Tag-rag — her  father  the 
wealthiest  man  in  the  congregation, 
and  she  his  only  child — he  felt  a  most 
lively  and  tender  interest  in  her  wel- 
fare— her  spiritual  welfare,  and  resolved 
to  call  the  next  morning  ;  entertaining 
an  humble  hope  of  finding  that  his 
zealous  labours  had  not  been  in  vnin  ! 
Was  one  fruit  of  them  to  have  been 
looked  for  in  the  benignant  temper 
which  Tag-rag,  to  the  amazement  of 
his  shopmen,  evinced  the  next  morning, 
for  at  least  an  hour  ?  Would  that  the 
like  good  effects  had  been  visible  in 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Tag-rag  ;  but— alas  that 
I  should  have  to  record  it ! — it  was  so 
fir  otherwise,  that  they  laid  aside  some 
fancy-fair  work  on  which  Mr.  Horror 
had  set  them — for  the  whole  week, 
which  they  devoted  to  the  preparation 
of  those  dresses  with  which  they  pur- 
posed the  profanation  of  the  ensuing 
Sunday. 

That  day  at  length  arrived,  and 
precisely  at  six  o'clock  a  genteel  fly 
deposited  the  visitants  from  Satin 
Lodge  at   the   splendid    entrance  to 


Alibi  House.  There  was  the  big  foot- 
man —  shoulder-knot,  red  breeches, 
and  all.  Tag-rag  felt  a  little  nervous. 
Before  they  had  entered  the  gates,  the 
fond  proud  parents  had  kissed  th  ir 
trembling  daughter,  and  entreated  her 
"to  keep  her  spirits  up  !  "  The  ex- 
hortation was  needful ;  for  when  she 
saw  the  sort  of  style  that  awaited 
them,  she  became  not  a  little  agitated. 
When  she  entered  the  hall — ah  !  on  a 
chair  lay  a  glossy  new  hat,  and  a  deli- 
cate ebony  walking-stick  ;  so  he  had 
come — was  then  up-stairs  ! — Miss  Tag- 
rag  trembled  in  every  limb. 

"  I  dou't  know,  my  dear,"  whispered 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  to  her  husband,  with  a 
subdued  sigh,  as  they  followed  the 
splendid  footman  tip-stairs, — "It may 
lie  all  uncommon  grand  ;  but  somehow 
I'm  afraid  we're  doing  wrong — it's 
the  Lord's  Dav — see  if  any  good  comes 
of  it." 

"Tut — hold  your  tongue!  Let's 
have  no  nonsense,"  sternly  whispered 
Mr.  Tag-rag  to  his  submissive  wile. 

"  Your  name,  sir  ?  "  quoth  the  foot- 
man, iu  a  gentlemanly  way. 

"Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Tag-rag," 
replied  Mr.  Tag-rag,  after  clearing  his 
throat ;  and  so  they  were  announced, 
Miss  Quirk  coming  forward  to  receive 
the  ladies  with  the  most  charming 
affability.  There  stood  Titmouse,  in 
an  easy  attitude,  with  his  hands  stuck 
into  his  coat  pockets,  and  resting  on 
his  hips,  in  a  very  delicate  and  elegant 
fashion.  How  completely  he  seemed 
at  his  ease  ! 

"Oh  Lord!"  thought  Tag-rag, 
"that's  the  young  fellow  I  used  to  go 
on  so  to  !  " 

In  due  time  dinner  was  announced  ; 
and  who  can  describe  the  rapture  that 
thrilled  through  the  bosoms  of  the 
three  Tag-rags,  when  Mr.  Quirk  re- 
quested Mr.  Titmouse  to  take  down 
— Miss  Tag-rag !  !  Her  father  took 
down  Mrs.  Alias ;  Mr.  Quirk,  Mrs. 
Tag-rag ;  and  Gammon,  Miss  Quirk. 
She  really  might  have  been  proud  of 
her  partner.  Gammon  was  about 
thirty-six  years  old ;  above  the  average 
height ;  with  a  particularly  gentle- 
manly appearance  and  address,  and 
an    intellectual    and  even  handsomo 

T2 


27G 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


countenance,  though  occasionally  it 
wore,  to  a  keen  observer,  a  sinister 
expression,  lie  wore  a  blue  coat,  a 
plain  whit"  waistcoat,  (not  disfigured 
by  any  glistening  fiddle  -  fiddle  of 
pins,  chains,  or  quizzing-glasses,)  black 
trousers,  and  silk  stockings.  There 
was  at  once  an  appearance  of  neatn  sss 
and  carelessness  ;  and  there  was  such 
areadysinil — such  a  bland  case  and 
self-possession  about  him — as  com- 
municated itself  to  those  whom  he 
addressed.  I  hardly  know,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, why  I  have  thus  noticed  so 
particularly  your  outward  appearance  : 
It  cert  duly,  on  the  occasion  I  am 
describing,  struck  me  much  ;  but  there 
are  sueli  things  as  whitcd  walls  and 
painted  sepulchres.  Dinner  went  otf 
very  pleasantly,  the  wines  soon  com- 
municating a  little  confidence  to  the 
flustered  guests.  Mrs.  Tag-rag  had 
drunk  so  much  champagne — an  un- 
usual beverage  for  her — that  almost 
as  soon  as  she  had  returned  to  the 
drawing-room,  she  sat  down  on  the 
sofa  and  fell  asleep,  having  the  two 
young  ladies  to  amuse  each  other  as 
best  they  might;  for  Mrs,  Alias  was 
Very  deaf,  and  moreover  very  stilf  and 
distant,  and  sat  looking  at  them  in 
silence.  To  return  to  the  dining-room 
for  a  moment.  'Tw.is  quite  dcllghttul 
to  see  the  sort  of  friendship  that 
seemed  to  grow  up  between  Quirk  and 
Tag-rag,  as  their  heads  got  filled  with 
wine  :  at  the  same  time  each  of  them 
drawing  closer  and  closer  to  Titmouse, 
who  sat  between  them — volubility 
itself.  They  soon  dropped  all  disguise 
— each  plainly  under  the  impression 
that  the  other  could  not,  or  did  not, 
observe  him  ;  and  at  length,  impelled 
by  their  overmastering  motives,  they 
became  so  bare-faced  in  their  syco- 
phancy —  evidently  forgetting  that 
Gammon  was  present — that  he  could 

ml    times,    with   only   the  utmost 
difficulty,    refrain   from   bursting    into 

laughter  at  the  earnest  devotion  with 

which  these  two  worshippers  of  th  ■ 
little    golden   calf   Btrove    to  atl 

the   attention    of   their    divinity,    and 

recommend  themselves  to  its  favour. 

At  length  the  four  gentlemen  re- 
paired   to    the  drawing-room,  whence 


issued  the  sounds  of  music  ;  and  on 
entering  they  beheld  the  two  lovely 
performers 'seated  at  the  pia7io,  engsjged 
upon  a  duet.  The  plump  flaxen-haired 
Miss  Quirk,  in  her  flowing  white  mus- 
lin dress,  her  thick  gold  chain  and 
massive  brae  lets,  formed  rather  a 
strong  contrast  to  her  sallow  skinny 
litt  e  companion,  in  a  span-new  slate- 
coloured  silk  dress,  with  staring  scarlet 
sash  ;  her  long  corkscrew  ringlets 
glistening  in  bear's  grease  :  and  as  for 
their  performance,  Miss  Quirk  played 
boldly  and  well  through  her  part,  a 
smile  of  contempt  now  and  then 
beaming  over  her  countenance  at  tho 
ridiculous  incapacity  of  her  companion. 
As  soon  as  the  gentlemen  made  their 
appearance  the  ladies  ceased,  and  with- 
drew from  the  piano  :  Miss  Tag-rag, 
with  a  sweet  air  of  simplicity  and 
conscious  embarrassment,  gliding  to- 
wards the  sofa,  where  sat  her  mamma 
asleep,  but  whom  she  at  once  awoke. 
Mr.  Quirk  exclaimed,  as,  evidently 
elevated  with  wine,  ho  slapped  his 
daughter  on  her  fat  back,  "  Ah,  Dora, 
my  dove  !  "  while   Tag-rag  kissed   his 

daughter's  check,   and   squeezed   her 

hand,  and  then  glanced  with  a  proud 
and  delighted  air  at  Titmouse,  who  wan 
lolling  at  full  length  upon  the  other 
sofa,  picking  his  teeth.  While  Miss 
Quirk  was  making  tea,  Gammon  gaily 
conversing  with  her,  and  in  an  under- 
tone satirizing  Miss  Tag-rag  ;  the  latter 
young  lady  was  gazing,  with  a  timid 
air,  at  the  various  elegant  nick-nacks 
scattered  upon  the  tables  and  slabs. 
One  of  these  consisted  of  a  pretty 
little  box,  about  a  foot  square,  with  a 
glass  lid,  through  which  she  saw  tho 
contents;  and  they  not  a  little  sur- 
prised her.  They  were  pieces  of  cord; 
and  on  looking  at  one  of  the  sides  of 
the  box,  she  read,  with  a  Budden 
shudder, — "  With  these  cords  were  tied 
the  hands  of  Arthur  Grizzlegut,  ■ 
cuted  for  high  treason,  1st  May,  18 — . 
Presented,  as  a  mark  of  respect,  to 
i  <j a  irk,  Esq.,  b'j  John  Ketch." 
Poor  Mi  s  Tag-rag  recoiled  from  tho 

box  as  if  she  had  seen  it  filled  with 
writhing  adders.  .She  took  an  early 
opportunity,  however,  of  calling  her 
father's  attention  to   it;  and   he  pro- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


277 


nounced  it  a  "most  interesting  object," 
and  fetched  Mrs.  Tag-rag  to  see  it. 
She  agreed  first  with  her  daughter 
and  then  with  her  husband.  Quietly 
pushing  her  investigations,  Miss  Tag- 
rag  by-and-by  beheld  a  large  and 
splendidly  bound  volume  —  in  ftct, 
Miss  Quirk's  allium  ;  ami,  after  turning 
over  most  of  the  leaves,  and  glancing 
over  the  "poetical  effusions"  and 
"prose  sentiments"  which  few  fools 
can  abstain  from  depositing  upon  the 
embossed  pages,  when  solicited  by  the 
lovely  proprietresses  of  such  works, 
behold — her  heart  fluttered — poor  Miss 
Tag-rag  almost  dropped  the  magnificent 
volume ;  for  there  was  the  idolized 
name  of  Mr.  Titmouse — no  doubt  his 
own  handwriting  and  composition. 
She  read  it  over  eagerly  again  and 
again,— 

"  Tittlebat  Titmouse  Is  My  name, 
England  Is  My  Nation, 
London  Is  My  dwelling-Place, 
And  Christ  is  My  Salvation." 

It  was  very — very  beautiful — beauti 
ful  in  its  simplicity !  She  looked 
anxiously  about  for  writing  imple- 
ments !  but  not  seeing  any,  was  at 
length  obliged  to  trust  to  her  memory; 
on  which,  indeed,  the  exquisite  com- 
position was  already  inscribed  in 
indelible  characters.  Miss  Quirk, 
who  was  watching  her  motions, 
guessed  the  true  cause  of  her  excite- 
ment ;  and  a  smile  of  mingled  scorn 
and  pity  for  her  infatuated  delusion 
shone  upon  her  face:  in  which,  how- 
ever, there  appeared  a  little  anxiety 
when  she  beheld  Titmouse  —  not, 
however,  perceiving  that  he  did  so 
in  consequence  of  a  motion  from 
Gammon,  whose  eye  governed  his 
movements  as  a  man's  those  of  his 
spaniel — walk  up  to  her,  and  converse 
with  a  great  appearance  of  interest. 
At  length  Mr.  Tag-rag's  "carriage" 
was  announced.  Mr.  Quirk  pave  his 
arm  to  Mrs.  Tag-rag,  and  Mr.  T.t- 
mouse  to  the  daughter ;  who  endea- 
voured, as  she  went  down  the  stairs, 
to  direct  melting  glances  at  her  hand- 
some and  distinguished  compinion. 
They  evidently  told,  for  she  could  not 
be  mistaken ;  ho  certainly  once  or 
twice  squeezed  her  arm — and  the  last 


fond  words  he  uttered  to  her  were 
"Ton  my  soul — it's  early:  devilish 
sorry  you're  going  !  "  As  the  Tag-rags 
drove  home,  they  were  all  loud  in  the 
praises  of  those  whom  they  had  just 
quitted,  particularly  of  those  whose 
splendid  hospitality  they  had  been 
enjoying.  "With  a  daughter,  with 
whom  Mr.  Quirk  must  naturally  have 
wished  to  make  so  splendid  a  match  as 
that  with  Titmouse  —  but  who  was 
plainly  engaged  to  Mr.  Gammon — how 
kind  and  disinterested  was  Mr.  Quirk, 
in  affording  every  encouragement  in 
his  power  to  the  passion  which  Tit- 
mouse had  so  manifestly  conceived  for 
Miss  Tag-rag  !  And  was  there  ever 
so  delightful  a  person  as  Gammon  ? 
How  cordially  he  had  shaken  the  hands 
of  each  of  them  at  parting  !  As  for 
Miss  Tag-rag,  she  almost  felt  that,  if 
her  heart  had  not  been  so  deeply  en- 
gaged to  Titmouse,  she  could  have 
loved  Mr.  Gammon ! 

"I  hope,  Tabby,"  said  Mrs.  Tag-rag, 
"that  when  you're  Mrs.  Titmouse, 
you'll  bring  your  dear  husband  to 
hear  Mr.  Horror?  You  know,  we 
ought  to  be  grateful  to  the  Lord — for 
He  has  done  it." 

"La,  ma,  how  can  I  tell? "quoth 
Miss  Tag-rag  petulantly.  "I  must 
go  where  Mr.  Titmouse  chooses,  of 
course ;  and  no  doubt  he'll  take  sittings 
in  one  of  the  West  End  churches : 
you  know,  you  go  where  pa  goes — / 
go  where  Titmouse  goes  !  But  I  will 
come  sometimes,  too — if  it's  only  to 
show  that  I'm  not  above  it,  you  know. 
La,  what  a  stir  there  will  be  !  The 
three  Miss  Knipps  —  I  do  so  hope 
they'll  be  there  !  I'll  have  your  pew, 
ma,  lined  with  red  velvet ;  it  will  look 
so  genteel." 

"I'm  not  quite  so  sure,  Tabby, 
though,"  interrupted  her  father  with 
a  certain  swell  of  manner,  "  that  wo 
shall,  after  a  certain  event,  continue 
to  live  in  these  parts.  There's  such  a 
thing  as  retiring  from  business,  Tabby ; 
besides,  we  shall  nat'rally  wish  to  be 
near  you." 

"He's  a  love  of  a  man,  pa,  isn't 
he  ? "  interrupted  Miss  Tag-rag  with 
irrepressible  excitement.  Her  father 
folded  her  in  his  arms.     They  could 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAB. 


hardly  believe  that  they  had  reached 
Satin  Lodge.  That  respectable  struc- 
ture, somehow  or  other,  now  looked  to 
the  eyes  of  all  of  them  shrank  into 
most  contemptible  dimensions.  What 
was  it  to  the  spacious  and  splendid 
residence  which  they  had  quitted  i 
And  what,  in  all  probability,  could 
that  be  to  the  mansion-1— or  perhaps 
several  man:  ions — to  which  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse would  he  presently  entitled, 
and — in  his  tight — some  one  else  ? 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


"Whilst    the    brilliant    success 
Tittlehat    Titmouse   was  exciting 


of 
,    so 

gnat  a  sensation  amongst  the  inmates 
of  Satin  Lodge  and  Alibi  House,  there 
were  also  certain  quarters  in  the  upper 
regions  of  society,  in  which  it  produced 
a  considerable  commotion,  and  where 
it  was  contemplated  with  feelings  of 
intense  interest;  nor  without  reason. 
For  indeed  to  you,  reflective  reader, 
much  pondering  men  and  manners, 
and  observing  the  influence  of  great 
wealth,  especially  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly acquired,  upon  all  classes  of 
mankind- — it  would  appear  passing 
Btrange  that  so  prodigious  an  event  as 
that  of  an  acci  si  ion  to  a  fortune  of  ten 
thousand  a-ycar,  and  a  large  accumu- 
lation of  money  besides,  could  be 
looked  on  with  indifference  in  those 
ins  where  moxkv 

"  Jh  like  the  air  (hey  breathe — if  they  have 
it  dot  they  die  ;  " 

in  whoso  absence,  all  their  "honour, 
love,  obedience,  troops  of  friends," 
ppear  like  snow  under  sunshine  ; 
the  i  diftcc  of  pomp,  luxury,  and  n 
nificenee  that  "rose  like  an  exhala- 
tion," bo  disappears — 

"And,  like  on  unsubstantial  pageant  faded, 

......  not  a  i  ack  behl 

7''./'  !■  ii,  and   that  which 

d  its  delicate  and  pampered 
ibovc  the  common  condil  ion  of 
mankind — that   of  privation  and   in- 

lab  mr  and  anxiety— into  one 


entirely  artificial,  engendering  totally 
new  wants  and  desires,  is  gone,  all 
gone  ;  and  its  occupants  suddenly  fall, 
as  it  were,  through  a  highly  rarefied 
atmosphere,  breathless  and  dismayed, 
into  contact  with  the  chilling  exifl 
cies  of  life,  of  which  till  then  they  had 
only  heard  and  read,  sometimes  with  a 
kind  of  morbid  sympathy,  as  we  hear 
and  read  of  a  foreign  country,  not 
stirring  the  while  from  our  snug  homes, 
by  whose  comfort  aide  and  luxurious 
firesides  we  read  of  the  frightful  palsy- 
ing cold  of  the  polar  regions,  and  for 
a  moment  sigh  over  and  shudder  at 
the  condition  of  their  miserable  in- 
habitants, as  vividly  pictured  to  us  by 
adventurous  travellers. 

If  the  reader  had  reverently  cast  his 
eye  over  the  pages  of  that  glittering 
centre  of  aristocratic  literature,  and 
inexhaustible  solace  against  the  ennui 
of  a  wet  day — 1  mean  Dcbrctt's  Peerage, 
his  attention  could  not  have  failed  to 
be  riveted,  amongst  a  galaxy  of  brilliant 
but  minor  stars,  by  the  radiance  of  one 
transcendant  constellation. 

Behold;  hush;  tremble! 

"Augustus  Mortimer  Plantagenet 

FiTZ-URSE,  K.Vkl,  or  DltEDDLINGTON, 
VlSCOUMT  FiTZ-URSE,  AM)  Baron 
DrELINC'OURT  ;  KNIGHT  OFTHE  GOLD- 

kn  Fleece;  G.C.B.,  D.C.L.,  F.i'.s., 
F.P.S.,    &c,   &c,    kc.  ;    Lieuteuant- 

General  in  the  army,  Colonel  of  the 
37th  regiment  of  light  dragoons  ;  Lord 

Lieutenant  of shire  ;  elder  brother 

of  the  Trinity  House;  formerly  Lord 
Steward  of  the  Household  ;  born  the 
31st  March,  17 — ; succeed  .1  hisfather, 
Peecy  Constant; ni:  Fitz-Urse,  aa 
fifth  Karl,  and  twentieth  in  the  Barony, 
January  10th,  17—  ;  married,  April  1, 
17 — ,  the  Right  Hon.  Lady  Philippa 
Emmeline     Blanche     Macspleucb 

liter  of  Archibald,  ninth  Duke  of 
Tantallon,  K.T.,  and  has  Issue  an  only 

child, 

"Cecilia  Philippa  Leotoldina 
Plan  i  vgenet,  born  Ji  1 7—. 

"  Ti.w  n  ]e  idcu< ,-,  i  irosvenor Square, 
"  Si  ats,   ( rrunoaghoolaghan   <  'astle, 
Galway  ;     Tre - ardevoraveor     Manor, 
Cornwall  ;  LlmryUwcrwpllgUy Abbey, 
N.    Wales ;    Tuflychvchanach   Palaco, 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


279 


N.   Britain ;   Popplcton  Hall,    Hert- 
fordshire. 

:  Earldom,  by  patent,   1667  ; 


Barony,    by  writ   of  summons,  12th 
Hen.  II." 

Now,  as  to  the  above  tremendous 
list  of  seats  and  residences,  be  it  ob- 
served that  the  existence  of  two  of 
them,  viz.  Grosvenor  Square  and 
Popplcton  Hall,  was  tolerably  well 
ascertained  by  the  residence  of  the 
august  proprietor  of  them,  and  the 
expenditure  therein  of  his  princely 
revenue  of  £5000  a-year.  The  exist- 
ence of  the  remaining  ones,  however, 
the  names  of  which  the  diligent  chro- 
nicler has  preserved  with  such  scrupul- 
ous  accuracy,  had  become  somewhat 
problematical  since  the  era  of  the  civil 
wars,  and  the  physical  derangement 
of  the  surface  of  the  earth  in  those 
parts,  which  one  may  conceive  to  have 
taken  place*  consequent  upon  those 
events ;  those  imposing  feudal  resi- 
dences having  been  originally  erected 
in  positions  so  carefully  selected  with 
a  view  to  their  security  against  ag- 
gression, as  to  have  become  totally 
inaccessible — and  indeed  unknown,  to 
the  present  inglorious  and  degenerate 
race,  no  longer  animated  by  the  spirit 
of  chivalry  and  adventure. 

[I  have  now  recovered  my  breath, 
after  my  bold  Audit  into  the  resplen- 
dent regions  of  aristocracy  ;  but  my 
eyes  are  still  dazzled.] 

The  reader  may  by  this  time  have 
got  an  intimation  that  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, in  a  madder  freak  of  fortune 
than  any  which  her  incomprehensible 
ladyship  hath  hitherto  exhibited  in 
the  pages  of  this  history,  is  far  on  his 
way  towards  a  dizzy  pitch  of  greatness, 
• — viz.  that  he  has  now,  owing  to  the 
verdict  of  the  Yorkshire  jury,  taken 
the  place  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  and  become 
heir-expectant  to  the  oldest  barony  in 
the  kingdom  —  between  it  and  him 
only  one  old  peer,  and  his  sole  child, 
an  unmarried  daughter,  intervening. 
1  "hold  the  thing  demonstrated  to  your 
Very  eye,  in  the  Pedigree  on  the  next 

*  See  Dr.  Bubble's  "Account  of  the  late 
Landslips,  and  of  the  Remains  of  Subter- 
ranean Castles." — Quarto  edition,  pp.  2000— 
2003. 


page,  which  is  only  our  former  onef 
a  little  extended. 

From  this  I  think  it  will  appear, 
that  on  the  death  of  Augustus  fifth 
earl  and  twentieth  baron,  with  no  otlnr 
issue  than  Lady  Cecilia,  the  earldom 
being  then  extinct,  the  barony  would 
descend  upon  the  Lady  Cecilia  ;  and 
that,  in  the  event  of  her  dying  without 
issue  in  the  lifetime  of  her  father, 
Tittlebat  Titmouse  would  on  the  earl's 
death  without  other  lawful  issue  be- 
come Lord  Diielincourt,  twenty-first 
in  the  barony  ;  and  in  the  event  of 
her  dying  without  issue,  after  her 
father's  death,  Tittlebat  Titmouse 
would  become  the  twenty -sf.cov-d  Lord 
Diielincourt  ;  one  or  other  of  which 
two  splendid  positions,  but  for  the 
enterprising  agency  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  would  have  been 
occupied  by  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq.  ; 
— on  considering  all  which,  one  can- 
not but  remember  a  saying  of  an 
ancient  poet,  who  seems  to  have  kept 
as  keen  an  eye  upon  the  unaccountable 
frolics  of  the  goddess  Fortune,  as  this 
history  shows  that  I  have.  'Tis  a 
passage  which  any  little  schoolboy 
will  translate  to  his  mother  or  his 
sisters — 

1 "  LTinc  apicem  rapax 

Fortuna  cum  stridorc  acuto 
Sustulit,  hie  posuisse  gaudet."} 

At  the  time  of  which  I  am  writing, 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  was  about 
sixty-seven  years  old  ;  and  he  would 
have  realized  the  idea  of  an  incarna- 
tion of  the  subiimest  pride.  He  was 
of  rather  a  slight  make,  and,  though 
of  a  tolerably  advanced  age,  stood  as 
straight  as  an  arrow.  His  hair  was 
glossy,  and  white  as  snow :  his  fea- 
tures were  of  an  aristocratic  cast ; 
their  expression  was  severe  and 
haughty  ;  and  I  am  compelled  to  say 
that  there  was  scarce  a  trace  of  intel- 
lect perceptible  in  them.  His  manner 
and  demeanour  were  cold,  imperturb- 
able, inaccessible  ;  wherever  he  went 
—  so  to  speak  —  he  radiated  cold. 
Comparative  poverty  embittered  his 
spirit,  as  his  lefty  birth  and  ancient 
descent    generatid   the   pride  I  have 


t  Ante,  p.  207. 
I  Hor.  Carm.  1. 


34,  adfinem. 


280 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


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281 


Bpoken  of.  "With  what  calm  and 
supreme  self-satisfaction  did  he  look 
down  upon  all  lower  in  the  peerage 
than  himself!  and  as  for  a  newly- 
created  peer,  he  looked  at  such  a 
being  with  ineffable  disdain.  Amongst 
his  few  equals  he  was  affable  enough  ; 
amongst  his  inferiors  he  exhibited  an 
insupportable  appearance  of  condescen- 
sion— one  which  excited  a  wise  man's 
smile  of  pity  and  contempt,  and  a 
fool's  anger — both,  however,  equally 
naught  to  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington. 
If  any  one  could  have  ventured  upon 
a  fiost  mortem  examination  of  so  august 
a  structure  as  the  Earl's  carcass,  his 
heart  would  probably  have  been  found 
to  be  of  the  size  of  a  pea,  and  his 
brain  very  soft  and  flabby ;  both, 
however,  equal  to  the  small  occasions 
which,  from  time  to  time,  called  for 
the  exercise  of  their  functions.  The 
former  was  occupied  almost  exclusively 
by  two  feelings — love  of  himself  and 
of  his  daughter,  (because  upon  her 
would  descend  his  barony  ;)  the  latter 
exhibited  its  powers  (supposing  the 
brain  to  be  the  seat  of  the  mind)  in 
mastering  the  military  details  requisite 
for  nominal  soldiership  ;  the  game  of 
whist  ;  the  routine  of  petty  business 
in  the  House  of  Lords  ;  and  the 
etiquette  of  the  court.  One  branch 
of  useful  knowledge  by  the  way  he 
had,  however,  completely  mastered — 
that  which  is  so  ably  condensed  in 
JJcbrctt ;  and  he  became  a  sort  of  oracle 
in  such  matters.  As  for  his  politics, 
he  professed  Whig  principles — and 
was,  indeed,  a  bitter,  though  quiet 
partisan.  In  attendance  to  his  sena- 
torial duties,  he  practised  an  exem- 
plary punctuality  ;  was  always  to  be 
found  in  the  House  at  its  sitting  and 
rising ;  and  never  once,  on  any  oc- 
casion, great  or  small,  voted  against 
his  party.  He  had  never  been  heard 
to  speak  in  a  full  House ;  first, 
because  he  never  could  muster 
nerve  enough  for  the  purpose  ; 
secondly,  because  he  never  had  any- 
thing to  say ;  and  lastly,  lest  he 
should  compromise  his  dignity,  and 
destroy  the  prestige  of  his  position,  by 
not  speaking  better  than  any  one 
pies  'lit.     His  services  were  not,  how- 


ever, entirely  overlooked ;  for,  on  his 
party  coming  into  office  for  a  few 
weeks,  (they  knew  it  could  be  for  no 
longer  a  time,)  they  made  him  Lord 
Steward  of  the  Household  ;  which 
was  thenceforward  an  epoch  to  which 
he  referred  every  event  of  his  life, 
great  and  small.  The  great  object  of 
his  ambition,  ever  since  he  had  been 
of  an  age  to  form  large  and  compre- 
hensive views  of  action  and  conduct, 
to  conceive  superior  designs,  and  to 
achieve  distinction  amongst  mankind 
— was,  to  obtain  a  step  in  the  peerage  ; 
for  considering  the  antiquity  of  his 
family,  and  his  ample,  nay  superfluous 
pecuniary  means — so  much  more  than 
adequate  to  support  his  present  double 
dignity  of  earl  and  baron — he  thought 
it  but  a  reasonable  return  for  his 
eminent  political  services  to  obtain 
the  step  which  he  coveted.  But  his 
anxiety  on  this  point  had  been  recently 
increased  a  thousand-fold  by  one  cir- 
cumstance. A  gentleman  who  held  an 
honourable  and  lucrative  official  situ- 
ation in  the  House,  and  who  never  had 
treated  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  with 
that  profound  obsequiousness  which 
the  Earl  conceived  to  be  his  due — but, 
on  the  contrary,  had  presumed  to  con- 
sider himself  a  man  and  an  English- 
man equally  with  the  Earl — had,  a 
short  time  before,  succeeded  in  estab- 
lishing his  title  to  an  eavldom  that 
had  long  been  dormant,  and  was  of 
creation  earlier  than  that  of  Dreddling- 
ton. The  Earl  of  Dreddlington  took 
this  untoward  circumstance  so  much 
to  heart,  that  for  some  months  after- 
wards he  appeared  to  be  in  a  decline  ; 
always  experiencing  a  dreadful  inward 
spasm  whenever  the  Earl  of  Fitz- 
walter  made  his  appearance  in  the 
House.  For  this  sad  state  of  things 
there  was  plainly  but  one  remedy  —a 
MabqttISATE — at  which  the  Earl  gazed 
with  the  wistful  eye  of  an  old  and 
feeble  ape  at  a  cocoa-nut,  just  above 
his  reach,  and  which  he  beholds  at 
length  grasped  and  carried  oil'  by  some 
nimbler  and  younger  rival. 

Amongst  all  the  weighty  cares  and 
anxieties  of  this  life,  I  must  do  the 
Earl  the  justice  to  say,  that  he  did 
not  ncfrlect  the  concerns  cf  hereafter — 


2S2 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


the  solemn  realities  of  that  future 
revealed  to  us  in  the  Scriptures.  To 
his  enlightened  and  comprehensive 
view  of  the  Btate  of  things  around  him, 
it  was  evident  that  the  Author  of  the 
world  had  decreed  the  existence  of 
regular  gradations  of  society.  The 
following  lines,  quoted  cue  night  in 
the  House  by  the  leader  of  his  party, 
had  infinitely  delighted  the  Karl — 

"Oh,  whore  DBQREI  is  shaken. 
Which  is  the  1  elder  to  all  high  designs, 
The  01  6  is  sick  ! 

Take  but  DKGUREaway  untunethat  string. 
And,  hark  I    what    discord   follows!    each 

Lhhlg  meets, 

In  mere  oppugnancy  1 "  * 

When   the  Earl  discovered  that   this 
was  the  production  of  Shakspeare,  he 
conceived    a    great    respect    for    that 
writer,  and   purchased  a  copy  of  his 
works,    and    had    them     splendidly 
bound— never  to  be  opened,  however, 
except  at  that  one  place  where  the 
famous  passage  in  question  was  to  be 
found.      How    great    was    the    honour 
thus  confei  red  upon  the  plebeian  poel 
to  stain!  amidst  a  collection  of  i  ■ 
ami  noble  authors,  to  whose  pro 
tions,   ami   those   in  elucidation  and 
praise  of  them,   the   Earl's  splendid- 
looking  library  had  till  then  been  con- 
fined !     Since',  thought  the  Karl,  such 
is  clearly  the  order  of  Providence  in 
this  world,  why  should  it  not  he  so  in 
the  nexl  !     He  felt  certain  that  then 
there  would  be  found  corresponding 
dill',     i        and  degrees,  in  analogy  to 
the   differences  and   degrees  existing 
upon  earth  :   and  with  this  view  had 
),  !il  and  endeavoured  to  comprehend  a 
very  diy  hut   learned  book — Butler's 
/—lent    him    by    a    deceased 
kinsman— a  bishop.     This  consolatory 
conclusion  of  the    Earl's  was  gr< 
strengthened  by  a  passage   of  Scrip- 
ture, from  which  he  had  once   hi 
the  aforesaid  bishop  preach     "  I 
Father's  houae  an    maw  mansk 

U  It, <J  not  .  I 

you."    On  grounds  such  as  these,  after 
much   convi  nation   with  several   old 
brother  pet  pb  of  his  ow  □  rank,  be  and 
they— those   wise    and    good    it 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  ther  ■  was 

•  TroihiH  and  I  Ire     Id  L,  I.  id. 


no  real  ground  for  apprehending  so 
grievous  a  misfortune  as  the  huddling 
together  hereafter  of  the  great  and 
small  into  one  miscellaneous  and  ill- 
assorted  assemblage  ;  but  that  the  rules 
of  precedence,  in  all  their  strictness, 
as  being  founded  in  the  nature  of 
things,  would  meet  with  an  exact 
observance,  so  that  every  one  should 
he  ultimately  and  eternally  happy  in 
the  company  of  his  equals.  The  Earl 
of  Dreddlington  would  have,  in  fact, 
as  soon  supposed,  with  the  deluded 
Indian,  that  in  his  voyage  to  the  next 
world — 

"  His  faithful  dog  should  bear  him 
company  ; " 

as  that  his  lordship  should  be  doomed 
to  participate  the  same  regions  of 
heaven  with  any  of  his  domestics: 
unless,  indeed,  by  some,  in  his  view, 
not  improbable  dispensation,  it  should 
form  an  ingredient  in  their  cup  of 
happiness  in  the  next  world,  there  to 
•  offl  •■  a  —or  analogous 
ones  —  for  thi  ir  eld  .   which 

they  had  performed  upon  earth.  As 
the  Earl  grew  older,  these  just,  and 
rational,  and  Scriptural  views,  became 
clearer,  and  his  faith  firmer,  [nd< 
it  might  be  said  that  he  was  in  a 
manner  ripening  for  immortality — for 
which  his  noble  and  lofty  nature,  ho 
felt,  was  fitter,  and  more  likely  to  ho 
in  its  element,  than  it  could  possibly 
be  in  this  dull,  degraded,  and  confii  led 
world,  lie  knew  that  there  his  suffer- 
in:  s  in  this  inferior  stage  of  exist,  nee 
would  be  richly  recompensed  ;  for  suf- 
ferings indeed   be   had,   though  seel,  t, 

arising  from  the  scanty  means  which 
had  been  allotted  to  him  for  the  pur- 
pose of  maintaining  the  exalted  rank 
to  which  it  had  pleased  God  to  call 
him.  The  long  series  of  exquisite 
morl  Locations  and  pinching  privations 
arising  from  thi  inadt  ciuacy  of  means, 
bad,  however,  the  Earl  doubted  not, 
been  designed  by  Pro\  idence  as  a  trial 
of  bis  i  .  ami  front  which  he 

would,  in  due  time,  issue  like  thi 
refined  gold.     Then  also  would  doubt- 
be  remembered  in  bis  favour  the 
innumerable   instances  of  his  condc- 
ion  in  n.iii'  ling  in  the  most  oj  oo 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEATl. 


manner  with  those  who  were  un- 
questionably his  inferiors,  sacrificing 
his  own  feelings  of  lofty  and  fastidious 
exclusiveness,  and  endeavouring  to 
advance  the  interests,  and,  as  far  as 
influence  and  example  went,  polish 
and  refine  the  manners  of  the  lower 
orders  of  society.  Such  is  an  outline 
— alas,  how  faint  and  imperfect ! — of 
the  character  of  this  great  and  good 
man,  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington.  As 
for  his  domestic  and  family  circum- 
stances, he  had  been  a  widower  for 
some  fifteen  years,  his  countess  having 
brought  him  but  one  child,  Lady 
Cecilia  Philippa  Leopoldina  Planta- 
genet,  who  was,  in  almost  all  respects, 
the  counterpart  of  her  illustrious 
father.  She  resembled  him  not  a 
little  in  feature,  only  that  she  partook 
of  the  plainness  of  her  mother.  Her 
complexion  was  delicately  fair  ;  but 
her  features  had  no  other  expression 
than  that  of  a  languid  hauteur.  Her 
upper  eyelids  drooped  as  if  she  could 
hardly  keep  them  open  ;  the  upper  jaw 
projected  considerably  over  the  under 
one  ;  and  her  front  teeth  were  pro- 
minent and  exposed.  Frigid  and  in- 
animate, she  seemed  to  take  but  little 
interest  in  anything  on  earth.  In 
person,  she  was  of  average  height,  of 
slender  and  well-proportioned  figure, 
and  an  erect  and  graceful  carriage, 
only  that  she  had  a  habit  of  throwing 
her  head  a  little  backward,  that  gave 
her  a  singularly  disdainful  appearance. 
She  had  reached  her  twenty-seventh 
year  without  having  had  an  eligiide 
offer  of  marriage,  though  she  would 
be  the  possessor  of  a  barony  in  her 
own  right,  and  £5000  a-year ;  a  cir- 
cumstance which,  it  may  be  believed, 
not  a  little  embittered  her.  She  in- 
herited her  father's  pride  in  all  its 
plenitude.  You  should  have  seen  the 
haughty  couple  sitting  silently  side 
by  side  in  the  old-fashioned  yellow 
family  chariot,  as  they  drove  round 
the  crowded  park,  returning  the  saluta- 
tions of  those  they  met  in  the  slightest 
manner  possible.  A  glimpse  of  them 
at  such  a  moment  would  have  given 
you  a  far  more  just  and  lively  notion  of 
their  real  character,  than  the  most  anx- 
ious and  laboured  description  of  mine. 


Ever  since  the  first  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington had,  through  a  bitter  pique 
conceived  against  his  eldest  son,  the 
second  earl,  diverted  the  principal 
family  revenues  to  the  younger  branch, 
leaving  the  title  to  be  supported  by 
only  £5000  a-year,  there  had  been  a 
complete  estrangement  between  the 
elder  and  the  younger — the  titled  and 
the  monied — branches  of  the  family. 
On  Mr.  Aubrey's  attaining  his  ma- 
jority, however,  the  present  earl  sanc- 
tioned overtures  being  made  towards 
a  reconciliation,  being  of  opinion  that 
Mr.  Aubrey  and  Lacly  Cecilia  might, 
by  intermarriage,  effect  a  happy  re- 
union of  family  interests  ;  an  object, 
this,  that  had  long  lain  nearer  his 
heart  than  any  other  upon  earth,  till, 
in  fact,  it  became  a  kind  of  passion. 
Actuated  by  such  considerations,  he 
had  done  more  to  conciliate  Mr.  Aubrey 
than  he  had  ever  done  towards  any  one 
on  earth.  It  was,  however,  in  vain. 
Mr.  Aubrey's  first  delinquency  was, 
an  unqualified  and  enthusiastic  adop- 
tion of  Tory  principles.  Now,  all  the 
Dreddlingtons,  from  time  whereof  the 
memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the 
contrary,  had  been  firm  unflinching 
Tories,  till  the  distinguished  father  of 
the  present  earl  quietly  walked  over 
one  day  to  the  other  side  of  the  House 
of  Lords,  completely  fascinated  by  a 
bit  of  riband  which  the  minister  held 
up  before  him  :  and  before  he  had  sit 
in  that  wonder-working  region,  the 
ministerial  side  of  the  House,  twenty- 
four  hours,  he  discovered  that  the  true 
signification  of  Tory,  was  bigot — and 
of  Whig,  patriot :  and  he  stuck  to 
that  version  till  it  transformed  him 
into  a  gold  stick,  in  which  capacity  he 
died,  having  repeatedly  and  solemnly 
impressed  upon  his  son  the  necessity 
and  advantage  of  taking  the  same  view 
of  public  affairs,  with  a  view  to  arrive 
at  similar  results.  And  in  the  way  in 
which  he  had  been  trained  up,  most 
religiously  had  gone  the  earl ;  and  see 
the  result :  he,  also,  attained  to  eminent 
and  responsible  office — to  wit,  that  of 
Lord  Steward  of  the  Household.  Now, 
things  standing  thus — how  could  the 
earl  so  compromise  his  principles,  and 
indirectly  injure  his  party,  as  by  sufi'er- 


23-1 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


ing  his  daughter  to  marry  a  Tory  ? 
Great  grief  ami  vexation  of  spirit  did 
this  matter,  therefore,  occasion  to  that 
excellent  nobleman.  Eut,  secondly, 
Aubrey  not  only  declined  to  marry  his 
cousin,  but  clenched  his  refusal,  and 
sealed  his  final  exclusion  from  the 
dawning  good  opinion  and  affections 
of  the  carl,  by  marrying,  as  hath  been 
seen,  some  one  else — -Miss  St.  Clair. 
Thenceforth  there  was  a  great  gulf 
between  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  and 
the  Aubreys.  "Whenever  they  hap- 
pened to  meet,  the  earl  greeted  him 
with  an  elaborate  bow,  and  a  petrifying 
smile ;  but  for  the  last  seven  years, 
not  one  syllable  had  passed  between 
them.  As  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  he  had 
never  been  otherwise  than  amused  at 
the  eccentric  airs  of  his  magnificent 
kinsman. — Now,  was  it  not  a  hard 
thing  for  tin;  carl  to  bear — namely, 
the  prospect  there  was  that  his  barony 
and  estates  might  devolve  upon  this 
same  Aubrey,  or  his  issue  ?  for  Lady 
Cecilia,  alas !  enjoyed  but  precarious 
health,  and  her  chances  of  marrying 
seemed  daily  diminishing.  This  was 
a  thorn  in  the  poor  earl's  flesh  ;  a 
source  of  constant  irorry  to  him,  sleep- 
ing and  waking  :  and  proud  as  he  was, 
and  with  such  good  reason,  he  would 
have  gone  down  on  his  knees  and 
prayed  to  heaven  to  avert  so  direful  a 
calamity — to  Bee  his  daughter  married. 
Such  being  the  relative  position  of 
Mr.  Aubrey  and  the  Earl  of  Dreddling- 
ton at  the  time  when  this  history 
opens,  it  is  easy  for  the  reader  to 
imagine  the  lively  interest  with  which 
the  earl  first  heard  of  the  tidings  that 
a  Btranger  had  Bet  up  a  title  to  the 
whole  of  the  Yatton  estates;  and  the 
silent  but  profound  anxiety  with  which 
he  continued  to  regard  the  progn 
the  affair.  He  obtained,  from  time  to 
time,  by  means  of  confidential  enquiries 
institute  I  by  li is  solicitor,  a  general 
notion  of  the  n  iture  of  the  new  claim- 
ant's preten  lousj  but,  with  a  due 
degree  of  delicacy  towards  his  unfor- 
tunate kinsman,  bet  studiously  con- 
cealed the  interest  ho  felt  in  so  im- 
portant a  family  question  as  the 
succession  to  the  Yatton  property. 
The  earl  and   In;  daughter  ware  ex- 


ceedingly anxious  to  sec  the  claimant  ; 
and  when  he  heard  that  that  claimant 
was  a  gentleman  of  "decided  Whig 
principles" — the  earl  was  very  near 
setting  it  down  as  a  sort  of  special 
interference  of  Providence  in  his  favour; 
and  one  that,  in  the  natural  order  of 
things,  would  lead  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  other  wishes  of  the  earl. 
V.  ho  kiew  but  that,  before  a  twelve- 
month had  passed  over,  the  two 
branches  of  the  family  might  not  bo 
in  a  fair  way  of  being  reunited — ami 
thus,  amongst  other  incidents,  invest 
the  earl  with  the  virtual  patronage 
of  the  borough  of  Yatton,  and,  in 
the  event  of  their  return  to  power, 
strengthen  his  claim  upon  his  party 
for  his  long-coveted  marquisatel  Ho 
had  gone  to  the  continent  a  few  days 
before  the  trial  of  the  ejectment  at 
York  ;  and  did  not  return  till  a  day 
or  two  after  the  Court  of  King's  Bench 
had  solemnly  declared  the  validity  of 
the  plaintiffs  title  to  the  Yatton  pro- 
perty, and  consequently  established 
his  right  of  Succession  to  the  barony  of 

Drelincourt.  Of  this  event  a  length- 
ened account  was  given  in  one  of  the 
Yorkshire  papers  which  fell  under  the 
earl's  eye  the  day  after  his  arrival  from 
abroad  ;  and  to  the  report  of  the  deci- 
sion of  the  question  of  law,  was  ap- 
pended tin;  following  paragraph  : — 

"In  consequence  of  the  above  de- 
cision, Mr.  Aubrey,  we  are  able  to  state 
on  the  best  authority,  has  given  formal 
notice  of  l.is  intent  ion  to  surrender  tho 
entire  of  the  Yatton  property  without 
further  litigation  ;  thus  making  tho 
pr  imprest  amends  in  his  power  to 
those  whom  he  has — we  cannot  doubt 
unwittingly  —  injured.  lie  has  also 
accepted  the  Chiltcrn  Hundreds,  and 
has  consequently  retired  from  Parlia- 
ment ;  so  that  the  borough  of  Yatton 
is  now  vacant.  We  sincerely  hope  that 
the  new  proprietor  of  Yatton  will  either 
himself  sit  for  the  borongh,  and  an- 
nounce immediately  his  intention  of 
doing  so,  or  give  his  prompt  ami 
deci  nve  Bupport  to  Bome  gentleman  of 

derided       Whig      plill'iphs.  We     saV 

prompt  for  the  enemy  is  vigilanl  ana 
crafty.  Abu  at  Yatton  !  To  tho 
n    cue!  I  I — Mr.   Titmouse   is  now,  wo 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


285 


believe,  in  London.  This  fortunate 
gentleman  is  not  only  now  in  possession 
of  the  fine  property  at  Yatton,  with 
an  unencumbered  rent-roll  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  a-year,  and 
a  vast  accumulation  of  rents  to  be 
handed  over  by  the  late  possessor,  but 
is  now  next  but  one  in  succession 
to  the  earldom  of  Dreddlington  and 
barony  of  Drelincourt,  with  the  large 
family  estates  annexed  thereto.  Wc 
believe  this  is  the  oldest  barony  in  the 
kingdom.  It  must  be  a  source  of  great 
gratification  to  the  present  earl  to 
know  that  his  probable  successor  pro- 
fesses the  same  liberal  and  enlightened 
political  opinions,  of  which  his  lordship 
has,  during  his  long  and  distinguished 
political  life,  been  so  able  and  consist- 
ent a  supporter." 

The  Earl  of  Dreddlington  was  slightly 
flustered  on  reading  the  above  para- 
graph. He  perused  it  several  times 
with  increasing  satisfaction.  The 
time  had  at  length  arrived  for  him 
to  take  decisive  steps  ;  nay,  duty  to 
his  newly-discovered  kinsman  required 
it. 

Messrs.  Titmouse  and  Gammon  were 
walking  arm-in-arm  down  Oxford 
Street,  on  their  return  from  some 
livery-stables,  where  they  had  been 
looking  at  a  horse  which  Titmouse 
was  thinking  of  purchasing,  when  an 
incident  occurred  which  rallied  him  not 
a  little.  He  had  been  recognized  and 
publicly  accosted  by  a  vulgar  fellow, 
with  a  yard-measure  in  his  hand,  and 
a  large  parcel  of  drapery  under  his 
arm — in  fact,  by  our  old  friend  Mr. 
Huckaback.  In  vain  did  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse affect,  for  some  time,  not  to  see 
his  old  acquaintance,  and  to  be  ear- 
nestly engaged  in  conversation  with 
Mr.  Gammon. 

' '  Ah,  Titty  !  —  Titmouse  !  Well, 
Mister  Titmouse  —  how  are  you  ? — ■ 
.Devilish  long  time  since  we  met !  " 
Titmouse  directed  a  look  at  him  which 
he  wished  could  have  blighted  him, 
and  quickened  his  pace  without  taking 
any  further  notice  of  the  presumptuous 
intruder.  Huckaback's  blood  was  up, 
however, — roused  by  this  ungrateful 
and  insolent  treatment  from  one  who 
had  been  under  such  great  obligations 


to  him  ;  and  quickening  Ma  pace  also, 
ho  kept  alongside  with  Titmouse. 

"Ah,"  continued  Huckaback, 
"why  do  you  cut  me  in  this  way, 
Titty  ?  You  aren't  ashamed  of  me, 
surely?  Many's  the  time  you've 
tramped  up  and  down  Oxford  Street 
with  your  bundle  and  yard-measure — " 

"Fellow  !  "  at  length  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse indignantly,  "  Ton  my  life  I'll 
give  you  in  charge  if  you  go  on  so  ! 
lie  off,  you  low  fellow  ! — Dem  vulgar 
brute  ! "  he  subjoined  in  a  lower  lone, 
bursting  into  perspiration,  for  he  bad 
not  forgotten  the  insolent  pertinacity 
of  Huckaback's  disposition. 

"My  eyes!  Give  me  in  charge? 
Come,  I  like  that,  rather— You  vaga- 
bond !  Pay  me  what  you  owe  me ! 
You're  a  swindler  !  You  owe  me  fifty 
pounds,  you  do  !  You  sent  a  man  to 
rob  me !  " 

"Will  any  one  get  a  constable?" 
enquired  Titmouse,  who  hal  grown  as 
white  as  death.  The  little  crowd  that 
was  collecting  round  them  began  to 
suspect,  from  Titmouse's  agitated  ap- 
pearance, that  there  must  be  soma 
foundation  for  the  charges  made 
against  him. 

"Oh,  go,  get  a  constable  !  Nothing 
I  should  like  better  !  Ah,  my  fine 
gentleman  —  what's  the  time  of  day, 
when  chaps  like  you  are  wound  up  so 
high?"  _  * 

Gammon's  interference  was  in  vain. 
Huckaback  got  more  abusive  and 
noisy  ;  no  constable  was  at  hand  ;  so, 
to  escape  the  intolerable  interruption 
and  nuisance,  he  beckoned  a  coach  off 
the  stand,  which  was  cIosj  by  ;  and, 
Titmouse  and  he  stepping  into  it,  they 
were  soon  out  of  sight  and  hearing 
of  Mr.  lluc";aback.  Having  taken  a 
shilling  drive,  they  alighted,  and 
walked  towards  Covent  Garden.  As 
they  approached  the  hotel,  they  ob- 
served a  yellow  chariot,  at  once  elegant 
and  somewhat  old-fashioned,  rolling 
away  from  the  door. 

"  I  wonder  who  that  is,"  said  Gam- 
mon ;  "it's  an  earl's  coronet  on  the 
panel ;  and  a  white-haired  old  gentle- 
man was  sitting  low  down  in  the 
corner " 


"Ah — it's  no  doubt  a  fine  thing  to 


2SG 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


bo  a  lord,  and  all  that — but  I'll  answer 
for  it,  some  of  Yin's  as  poor  as  a  church 
mouse,"  replied  Titmouse  as  they  en- 
l  'I  the  hotel.  At  that  moment  the 
waiter,   with   a   most   profound   bow, 


presented  him  with  a  letter  and  a  card, 
which   had   only  the 


been    left 
thus : — 


for    him. 


moment  before 

The    card   was 


THE   EAUL   OF  DUEDDUNGTOX. 


onosvENon  sunnr. 


and  there  was  written  on  it,  in  pencil, 
in  rather  a  feeble  and  hurried  character 
—"For  Mr.  Titmouse." 

".My  stirs,  Mr.  Gammon!"  ex- 
claimed Titmouse  ex  itedly,  addressing 
Mr.  Gammon,  who  also  seemed  gre 
interested  hy  the  occurrence.  They 
botli  repaired  to  a  vacant  table  at  the 
extremity  of  the  room  ;  and  Titmouse, 
with  not  a  little  trepidation,  hastily 
breaking  a  large  seal  which  contained 
the  Earl's  family  arms,  with  their 
crowded  quarterings  and  grim  sup- 
porters— better  appreciated  by  Gam- 
mon, however,  than  by  Titmouse — 
opened  the  ample  envelope,  and,  un- 
folding its  thick  gilt-edged  enclosure, 
read  as  follows  : — 

"The  Karl  of  Dreddlington  has  the 
honour  of  wailing  up  in  Mr.  Titmouse, 
in  whom  lie  is  very  happy  to  have, 
though  unexpectedly,  discovered  bo 
near  a  kinsman.  On  the  event  which 
has  brought  this  to  pass,  the  Earl  con- 
gratulates himself  not  less  than  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  hopes  for  the  earliest 
opportunity  of  a  persona]  introduction. 

"The  Karl  leaves  town  t  -day,  and 
will  not  return  till  Monday  next,  on 
which  day  he  begs  the  favour  of  Mr. 
Titmouse's  company  to  dinner,  at  six 

q'i  lock.        He    may    depend    upon    its 

1        -  strictly  a  family  i  .-  the 

only  pei  ion  pi    ent,  M  r.  Tit- 

183  and  the  Earl,  being  the  Lady 
(       Lta. 

"  Grosvenor  Square,  Thursday. 
"  Tittlebat  Titmoi     .  I 

As  soon  as  Titmouse  had  read  the 
above,  still  holding  it  in  his  hand,  he 
gazed  at  Gammon  with  mute  appre- 


hension and  delight.  Of  the  existence, 
indeed,  of  the  magnificent  personage 
who  had  ju-t  introduced  himself,  Tit- 
mouse had  certainly  heard,  from  time 
to  time,  since  the  commencement  of 
the  proceedings  which  had  just  been 
so  successfully  terminated,  lie  had 
seen  the  brightness,  to  he  sure  ;  hut, 
as  a  sort  of  remote  splendour,  like  that 
of  a  fixed  star  which  gleamed  brightly, 
hut  at  too  vast  a  distance  to  have  any 
sensible  influence,  or  even  to  arresl  his 
Alter  a  little  while.  Tit- 
mouse began  to  chatter  very  volubly  ; 
but  Gammon,  after  reading  over  the 
note  once  or  twice,  seemed  not  much 
inclined  for  conversation  :  and,  had 
Titmouse  been  accustomed  to  observa- 
tion, he  might  have  gathered,  from 
the  eye  and  brow  of  Gammon,  that 
that  gentl  man's  mind  was  very  deeply 
occupied  by  some  matter  or  other, 
probably  suggested  by  the  incident 
which  had  just  taken  place.  Titmouse, 
by  the  by,  called  for  pens,  ink,  and 
paper,  —  "the  very  best  gilt-edged 
paper,  mind"—  and  prepared  to  reply 
to  Lord  Dreddlington  8  note.  Gammon, 
however,  who  knew  the  peculiarities  of 
his  friend's  style  of  correspondence, 
ested  thai  he  Bhould  draw  up,  and 
Titmouse  copy  the  following  rote. 
This  was  presently  done;  but  when 
Gammon  observed  how  thickly studi  i  d 
it  was  with  capital  letters,  the  numer- 
ous flouri  hes  with  which  it  was  gar- 
ni lied,  and  it  i  more  than  questionable 

nil b  [ihj ,  he  prevailed  on  Tit  mot 

after  some  little  difficulty,  to  allow 
him  to  1 1  ii  ici  ibe  t  he  note  «  hich  was 
to   be    Bent    to    Lord 

I  I.  re  it  18 


Dreddlington. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


287 


"Mr.  Titmouse  begs  to  present  his 
compliments  to  the  Earl  of  Dreddling- 
ton,  and  to  express  the  high  sense  lie 
entertains  of  the  kind  consideration 
evinced  by  his  lordship  in  his  call  and 
note  of  to-day. 

"  One  of  the  most  gratifying  circum- 
stances connected  with  Mr.  Titmouse's 
recent  success,  is  the  distinguished 
alliance  which  his  lordship  has  been 
so  prompt  and  courteous  in  recognising. 
Mr.  Titmouse  will  feel  the  greatest 
pleasure  in  availing  himself  of  the 
Karl  of  Dreddlington's  invitation  to 
dinner  for  Monday  next. 

"Cabbage-Stalk  Hotel,  Thursday. 
"The  Eight  Honble.  the  Eaul  of 
Dkeddlixuton,  &c.  &c. " 

"Have  you  a  'Peerage'  here, 
waiter?"  enquired  Gammon,  as  the 
waiter  brought  him  a  lighted  taper. 
Dcbrclt  was  shortly  laid  before  him  ; 
and  turning  to  the  name  of  Dred- 
d  ling  ton,  he  read  over  what  has  been 
already  laid  before  the  reader.  "Humph 
—  'Lady  Cecilia'  —  here  she  is — his 
daughter — I  thought  as  much — I  see  !  " 
This  was  what  passed  through  his 
mind,  as — having  left  Titmouse,  who 
Sut  oif  to  deposit  a  card  and  the  above 
"Answer"  at  Lord  Dreddlington's — 
he  made  his  way  towards  the  delect- 
able regions  in  which  their  office  was 
situated — Saffron  Hill,  "'lis  curious 
- — amusing — interesting,  to  observe  his 
progress"  —  continued  Gammon  to 
himself — 

"  Tag-rag — and  his  daughter ; 

"  Quirk — and  his  daughter  ; 

"  The  Earl  of  I)  reddling  ton — and 
his  daughter.  How  many  more  ? 
Happy  !  happy  !  happy  Titmouse  !  " 

The  sun  that  was  rising  upon  Tit- 
mouse was  setting  upon  the  Aubreys. 
Dear,  delightful — now  too  dear,  now 
too  delightful — Yatton  !  the  shades  of 
evening  are  descending  upon  thee,  and 
thy  virtuous  but  afllicted  occupants, 
who,  early  on  the  morrow,  quit  thee 
for  ever.  Approach  silently  yon  con- 
servatory. Behold  in  the  midst  of  it 
the  dark  slight  figure  of  a  lady,  soli- 
tary, motionless,  in  melancholy  atti- 
tude— her  hands  clasped  before  her  : 
it  is  Miss  Aubrey.     Her  face  is  beau- 


tiful, but  grief  is  in  her  eye  ;  and  her 
bosom  heaves  with  sighs,  which,  gentle 
as  they  are,  are  yet  the  only  sounds 
audible.  Yes,  that  is  the  sweet  and 
once  joyous  Kate  Aubrey. 

Twas  she,  indeed  ;  and  this  was  her 
last  visit  to  her  conservatory.  Many 
rare,  delicate,  and  beautiful  flowers 
were  there  ;  the  air  was  laden  with  the 
fragrant  odours  which  they  exhaled, 
as  it  were  in  sighs,  on  account  of  the 
dreaded  departure  of  their  lovely  mis- 
tress. At  length  she  stooped  down, 
and  in  stooping,  a  tear  fell  right  upon 
the  small  sprig  of  geranium  which  she 
gently  detached  from  its  stem,  and 
placed  in  her  bosom.  "Sweet  flowers," 
thought  she,  "who  will  tend  you  as  I 
have  tended  you,  when  I  am  gone  ? 
Why  do  you  look  now  more  beautiful 
than  ever  you  did  before  ?  "  Her  eye 
fell  upon  the  spot  on  which,  (ill  the 
day  before,  hnd  stood  her  aviary.  Poor 
Kate  had  sent  it,  as  a  present,  to  Lady 
De  la  Zouch,  and  it  was  then  at  Foth- 
eringham  Castle.  What  a  flutter  there 
used  to  be  among  the  beautiful  little 
creatures  when  they  perceived  Kate's 
approach  !  She  turned  her  head  away. 
She  felt  oppressed,  and  attributed  it 
to  the  closeness  of  the  conservatory — ■ 
the  strength  of  the  odours  given  out 
by  the  numerous  flowers  ;  but  it  was 
sorrow  that  oppressed  her  ;  and  she 
was  in  a  state  at  once  of  mental  excite- 
ment ami  physical  exhaustion.  Tho 
last  few  weeks  had  been  an  interval  of 
exquisite  suffering.  She  could  not  be 
happy  alone,  and  yet  could  not  bear 
the  company  of  her  brother  and  her 
sister-in-law,  nor  that  of  their  innocent 
children.  Quitting  the  conservatory 
with  a  look  of  lingering  fondness,  she 
passed  along  into  the  house  with  a 
hurried  step,  and  escaped,  unobserved, 
to  her  chamber — the  very  chamber  in 
which  the  reader  obtained  his  first 
distant  and  shadowy  glimpse  of  her ; 
and  in  which,  now  entering  it  silently 
and  suddenly,  the  door  being  only 
closed,  not  shut,  she  observed  her 
faithful  little  maid  Harriet,  sitting  in 
tears  before  a  melancholy  heap  of 
packages  prepared  for  travelling  on 
the  morrow.  She  rose  as  Miss  Aubrey 
entered,  and  presently  exclaimed  pas- 


288 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


sionatcly,  bursting  afresh  into  tears, 
".Ma'am,  I  can't  leave  you — indeed  I 
can't !  I  know  all  your  ways  ;  I  won't 
go  to  any  one  else !  I  shall  hate  ser 
and  1  know  they'll  hate  me  too  ;  fur  1 
shall  cry  myself  to  death  !  " 

"Come,  come,  Harriet,"  faltered 
Miss  Aubrey,  "this  is  very  foolish; 
nay,  it  is  unkind  to  distress  me  in  this 
manner  at  the  last  moment." 

'•ti]i,  ma'am,  if  you  did  but  know 
how  1  love  you!  How  I'd  go  on  my 
knees  to  serve  you  all  the  rest  of  the 
days  of  my  life  !  " 

"Don't  talk  in  that  way,  Harriet; 
that's  a  good  girl,"  said  Miss  Aubrey 
rather  faintly,  and,  sinking  into  the 
chair,  she  buried  her  face  in  her  hand- 
kerchief, "you  know  I've  had  a  great 
deal  to  go  through,  Harriet,  and  am 
in  very  poor  spirits." 

"  1  know  it,  ma'am,  I  do  ;  and  that's 
why  1  can't  bear  to  leave  yon  !  "  She 
sank  on  her  knees  beside  Miss  Aubrey. 
"Oh,  ma'am,  if  you  would  hut  let  me 
stay  with  you!  I've  been  trying,  ever 
since  you  firsl  told  me,  to  make  up  my 
mind  to  part  with  you  ;  ami,  now  it's 
Coming  to  the  time,  1  can't,  ma'am — 
indeed,  I  can't !  If  you  did  but  know, 
ma'am,  what  my  thoughts  have  been 
•while  I've  been  folding  and  packing 
up  your  dresses  here  ;  to  think  that  I 
shan't  be  with  you  to  unpack  them  ; 
it's  very  hard,  ma'am,  that  madam's 
maid  is  to  go  with  her,  and  I'm  not  to 
go  with  you !" 

"  We  must  have  made  a  choice, 
Harriet,"  said  Miss  Aubrey,  with 
forced  calmness. 

"  Yes,  ma'am  ;  but  why  didn't  you 
choose  us  both?  Because  we've  both 
always  done  our  best  ;  and,  as  for  me, 
you've  mver  spoke  an  unkind  word 
to  me  in  your  life " 

"  Harriet,  Harriet,"  said  Miss 
Aubrey  tremulously,  "I've  several 
times  explained  to  you  Dial,  we  cannot 
;i  ii'.  !  mger  afford  each  to  have  our  ow  n 
•  !  ;  and  .Mrs.  Aubrey's  maid  is 
older  than  yon,  am!  1.  ows  how  to 
manage  children " 

"What  signifies  affording,  ma'am? 

Neither    she    nor    I    will    ever    take    a 

■hilling  of  wages;    I'd  really   rather 
serve  yon  for  nothing,  ma'am,  than 


any  other  lady  for  a  hundred  pounds 
a-year !  Oh,  so  happy  as  I've  been  in 
your  service,  ma'am!"  she  added 
bitterly. 

"  Don't,  Harriet — you  would  not,  if 
you  knew  the  pain  you  give  me,"  said 
Miss  Aubrey  faintly.  Harriet  got  up, 
poured  out  a  glass  of  water,  and  forced 
her  pale  mistress  to  swallow  a  little, 
which  presently  revived  her. 

"Harriet,"  said  she,  "you  have 
never  once  disobeyed  me,  and  now 
I  am  certain  that  you  won't.  I  assure 
you  that  we  have,  made  all  ourarrange- 
ments,  and  cannot  alter  them.  I 
have  been  very  fortunate  in  obtaining 
for  you  so  kind  a  mistress  as  Lady 
Stratton.      Remember,    Harriet,    she 

was  the  oldest  bosom  friend  of  my " 

Miss  Aubrey's  voice  trend 'led,  and  sho 
ceased  speaking  for  a  minute  or  two, 
iluring  which  she  struggled  against 
her  feelings  with  momentary  success. 
''Here's  the  prayer-book,"  sho  pre- 
sently resumed,  opening  a  drawer  in 
her  dressing-table,  and  taking  out 
a  small  volume — "Here's  the  prayer- 

I k  1  promised  you;  it  is  very  prettily 

bound,  and  J  have  written  your  name 
in  it,  Harriet,  as  you  desired.  Take  it, 
and  keep  it  for  my  sake.     Will  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  ma'am,"  replied  the  girl 
bitterly,  "I  shall  never  bear  to  look 
at  it,  but  I'll  never  part  with  it  till 
I  die." 

"Now  leave  me,  Harriet,  for  a  short 
time — 1  wish  to  be  alone,"  said  Miss 
Aubrey;  and  she  was  obeyed.  She 
presently  rose  and  bolted  the  door  ; 
and  then,  secure  from  interruption, 
walked  slowly  to  and  fro  for  some 
time;  and  a  long  and  deep  current 
of  melancholy  thoughts  and  feelings 
(lowed    through    her  mind  and   her 

heart.  She  had  but  a  short  ti  ne 
before  Been  her  sister's  sweet  children 
put  into  their  little  beds  for  the 
time  at  Yatton  ;  and,  together  with 
their  mother,  had  hung  fondly  over 
them,  kissing  and  embracing  them — 

their   little   fellow-wanderers — till   her 

feelings  compelled  her  to  have  them. 
<  Ine  by  one  all  the  dear  innumerable 
ties  that  had  attached  her  to  Yatton, 
and  everything  connected  with  it,  ev<  c 
iuce  her  birth,  had  been  Bcvcred  and 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


289 


broken — ties,  not  only  the  strength, 
but  very  existence  of  which,  she  had 
scarce  been  aware  of  till  then.  She 
had  bade — as  had  all  of  them — re- 
peated and  agonizing  farewells  to  dear 
and  old  friends.  Her  very  heart 
within  her  trembled  as  she  gazed  at 
the  objects  familiar  to  her  eye,  and 
pregnant  with  innumerable  little  soft- 
ening associations,  ever  since  her  in- 
fancy. Nothing  around  them  now 
belonged  to  them — but  to  a  stranger — 
to  one  who — she  shuddered  with  dis- 


gust. 


She    thought   of    the    fearful 


position  in  which  her  brother  was 
jdaccd — entirely  at  the  mercy  of,  it 
might  be,  selfish  and  rapacious  men — 
what  indeed  was  to  become  of  all  of 
them  ?  At  length  she  threw  herself 
into  the  large  old  easy  chair  which 
stood  near  the  window,  and  with  a 
fluttering  heart  and  hasty  tremulous 
hand,  drew  an  open  letter  from  her 
bosom.  She  held  it  for  some 
moments,  as  if  dreading  again  to 
peruse  it — but  at  length  unfolded  and 
read  a  portion  of  it.  'Twas  full  of 
fervent  and  at  the  same  time  delicate 
expressions  of  fondness  ;  and  after  a 
short  while,  her  hand  dropped  with 
the  letter  upon  her  lap,  and  she  burst 
into  a  passionate  Hood  of  tears.  After 
an  interval  of  several  minutes,  she 
again  took  up  the  letter — read  a  little 
further- — still  more  and  more  moved 
by  the  generous  and  noble  sentiments 
it  contained — and,  at  length,  utterly 
overcome,  she  again  dropped  her  hand, 
and  sobbed  aloud  long  and  vehemently. 
"  It  cannot — cannot — no  it  cannot  be," 
she  murmured,  and  yielded  to  her 
feelings  for  a  long  while,  her  tears 
showering  down  her  pallid,  beautiful 
cheeks. 

At  length  she  came  to  the  con- 
clusion :  in  a  kind  of  agon}'  she  pressed 
the  signature  to  her  lips,  and  then 
hastily  folding  up  the  letter,  replaced 
it  whence  she  had  taken  it,  and  con- 
tinued sobbing  bitterly.  Alas,  what 
additional  poignancy  did  this  give  to 
the  agonies  of  her  last  evening  at 
Yatton !  She  had,  however,  become 
somewhat  calmer  by  the  time  that  she 
heard  the  door  hastily,  but  gently 
tapped  at,  and  then  attempted  to  be 


opened.  Miss  Aubrey  rose  and  un- 
bolted it,  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  entered, 
her  beautiful  countenance  as  pale  and 
sad  as  that  of  her  sister-in-law.  She, 
however,  was  both  wife  and  mother ; 
and  the  various  cares  which  these 
relations  entailed  upon  her  at  a  bitter 
moment  like  the  present,  served,  in 
some  measure,  to  occupy  her  thoughts, 
and  prevent  her  from  being  absorbed 
by  the  heart-breaking  circumstances 
which  surrounded  her.  Suffering  had, 
however,  a  little  impaired  her  beauty  ; 
her  cheek  was  very  pale,  and  her  eyo 
and  brow  laden  with  trouble. 

"Kate,  dear  Kate,"  said  she  rather 
quickly,  closing  the  door  after  her, 
"what  is  to  be  done  ?  Did  you  hear 
carriage-wheels  a  few  moments  ago  ? 
Who  do  you  think  have  arrived?  As 
I  fancied  would  be  the  case,  the  Do  la 
Zouches."  Miss  Aubrey  trembled  and 
turned  pale.  "  You  must  see— you 
must  see — Lady  De  la  Zouch,  Kate — 
they  have  driven  from  Fotheringham. 
on  purpose  to  take — once  more — a  last 
farewell !  Tis  very  painful,  but  what 
can  be  done  ?  You  know  what  dear, 
dear,  good  friends  they  are  !  " 

"Is  Lord  De  la  Zouch  come,  also?" 
enquired  Miss  Aubrey  apprehensively. 

"I  will  not  deceive  you,  dearest 
Kate,  they  are  all  come  ;  but  she  only 
is  in  the  house  :  they  are  gone  out  to 
look  for  Charles,  M'ho  is  walking  in 
the  park."  Miss  Aubrey  gave  a  sud- 
den shudder  ;  and  after  evidently  a 
violent  struggle  with  her  feelings,  the 
colour  having  entirely  deserted  hei 
face,  and  left  it  of  an  ashy  white- 
ness, "I  cannot  muster  up  resolution 
enough,  Agnes,"  she  whispered.  "I 
know  their  errand." 

"  Care  not  about  their  errand,  love  ! 
You  shall  not  be  troubled — you  shall 
not  be  persecuted."  Miss  Aubrey 
shook  her  head,  and  grasped  Mrs. 
Aubrey's  hand. 

"They  do  not,  they  cannot  perse- 
cute me.  It  is  a  cruel  and  harsh  word 
to  use  —  and  ! — consider  how  noble, 
how  disinterested  is  their  conduct ; 
it  is  that  which  subdues  me  !  " 

Mrs.  Aubrey  threw  her  arms  round 
her  agitated  sister-in-law,  and  tenderly 
kissed  her  forehead. 


2% 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"Oh,  Agnes!"  faltered  Miss  Au- 
brey, pressing  her  hand  upon  her 
heart  to  relieve  the  intolerable  op- 
pression she  suffered  —  "would  to 
Heaven  that  I  had  never  seen — never 
thought  of  him  !  " 

"Don't  fear,  Kate!  that  he  will 
attempt  to  see  you  on  so  sad  an  oc- 
casion as  this.  Delamere  is  a  man  of 
infinite  delicacy  and  generosity  !  " 

"  I  know  he  is,  I  know  he  is," 
gasped  Miss  Aubrey. 

"Stay,  I'll  tell"  you  what  to  do; 
I'll  go  ((own  and  return  with  Lady  De 
la  Zouch  :  we  can  see  her  here,  undis- 
turbed and  alone,  for  a  few  moments  ; 
and  then,  nothing  painful  can  occur. 
Shall  I  bring  her?"  she  enquired, 
rising.  Miss  Aubrey  did  not  dissert ; 
and  within  a  very  few  minutes'  time, 
Mrs.  Aubrey  returned,  accompanied 
by  Lady  Dc  la  Zouch,  rather  an  elderly 
woman,  her  countenance  still  hand- 
some ;  of  very  dignified  carriage,  of 
an  extremely   mild    disposition,    and 

Siassionately  fond  of  Miss  Aubrey. 
Iastily  drawing  aside  her  veil  as  she 
entered  the  room,  she  stepped  quickly 
up  to  Miss  Aubrey,  kissed  her,  and 
for  a  few  moments  grasped  her  hands 
in  silence. 

"Tliis  is  very  sad  work,  Miss  Au- 
brey," said  she  at  length,  hurriedly 
glancing  at  the  luggage  lying  piled  up 
at  the  other  end  of  the  room.  Miss 
Aubrey  made  no  answer,  but  shook 
her  head.  "  It  was  useless  attempting 
it,  we  could  not  stay  at  home  ;  we 
have  risked  being  charged  with  cruel 
intrusion ;  forgive  me,  dearest,  will 
you  !  They  will  not  come  near  you  !  " 
Miss  Aubrey  trembled.  "I  feel  as  if 
I  were  parting  with  a  daughter,  Mate," 
said  Lady  De  la  Zouch  with  Budden 
emotion.  "  How  your  mamma  and  I 
loved  one  another!"  and  she  burst 
iiitu  tears. 

"For  mercy's  Bake,  open  the  win- 
dow; I  feel  suffocated,"  faltered  Miss 
Aubrey.     Mis.  Aubrey  threw  up  the 

window,     aud     tie:     1     refn  ihing 

breeze  "f  evening  quickly  diffused 
itself  through  the  apartment,  and 
revived  the  drooping  spirits  of  Miss 
Aubrey,  who  walked  gently  to  and 
fro  about  the  room, supported  by  Lady 


Dc  la  Zouch  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  and 
soon  recovered  a  tolerable  degree  of 
composure.  The  three  ladies  pre- 
sently stood,  arm  iu  arm,  gazing 
through  the  deep  bay  window  at  the 
tine  and  extensive  prospect  which  it 
commanded.  The  gloom  of  evening 
was  beginning  to  steal  over  the 
landscape. 

"How  beautiful!"  exclaimed  Miss 
Aubrey  faintly,  with  a  deep  sigh. 

"The  window  in  the  northern  tower 
of  the  castle  commands  a  still  more 
extensive  view,"  said  Lady  De  la 
Zouch.  Miss  Aubrey  suddenly  looked 
at  her,  and  burst  into  tears.  After 
standing  gazing  through  the  window 
for  some  time  longer,  they  stepped 
back  into  the  room,  and  were  soon 
engaged  in  deep  and  earnest  con- 
versation. 

For  the  last  three  weeks  Mr.  Au- 
brey had  addressed  himself  with 
calmness  and  energy  to  the  painful 
duties  which  had  devolved  upon  him, 
of  setting  his  house  in  order.  Im- 
mediately after  quitting  the  dinner- 
table  that  day — a  mere  nominal  meal 
to  himself,  his  wife,  and  sister — he 
had  retired  to  the  library,  to  complete 
the  extensive  and  important  arrange- 
ments consequent  upon  his  abandon- 
ment of  Yatton  ;  an  I  after  about  an 
hour  thus  occupied,  he  went  forth  to 
take  a  solitary  walk— a  melancholy — 
a  last  walk  about  the  property.  It 
was  a  moment  that  sev<  rely  tried  his 
fortitude;  but  that  fortitude  stood 
the  trial.  He.  was  a  man  of  lively 
sensibilites,  and  appreciated,  to  its 
utmost  extent,  tin1  melancholy  and 
alarming  change  that  had  come  over 
his  fortunes.  Surely  even  the  bluntest 
aud  coarsest  feelings  that  ever  tried  to 
disguise  and  dignify  themselves  under 
the  name  of  STOICISM — to  convert  into 
i  v  and  fortitude  a  stupid,  sullen 
risibility — must  have  been  not  a 
shaken   by  such  sci  Mr. 

Aubrey  h  id  had  to  pass  through 
during  the  last  0\v  wet  ks  -  Bcenea 
ii  1  do  not  choose  to  distress  the 
reader's  feelings  by  dwelling  upon  in 
d.-tail.  Mr.  Aubrey  had  no  mean 
pivi,  ii  ions   to   ri  al   philosophy  ;  but 

lie   had  still  JUS  tor   pretensions  to  au 


Infinitely  higher  character— that  of  a 
Christian.  He  had  a  firm  unwaver- 
ing conviction  that  whatever  befell 
him,  either  of  good  or  evil,  was  the 
ordination  of  the  Almighty-infi^ely 
ZIT'  nfanitep]y  g°od;-and  this  was 
the  source  of  his  fortitude  and  resig- 
nation. He  felt  himself  here  standing 
upon  ground  that  was  immovable 

lo  avert  the  misfortune  which  me- 
naced him,  he  had  neglected  no  rational 
ana  conscientious  means.     To   retain 

towb^bfT8, f  1f01'tUne  and  stati™ 
to  which  he  had  believed  himself  born, 

he  had  made  the  most  strenuous  ex- 
ertions consistent  with  a  rigid  sense  of 
honour.  What,  indeed,  could  he  have 
done  that  he  had  not  done  ?     He  had 

caused  the  claims  of  his  opponent  to 
be  subjected  to  as  severe  and  skilful  a 
scrutiny  as  the  wit  of  man  could  sug- 
gest;   and    they   had  stood  the  test. 
■those  claims,  and  his  own,  had  been 
each  of  them  placed  in  the  scales  of 
justice;  those  scales  had  been  held  ur, 
and  poised  by  the  pure  and  firm  hands 
to  which  the  laws  of  God,  and  of  the 
country,  had  committed  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  :    on  what   ground 
could  a  just  and  reasonable  man  quar- 
rel with  or  repine  at  the  issue  ?     And 
supposing  that  a  perverse  and  subtle 
ingenuity  in  his  legal  advisers  could 
have  devised  means  for  delaying  his 

surrender  of  the  property  to  him°who 
had  been  solemnly  declared  its    true 

t "  '  'Sf  Tl  and  ultimate  ^van- 
tage could  he  have  obtained  by  such  a 
dishonourable  line  of  conduct  {    Could 

Sf  Tl\  °f.  the  Christian  ^ligion 
tolerate  the  bare  idea  of  it  ?     Could 

such  purposes  or  intentions  consist  for 
one  instant  witli  the  consciousness  that 
the  awful  eye  of  God  was  always  upon 
every  thought  of  his  mind,  every  feel- 
3fM      a    T1%  eyeiT  Purpose  of  his 
Will  ?      A    thorough   and    lively    con- 
viction of  God's  moral  government  of 
tiie  world  secured  him  a  happy  com- 
posure —  a  glorious  and   immovable 
lesolution ;  it  enabled  him  to  form  a 
true  estimate  of  things  ;    it  extracted 
the  sting  from  grief  and  regret  ;    it 
dispelled  the  gloom  that  would  other- 
wise have  settled   portentously  upon 
the  future.    Thus  he  had  not/LoS 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


291 
the  exhortation  which  spoke  unto  him 

thou  the  chastemng  of  the  Lord,  nor 
faint  when  thou  art  rebuked  of  Him 

And  if,  mdeed,  religion  had  nit  done 
this  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  what  could  t 
have  done    what  would  it  have  bee* 

woi  h?     It  would  have  been  that  in! 

deed  which  dull  fools  suppose   it-* 

mere   name     a  melancholy  delusion. 

What  hopeless  and  lamentable  imbe- 
cility would  it  not  have  argued,  u 
have  acknowledged  the  reality  and 
influence  of  religion  in  the  hour  of 
Piosperity-and  to  have  doubted,  dis- 
tasted or  denied  it  in  the  hour  of 
si™?'7  ?   /hen  a  child  beholds  the 

mav°tSCULred  biy-the  dark  clouds>  *» 
may  think,  in  Ins  simplicity,  that  it 

hagtT,  r/Vel'i,but  a  MAN  kn™s 
et,  h!d  1S  the  SUn'  SIorious  as 
ever,  and  he  next  moment,  the  clouds 
having  rolled  away,  its  glorious  warmth 
and  light  are  again  upon  the  earth, 
thus  is  it  thought  Aubrey  with  hum- 
ble but  cheerful  confidence,  with  the 
Almighty-who  hath  declared  himself 
the  father  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh— 

"  Behind  a  frowning  Providenco 

lie  hides  a  smiling  face  ' 
Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err 

And  scan  his  works  in  vain  ! 
Uod  is  his  own  interpreter 

And  He  will  make  it  plain  [  - 


Therefore     0   my   God!"    thought 
Aubrey   as  he  gazed  upon  the  lovely 
scenes  familiar  to  him  from  his  birth 
and  from  which  a  few  short  noun  were 
to  separate  him  for  ever,  "I  do  acknow- 
ledge Thy  hand  in  what  has  befallen 
me,    and   Thy  mercy   which   enables 
me  to  bear  it,  as  from  Thee."     The 
scene   around   him  was  tranquil  and 
beautiful— inexpressibly  beautiful    He 
stood  under  the  shadow  of  a  mightv 
elm-tree,  the  last  of  a  long  and  noble 
avenue,  which  he  had  been  pacino-  hi 
deep  thought  for  upwards  of  an  hour 
the  ground  was  considerably  elevated 
above  the  level  of  the  rest  of  the  park 
JNo  sound  disturbed  the  serene  repose 
of  the  approaching  evening,  except  the 
distant    and     gradually    diminishing 
sounds  issuing  from  an  old  rookery, 
and  the  faint  low  bubbling  of  a  clear 
streamlet   that   flowed   not  far  from 

U  2 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


292 

where  lie  stood.    Here  ami  there  under 
the  deepening  shadows  cast  by  the  Lofty 
trees,  might  be  seen  the  dancing  forms 
of  deer,  the  only  live  things  visible. 
"Life,"  said  Aubrey  tohimself,  with  a 
Rial,   as  he  leaned  against  the  trunk  c-t 
tbegrand  old  treeunderwhich  he  stood 
and  gazed  with  a  fond  and  mournful 
eve  on   the   lovely  scenes   Btretehing 
before  him,   to  which    the    subdued 
radiance   of    the   departing    sunlight 
communicated  a  tone  of  tender  pen- 
Biveness;  "life  is,  in  truth,  what  the 
Scriptures— what  the  voice  of  nature- 
represents  it— a  long  journey,  during 
which  the  traveller  stops  at  many  rest- 
ing-places.    Some  of  them  are  more, 
others  less  beautiful  ;    from  some  he 
parts    with    more,   from  others  with 
less  regret  ;    but  part   he  must,  and 
pursue   his  journey,  though  he  may 
eften  turn  back  to  gaze  with  lingering 
fondness  and  admiration  at  the  scene 
he  has  last  quitted.     The  next  8 tage 
1|UW  be—as  all  his  journey  might  have 
teen— bleak  and  desolate  ;  but  through 
that  he  is  only  passing:  hewillnotbe 
condemned  to  stay  in  it,  as  he  was  not 
permitted  to  dwell  in  the  other  ;  he 
is  still  journeying  on,  along  a  route 
which  he  cannot  mistake,  to  the  point 
of  his  destination,  his  journey  s  end— 
the  shores  of  the  vast,  immeasurable, 
boundless    ocean    of    eternity  —  his 

The' deepening  shadows  of  evening 
warned  him  to  retrace  his  steps  to  the 
Hall  Before  quitting  the  spot  upon 
which  he  had  been  so  long  standing, 
he  turned  his  head  a  little  towards  tlie 

right,  to  take  a  last  view  of  an  object 
Which  called  forth  tender  and  painful 
feeling— it  was  the  old  sycamore  which 
his  silter'8  intercession  had  Baved  from 

the  axe.  There  it  stood,  feeble  and 
venerable  object  I  its  leafless  silvery- 
crev  branches  becoming  dun  and  in- 
;l!irl,  yet  contrasting  tpuchingly 
with  the  verdant  strength  of  those  by 
ils  side.  A  neat  Btrong  fence  bad 
been  placed  around  it;  bul  how  much 
longer  would  it  receive  such  care  and 
attention!  Aubrey  thought  of  the 
comparison  which  had  been  made  by 
his  sister,  and  si  d.e.l  as  he  look,  dins 

last  at  the  old  tree,  and  then  slowlj 


walked  on  towards  the  Hall.     ^  her, 
about  halfway  down  the  avenue,   he 
beheld    two    figures    apparently    ap- 
proaching him,  but  undi  tmginshablc 
in   the  gloom  and  the   distance.     As 
they  nearcd  him,  he  recognised  Lord 
1  )e  la  Zouch  and  Mr.  Delamere.    Sus- 
pecting the  object  of  their  visit,  which 
a,  little     surprised    him,    since    they 
had  taken   a  final  leave,  and  a  very 
affecting  one,  the  day  before,  he  felt  a 
little  anxiety  and  embarrassment.   r>  or 
was  he  entirely  mistaken.     Lord  Do 
la  Zouch,  who  advanced  alone  towards 
Aubrey— Mr.  Delamere  turning  back 
—most  seriously  pressed  his  son's  suit 
for  the  hand  of  Miss  Aubrey,  as  he  had 
often    done    before;    declaring,     that 
though  undoubtedly  he  wished  a  year 
or  two  first  to  elapse,  during  which  his 
son   might    complete   his   studies    at 
Oxford,  there  was  no  object  dearer  to 
the  heart  of  Lady  1  >e  la  Z<  inch  and  him- 
.self,  than  to  see  Miss  Aubrey  become 
their  daughter-in-law.   "Where,    said 
Lord  De  la  Zouch,  with  much  energy, 
"is  he  to  look  elsewhere  for  such  n 
union  of  beauty,  of  accomplishments, 
of  amiability,  of  high-minded, 
After  agreat  deal  of  animated  convers- 
ation on  this  subject,  during   which 
Mr  Aubrey  assured  Lord  De  la  /touch 
that  he  would  say  everything  which  he 
honourably  could  to  induce  his  Bister 
to  entertain,  or  at  all  events,  not   to 
discard  the  suit  of  Delamere  ;  at  the 
same  time  reminding  him  of  the  hrm- 
ness  of  her  character,  and  the  hopeless- 
ness  of    attempting   to   change    any 
determination  to  which  she  had  been 
led   by    her    sense    of    delicacy    anil 
honour —Lord  De  la  Zouch  addressed 
himself  in  a  very  earnest    manner  to 
matters  more  immediately  relating   to 

the  personal  interests  of  Mr.Aubiey; 
entered  with  lively  anxiety  into  all  his 

future    plans  and  purposes  ;   and  01 

,  lore  pressed  upon  him  the  acceptai 
of  most  munificent  offers  of  pecuniary 
assistance,  which,  with  many  fervent 
expressions  of  gratitude,  Aubrey  again 
declined.  lint  he  pledged 1  himself  to 
communicate  freely  with  Lord  De  1ft 
Zouch,  in  the  event  of  an  occn  ion 
,,;  [us  for  such  a  ristance  as  his  lort- 
Bhiphad  abvadv  bo  generously  volun* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


teered.      By  this  time  Mr.  Delamero 
had  joined  them,  regarding  Mr.  Aubrey 
with  infinite  earnestness  and  apprehen- 
sion.   All,  however,  he  said,  was— and 
in  a  hurried   manner  to  his  father— 
''My  mother  has  sent  me  to  say  that 
she  13  waiting  for  you  in  the  carriage 
and  wishes  that  we  should  immediately 
return."     Lord  De  la  Zouch  and  his 
son  again  took  leave  of  Mr.  Aubrey 
"  Remember,    my  dear  Aubrey,    re- 
member the  pledges  you  have  repeated 
this  evening, "  said  the  former.  "  1  do,  ] 
will !  "  replied  Mr.   Aubrey,   as  they 
each   wrung    his    hands  ;  'and  then, 
having  grasped   those  of  Lady  De  la 
Zouch,  who   sat  within   the   carriage 
powerfully  affected,  the  door  was  shut ; 
and   they  were   quickly  borne   away 
from  the  presence  and  the  residence 
of  their  afflicted  friends.     While  Mr. 
Aubrey  stood  gazing  after  them,  with 
folded  arms,  in  an  attitude  of  melan- 
choly abstraction,  at  the  hall  door,  he 
was  accosted  by  Dr.  Tatham,  who  had 
come  to  him  from  the  library,  where 
he  had  been,  till  a  short  time  before, 
busily   engaged    reducing    into    writ- 
ing various   matters  which  had  been 
the  subject    of  conversation  between 
himself  and  Mr.  Aubrey  durino-  the 
day. 

"I  am  afraid,  my  dear  friend,"  said 
the  Doctor,  "that  there  is  a  painful 
but  interesting  scene  awaiting  you 
You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  forbear  to 
gratify,  by  your  momentary  presence 
in  the  servants'  hall,  a  body  of  your 
tenantry,  who  are  there  assembled, 
having  come  to  pay  you  their  parting 
respects. " 

"  I  would  really  rather  be  spared  the 

painful  scene,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  with 

emotion,  "  I  am  nearly  unnerved  as  it 

is  !     Cannot  you  bid  them  adieu,  in 

my  name,  and  say,  God  bless  them  !  " 

"  You  must  come,  my  dear  friend  ! 

If  it  be  painful,  it  will  be  but  for  a 

moment ;  and  the  recollection  of  their 

hearty    and    humble    expressions    of 

affection  and  respect  will  be  pleasant 

hereafter.      Poor  souls  !  "   he  added, 

with  not  a  little  emotion,  "you  should 

see  how  crowded  is  Mr.  Griffiths'  room 

with    the    presents    they    have    each 

brought  you,  and  which  would  surely 


203 

keep    your  whole    establishment    for 
months  !  — Cheeses,    tongue.?,    hams, 
bacon,  and  I  know  not  what  beside  !  " 
"Come,  Doctor,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey 
quickly,  and  with  evidently  a  great 
effort,  "I  will  see  them,  my  humble 
and  worthy  friends  !  if  it  be  for  but  a 
moment ;  but  I  would  rather  have  been 
spared  the  scene."     He  followed  Dr. 
Tatham  into  the  large  servants'  hall, 
which  he  found  nearly  filled  by  some 
forty  or  fifty  of  his  late  tenantry,  who, 
as  he  entered,  rose  in  troubled  silence 
to  receive  him.     There  were  lights,  by 
which  a  hurried  glance  sufficed  to  show 
him  the  deep  sorrow  visible  in  their 
countenances.  "Well, sir, "commenced 
one  of  them  after  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion— he  seemed  to  have  been  chosen 
the   spokesman    of    those    present— 
"we've  come  to  tak'  our  leave  ;  and  a 
sad  time  it  be  for  all  of  us,  and  it  may 
be,    sir,    for  you."     He  paused,  and 
added  abruptly—"  I  thought  I  could 
have  said  a  word  or  two,  sir,  in  the 
name  of  all  of  us,  but  I've  clean  for- 
gotten all ;   and  I  wish  we  could  all 
forget  that  we  were  come  to  part  with 
you,  sir  ; — but  we  sha'n't— no,  never  ! 
—we  shall  never  see  your  like  again, 
sir !     God  help  you,  sir  !  "     Again  he 
paused,  and  struggled  hard  to  conceal 
his  emotions.     Then  he  tried   to  say 
something  further,  but  his  voice  failed 
him. 

"  Squire,  it  may  be  law  ;  but  it  be 
not  justice,  we  all  do  think,  that  hath 
takei^  Yatton  from  you,  that  was  born 
to  it, "said  one,  who  stood  next  to  him 
that  had  first  spoke.  "Who  ever 
heard  o'  a  scratch  in  a  bit  of  paper 
signifying  the  loss  o'  so  much?  It 
never  were  heard  of  afore,  sir,  an' 
cannot  be  right !  " 

"  You'll  forgive  me,  Squire,"  said 
another,  "but  we  shall  never  tak'  to 
t'  new  one  that's  coming  after  you  !  " 

"My  worthy— my  dear  friends," 
commenced  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  melan- 
choly and  forced  composure,  as  lie 
stood  beside  Dr.  Tatham,  "this  is  a 
sad  scene — one  which  I  had  not  ex- 
pected. I  am  quite  unprepared  for  it. 
I  have  had  lately  to  go  through  many 
very  painful  scenes  ;  but  few  more  so 
than  the  present.     My  dear  friends,  I 


204 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


can  only  say  from  my  heart,  God  bless 
you  all  !  I  shall  never  forget  you, 
wham  I  have  always  respected,  and 
ind  sd  been  very  prond  of,  as  my  ten- 
antry, and  whom  I  now,  of  course, 
look  at  as  my  friends  only.  "We  shall 
■  forget  you " 

"  Lord  Almighty  Mess  you,  sir,  and 
Madam  and  Miss,  and  little  Miss — and 
thr-  little  squire!  "  said  a  voice,  in  a 
vehement  manner,  from  amidst  the 
throng,  in  tones  that  went  to  Mr. 
Aubrey's  heart.  His  lips  quivered, 
and  he  ecus  id  speaking  for  some 
monvnts.     At  length  he  resumed. 

"  You  see  my  feelings  are  a  little 
shaken  by  the  sufferings  I  have  gone 
through.  I  have  only  a  word  m  re  to 
say  to  you.  Providence  has  seen  fit, 
my  friends,  to  deprive  me  of  that 
winch  I  had  deemed  to  be  my  birth- 
right God  is  good  and  wise  ;  and  1 
bow,  as  we  must  all  bow,  to  His  will, 
villi  reverence  and  resignation.  And 
also,  my  dear  friends,  let  us  always 
submit  cheerfully  to  the  laws  under 
which  we  live.  We  must  not  quarrel 
with  their  <!■•<  ision,  merely  because  it 
La].]. ens  to  be  adverse  to  our  own 
wi  lies.  I,  from  my  heart — and  so 
must  you,  from  yours — acknowledge  a 
firm,  unshaken  allegiance  to  the  laws  ; 
they  are  ordained  by  God,  and  He 
demands  our  obedience  to  them  !  " 
He  paused,  "I  have  to  thank  you," 
he  presently  added,  in  a  subdued  tone, 
"my  worthy  friends,  for  many  sub- 
stantial tokens  of  your  goodwill  which 
you  have  brought  with  you  this  even- 
ing. J  assure  you  sincerely,  that  I 
value  them  far  more" — he  paused, 
and  it  was  some  moments  before  be 
could  proceed — "than  if  they  had 
of  the  mosl  costly  kind." 

"  Lord,  only  hearken  to  t'  Bquire  !  " 
called  out  a  voice,  as  if  on  an  impulse 
of  eager  affection,  which  its  rotgh, 
honest  speaker  could  not  resist.  This 
ned  entirely  to  deprive  Mr.  Aubrey 
of  the  power  of  utterance,  and  he 
tun  lenly  towurds  I  >r.  Tatham 
with  an  overflowing  eye  and  a  con- 
vulsive quivering  of  the  lips,  that 
showed  the  powerful  emotions  with 
which  be  was  sonto  nding.  The 
moment  he  stepped  forward  and  b! k 


hands  with  those  nearest.  He  was 
quickly  surrounded,  and  every  one 
present  grasped  his  hands,  sc  rcely 
any  of  them  able  to  utter  more  than 
a  brief  but  ardent  "  God  bless  you, 
sir  !  " 

"  I  am  sure,  my  friends,"  said  Dr. 
Tatham,  almost  as  much  affected  ns 
any  of  them,  "  that  you  cannot  wish 
to  prolong  so  affecting,  so  distressing 
a  scene.  Mr.  Aubrey  is  much  ex- 
hausted, and  has  a  long  journey  to 
t  ike  early  in  the  morning — and  you 
ha<l  better  now  leave." 

"Farewell!  farewell,  my  kind  and 
dear  friends,  farewell ! — May  God  bless 
you  all,  and  all  your  families !  "  said 
Mr.  Aubrey,  and,  most  powerfully 
affected,  withdrew  from  a  scene  which 
he  was  not  likely  ever  to  forget 
He  retired,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Tat- 
ham, to  his  library,  where  Mr.  Griffiths, 
his  steward,  was  in  readiness  to  receive 
his  signature  to  various  documents. 
This  done,  the  steward,  after  a  few 
hurried  expressions  of  affection  and 
respect,  withdrew;  and  Mr.  Aubrey 
had  completed  all  the  arrangements, 
and  transacted  all  the  business  which 
had  required  his  attention  before 
quitting  Yatton,  which,  at  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  he  was  going  to 
leave,  and  go  direct  to  London,  instead 
of  accep  ing  any  of  the  numerous 
oilers  which  he  had  received  from 
bis  friends  in  the  neighbourhood  to 
take  up  with  them  his  abode  for,  at 
all  events,  .some  considerable  period. 
That,  however,  would  have  been  en- 
tirely inconsistent  with  the  plana  for 
his  future  life,  which  he  had  formed 
and  matured.  He  left  the  whole 
estate  in  admirable  order  and  con- 
dition. There  was  not  a  farm  vacant, 
not    a    tenant    dissatisfied    with     the 

terms  under  which  he  held.  Every 
document,  all  the  accounts  connocted 
with  the  estate,  after  having  been 
carefully  examined  by  Mr.  Parkinson, 
and  Mr.  Aubrey,  and  Mr.  Griffiths, 
iu  readiness  for  the  most  scrupulous 

and      Beat    Ling      investigation     on 

part    of  Jlr.    Aubrey's   SUCCI     01    and 
agents. 
Air.    Aubrey's   library    was 
fully  [tacked  up,  and  was  to  f  illow 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAH. 


295 


him,  on  the  ensuing  day,  to  London, 
by  water  ;  as  also  were  several  portions 
of  the  furniture — the  residue  of  which 
was  to  be  sold  off  within  a  day  or  two's 
time.  How  difficult — how  very  diffi- 
cult had  it  been  for  them  to  choose 
which  articles  they  would  part  with, 
and  which  retain  !  The  favourite  old 
high-backed  easy-chair,  which  had 
been  worked  by  Miss  Aubrey  herself ; 
the  beautiful  ebony  cabinet,  which 
had  been  given  by  her  father  to  her 
mother,  who  had  given  it  to  Kate  ; 
the  little  chairs  of  Charles  and  Agnes 
— and  in  which  Mr.  Aubrey  and  Kate, 
and  all  their  brothers  and  sisters, 
had  sat  when  children  ;  Mrs.  Aubrey's 
piano  ;  these,  and  a  few  other  articles, 
had  been  successfully  pleaded  for  by 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate,  and  were  to 
accompany,  or  rather  follow  them  to 
London,  instead  of  passing,  by  the 
auctioneer's  hammer,  into  the  hands  of 
strangers.  The  two  old  carriage-horses, 
which  had  drawn  old  Mrs.  Aubrey  in 
the  family  coach  for  many  years,  were 
to  be'  turned  to  grass  for  the  rest  of 
their  days  at  Lady  Stratton's.  Poor 
old  Peggy  was,  in  like  manner,  to 
have  to  herself  a  little  fie'd  belonging 
to  Dr.  Tatham.  Little  Charles'  pony, 
a  beautiful  animal,  and  most  reluct- 
antly parted  with,  was  sent  as  a 
present,  in  his  name,  to  Sir  Harry 
Oldfield,  one  of  his  playfellows.  Hector, 
the  magnificent  Newfoundland  dog, 
was,  at  the  vehement  instance  of 
Pumpkin,  the  gardener,  who  almost 
went  on  his  knees  to  beg  for  the 
animal,  and  declared  that  he  loved  the 
creature  like  a  son — as  I  verily  believe 
he  did,  for  they  were  inseparable,  and 
their  attachment  was  mutual — given 
up  to  him,  on  his  solemn  promise  to 
take  great  care  of  him.  Then  there 
was  a  poor  animal  that  they  hardly 
knew  how  to  dispose  of.  It  was  a  fine 
old  favourite  staghound,  stone-blind, 
quite  grey  about  the  head,  and  so  very 
feeble,  that  it  could  but  just  crawl  in 
and  out  of  its  commodious  kennel,  and 
lie  basking  in  the  genial  sunshine  ; 
wagging  his  tail  when  any  one  spoke 
to  it,  and  affectionately  licking  the 
hand  that  patted  it.  Thus  had  it 
treated  Mr.  Aubrey  that  very  morning 


as  he  stood  by,  and  stooped  down  to 
caress  it  for  the  last  time.  It  was,  at 
his  earnest  request,  assigned  to  Dr. 
Tatham,  kennel  and  all ;  indeed  the 
worthy  little  Doctor  would  have  filled 
his  premises  in  a  similar  way,  by  way 
of  having  "keepsakes"  and  "me- 
morials "  of  his  friends.  Miss  Aubrey's 
beautiful  little  Marlborough  spaniel, 
with  its  brilliant  black  eyes  and  long 
glossy  graceful  ears,  was  to  accompany 
her  to  London. 

As  for  the  servants — the  housekeeper 
was  going  to  keep  the  house  of  her 
brother,  a  widower,  at  Grilston,  and 
the  butler  was  going  to  marry  and 
quit  service  ;  and  for  the  rest,  Mr. 
Parkinson  had,  at  Mr.  Aubrey's  desire, 
written  about  them  to  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap ;  and  Mr.  Gammon 
had  sent  word  that  such  of  the  estab- 
lishment as  chose  might  continue  at 
Yatton,  at  all  events  till  the  pleasure 
of  Mr.  Titmouse,  upon  the  subject, 
should  have  been  known.  All  the 
servants  had  received  a  quarter's  wages 
that  morning  from  Mr.  Griffiths,  iu 
the  presence  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  who  spoke 
kindly  to  each,  and  earnestly  recom- 
mended them  to  conduct  themselves 
respectfully  towards  his  successor. 
Scarce  any  of  them  could  answer  him, 
otherwise  than  by  an  humble  bow  or 
curtsey,  accompanied  by  sobs  and  tears. 
One  of  them  did  contrive  to  speak, 
and  passionately  expressed  a  wish  that 
the  first  morsel  Mr.  Titmouse  eat  in 
the  house  might  choke  him — a  sally 
which  received  so  very  grave  a  rebuke 
from  Mr.  Aubrey,  as  brought  the  hasty 
offender  to  her  knees  begging  forgive- 
ness, which,  I  need  hardly  say,  she 
received,  with  a  very  kind  admonition. 
Many  of  thorn  most  vehemently  en- 
treated to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
Mr.  Aubrey  and  his  family  to  London, 
and  continue  in  their  service,  but  in 
vain.  Mr.  Aubrey  had  made  his 
selection,  having  taken  only  his  own 
valet,  and  Mrs.  Aubrey's  maid,  and 
one  of  the  nursery-maids,  and  de- 
claring that  on  no  consideration  would 
he  think  of  being  accompanied  by  any 
other  of  the  servants. 

There  were  some  twenty  or  thirty 
poor   old  infirm   cottagers,   men  and 


29G 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAH. 


women,  who  had  been  for  years  weekly 
pensioners  on  the  bounty  of  Yatton, 
ami  respecting  whom  Mr.  Aubrey  felt 
a  painful  anxiety.  What  could  he  do? 
He  gave  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  to 
Dr.  Tatham  for  their  use  ;  and  re- 
quested him  to  press  their  claims 
earnestly  upon  the  new  proprietor  of 
Yatton.  He  also  wrote  almost  as 
many  letters  as  there  were  of  these 
poor  people,  on  their  behalf,  to  his 
friends  ami  neighbours.  Oh,  it  was 
a  moving  scene  that  occurred  at  each 
of  their  little  cottages,  when  their 
benefactors,  Mr.  Aubrey,  his  wife,  ami 
sister,  severally  called  to  bid  them 
farewell,  and  receive  their  humble  ami 
tearful  blessings!  But  it  was  the 
parting  with  her  school,  which  neither 
she  nor  her  brother  saw  any  proba- 
bility of  being  kept  up  longer  than 
for  a  month  or  two  after  their  de- 
parture, that  occasioned  Kate  the 
greatest  distress.  There  were  several 
reasons,  which  will  occur  to  the  reader, 
why  no  application  should  be  made 
about  the  matter  from  her,  or  on  her 
account,  to  Mr.  Titmouse,  even  if  she 
had  not  had  reason  to  anticipate,  from 
what  she  had  heard  of  his  character, 

that  he  was  not  a  person  to  feci  any 
int.r  st  in  such  an  institution.  Nor 
had  she  liked  to  trouble  or  burden 
the  friends  she  left  behind  her,  with 
the  responsibility  of  supporting  and 
superintending  her  little  establishment. 
She  had  nothing  for  it,  therefore,  but 
to  prepare  the  mistress  and  her 
scholars  for  the  breaking  up  of  the 
school,  within  a  month  of  her  d<  - 
parture  from  Yatton.     She  gave  the 

Worthy  woman,  the  mistress,  a  pros*  id 

of  a  fire-pound  note,  ami  five  shillings 

a-pieee  to  each  of  the  children.     She 

quite  unequal  to  the  task  of  per- 

Qy  takii      I  of  them,  as  she 

had    intended,    and    several    tine  8    ai- 

t  ipted.  She  therefore,  with  many 
teai  ,  wrote  He-  follov  ing  lines,  and 
gave  them  to  Dr.  Tatham,  to 
aloud  in  fcho  Bi  hool,  when  their  •  iod 
ami  beautiful  writer  should  be  far  on 
her  way  towards  London.  The  little 
Do  tor  paused  a  good  many  times 
while   he   read    it,   ami  complained    of 

hie 


"  My  dear  little  girls, — You  know 
that  I  have  already  hid  each  of  you 
good-bye  ;  and  though  I  tried  to  say 
something  to  all  of  you  at  once,  I  was 
not  able,  because  I  was  so  sorry  to 
part  with  you,  and  tell  you  that  my 
little  school  must  be  given  up.  So  I 
have  written  these  few  lines,  to  tell  you 
that  I  love  you  all,  and  have  tried  to 
be  a  good  friend  to  you.  Be  sure  not 
to  forget  your  spelling  ami  reading, 
and  your  needle.  Your  mothers  have 
promised  to  hear  you  say  your  cate- 
chisms ;  you  must  also  be  sure  to 
say  your  prayers,  and  to  read  your 
Bibles,  and  to  behave  very  seriously 
at  church,  and  to  be  always  dutiful 
to  your  parents.  Then  God  will 
bless  you  all  !  I  hope  you  will 
not  forget  us,  for  we  shall  often  think 
of  you  when  we  are  a  great  way  olf; 
and  Dr.  Tatham  will  now  and  then 
write  and  tell  us  how  you  are  going  on. 
Farewell,  my  dear  little  girls;  and 
may  (iod  bless  and  preserve  you  all  ! 
This  is  the  prayer  of  both  of  us — Mrs. 
Aubrey  and 

"Cathaktne  Aubhey. 
"  Yatton,  15th  May,  IS—." 

The  above  was  not  written  in  the. 
uniform  and  beautiful  hand  usual  with 
Miss  Aubrey  ;  i»  was,  on  the  contrary, 
rather  irregular,  and  evidently  writ  ten 
hastily;  but  Dr.  Tatham  preserved  it 
to   the   day  of  his   death,    and  always 

thought  it  beautiful. 

On  tin'  ensuing  morning,  at  a  very 
early  hour,  Dr.  Tatham  hit  the  vicar- 
age, to  pay  his  last,  visit  to  .friends 
whom  it  almost  broke  his  heart  to 
part  with,  in  all  human  probability  for 
ever,  lie  started,  but  on  a  moment's 
n  flection  ceased  to  be  surprised,  at 
the  Bight  of  Mr.  Aubrey  approaching 
him  from  the  direction  of  the  lj 
churchyard.  He  was  calm,  but  his 
count  i  am  e  bore  the  traces  of  very 
re©  nt  i  mot  ion.  They  greeted  each 
other  in  Bilence,  and  so  walked  on  for 
Mine  time,  arm  in  arm,  slowly  towards 
the  Hall.      H  was  a  dull  heavy  morn- 

ing,   almost    threatening  rain.      Tho 
air   seemed    full   of  oppression.     Tho 

only    sounds   audible   were    the    hoarse 

clamorous    sounds    issuing  from   tho 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


297 


old  rookory,  at  some  distance  on  their 
left.  They  interchanged  hut  few 
words  as  they  walked  along  the  wind- 
ing pathway  to  the  Hall.  The  first 
thing   that    attracted    their    eyes    on 

Jiassing  under  the  gateway,  was  the 
arge  old  family  carriage  standing 
opposite  the  Had  door,  where  stood 
some  luggage,  sufficient  for  the  journey, 
ready  to  be  placed  upon  it ;  the  re- 
mainder having  been  sent  on  the  day 
before  to  London.  They  were  all  up 
and  dressed.  The  children  were  taking 
their  last  breakfast  in  the  nursery  ; 
Charles  making  many  enquiries  of  the 
weeping  servants,  which  they  could 
answer  only  by  tears  and  kisses.  In 
vain  was  the  breakfast-table  spread  for 
the  senior  travellers.  There  sat  poor 
Kate,  in  travelling  trim,  before  the 
antique  silver  urn,  attempting  to  per- 
form, with  tremulous  hand,  her  accus- 
tomed office  ;  but  neither  she  nor  Mrs. 
Aubrey  was  equal  to  the  task  ;  which, 
summoning  the  housekeeper  into  the 
room,  they  devolved  upon  her,  and 
which  she  performed  in  perturbed 
silence.  Mr.  Aubrey  and  Dr.  Tatham 
were  standing  there  ;  but  neither  of 
them  spoke.  A  short  time  before, 
Mr.  Aubrey  had  requested  the  servants 
to  be  summoned,  as  usual,  to  morning 
prayer,  in  the  accustomed  room,  and 
requested  Dr.  Tatham  to  officiate. 
As  soon,  however,  as  the  sorrowful 
little  assemblage  was  collected  before 
him,  he  whispered  to  Mr.  Aubrey  that 
he  felt  unequal  to  go  through  the  duty 
with  the  composure  it  required  ;  and 
after  a  pause,  he  said,  "  Let  us  kneel 
down ; "  and  in  a  low  voice,  often 
interrupted  by  Ins  own  emotions,  and 
the  sobs  of  those  around  him,  he  read, 
with  touching  simplicity  and  solem- 
nity, the  ninety-first  psalm  ;  adding 
the  Lord's  prayer,  and  a  benediction. 

The  bitter  preparations  for  starting 
at  an  early  hour,  seven  o'clock,  were 
soon  afterwards  completed.  Half 
smothered  with  the  kisses  and  caresses 
of  the  affectionate  servants,  little 
Charles  and  Agnes  were  already  seated 
in  the  cairiage,  on  the  lajs  of  their 
two  attendants,  exclaiming,  "Come, 
papa  !  come,  mamma !  the  horses  are 
rer.dy   to    start !  "      Just   then,    poor 


Pumpkin  the  gardener,  scarce  able 
to  speak,  made  his  appearance,  his 
arms  full  of  nosegays,  which  he 
had  been  culling  for  the  last  two 
hours — having  one  a-piece  for  every 
one  of  the  travellers,  servants,  and 
children,  and  all.  The  loud  angry 
bark  of  Hector  was  heard  from 
time  to  time,  little  Charles  calling 
loudly  for  him  ;  but  Pumpkin  had 
fastened  him  up,  for  fear  of  his  start- 
ing off  after  the  carriage.  At  length, 
scarce  having  tasted  breakfast,  the 
travellers  made  their  appearance  at 
the  Hall  door.  Kate  and  Mrs.  Aubrey 
were  utterly  overcome  at  the  sight  of 
the  carriage,  and  wept  bitterly.  They 
threw  their  arms  passionately  around, 
and  kissed  their  venerable  friend  and 
pastor,  Dr.  Tatham,  who  was  but 
little  less  agitated  than  themselves. 
Then  they  tore  themselves  from  him, 
and  hastily  got  into  the  carriage.  As 
he  stood  alone,  bareheaded,  on  their 
quitting  him,  he  lifted  his  hands,  but 
could  scarce  utter  a  parting  benedic- 
tion. Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a  flushed 
cheek  and  quivering  lip,  then  grasped 
his  hand,  whispering,  "  Farewell,  my 
dear  and  venerable  friend  !  Farewell !  " 
"The  Lord  God  of  thy  fathers  bless 
thee  !  "  murmured  Dr.  Tatham,  clasp- 
ing Mr.  Aubrey's  hand  in  both  of  his 
own,  and  looking  solemnly  upward. 
Mr.  Aubrey,  taking  off  his  hat,  turned 
towards  him  an  unutterable  look,  then 
waving  his  hand  to  the  group  of  agi- 
tated servants  that  stood  within  and 
without  the  door,  he  stepped  into  the 
carriage  ;  the  door  was  shut ;  and  they 
rolled  slowly  away.  Outside  the  park 
gafes  were  collected  more  than  a  hun- 
dred people  to  bid  them  farewell — all 
the  men,  when  the  carriage  came  in 
sight,  taking  off  their  hats.  The 
carriage  stopped  for  a  moment.  "  God 
bless  you  all !  God  bless  you  ! "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Aubrey,  waving  his  hand, 
whilst  from  each  window  was  extended 
the  white  hand  of  Kate  and  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  which  was  fervently  kissed 
and  shaken  by  those  who  were  nearest. 
Again  the  carriage  moved  on  ;  and, 
quickening  their  speed,  the  horses 
soon  bore  them  out  of  the  village. 
Within  less  than  half  an  hour  after- 


£98 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


wards,  the  tearful  eyes  of  the  travellers, 
aa  they  passed  a  familiar  turning  of 
the  road,  had  looked  their  last  on 
Yatton ! 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Note. —  The  following  paragraph, 
which  was  annexed  to  Part  XI.  of 
this  work,  in  Blackwood's  Magazine 
for  September  1840,  the  author  ven- 
tures, for  a  particular  reason,  to  retain 
in  this  the  separate  edition  : — 

Several  legal  topics  have  been 
touched  upon  in  these  papers,  which 
seem  to  have  attracted  some  little 
attention  amongst  professional  readers, 
as,  at  least,  would  appear  from  various 
communications — some  at  considerable 
length,  some  anonymous,  others  not — 
addressed,  through  the  publishers,  to 
"The  Author  of  Ten  Thousand  a- 
Year,  in  Blackwood's  Magazine."  The 
principal  matters  thus  discussed  are, 
the  penuer  of  an  heir,  in  the  lifetime  of 
his  ancestor,  (to  speak  popularly, 
though  not  with  legal  accuracy,  since 
nemo  est  hceresviventis,)  to  convey  away 
his  expectancy  in  fee,  soas  to  bind  him- 
self, and  those  claiming  under  him,  by 
csto]>pcl  on  (hesubsegui  tit  descent  of  the 
estate.  On  this  point  hive  been  re- 
ceived several  communications — one  of 
which  from  a  great  lawyer)  opposes  the 
doctrine  laid  down  in  the  text.  'Tis 
doubtless  an  important  point;  and 
where  doctors  differ  I  am  not  presump- 
tuous enough  to  volunteer  an  opinion. 
The  other  point  which  seems  princi- 
pally to  have  attracted  attention,  is 
the  effect  given  by  Lord  Widdrington, 

C.J.,  at  the  trial,  (in  which  he  is 
represented  as  being  subsequently 
confirmed  by  the  decision  of  the  Court 
of  King's  Bench,  I  to  the  eb  vsi  re  in 
the  deed  of  <  ition.     From  two 

Ii  tt  rs  I   learn  th  '■'  two  i 

of  the  \\  titers  of  them  have  1 1 

great  alarm  on   this  BUbj  set,  and   have 

actually  directed  all  their  title-deeds 
to  l.o  overhauled,  and,  iu  case  of  an 
cr  '     ■  -  '  ■  covered,  I    '  I 


eminent  counsel !  Such  erasures  have 
been  discovered,  it  would  seem,  in  two 
instances.  In  one  the  counsel  diffen  d 
from  Lord  "Widdrington  ;  in  the  other, 
agreed  with  him.  The  question,  the  n, 
here  is,  'Whether,  when  an  ant 
deed  (t.  c.  upwards  of  thirty  years  old, 
after  which  period  a  deed  is  said  to 
prove  itself)  is  produced  from  the  proper 
custody  in  support  of  the  rights  of  the 
party  producing  it,  and  (here  proves  /<> 
be  an  erasure  in  it  in  an  essential  pari 
of  (he  deed — such  deed  ought  to  be  re- 
jected, unless  the  erasure  can  be  ac- 
counted for  ;  or  admitted  upon  the  pre- 
sumption that  such  erasure  occurred 
before  the  execution  of  the  deed  ?  Upon 
this  point  I  confess  that  I  have  formed 
a  pretty  strong  opinion,  and  have 
referred  again  to  the  authorities  ;  and 
venture,  upon  the  whole,  to  give  in 
my  adhesion  to  the  opinion  of  Lord 
Widdrington  and  his  court — although 
two  papers  sent  to  me — (one  of  them 
very  elaborate) — contest  that  opinion. 
It  is  rather  singular  that,  about  a 
fortnight  ago,  Lord  Brougham,  in 
delivering  the  judgment  of  the  1! 
of  Lords  in  three  appeal  cases  from 
Scotland,  each  of  which  was  a  case 
depending  upon  the  effect  of  an  erasure, 
expressly  declared  the  Scotch  law  to 
he  to  the  effect  laid  down  in  these 
papers,  and  decided  accordingly,  ad- 
mitting, at  the  same  time,  the  cases  to 
be  full  of  grievous  hardship — in  one 
instance,  a  widow  losing  the  whole 
of  the  provision  which  had  been  made 
for  her  by  her  deceased  husband. 
Whether  or  not  my  notions  of  the  ex- 
isting English  law  on  this  subject  arc 
antiquated,  and  contrary  to  those  now 
entertained  by  the  profession,  I  leave 
for  the  decision  of  those  who  are  com- 
petent  to   form    an  opinion. — As  for 

nil  other  communications  of  a  dif- 
ferent natun — sunn'  similarly,  others 
differently  addressed  -some  compli- 
mentary, some  far  otherwise,  and  in- 
sinuating allusions  which  are  ground" 

.  and  objects  which  have  no 
existence  —  surely,  on  consideration, 
the  authors  of  them  cannot  expect  any 

answ.r,   nor    '  !  rue  silence   into 

i  >■  admission. 
London,  lit)  ',  1840. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


299 


Rank  is  very  apt  to  attract  and 
dazzle  vulgar  and  feeble  optics  ;  and 
the  knowledge  that  such  is  its  effect, 
is  unspeakably  gratifying  to  a  vain 
and  ignorant  possessor  of  that  rank. 
Of  the  truth  of  one  part  of  this  ob- 
servation, take  as  an  illustration  the 
case  of  Tittlebat  Titmouse  ;  of  the 
other,  that  of  the  Earl  of  Dredd'ing- 
ton.  The  former's  dinner  engagement 
with  the  latter,  his  august  and  awful 
kinsman,  was  an  event  of  such  magni- 
tude as  to  absorb  almost  all  his  facul- 
ties in  the  contemplation  of  it,  and 
also  occasion  him  great  anxiety  in 
preparing  for  an  effective  appearance 
upon  so  signal  an  occasion.  Mr.  Gam- 
mon had  repeatedly,  during  the  inter- 
val, instructed  his  anxious  pupil,  if  so 
he  might  be  called,  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  he  ought  to  behave.  He 
was  —  Heaven  save  the  mark,  poor 
Titmouse  !  —  to  assume  an  air  of 
mingled  deference,  self  -  possession, 
and  firmness  ;  not  to  be  over-awed 
by  the  greatness  with  which  he  would 
be  brought  into  contact,  nor  unduly 
elated  by  a  sense  of  his  own  suddenly 
acquired  importance.  He  was,  on  the 
other  hand,  to  steer  evenly  between 
the  extremes  of  timorousness  and 
temerity — to  aim  at  that  happy  mean, 
so  grateful  to  those  able  to  appreciate 
the  effort  and  object  of  those  attain- 
ing to  it.  Titmouse  was  to  remember 
that,  great  as  was  the  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington,  he  was  yet  but  a  man — 
related,  too,  by  consanguinity  to  him, 
the  aforesaid  Titmouse,  who  might, 
moreover,  before  many  jrcars  should 
have  elapsed,  become  himself  Earl  of 
Dreddlington,  or  at  least  Lord  Dielin- 
court,  and  by  consequence  equally 
entitled,  with  the  present  possessor  of 
that  resplendent  position,  to  the  hom- 
age of  mankind.  At  the  same  time 
that  the  Earl's  advanced  years  gave 
him  a  natural  claim  to  the  respect  and 
deference  of  his  young  kinsman  — 
(whom,  moreover,  he  was  about  to 
introduce  into  the  sublime  regions  of 
aristocracy,  and  also  of  political 
society)  —  Titmouse  might  derive  a 
few  ingredients  of  consolation  from 
the  reflection,  that  his  income  pro- 
bably exceeded  by  a  third  that  of  the 


Earl  of  Dreddlington."  This  is  the 
sum  of  Mr.  Gammon's  general  in- 
structions to  his  eager  and  excited 
pupil ;  but  he  also  gave  Titmousa 
many  minor  hints  and  suggestions. 
He  was  to  drink  very  little  wine — 
(whereat  Titmouse  demurred  some- 
what vehemently,  and  asked  "  How 
the  d — 1  he  was  to  get  his  steam  up?  ") 
— and  on  no  account  to  call  for  beer 
or  porter,  to  which  plebeian  beverages, 
indeed,  ho  might  consider  himself  a3 
having  bid  a  long  and  last  adieu  ; — to 
say  "my  lord"  and  "your  lordship," 
in  addressing  the  Earl — and  "your 
ladyship,"  in  addressing  Lady  Cecilia ; 
— and,  above  all,  never  to  appear  in 
a  hurry,  but  to  do  and  say  whatever 
he  had  to  do  and  to  say  calmly  ;  for 
that  the  nerves  of  aristocracy  were 
very  delicate,  and  could  not  bear  a 
bustle,  or  the  slightest  display  of 
energy  or  feeling.  Then,  as  to  his 
dress — Gammon,  feeling  himself  tread- 
ing on  very  doubtful  ground,  inti- 
mated merely  that  the  essence  of  true 
fashion  was  simplicity — but  here  Tit- 
mouse grew  fidgety,  and  his  Mentor 
ceased. 

During  the  night  which  ushered  in 
the  eventful  day  of  Titmouse's  dining 
with  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington,  our 
friend  got  but  very  little  sleep.  Early 
in  the  morning  he  engaged  a  most 
respectable  glass-coach  to  convey  him 
westward  in  something  like  style  ;  and 
before  noon,  his  anxieties  were  set  at 
rest  by  the  punctual  arrival  of  various 
articles  of  dress,  and  decoration,  and 
scent — for  Titmouse  had  a  great  idea 
of  scents.  As  for  his  new  watch  and 
its  brilliant  gold  guard-chain --his 
eyes  gloated  upon  them.  "What,  he 
thought,  should  he  have  been  without 
them  !  About  half-past  three  o'clock 
he  retired  to  his  bed-room,  and  re- 
signed himself  into  the  hands  of  the 
tip-top  hairdresser  from  the  Strand, 
whose  agreeable  manipulations,  and 
still  more  agreeable  small  talk,  occu- 
pied upwards  of  an  hour,  Titmouse 
giving  the  anxious  operator  abundant 
notice  of  the  high  quarter  in  which 
his  handiwork  was  likely  soon  to  be 
scrutinized. 

"  Pray-a,  can  you  tell  me,"  quoth 


300 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Titmouse,  drawlingly,  shortly  after 
Twirl  had  commenced  his  operations, 
"how  long  it  will  take  me  to  get  from 
this  infernal  part  of  the  town  to 
Grosvenor  Square  ? — Pan  long  way, 
isn't  it,  Mr.  what's-your-ramc  ?" 

"  Grosvenor  Square,  sir  ?  "  said 
Twirl,  glibly,  hut  with  a  percept iMe 
dash  cf  deference  in  liis  tone;  "  why 
it  is  as  one  might  Bay  a  tolerable  way 
off,  certainly  ;  hut  you  can't  well  miss 
your  way  there,  sir,  of  all  places  in 
town -" 

"My  coachman,"  interrupted  Tit- 
mouse, with  a  fine  air,  "of  course, 
had  1  thought  of  it,  lie  must  know." 

"Oh!  to  he  sure,  sir.  There's 
none  but  people  of  the  most,  highest 
rank  lives  in  that  quarter,  sir.  Ex- 
i  u  me,  sir,  but  I've  a  brother-in-law 
that's  valet  to  the  Duke  of  Dunder- 
Whistle  there " 

"  Indeed  !  How  far  off  is  that  from 
LordDreddlington's?"  enquired  Tit- 
mouse carelessly. 

"  Lord  Dredillington's,  sir  ? — "Well, 
I  never!  Isn't  it  particular  strange, 
if  that's  where  you're  going,  sir — it's 
next  door  to  the  Duke's — the  very 
],     I  door,  sir  !  " 

"Ton  my  life,  is  it  indeed?  How 
devilish  odd  !  " 

"Know  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington 
then,  I  presume,  sir?" 

"Ya-a-8,  I  should  think  so;  he's 
my  —  my  —  relation,  that's  all;  and 
de\  ilish  near  too  !  " 

Mr.  Twirl  instantly  conceived  a 
kind  of  reverence  for  the  gentleman 
upon  whom  he  was  operating. 

"  Well,  sir,"  lie  presently  added,  in 
a  still  more,  respectful  tone  than  he- 
fore,  "p'r'aps  you'll  think  it  a  liberty, 
sir;  but,  do  you  know,  I've  Bevern] 
times  had  the  honour  of  Boeing  his 
lordship  in  the  street  at  a  little  dis- 
tance—and  there's  a — a  family  like- 
ness between  you,  sir — 'pon  my  word, 
sir.  It  struck  me,  directly  I  Baw  you, 
that  you  was  like  Borne  nob  I'd 
at  the  other  ond  of  the  tow  n."     [Hero 

aced  pleasurable 
sations,  similar  to  those  of  a  cat  win  D 
you  pass  your  hand  down  its  glo 
coat  in  the  right   direction.]     "Will 
you  allow  me,  sir,  to  give  your  hair  a 


good  brushing,  sir,  before  I  dress  it ? 
J  always  like  to  take  the  greatest  pains 
with  the  hair  of  my  quality  customers  1 
—Do  you  know,  sir,  that  I  had  the 
honour  of  dressing  his  Grace's  hair  for 
a  whole  fortnight  together,  once  when 
my  brother-in-law  was  ill !  and  though, 
p'r'aps  1  oughtn't  to  say  it,  his  Grace 
expressed  the  highest  satisfaction  at 
my  exertions,  sir." 

"  Ton  my  life,  and  /should  say  you 
were  an  uncommon  good  hand — I've 
known  lots  worse,  I  assure  you  ;  men 
that  would  have  spoiled  the  best  head 
of  hair  going,  by  Jove  !  " 

"Sir,  you're  very  kind.  I  assure 
you,  sir,  that  to  do  justice  to  a  gent's 
hair  requires  an  uncommon  deal  of 
practice,  and  a  sort  of  nat'ral  talent 
for  it  besides.  Lord,  sir!  how  much 
depends  on  a  gent's  hair,  don't  it? 
Of  two  coming  into  a  room,  it  makes 
all  the  difference,  sir!  Believe  me, 
sir,  it's  no  use  being  well-dressed,  nay, 
nor  good-looking,  if  as  how  the  hair 
a'n't  done  what  1  call  correct." 

"  By  Jove,  I  really  think  you're 
nigh  about  the  mark,"  said  Titmouse  ; 
ami  after  a  pause,  during  which  Mr. 
Twirl  had  been  brushing  away  at  one 
particular  part  of  the  head  with  soino 
vehemence;  "well,"  lie  exclaimed, 
with  a  sigh,  ceasing  for  a  moment 
his  vigorous  exertions — "  I'm  blest  if 
I  can  manage  it,  do  what  I  will  !  " 

"Eh?  What's  that  J  What  is  it?" 
i  nquired  Titmouse,  a  little  alarmedly. 

"  Why,  sir,  it's  what  we  gents,  i'n 
our  profession,  calls  a  /err/her,  which 
is  the  most  hobstinatcst  thing  in 
nature." 

""What's  a  feather?"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse, rather  faintly. 

"  Yen  bi  e,  sir.  'tis  when  a  small  lot 

of  hair  on  a  gent's  head  will  stick  up, 

do  all  we  can  to  try  and  get    it  down  ; 

and    (ex<  ii-e    me,    sir,)    you've    got    a 

lar  rattler ! "    Titmouse  put  up 

his  hand  to  feel,  Twill  guiding  it  t,, 
the  fatal  spot :  there  it  was,  just  as 
Twirl  had  de  u  tibed  it. 

"What's  lo  !«■  done?"  murmured 
Til  mou  e. 

'•  I'm  afraid,  sir,  you  don't  use  our 
OSTRICH  ORKAHE  and  KIIJNOCJilLOS 
MABROW,  ;  :i." 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


301 


"  Your  what  ?  "  cried  Titmouse 
apprehensively,  with  a  dismally  dis- 
tinct recollection  of  the  tragedy  of 
the  Cyanochaitanthropopoion,  and  the 
Damascus  Cream,  and  the  Tetarag- 
menon  Abracadabra  ;  matters  which 
he  at  once  mentioned  to  Mr.  Twirl. 

"Ah,  it's  not  my  custom,  sir," 
quoth  Twirl,  "to  run  down  other 
gents'  inventions  ;  but  my  real  opin- 
ion is,  that  they're  all  an  imposition 
—  a  rank  imposition,  sir.  1  didn't 
like  to  say  it,  sir ;  but  I  soon  saw 
there  hail  been  somebody  a-practising 
on  your  hair." 

""What,  is  it  very  plain?"  cried 
Titmouse,  starting  up  and  stepping  to 
the  glass. 

"  No,  sir — not  so  very  plain  ;  only 
you've  got,  as  I  might  say,  accustomed  to 
the  sight  of  it ;  but  when  it's  properly 
curled,  and  puckered  up,  and  frizzed 
about,  it  won't  show — nor  the  feather 
neither,  sir ;  so,  by  your  leave,  here 
goes,  sir ;  "  and,  after  about  a  quarter- 
of-an-hour's  more  labour,  he  succeeded 
in  parting  it  right  down  the  middle 
of  the  head,  bringing  it  out  into  a  bold 
curl  towards  each  eyebrow,  and  giving 
our  friend  quite  a  new  and  very  fasci- 
nating appearance,  even  in  his  own 
eyes.  And  as  for  the  colour — it  really 
was  not  so  very  marked,  after  all ;  a 
little  purple-hued  and  mottled,  to  be 
sure,  in  parts,  but  not  to  a  degree  to 
attract  the  eye  of  a  casual  observer. 
Twirl  having  declared,  at  length,  his 
labours  completed  —  regarding  Tit- 
mouse's head  with  a  look  of  proud 
satisfaction — Titmouse  paid  him  half- 
a-crown,  and  also  ordered  a  pot  of 
ostrich  grease  and  of  rhinoceros  mar- 
row, (the  one  being  suet,  the  other 
lard,  differently  scented  and  coloured,) 
and  was  soon  left  at  liberty  to  proceed 
with  the  important  duties  of  the  toilet. 
It  took  him  a  good  while  ;  but  in  the 
end  he  was  supremely  successful.  He 
wore  black  tights,  (i.  e.  pantaloons 
fitting  closely  to  his  legs,  and  tied 
round  his  ankles  with  black  ribands,) 
silk  stockings,  and  shoes  with  glitter- 
ing silver  buckles.  His  white  necker- 
chief was  tied  with  great  elegance,  not 
a  wrinkle  superfluous  being  visible  in 
it.     Hi3  shirt-front  of  lace,  had  two 


handsome    diamond    pins,   connected 
together  by  a  little  delicate  gold  chain, 
glistening  in  the  midst  of  it.    Then  he 
had    a  white  waistcoat   edge,   next  a 
crimson    one,  and    lastly   a    glorious 
sky-blue  satin  waistcoat,  spangled  all 
over  with   gold  flowers   inwrought — 
and  across  it  hung  his  new  gold  watch- 
guard,  and  his  silver  guard  for  his  eye- 
glass, jiroducing  an  inconceivably  fine 
effect.     His  coat  was  of  a  light-brown, 
of  exquisite  cut,  fitting  him  as  closely 
as  if  he  had  been  born  in  it,  and  with 
burnished  brass  buttons,  of  sugar-loaf 
shape.     'Twas  padded  also  with  great 
judgment,  and  really  took  off  more  of 
his  round-shouldered  awkwardness  of 
figure  than  any  coat  he  had  ever  before 
had.    Then  he  had  a  fine  white  pocket- 
handkerchief,  soaked  in  lavenderwater, 
and  immaculate  white  kid  gloves.  Thus 
habited,  he  stood  before  his  glass,  bow- 
ing fifty  different  times,  and  adjusting 
his  expression  to  various  elegant  forms 
of  address.     He  was  particularly  struck 
with   the  combined  effect  of  the  two 
curls  of  his  hair  towards  each  eye,  and 
the  hair  underneath   his  chin  curved 
upwards  on  each  side  of  his  mouth  in 
complete  symmetry.  I  have  ascertained 
from  Mr.  Titmouse   himself,  that  on 
this  memorable  occasion  of  his   first 
introduction  to  nobility,  every  item 
of  dress  and  decoration  was  entirely 
new  ;  and  when  at  length  his  labours 
had  been  completed,  he  felt  great  com- 
posure of  mind,  and  a  consciousness  of 
the  decisive  eifect  he   must  produce 
upon  those  into  whose  presence  he  was 
soon  to  be  ushered.     His  "carriage" 
was  presently  announced  ;  and  after 
keeping  it   standing  a  few  minutes, 
merely    for    form's    sake,    he    gently 
placed  his  hat  upon  his  head,  drew 
on  one   glove,  took  his  little  ebony 
cane  in  his  hand,  and,  with  a  hurried 
inward  prayer  that  he  might  be  equal 
to  the  occasion,  stepped  forth  from  his 
apartment,  and  passed  on  to  the  glass 
coach.     Such  a  brilliant  little  figure, 
I  will  take  upon  myself  to  say,  had 
never  before  issued,  nor  will  perhaps 
ever  again  issue,  from  the  Cabbage- 
stalk  hotel.     The   waiters  whom   he 
passed,  inclined  towards  him  with  in- 
stinctive reverence,     lie  was  very  fine, 


302 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


to  be  sure  ;  but  who  could,  they  justly 
thought,  be  dressed  too  finely  that  had 
ten  thousand  a -year,  and  was  going  to 
dine  with  a  lord  in  Grosvenor  Square  ? 

Titmouse  was  soon  on  his  way  to- 
wards that  at  once  desired  and  dreaded 
region.  He  gazed  with  a  look  of  occa- 
sional pity  and  contempt,  as  he  passed 
along,  at  the  plebeian  pedestrians,  and 
the  lines  of  shops  on  each  side  of  the 
narrow  streets,  till  he  began  to  per- 
ceive indications  of  superior  modes  of 
existence  ;  when,  however,  he  began 
to  feel  a  little  fidgety  and  nervous. 
The  streets  grew  wider,  the  squares 
greater,  hackney  coaches  (unsightly 
objects!)  became  fewer  and  fewer, 
giving  place  to  splendid  vehicles, 
coaches,  and  chariots,  with  one,  two, 
and  even  three  footmen  clustering 
behind,  with  long  canes,  with  cock- 
ades, with  shoulder-knots  ;  crimson, 
yellow,  blue,  green  hammercloths,  with 
burnished  crests  upon  them,  and  sleek 
coachmen  with  wigs  and  three-cornered 
hats,  and  horses  that  pawed  the  ground 
with  very  pride  ;  ladies  within,  glis- 
tening in  satin,  lace,  and  jewels — their 
lords  beside  them,  leaning  back  with 
countenances  so  stern  and  haughty  ; 
oh,  by  all  that  was  magnificent]  Tit- 
mouse felt  himself  getting  now  within 
the  very  vortex  of  greatness  and  fish- 
ion,  and  experienced  a  frequent  flutter- 
ing and  catching  of  the  breath,  and  an 
indefinite  distressing  apprehension.  He 
was,  however,  now  in  for  it — and  there 
was  no  retreat.  As  he  neared  Gros- 
venor Square,  he  heard,  ever  and  anon, 
terrific  thundering  noises  at  the  doors 
opposite  which  these  splendid  vehicles 
drew  up — as  if  the  impatient  footmen 
Were  infuriated  because  the  doors  did 
not  fly  open  of  themselves,  at  the 
K^und  of  the  approaching  carriage- 
wheels.  At  length  he  entered  Gros- 
Tenor  Square,  that  "pure  empyrean" 
of  earthly  greatness.  Carriages  rolled 
haughtily  past  him,  others  dashed 
desperately  indifferent  directions.    At 

B  side  of  Lord  I  in -ddiington's  hoti  e, 

were  carriages  Betting  down  with  tre- 
mendous uproar.  .Mr.  Titmouse  felt 
his  colour  going,  and  his  heart  began 
to  beat  much  faster  than  usual    'Twa  i 

quite  in  vuiu  that  he  "hciuine  I"  two 


or  three  times,  by  way  of  trying  to  reas- 
sure himself :  he  felt  that  his  hour  was 
come  ;  and  would  have  been  glad  at 
the  moment  for  any  decent  excuse  for 
driving  oil"  home  again,  and  putting 
off  the  evil  day  a  little  longer.  Oppo- 
site the  dreaded  door  had  now  drawn 
up  Mr.  Titmouse's  glass  coach  ;  and 
the  decent  coachman  —  whose  well- 
worn  hat,  and  long,  clean,  but  thread- 
bare blue  coat,  and  ancient-looking  top- 
boots,  bespoke  their  wearer's  thriftiness 
— slowly  alighting,  threw  the  reins  on 
his  quiet  horses'  backs,  and  gave  a 
modest  rat-tat -tat-tal-tat  at  the  door 
without  ringing. 

"What  name  shall  I  give,  sir?" 
said  he,  returning  to  his  coach,  and 
letting  down  the  loud  clanking  steps, 
with  a  noise  for  which  Titmouse  could 
have  heartily  kicked  him. 

"Titmouse  —  Mr.  Titmouse,"  re- 
plied he  hurriedly,  as  the  loffy  door 
was  thrown  open  by  the  corpulent 
porter,  disclosing  several  footmen, 
with  powdered  heads,  standing  in  the 
hall  waiting  for  him. 

"Mr.  Titmouse!"  exclaimed  the 
coachman  to  the  servants  :  then,  ad- 
dressing again  his  flustered  fare  — 
"  When  shall  I  come  back  for  you, 
sir  ? " 

"D —  me,  sir  —  don't  bother  me," 
faltered  Titmouse  ;  and  the  next  mo- 
ment was  in  the  hands  of  the  Philistines 
— the  door  was  clo  ed  upon  him.  All 
his  presence  c  f  mind  had  evaporated  ; 
the  excellent  lessons  given  him  by  Air. 
Gammon,  had  disappeared  like  breath 
upon  the  polished  mirror.  Though  Lord 
Dreddliugton's  servants  had  never  be- 
fore seen  in  the  house  so  strange  an 
object  as  poor  little  Titmouse,  they 
were  of  far  teo  highly  polished  man- 
ners to  appear  to  notice  anything  un- 
usual. They  silently  motioned  him 
up-sfairs  with  a  bland  courteous  air, 
he  carrying  his  little  agate  -  headed 
cane  in  one  hand,  and  his  new  hat  in 
the  other.  A  g  a tlemanly person  in  a 
full  black  dress  suit,  opened  the  draw- 
I  oom  door  for  him,  with  an  elegant 
inclination  which  'fit  mouse  very  grace- 
fully returned.  A  faint  mist  seemed 
to  be  in  the  drawing-room  for  a  second 

or   two;    quickly  clearing  away,  how- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


303 


ever,  Titmouse  beheld,  at  the  upper 
end,  but  two  figures,  that  of  an  old 
gentleman  and  a  yonng  lady — in  fact, 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  and  Lady 
Cecilia.  Now,  that  great  man  had 
not  been  a  whit  behindhand,  in  the 
matter  of  dress,  with  the  little  creature 
now  trembling  before  him ;  being,  in 
truth,  full  as  anxious  to  make  an 
effective  first  appearance  in  the  eyes 
of  Titmouse,  as  he  in  those  of  the  Karl 
of  Dreddlington.  And  each  had  suc- 
ceeded in  his  way.  There  was  little  or 
no  substantial  ditference  between  them. 
The  Eight  Honourable  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  was  an  old  experienced 
fool,  and  Tittlebat  Titmouse  a  young 
inexperienced  one.  They  were  the 
same  species  of  plant,  but  grown  in 
different  soils.  The  one  had  had  to 
struggle  through  a  neglected  existence 
by  the  dusty,  hard,  roadside  of  life  ; 
the  other  had  had  all  the  advantage  of 
hothouse  cultivation — its  roots  strik- 
ing deep  into,  and  thriving  upon,  the 
rich  manure  of  sycophancy  and  adula- 
tion ! — We  have  seen  how  anxious  was 
our  little  friend  to  appear  as  became 
the  occasion,  before  his  great  kinsman  ; 
who,  in  his  turn,  had  several  times 
during  the  day  exulted  secretly  in  the 
anticipation  of  the  impression  which 
must  be  produced  upon  the  mind  of 
Titmouse  by  the  sudden  display,  in 
the  Earl's  person,  of  the  sublimest 
distinctions  which  society  can  be- 
stow, short  of  royalty.  It  had  once 
or  twice  occurred  to  the  Earl,  whether 
he  could  find  any  fair  excuse  for  ap- 
pearing in  his  full  general's  uniform  ; 
but  ou  maturer  reflection,  governed 
by  that  simplicity  and  severity  of 
taste  which  ever  distinguished  him, 
he  abandoned  that  idea,  and  appeared 
in  a  plain  blue  coat,  white  waistcoat, 
and  black  knee-breeches.  But  on  his 
left  breast  glittered  one  or  two  foreign 
orders,  and  across  his  waistcoat  was 
the  broad  red  riband  of  the  Bath. 
His  hair  was  white  and  fine  ;  his  cold 
blue  eye  and  haughty  lip  gave  him  an 
expression  of  severe  dignity :  and  he 
stood  erect  as  an  arrow.  Lady  Cecilia 
reclined  on  the  sofa,  with  an  air  of 
languor  and  ennui  that  had  become 
habitual  to  her ;   and  was  dressed  in 


glistening  white  satin,  with  a  necklace 
of    large  and   very   beautiful    pearls. 
The  Earl  was  standing  in  an  attitude 
of  easy  grace  to  receive  his  guest,  as  to 
whose  figure  and  height,  by  the.  way, 
he  was  quite   in  the  dark — Mr.  Tit- 
mouse might  be  a  great  or  a  little  man, 
and  forward  or  bashful,  and  require  a 
corresponding  demeanour  and  address 
on  the  part  of  the  Earl.     "Ah,   my 
God  !  "  involuntarily  exclaimed  Lord 
Dreddlington  to  himself,  the  instant 
his  eye  caught  sight  of  Titmouse,  who 
approached  slowly,   making  profound 
and  formal  obeisances.    The  Earl  stood 
rooted   to  the  spot  he   had  occupied 
when  Titmouse  entered.     If  his  serv- 
ants had  turned  an  ape  into  the  draw- 
ing-room, the  Earl  could  scarcely  havo 
felt  or  exhibited   great*r  amazement 
than  he  now  experienced  for  a  moment. 
"Ah,  my  God!"  thought  he,  "what 
a  fool  have  we  here  ?  what  creature  is 
this  ? "      Then   it  flashed    across   his 
mind; — "May  this  be  the   future 
Lord  Dkelincotjkt  ? "     He  was  on 
the  point  of  recoiling  from  his  sud- 
denly discovered  kinsman  in  dismay, 
(•is  for  Lady  Cecilia,  she  gazed  at  him, 
through   the   glass,    in   silent  horror, 
after  a  faint  exclamation,  on  his  first 
becoming     visible,      of     "  Gracious ! 
Papa  !  ")  when  his  habitual  self-com- 
mand  came   to   his  assistance  ;    and, 
advancing  very  slowly  a  step  or  two 
towards     Titmouse,  —  who,    after    a 
hurried  "lance  around  him,    saw  no 
place  to  deposit  his  hat  and  cane  upon 
except  the  floor,  on  which  he  accord- 
ingly dropped   them, — the    Earl   ex- 
tended his  hand,  slightly  compressed 
the   tips   of  Titmouse's  fingers,    and 
bowed  courteously,  but  with  infinite 
concern  in  his  features. 

' '  I  am  happy,  Mr.  Titmouse,  to 
make  your  acquaintance,"  said  the  Earl 
slowly — "Sir,  I  have  the  honour  to 
present  you  to  my  daughter,  the  Lady 
Cecilia."  Titmouse,  who  by  this  time 
had  got  into  a  sort  of  cold  sweat — a 
Condition  from  which  the  Earl  was 
really  not  very  far  removed— made  a 
very  profound  and  formal  bow,  (he 
had  been  taking  lessons  from  a  posture- 
master  to  one  of  the  theatres,)  first  to 
the  Earl,  and   then  to  Lady  Cecilia, 


304 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


who  roso  about  two  inches  from  the 
sofa,  and  then  sank  again  upon  it, 
without  removing  her  eyes  from  the 
ce  of  Titmouse,  who  went  on  bow- 
ing, first  to  the  one  and  then  to  the 
other,  till  the  Earl  had  engaged  him 
in  conversation. 

"It  gives  me  pleasure,  sir,  to  see 
that  you  are  punctual  in  your  engage- 
ments. I  am  so  too,  sir;  and  owe  no 
small  portion  of  my  success  in  life  to 
it.  Punctuality,  sir,  in  small  matters, 
leads  to  punctuality  in  great  matters." 
This  was  said  in  a  very  deliberate  and 
pom ] tons  manner. 

"Oh  yes,  my  lord!  quite  so,  your 
lordship,'  stammered  Titmouse,  sud- 
denly recollecting  a  part  of  Gammon's 
instructions;  "to  be  sure — wouldn't 
have  been  behind  time,  your  lordship, 
for  a  minute,  my  lord  ;  uncommon 
bad  manners,  if  it  please  your  lord- 
ship  " 

"Will  you  be  seated,  sir?"  inter- 
rupted the  Earl,  deliberately  motion- 
ing him  to  a  chair,  and  then  Bitting 
down  beside  him ;  after  which  the 
Earl  seemed,  for  a  second  or  tun,  to 
forget  himself,  staring  in  silence  at 
Titmouse,  and  then  in  consternation 
at  Lady  Cecilia.  "  I— I— "  said  he, 
suddenly  recollecting  himself,  "beg 
your  par — sir,  1  mean  I  congratulate 
you  upon  your  recent  success.  Sir,  it 
must  have  been  rather  a  surprise  to 

you?" 

"Oh  yes,  sir — my  lord,  most  un- 
common, may  it  please  your  lordship 
— particular — but  right  is  right — please 
your  lordship " 

["Oh  Heavens!  merciful  Heavens! 
How  horrid  is  all  this  !  Am  I  awake 
or  oidy  dreaming  ?  'Tis  an  idiot — and 
what's  worse,  a  vulgar  idiot.  My 
God!  And  this  thing  may  be  Lord 
incourt."  This  was  what  was 
pa  ling  through  Lord  Dreddlington's 
mind,  while  his  troubled  eye  was  fixed 
upon  Titmouse.] 

"It  is,  indeed,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  re- 
plied his  lordship,  "  very  true  ;  sir, 
what  you  sav  is  correct.  Quiti 
exactly."  His  eye  was  fixed  on  Til- 
mouse,  hut  his  words  wt  re  uttered,  as 
it  wi  re,  met  hank  illy,  and  ia  a  m  i 
manner.    It  flitted  foramoment  a< 


his  mind,  whether  ho  should  ring  tho 
bell,  and  order  the  servant  to  show 
out  of  the  houe  the  fearful  imp  that 
had  just  been  shown  into  it;  but  at 
that  critical  moment  he  detected  poor 
Titmouse's  eye  fixed  with  a  kind  of 
reverent  intensity  upon  his  Lordship's 
glittering  ordi  rs.  Twas  a  lucky  look 
that  for  Titmouse,  for  it  began  to  melt 
away  the  ice  that  was  getting  round 
the  little  heart  of  his  august  relative. 
'Twas  evident  that  the  poor  young 
nun  had  not  been  accustomed  to 
society,  thought  the  Earl,  with  an 
approach  towards  the  compassionate 
mood.  He  was  frightfully  dressed,  to 
be  sure  ;  and  as  for  his  speech,  he  was 
manifestly  overawed  by  the  Presence 
in  which  ho  found  himself;  [that 
thought  melted  a  little  more  of  tho 
i  ■>•.]  Yet,  was  it  not  evident  that  he 
had  some  latent  power  of  appreciating 
real  distinction  when  he  beheld  it? 
[the  little  heart  here  lost  all  the  ice 
that  had  begun  so  suddenly  to  encrust 
it.]  And  again;  —  he  has  actually 
thrust  out  the  intolerable  Aubrey,  and 
is  now  lawful  owner  of  Yatton — of  TEN 

THOUSAND    A-YEAR 

"Did  you   see   the  review  to-day, 
sir  ?"enquired  the  Earl,  rather  blandly. 

"His  Majesty  was  there,  fir,  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  scene."  Titmouse, 
with  a  tim'd  air,  said  that  he  had  not 
seen  it,  as  he  had  been  upon  the  river  ; 
and  after  a  few  moro  general  observa- 
tions— "Will  you  permit  me,  sir  «"  It 
is  from  a  quarter  requiring  the 
highest — a-hein  !  "  said  the  Earl,  as  a 
note  was  brought  him,  which  he  im- 
mediately opeia-d  and  read.  Lady 
Cecilia  also  appearing  i  I  reading, 

Til  mouse  had  a  moment's  breathing 
time  and  interval  of  relief.  What 
would  behave  given,  lie  thought,  for 
some  other  person,  or  several  persons, 
to  come  in  and  divide  the  attention — 
the  intolerably  oppressive  attention  of 
the  two  august  individuals  then  b(  lore 
him  !      He  bi  ized  the  opportunity  to 

i  a  furtive  glance  around  t  he  room. 
1 1  opened  into  a  second,  which  open  d 

■  a  third :  how  spacious  e  icli  and 

lofty  !   .And  glittering  glass  chandeliers 

!i  1       What    chimney   and    pier 

s !      What   rich    crimt  on  satin 


TEX  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


305 


curtains — they  must  have  cost  twelve 
or  fourteen  shillings  a-yard  at  least ! 
— The  carpets,  of  the  finest  Brussels — 
and  they  felt  like  velvet  to  the  feet ; — 
then  the  brackets,  cf  marble  and  gold, 
"with  snowy  statues  and  vases  glisten- 
ing upon  each  ;  chairs  so  delicate,  and 
gilded  all  over — he  almost  feared  to 
sit  down  on  them.  "What  would  the 
Quirks  and  Tag-rags  think  of  this  ? 
Faugh— only  to  think  for  a  moment  of 
Alibi  House  and  Satin  Lodge  ! — Then 
there  was  the  Lady  Cecilia — a  lady  of 
high  rank  !  How  rich  her  dress — and 
how  haughtily  beautiful  she  looked  as 
she  reclined  upon  the  sofa  !  [she  was 
in  fact  busy  conning  over  the  new 
opera,  coming  out  the  next  evening.] 
And  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington — there 
he  was,  reading,  doubtless,  some  letter 
from  the  King  or  one  of  the  royal 
family — a  man  of  great  rank — resplen- 
dent in  his  decorations — all  just  as  he 
had  seen  in  pictures,  and  heard  and 
read  of — what  must  that  red  riband 
have  cost  ?  [Ay,  indeed,  poor  Lord 
Dreddlington,  it  had  cost  you  the 
labour  of  half  a  life  of  steadfast  syco- 
phancy, of  watchful  manoeuvring,  and 
desperate  exertion  !  And  at  last,  the 
minister  tossed  it  to  you  in  a  moment 
of  disgust  and  despair — mortally  per- 
plexed by  the  conflicting  claims  of  two 
sulky  Dukes  and  a  querulous  old  Mar- 
quis, each  of  whom  threatened  to 
withdraw  his  "influence  and  support," 
if  his  rival's  claims  were  preferred  !] 
He  had  never  seen  any  of  such  a 
breadth. — It  must  have  been  manu- 
factured on  purpose  for  the  Earl !  — 
How  white  were  his  hands  !  And  he 
had  an  antique  massive  signet-ring  on 
his  forefinger,  and  two  glittering  rings 
at  least  on  each  of  his  little  fingers — 
positively  Titmouse  at  length  began 
to  regard  him  almost  as  a  god  : — and 
yet  the  amazing  thought  occurred  that 
this  august  being  was  allied  to  him  by 
the  ties  of  relationship  ! — Such  were 
the  thoughts  and  reflections  passing 
through  the  mind  of  Titmouse,  during 
the  time  that  Lord  Dreddlington  was 
engaged  in  reading  his  letter — and  after- 
wards during  the  brief  intervals  which 
elapsed  between  the  various  observa- 
tions addressed  to  lam  by  his  lordship. 


The  gentleman  in  black  at  length 
entered  the  room,  and  advancing 
slowly  and  noiselessly  towards  the 
Earl,  said,  in  a  quiet  manner,  "  Dinner, 
my  Lord  ;  "  and  retired.  Into  what 
new  scenes  of  splendid  embarrassment 
was  this  the  signal  for  Mr.  Titmouse's 
introduction  ?  thought  our  friend,  and 
trembled. 

"Mr.  Titmouse,  will  you  give  your 
arm  to  the  Lady  Cecilia  ? "  said  the 
Earl,  motioning  him  to  the  sofa.  Up 
jumped  Titmouse,  and  approached 
hastily  the  recumbent  beauty,  who 
languidly  arose,  arranged  her  train 
with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other, 
having  drawn  on  her  glove,  just  barely 
touched  the  proffered  arm  of  Titmouse, 
extended  towards  her  at  a  very  acute 
angle,  and  at  right  angles  with  his 
own  body — stammering,  "Honour  to 
take  your  ladyship — uncommon  proud 
— this  way,  my  lady." — Lady  Cecilia 
took  no  more  notice  of  him  than  if  lie 
had  been  a  dumb  waiter,  walking  be- 
side him  in  silence — the  carl  following. 
To  think  that  a  nobleman  of  high  rank 
was  walking  behind  him  ! 

"Would  to  heaven,  thought  the  em- 
barrassed Titmouse,  that  he  had  two 
fronts,  one  for  the  Earl  behind,  and 
the  other  to  be  turned  full  towards 
Lady  Cecilia !  The  tall  servants, 
powdered  and  in  light  blue  liveries, 
stood  like  a  guard  of  honour  around 
the  dining-room  door.  That  room  was 
extensive  and  lofty  :  what  a  solitary 
sort  of  state  were  they  about  to  dine 
in  !  Titmouse  felt  cold  though  it  was 
summer,  and  trembled  as  he  followed, 
rather  than  led,  his  haughty  partner 
to  her  seat ;  and  then  was  motioned 
into  his  owrn  by  the  Earl,  himself  sit- 
ting down  opposite  a  chased  silver 
soup  tureen  !  A  servant  stood  behind 
Lady  Cecilia  and  Titmouse  ;  also  on 
the  left  of  the  Earl,  while  on  Ins  right, 
between  his  lordship  and  the  glistening 
sideboard,  stood  a  portly  gentleman  in 
black,  with  a  bald  head  and  a  somewhat 
haughty  countenance.  Though  Tit- 
mouse had  touched  nothing  since 
breakfast,  he  felt  not  the  slightest 
inclination  to  eat,  and  would  have 
given  the  world  to  have  dared  to  say 
as  much,  and  be  at  once  relieved  from 

x 


30S 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAli. 


a  vast  deal  of  anxiety.  Is  it  indeed 
easy  to  conceive  of  a  fellow-creature  in 
a  Btate  of  more  complete  thraldom,  at 
that  moment,  than  poor  little  Tit- 
monsc  •  A  little  animal  under  the 
suddenly  exhausted  receiver  of  an  air 
pump,  or  a  fish  just  plucked  out  of  its 
own  element,  and  Hung  gasping  and 
struggling  upon  the  grass,  may  serve 
to  assist  your  conceptions  of  the  position 
and  sufferings  of  Mr.  Titmouse.  The 
Earl,  who  was  on  the  look-out  for  it, 
observed  his  condition  with  secret  but 
complete  satisfaction  ;  here  he  beheld 
the,  legitimate  effect  of  rank  and  state 
Upon  the  human  mind.  Titmouse  got 
through  the  soup  —  of  which  about 
half-a-dozeU  spoonfuls  only  were  put 
into  his  plate— pretty  fairly.  Any- 
w here  else  than  at  Lord  Dreddlington's, 
Titmouse  would  have  thought  it  thin 
watery  stuff  with  a  few  green  things 
chopped  up  and  swimming  in  it ;  but 
Blow  he  perceived  that  it  had  a  sort 
of  superior  flavour.  How  some  red 
mullet,  enclosed  in  paper,  puzzled 
poor  Titmouse,  is  best  known  to  him- 
self. 

"The  Lady  Cecilia  will  take  wine 
with  you,  Mr.  Titmouse,  I  dare  say — " 
observed  the  Karl  :  and  in  a  moment's 
time,  but  with  perfect  deliberation, 
the  servants  poured  wine  into  the  two 
glasses.  "  Your  ladyship's  health,  my 
lady — '*  faltered  Titmouse.  She  slightly. 
bowed,  and  a  faint  smile  glimmered  at 
the  corners  of  her  mouth — but  unob- 
served by  Titmouse.  *  * 

"  1  think  you  said,  Mr.  Titmouse," 
quoth  the  Earl,  some  time  afterwards, 
"  that  you  had  not  yet  taken  possession 
of  Yatton  ? " 

"No,  my  lord  ;  but  I  go  down  the 
day  after  to-morrow — quite — if  I  may 
say  it,  my  hud — quite  in  style — " 
answered  Titmouse,  in  a  style  of 
humble  and  hesitating  jocularity. 

"Hi,  ha!"  — exclaimed  the  Karl 
gently. 

"Had  you  any  acquaintance  with 
Hi  ■  a.ubrej  ,  M  r.  Titmou  e  .' "  cnqn 
the  I-  idy  <  '■  i 

"No,  my  lady — yes,  your  ladyship, 
(I  beg  your  ladyship's  pardon)  but, 
now  1  think  of  it,  I  had  a  Blight  ac- 
quaintance with  Miss  Aubrey.'     [Tit- 


mouse,  Titmouse,  you   little  wretch, 
how  dare  you  say  so  ?] 

"  Sh*  is  considered  pretty  in  the 
country,  I  believe,"  drawled  Lady 
Cecilia  languidly. 

"Oh,  most  uncommon  lovely! — 
middling,  only  middling,  my  lady,  I 
should  say" — added  Titmouse  sudden- 
ly  ;  having  observed,  as  he  fancic  1, 
rather  a  displeased  look  in  Lady 
Cecilia,  lie  had  begun  his  sentence 
with  more  energy  than  he  had  yet 
shown  in  the  house  ;  he  finished  it 
hastily,  and  coloured  as  he  spoke — 
feeling  that  he  had  somehow  committed 
himself. 

"  Do  you  form  a  new  establishment 
at  Yatton,  sir  ? "  enquired  the  Karl, 
"  or  take  to  any  part  of  that  of  your 
predecessor  ? " 

"I  have  not,  please  your  lordship, 
made  up  my  mind  yet  exactly  — 
should  like  to  know  your  lordship's 
opinion." 

"Why,  sir,  I  should  be  governed 
by  circumstances — by  circumstances, 
sir;  when  you  get  there,  sir,  you  will 
be  better  able  to  judge  of  the  course 
you  .'hould  pursue." 

"Do  you  intend,  Mr.  Titmouse,  to 
live  in  town,  or  in  the  country  ? " 
enquired  Lady  Cecilia. 

"A  little  of  both,  my  lady— but 
mostly  in  town ;  because,  as  your 
ladyship  se as,  the  country  is  devilish 
dull — 'pon  my  life,  my  lady — my  lord 
— beg  a  thousand  pardons,  '  he  added, 
bowing  to  boih,  and  bin  hing  violently. 
Here  he  had  committed  himself;  but 
his  august  companions  bowed  to  him 
very  kindly,  and  he  presently  recovered 
lii     elf-possession. 

"Are  you  fond  of  hunting,  Mr. 
Titmouse?"  enquired  the  Karl. 

"  Why,  my  lord,  can't  exactly  say 
that  I  am — hut  your  lordship 
cases  alter  circumstances,  and  when  I 
•  t  down  there  among  the  country 
gents,  p'r'aps  I  may  do  as  they  do, 
my  lord." 

"  I  presume,  Mr.  Titmouse,  you  have 
scarcely  chosen  a  town  residence  yet  ? " 
enquired  La  ly  I  lecilia. 

"No,  my  lady      not    fixed    it  yet— • 

was  thinking  of  taking  Mi".  Aubrey's 
house  in  Gro  ivenor  Street,  understand- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


307 


ing  it  is  to  be  sold  ; "  then  turning 
towards  the  Earl — "because,  as  your 
lordship  sees,  1  was  thinking  of  getting 
into  both  the  nests  of  the  old  birds, 
while  both  are  warm  " — he  added,  with 
a  very  faint  smile. 

"  Exactly  ;  yes — I  see,  sir — I  under- 
stand you,"  replied  Lord  Dreddlington, 
sipping  his  wine.  His  manner  rather 
discomposed  Titmouse,  to  whom  it 
then  very  naturally  occurred  that  the 
Earl  might  be  warmly  attached  to  the 


Auhr 


eys, 


and 


not  relish  their  being 
spoken  of  so  lightly ;  so  Titmouse 
hastily  and  anxiously  added — "your 
lordship  sees  I  was  most  2}articular 
sorry  to  make  the  Aubreys  turn  out. 
A  most  uncommon  respectable  gent, 
Mr.  Aubrey  :  I  assure  your  lordship  I 
think  so." 

"  I  had  not  the  honour  of  his  ac- 
quaintance, sir,"  replied  the  Earl 
coldly,  and  with  exceeding  stiffness, 
which  flustered  Titmouse  not  a  little  ; 
and  a  pause  occurred  in  the  conversa- 
tion for  a  minute  or  two.  Dinner  had 
novv  considerably  advanced,  and  Tit- 
mouse was  beginning  to  grow  a  Utile 
familiar  with  the  routine  of  matters. 
Remembering  Gammon's  caution  con- 
cerning the  wine,  and  also  observing 
how  very  little  was  drunk  by  the  Earl 
and  Lady  Cecilia,  Ti.  mouse  did  the 
same  ;  and  during  the  whole  of  dinner 
had  scarcely  three  full  glasses  of  wine. 

"How  long  is  it,"  enquired  the 
Earl,  addressing  his  daughter,  "since 
they  took  that  house  ? "  Lady  Cecilia 
could  not  say.  "Stay — now  I  recol- 
lect—  surely  it  was  just  before  my 
appointment  to  the  Household.  Yes  ; 
it  was  about  that  time,  I  now  recollect. 
I  am  alluding,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  con- 
tinued the  Earl,  addressing  him  in  a 
very  gracious  manner,  "to  an  appoint- 
ment under  the  Crown  of  some  little 
distinction,  which  I  was  solicited  to 
accept,  at  the  personal  instance  of  his 
Majesty,  on  the  occasion  of  our  party 
coming  into  power — I  mean  that  of 
Lord  Steward  of  the  Household." 

"Dear  me,  my  lord!  Indeed! 
Only  to  think,  your  lordship !  "  ex- 
claimed Titmouse,  with  infinite  defer- 
ence in  his  manner,  which  encouraged 
the  Earl  to  proceed. 


"That,  sir,  was  an  office  of  great 
importance,  and  I  had  some  hesitation 
in  undertaking  its  responsibility.  But, 
sir,  when  I  had  once  committed  myself 
to  my  sovereign  and  my  country,  I 
resolved  to  give  them  my  best  services. 
I  had  formed  plans  for  effecting  very 
extensive  alterations,  sir,  in  that  de- 
partment of  the  public  service,  which 
I  have  no  doubt  would  have  given 
great  satisfaction  to  the  country  as 
soon  as  the  nature  of  my  intentions 
became  generally  understood  ;  when 
faction,  sir,  unfortunately  prevailed, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  relinquish 
office." 

' '  Dear  me,  my  lord  !  How  par- 
ticular sorry  I  am  to  hear  it,  my  lord  !  " 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  as  he  gazed  at  the 
baffled  statesman  with  an  expression  of 
respectful  sympathy. 

"Sir,  it  gives  me  sincere  satisfac- 
tion," said  the  Earl,  after  a  pause, 
"  to  hear  that  our  political  opinions 
agree " 

' '  Oh  yes  !  my  lord,  quite  ;  sure  of 
that " 

' '  I  assure  you,  sir,  that  some  little 
acquaintance  with  the  genius  and  spirit 
of  the  British  constitution  has  satisfied 
me  that  this  country  can  never  be 
safely  or  advantageously  governed  ex- 
cept on  sound  AVhig  principles. " — He 
paused. 

lord ;    it's   quite   true, 
-"  interposed  Titmouse 


' '  Yes,    my 
your  lordship- 
reverentiallv. 

"That,  sir, 
of  by  which 


is  the  only  way  I  know 
aristocratic  institutions 
can  be  brought  to  bear  effectively  upon, 
to  blend  harmoniously  with,  the  inter- 
ests of  the  lower  orders — the  people, 
Mr.  Titmouse."  Titmouse  thought 
this  wonderfully  fine,  and  sat  listening 
as  to  an  oracle  of  political  wisdom. 
The  Earl,  observing  it,  began  to  form 
a  much  higher  opinion  of  his  little 
kinsman.  "The  unfortunate  gentle- 
man, your  predecessor  at  Yatton,  sir, 
if  he  had  but  allowed  himself  to  have 
been  guided  by  those  who  had  mixed 
in  public  affairs  before  he  was  born," 

said  the  Earl  with  great  dignity, 

"Ton  my  word,  my  lord,  he  was, 
I've  heard,  a  d — -d  Tory  ! — Oh  my 
lady  !  my  lord  !  humbly  beg  pardon," 

X  2 


30  i 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIl. 


lie  added,  turning  pale  ;  but  the  fatal 
word  had  been  uttered,  and  braid  by 
botb  ;  and  he  frit  as  if  be  could  have 
sunk  through  tbe  floor. 

"  Shall  J  have  tbe  honour  of  taking 
another  glass  of  wine  with  you,  sir?" 
enquired  the  Earl,  ratheT  gravely  ami 
severely,  as  if  wishing  Mr.  Titmouse 
fully  to  appreciate  tbe  fearful  breach 
of  etiquette  of  which  be  bad  just  been 
guilty.  After  they  had  bowed  to  each 
other,  a  very  awkward  pause  occurred, 
which  was  at  length  broken  by  the 
•onsiderate  Lady  ( lecilia. 

"Are  you  fond  of  tbe  opera,  Mr. 
Titmouse?" 

'•  Very,  my  lady — most  particular," 
replied  Titmouse,  who  bad  been  there 
once  only. 

"Do  you  prefer  the  opera,  or  the 
ballet  '.  1  mean  tbe  music  or  the 
dancing  ? " 

"Oh,  1  understand  your  ladyship. 
Ton  my  word,  my  lady,  I  prefer  them 

both.    The  dancing  is  most  uncoini i 

superior  ;  though  1  must  say,  my  lady, 
the  lady  dancers  there  do  most  un- 
commonly— rather,  1  should  say" — 
He  stopped  abrupl  ly  ;  his  face  flushed, 
and  he  felt  as  if  be  bad  burst  into  a 
perspiration.  "What  the  deuce  was  he 
about  '<  It  seemed  as  if  some  devil 
within  were  urging  him  on,  from  time 
to  time,  to  commit  himself.  Good 
gracious  !  another  word,  and  out  would 
have  come  Ins  opinion  as  to  tbe  shock- 
ing indecency  of  the  ballet  1 

"I    understand    you,    sir;    I   quite 

e   with   you,"   said    Lady  Cecilia 

calmly;  "the  ballet  doe*  come  on  at 

a  sad  late  hour;    I    often   wish  they 

Would   now  and  then  have  tbe  ballet 

fir  t." 

"Ton  my  life,  my  lady,"  quoth 
Titmouse,  eagerly  Bnatchiug  at  the 
plank  that  was  thrown  to  him  ;  "  thai 
it  what  I  mi  ant  nothing  else,  upon 
my  soul,  your  ladyship." 

"  Do  you  intend  taking  a  box  there, 
Mr.   Titmoi!  quired   her  lady- 

ship, with  an  appearance  of  inti  n 
the  expected  answer. 

"  why,  your  ladyship,  they 
box  there  i  i  a  pt  re  ; — 

but  in  course,  my  lady,  when  IV 
to  right  ith  my  property — 


your  ladyship  understands— I  shall  do 
the  correct  thing." 

Here  a  very  long  pause  ensued.  How 
dismally  quiet  and  deliberate  was 
everything  !  The  very  servants,  how 
noiselessly  they  waited  !  Everything 
drnie  just  when  it  was  wanted,  yet  no 
hurry,  or  bustle,  or  noise  ;  and  they 
looked  so  composed — so  much  at  their 
ease.  He  fancied  that  they  had  scarce 
anything  else  to  do  than  look  at  him, 
and  watch  all  his  movements,  which 
greatly  embarrassed  him,  and  he  began 
to  hate  them,  lie  tried  hard  to  inspirit 
himself  with  a  reflection  upon  his  own 
suddenly  acquired  and  really  great 
personal  importance  ;  absolute  master 
of  Ten  Thousand  a-Year,  a  relation  of 
the  great  man  at  whose  table  lie  sat, 
and  whose  hired  servants  they  were  ; 
but  then  his  timorously  raised  eyo 
would  light,  for  an  instant,  upon  the 
splendid  insignia  of  the  Earl  ;  and  be 
felt  as  oppressed  asever.  What  would 
he  not  have  given  for  a  few  minutes' 
interval  and  sense  of  complete  freedom 
and  independence!  And  were  tin 
to  be  his  feelings  ever  hereafter !  "Was 
this  the  suit  of  tremulous  apprehension 
of  offence,  and  embarrassment  as  to  bis 
every  move,  to  which  he  was  to  be 
doomed  in  high  life  ?  Oh  that  he  had 
but  been  borii  to  it,  like  the  Earl  and 
the  Lady  Cecilia! 

"Were  you  ever  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  Mr.  Titmouse  ?  "  enquired  Lord 
Dreddlington  suddenly,  after  casting 
about  for  some  little  time  for  a  topic 
on  which  he  might  conver.se  with 
Titmouse. 

"No,  my  lord,  never— should  most 
uncommon  like  to  see  it,  my  lord" — 
replied  Titmouse  eag<  i  ly. 

"  Certainly,  it  is  an  impressive  sp 
tacle,  sir,  and  well  worth  seeing." 

"I  suppose,  my  lord,  your  lordship 
goes  there  every  <lay  ?" 

"Why,  sir,  1  believe  1  am  pretty 
punctual  in  my  attendance.      1  Mas 

e  to-day,  sir,  till  the  1  lou 
Sir,  1   am  of  opinion  that  hereditary 
legislators — a  practical  anomaly  in  a 

free  state  like  this — but  one  whi'h  has 

innumerable  nnperceived  advantages 
to  h  '  ■  mxnend  il  Sir,  our  country  ex* 
pcctsatoui  hands,  in  ge  of  so 


erting  his  -) n.it  the  summit  of  the  snowy  and  deceitful  structure, 

souse  t"  iliu  ,(  and  all. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


500 


grave  a  trust — in  short,  if  we  were  not 
to  be  true  to — we  who  are  in  a  peculiar 
sense  the  guardians  of  public  liberty — ■ 
if  we  were  once  to  betray  our  trust — 
Let  me  trouble  you,  sir,  for  a  little  ot 

that ,"  said  the  Earl,  using  some 

foreign  word  which  Titmouse  had  never 
heard  of  before,  and  looking  towards  a 
delicately  constructed  fabric,  as  of 
compressed  snow,  that  stood  before 
Titmouse.  A  servant  stood  in  a  twink- 
ling beside  him  with  his  lordship's 
plate.  Ah  me  !  that  I  should  have  to 
relate  so  sad  an  event  as  presently 
occurred  to  Titmouse  !  He  took  a 
spoon  ;  and,  imagining  the  glistening 
fabric  before  him  to  be  as  solid  as  it 
looked,  brought  to  bear  upon  it  an 
adequate  degree  of  force,  even  as  if  he 
had  been  going  to  scoop  out  a  piece  of 
Stilton  cheese — and  inserting  his  spoon 
at  the  summit  of  the  snowy  and  de- 
ceitful structure,  souse  to  the  bottom 
went  spoon,  hand,  coat-cuff  and  all, 
and  a  very  dismal  noise  evidenced  that 
the  dish  on  which  the  spoon  had 
descended  with  so  much  force— was  no 
longer  a  dish.  It  was,  in  fact,  broken 
in  halves,  and  the  liquid  from  witbiu 
ran  about  on  the  cloth.  *  *  *  * 
A  cluster  of  servants  was  quickly 
around  him.  *  *  A  mist  came 
over  his  eyes  ;  the  colour  deserted  his 
cheek  ;  and  he  had  a  strange  feeling, 
as  if  verily  the  end  of  all  things  was 
at  hand. 

' '  I  beg  you  will  think  nothing  of 
it — it  really  signifies  nothing  at  all, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  the  earl  kindly, 
observing  his  agitation. 

' '  Oh  dear  !  Oh  my  lord  —  your 
ladyship — what  an  uncommon  stupid 
ass  !  " 

"Pray  don't  distress  yourself,  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  said  Lady  Cecilia,  really 
feeling  for  his  evident  misery,  "  or  you 
will  distress  us." 

"I  beg — humbly  beg  pardon — please 
your  lordship  —  your  ladyship.  I'll 
replace  it  with  the  best  in  London  the 
very  first  thing  in  the  morning."  Here 
the  servant  beside  him,  who  was  ar- 
ranging the  table-cloth,  uttered  a  faint 
sound  of  suppressed  laughter,  which. 
disconcerted  Titmouse  still  more. 

"  Give  yourself  no  concern — 'tis  only  | 


a  trifle,  Mr.  Titmouse  ! — You  under- 
stand, ha,  ha  ? "  said  the  Earl  kindly. 

"  But  if  your  lordship  will  only 
allow  me — expense  is  no  object.  I 
know  the  very  best  shop  iu  Oxford 
Street " 

"  Suppose  we  take  a  glass  of  cham- 
pigne  together,  Mr.  Titmouse?"  s  id 
the  Earl  rather  peremptorily ;  and 
Titmouse  had  sense  enough  to  be  aware 
that  he  was  to  drop  the  subject.  It 
was  a  good  while  before  he  recovered 
even  the  little  degree  of  self-possession 
which  he  had  had  since  first  entering 
Lord  Dreddlington's  house.  He  had 
afterwards  no  very  distinct  recollection 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  got  through 
the  rest  of  dinner,  but  a  general  sense 
of  his  having  been  treated  with  the 
most  kind  and  delicate  forbearance — 
no  fuss  made.  Suppose  such  an  acci- 
dent had  occurred  at  Satin  Lodge,  or 
even  Alibi  House ! 

Shortly  after  1he  servants  had  with- 
drawn, Lady  Cecilia  rose  to  retire. 
Titmouse,  seeing  the  Earl  approaching 
the  bell,  anticipated  him  in  ringing  it, 
and  then  darted  to  the.  door  with  the 
speed  of  a  lamplighter  to  open  it,  as 
he  did,  just  before  a  servant  had  raised 
his  hand  to  it  on  the  outside.  Then 
he  stood  within,  and  the  servant  with- 
out, each  bowing,  and  Lady  Cecilia 
passed  between  them  with  stately  step, 
her  eyes  fixed  xipon  the  ground,  and 
her  lip  compressed,  with  the  effort  to 
check  her  inclination  to  a  smile — per- 
haps, even  laughter.  Titmouse  was 
now  left  alone  with  Lord  Dreddling- 
ton  ;  and,  on  resuming  his  seat,  most 
earnestly  renewed  his  entreaties  to  bo 
allowed  to  replace  the  dish  which  he 
had  broken,  assuring  Lord  Dre  Idling- 
ton  that  "  money  was  no  obj.-ct  at  all." 
He  was  encountered,  however,  with  so 
stern  a  negative  by  his  lordship,  that, 
with  a  hurried  apology,  he  dropped 
the  subject ;  the  Earl,  however,  good- 
naturedly  adding,  that  he  had  perceived 
the  joke  intended  by  Mr.  Titmouse — 
which  was  certainly  a  very  good  one  ! 
This  would  have  set  off  poor  Titmouse 
again  :  but  a  glance  at  the  face  of  his 
magnificent  host  sealed  his  lips. 

' '  I  have  heard  it  said,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse,"   presently     commenced     the 


310 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


Earl,  "  that  you  have  been  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  during  the  period 
of  your  exclusion  from  the  estates 
which  you  have  just  recovered.  Is  it 
so,  sir  ?'" 

"  Ye-e-e-s — sir — my  lord — "  replied 
Titmouse,  hastily  considering  whether 
or  not  he  should  altogether  sink  the 
shop;  but  he  dared  hardly  venture 
upon  so  very  decisive  a  lie — "I  was, 
please  your  lordship,  in  one  of  the 
greatest  establishments  in  the  mercery 
line  in  London — at  the  west  end,  my 
lord ;  most  confidential,  my  lord  ; 
management  of  everything ;  but,  some- 
how, my  lord,  I  never  tuok  to  it — your 
lordship  understands  ? " 

"  Perfectly,  sir;  I  can  quite  appre- 
ciate your  feelings.  But,  sir,  the  mer- 
cantile interests  of  this  great  country 
are  not  to  be  overlooked.  Those  who 
are  concerned  in  them,  are  frequently 
respectable  persons." 

' '  Begging  pardon,  my  lord — no,  they 
a'n't — if  your  lordship  only  knew  them 
as  well  as  I  do,  my  lord.  Host  un- 
common low  people.  Do  anything  to 
turn  a  penny,  my  lord  ;  and  often  sell 
damaged  goods  for  best." 

"It  is  very  possible,  sir,  that  thera 
may  exist  irregularities,  eccentricities, 
ha  I  ha!  of  that  description  ;  but  upon 
the  whole,  sir,  I  am  disposed  to  think 
that  there  are  many  very  decent  per- 
Bons  engaged  in  trade.  I  have  had 
the  happiness,  sir,  to  assist  in  passing 
measures  that  were  calculated,  by 
removing  restrictions  and  protective 
duties,  to  secure  to  this  country  the 
benefits  of  free  and  universal  competi- 
tion. Y»'e  have  been  proceeding,  sir, 
for  many  years,  on  altogether  a  wrong 
principle  ;  but,  not  to  follow  out  this 
matter  further,  I  must  remind  you, 
sir,  that  your  acquaintance  with  the 
principles  and  leading  details  of  mer- 
cantile transactions— undoubtedly  one 
of  the  mainsprings  of  the  national 
9— may  hereafter  be  of  use  to 
you,  sir." 

"  Fes,  my  lord,  'pon  my  soul  -when 
I'm  furnishing  my  houses  in  town  and 
country,  I  mean  to  go  to  market  my- 
self   pie  i  •■  J  "'ir  lordship,  I   know  a 

fail  k  or  two  of  the  trade,  and  can't  be 

taken  in,  my  lord.      K"r  i;i  tance,  my 


lord,  there's  Tag-rag — a-hem  !  hem  !  " 
he  paused  .abruptly,  and  looked  some- 
what confusedly  at  the  Karl. 

"  I  did  not  mean  that  exactly,"  said 
his  lordship,  unable  to  resist  a  smile. 
"  Pray,  till  your  glass,  Mr.  Titmouse." 
He  did  so.  "  You  are  of  course  aware- 
that  you  have  the  absolute  patronage 
of  the  borough  of  Yatton,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ? — It  occurs  to  me,  that  as  our 
political  opinions  agree,  and  unless  I 
am  presumptuous,  sir,  in  so  thinking 
— I  may  be  regarded,  in  a  political 
point  of  view,  as  the  head  of  tho 
family — you  understand  me,  I  hope, 
Mr.  titmouse?" 

"Exactly,  my  lord — 'pon  myr  soul, 
it's  all  correct,  my  lord." 

"Well — then,  sir — the  family  in- 
terests, Mr.  Titmouse,  must  be  looked 

after " 

"Oh!  in  course,  my  lord,  only  too 
happy — certainly,  my  lord,  we  shall, 
I  hope,  make  a  very  interesting  family, 
if  your  lordship  so  pleases — 1  can  have 
no  objection,  my  lord  ! 

"It  was  a  vile,  a  disgraceful  trick, 
by  which  Ministers  popped  in  their 
own  man  for  our  borough,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse." 

fliord  Dreddlington  alluded  to  tho 
circumstance  of  a  new  writ  having 
been  moved  for,  immediately  on  Mr. 
Aubrey's  acceptance  of  the  Chiltern 
Hundreds,  and,  before  the  Opposition 
could  be  prepared  for  such  a  step,  sent 
down  without  delay  to  Yatton,  and  Sir 
Percival  Pickering,  Bart.,  of  Ludding- 
ton  Court,  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's,  and  a  keen  unflinching  Tory, 
being  returned  as  member,  before  tho 
Titmouse  influence  could  be  brought 
for  even  one  moment  into  the  field; 
tho  few  and  willing  electors  of  tliit 
ancient  and  loyal  borough  being  only 
too  happy  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
voting  for  a  man  whose  principles  they 
approved  probably  the  last  oppor- 
tunity they  would  have  Of  doing  so.  1 

"  Yes,  my  lord-  Sir  what-d'ye-eall- 
him  was  a  trille  too  sharp  for  us,  in 

that  business,  wasn't  lie  ; ' 

"  It  has  succeeded,  sir,  for  the  mo- 
ment, but"  —continued  his  lordship 
in  a  very  significant  and  stately  man- 
ner—  "it  is  quite  possible  that  their 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


311 


triumph,  may  be  of  very  short  duration 
— Mr.  Titmouse.  Those  who,  like  my- 
self, are  at  headquarters — let  me  see 
j'ou  fill  3'our  glass,  Mr.  Titmouse. — I 
have  the  honour  to  congratulate  you, 
sir,  on  the  recovery  of  your  rights,  and 
to  wish  you  health  and  long  life  in  the 
enjoyment  of  them,"  quoth  the  Earl 
with  an  air  of  the  loftiest  urbanity. 

"May  it  please  your  lordship,  your 
lordship's  most  uncommon  polite  " — 
commenced  Titmouse,  rising  ami  stand- 
ing while  he  spoke — for  he  had  had 
experience  enough  of  society,  to  be 
aware  that  when  a  gentleman's  health 
is  drunk  on  important  occasions,  it 
becomes  him  to  rise  and  acknowledge 
the  compliment  in  such  language  as 
he  can  command — "and  am  particu- 
larly proud — a — a — I  beg  to  propose, 
my  lord,  your  lordship's  very  superior 
good  health,  and  many  thanks.''  Then 
lie  sat  down  ;  each  poured  out  another 
glass  of  claret,  and  Titmouse  drank 
his  off. 

"  It  is  extremely  singular,  sir,"  said 
the  Earl  musingly,  after  a  considerable 
pause,  "the  reverses  in  life  that  one 
hears  of ! " 

[I  cannot  help  pausing,  for  a  moment, 
to  suggest — what  must  have  become  of 
the  Earl  and  his  daughter,  had  they 
been  placed  in  the  situation  of  the  un- 
fortunate Aubreys.] 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  your  lordship's  quite 
true,  'ponmy  word  ! — Most  uncommon 
tips  and  doivns  !  Lord,  my  lord,  only 
to  fancy  vie,  a  few  months  ago,  trot- 
ting up  and  down  Oxford  Street  with 

my  yard  mea "  He  stopped  short, 

and  coloured  violently. 

"Well,  sir,"  replied  the  Earl,  with 
an  expression  of  bland  and  dignified 
sympathy — "however  humble  might 
have  been  your  circumstances,  it  is  a 
consolation  to  reflect  that  the  Fates 
ordained  it.  Sir,  there  is  nothing  dis- 
honourable in  being  poor,  when — you 
cannot  help  it !  Reverses  of  fortune, 
sir,  have  happened  to  some  of  the 
greatest  characters  in  our  history. 
You  remember  Alfred,  sir  !  "  Tit- 
mouse bowed  assenting])' ;  but  had 
he  been  questioned,  could  have  told, 
I  suspect,  as  little  about  the  matter — 
as  the  Earl  himself. 


"Allow  me,  sir,  to  ask  whether 
you  have  come  to  any  arrangement 
with  your  late  opponent  concerning 
t  he  back-rents  ?  "  enquired  the  Earl, 
with  a  great  appearance  of  interest. 

"No,  my  lord,  not  yet;  but  my 
solicitors  say  they'll  soon  have  the  scrcio 
on,  please  your  lordship — that's  just 
what  they  say — their-  very  words." 

"Indeed,  sir!"  replied  the  Earl 
gravely.  "  What  is  the  sum  to  which 
they  say  you  are  entitled,  sir  ?  " 

"Sixty  thousand  pounds,  my  lord, 
at  least — quite  set  me  up  at  starting, 
my  lord,"  replied  Titmouse  with  great 
glee ;  but  the  Earl  shuddered  in- 
voluntarily for  a  moment,  and  sipped 
his  wine  in  silence. 

"By  the  way,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  said 
he,  after  a  considerable  pause — "I 
trust  you  will  forgive  me  for  suggest- 
ing whether  it  would  not  be  a  prudent 
step  for  you  to  go  to  one  of  the 
universities  for  at  least  a  twelve- 
month  " 

"Humbly  begging  your  lordship's 
pardon,  am  not  I  too  old  ?  I've  heard 
they're  all  a  pack  of  overgrown  school- 
boys there — and  learn  nothing  but  a 
bit  of  some  old  languages  that  a'n't 
the  least  use  no\v-a-days,  seeing  it 
a'n't  spoke  now,  anywhere" — replied 
Titmouse — "  Besides,  I've  talked  the 
thing  over  with  Mr.  Gammon,  my 
lord " 

"Mr.  Gammon  ?  Allow  me,  sir,  to 
ask  who  that  may  be  ?  " 

"One  of  my  solicitors,  my  lord  ;  a 
most  remarkable  clever  man,  and  an 
out-and-out  lawyer,  my  lord.  It  was 
he  that  found  out  all  about  my  case, 
my  lord.  If  your  lordship  was  only 
to  see  him  for  a  moment,  your  lord- 
ship would  say  what  a  remarkable 
clever  man  that  is  !  " 

"You  will  forgive  my  curiosity,  sir — 
but  it  must  have  surely  required  very 
ample  means  to  have  carried  on  so 
arduous  a  lawsuit  as  that  which  has 
just  terminated  so  successfully  ?" 

"Oh  yes,  my  lord! — Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap  did  all  that ;  and, 
between  me  and  j-our  lordship,  I  sup- 
pose I  shall  have  to  come  down  a 
pretty  long  figure,  all  on  the  nail,  as 
your    lordJiip    understands ;    bnt    I 


312 


TEX  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


mean  thorn  to  got  it  .ill  out  of  that 
respectable  gent,  Mr.  Aubrey." — By 
quietly  pressing  his  questions,  the 
Karl  got  a  good  deal  more  out  of 
Titmouse  than  he  was  aware  (if,  con- 
cerning Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  ;  and  conceived  a  special  dislike 
for  Gammon.  The  Karl  gave  him  some 
pretty  derisive  hints  about  the  neces- 
sity of  being  on  his  guard  with  such 
people — and  hoped  that  he  would  pot 
commit  himself  to  anything  important 
without  consulting  his  lordship,  who 
would  of  course  fjive  him  the  ad- 
Vantage  of  his  experience  in  the  affaire 
of  the  world,  and  open  his  eyes  to  the 
designs  of  those  whose  only  object  was 
to  make  a  prey  of  him.  Titmouse 
began  to  feel  that  hen;,  at  length,  he 
had  met  with  a  real  friend — one  whose 
suggestions  were  worthy  of  being 
r>  ceived  with  the  profoundest  defer- 
ence. Soon  afterwards,  hi',  had  the 
guild  fortune  to  phase  tin-  Karl  beyond 
expression,  by  venturing  timidly  to 
express  his  admiration  of  the  splendid 
ril' mil  worn  by  his  lordship;  who 
took  the  opportunity  of  explaining  that 
and  the  other  marks  of  distinction  he 
wore,  and  others  which  he  was  entitled 
to    Wear,     at    great    length     and    with 

much  minuteness-  so  as  that  he  at 
length  caused  Titmouse  to  believe  that. 
he,  Lord  Dreddlington  —  the  august 
headof  the  family — must  havcrendi  n  d 
nmre  signal  service,  somehow  or  other, 
to  his  country,  and  also  done  more  to 
win  the  admiration  and  gratitude  of 
foreign  countries,  than  most  men 
living.  His  lordship  might  not,  per- 
haps, have  intended  it  ;  but  he  went 
in  till  In  almost  DEIFIED  himself,  in 
the  estimation  of  his  little  listener!  — 
One  very  natural  question  was  per- 
petually trembling  on  tin-  tip  of  fit- 
mouse's  tongue  ;  viz.  how  and  when 
he  c  uk]  "■  i    uch  things  for  himself. 

"Well,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  at  length 
observed  the  Marl,  alb  c  looking  at  his 
watch  —  "shall  we  adjourn  to  the 
[-room  I  The  fact  is,  sir,  that 
Ladj  <  ■  ilia  and  J  have  an  evening 
i  igement  at  the  1  Inch  bs  of  1  >ia- 
mond's.  1  much  regret  being  unable 
to  take  you  with  us,  sir  ;  but, 
shall  we  rejoin   the   Lady  < 


continued  his  lordship,  rising.  Tip 
jumped  Titmouse  ;  ana  the  Karl  and 
he  were  soon  in  the  drawing-room, 
where,  besides  the  Lady  C cilia, 
another  lady,  to  whom  he  was  not 
introduced  in  any  way.  This  was  Mis  I 
Macspleuchan,  a  distant  connexion  of 
the  Karl's  late  countess — a  very  poor 
relation,  who  had  entered  the  house  of 
the  Karl  of  Dreddlington,  in  order  to 
eat  the  bitter,  bitter  bread  of  dependence. 
Poor  soul !  you  might  tell,  by  a  glance 
at  her,  that  she'  did  not  thrive  upon 
it.  She  was  about  thirty,  and 
thin  !  She  was  dressed  in  plain  white 
muslin  ;  and  the  re  were  a  manifest  con- 
straint and  timidity  about  her  motions, 
and  a  depression  in  her  countenance, 
whose  lineaments  showed  that  if  she 
could  be  happy  she.  might  be  hand- 
some.  She  had  a  must  ladylike  air; 
and  there  was  thought  in  her  brow 
and  acuteness  in  her  eye,  which  how- 
ever, as  it  were,  habitually  watched 
the  motions  of  the  Earl  and  the  Lady 
Cecilia  with  deference  and  anxiety- 
Poor  Miss  Macspleuchan  felt  herself 
gradually  sinking  into  a  sycophant  ; 
the  alternative  being  that  or  starva- 
i  inn.  She  was  very  accomplished,  par- 
ticularly in  music  and  languages,  while 
the  Lady  Cecilia  really  knew  scarcely 
anything — for  which  reason,  princi- 
pally, she  had  long  ago  conceived  a 
bitter  dislike  to  Miss  Macspleuchan, 
and  inflicted  on  her  a  number  of  petty 
but  exquisite  mortifications  and  in- 
dignities; such,  perhaps,  as  none  but 
a  sensitive  soul  could  appreciate,  for 
the  Karl  and  his  daughter  were  ex- 
emplary persons  in  the  proprieties  of 
life,  and  would  not  do  su  h  things 
■  iii.  She  was  a  sort  of  companion 
of  Lady  Cecilia,  and  entirely  dependent 
upon  her  and  the  Earl  for  her  sub- 
sistence.     She  was  silting  Oil  the  sofa, 

beside  Lady  Cecilia,  when  Titmi 
re-entered  the  drawing-room  ;  and 
Lady  Cecilia  eyed  him  through  her 
glass  with  infinite  nonchalance,  even 
when  he  had  advanced  to  within  a 
few  feet  of  her.  He  made  her,  as  Bhe 
to  take  her  seat  and  prepare  tea, 
a  most  obsequious  bow  :  absurd  as  was 
the  style  of  its  performance,  Miss 
.Mi.   ph  ai  1  an    saw    that    there    was 


TEN   TIIObbAND   A-YEAR. 


313 


politeness  in  the  intention ;  'twas 
moreover  a  courtesy  towards  herself, 
that  was  unusual  from  the  Earl's 
guests  ;  and  these  considerations  served 
to  take  off  the  edge  of  the  ridicule 
and  contempt  with  which  Lady  Cecilia 
had  been  preparing  her  to  receive  their 
newly  discovered  kinsman.  After 
Standing  for  a  second  or  two  near  the 
sofa,  Titmouse  ventured  to  sit  himself 
down  upon  it — on  the  very  edge  only 
■ — as  if  afraid  of  disturbing  Lady 
Cecilia,  who  was  reclining  on  it  with 
an  air  of  languid  hauteur. 

' '  So  you're  going,  my  lady,  to  a 
dance  to-night,  as  my  lord  says  ? " 
quoth  Titmouse  respectfully;  "hope 
your  ladyship  will  enjoy  yourself!  " 

"We  regret  that  you  do  not  ac- 
company as,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  said 
Lady  Cecilia,  slightly  inclining  to- 
wards him,  and  glancing  at  Miss 
Macspleuchan  with  a  faint  and  bitter 
smile. 

"  Should  have  been  most  uncommon 
proud  to  have  gone,  your  ladyship," 
replied  Titmouse,  as  a  servant  brought 
him  a  cup  of  tea.  "These  cups  and 
saucers,  my  lady,  come  from  abroad, 
I  suppose  ?  Now,  I  dare  say,  though 
they've  ralher  a  funny  look,  they  cost 
a  good  deal  ?  " 

"  I  really  do  not  know,  sir  ;  we  have 
had  them  a  very  long  while." 

"  Ton  my  life,  my  lady,  I  like  them 
amazing!"  Seeing  her  ladyship  not 
disposed  to  talk,  Titmouse  became 
silent. 

"Are  you  fond  of  music,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse !  "  enquired  the  Earl,  presently 
observing  the  pause  in  the  conversation 
to  become  embarrassing  to  Titmouse. 

"  Very,  indeed,  my  lord  :  is  your 
lordship  ? " 

"1  am  rather  fond  of  vocal  music, 
sir — of  the  opera." 

This  the  Earl  said,  because  Miss 
Macspleuchan  played  upon  the  piano 
very  brilliantly,  and  did  not  sing. 
Miss  Macspleuchan  understood  him. 

"  Do  you  play  upon  any  instrument, 
Mr.  Titmouse  ?"  enquired  Lady  Cecilia, 
with  a  smile  lurking  about  her  lips, 
which  increased  a  little  when  Titmouse 
replied  in  the  negative,  that  he  had 
once  begun  to  learn  the  clarionet  some 


years  ago,  but  could  not  manage  the 
notes.  "Excuse  me,  my  lady,  but 
what  an  uncommon  fine  piano  that 
is!"  said  he. — "If  I  may  make  so 
bold,  will  your  ladyship  give  us  a 
time?" 

"  I  dare  say,  Miss  Macspleuchan 
will  play  for  you,  Mr.  Titmouse,  if 
you  wish  it,"  replied  Lady  Cecilia, 
coldly. 

Some  time  afterwards,  a  servant 
announced  to  her  ladyship  and  the 
Earl  that  the  carnage  was  at  the 
door  ;  and  presently  they  both  retired 
to  their  dressing-rooms  to  make  some 
slight  alteration  in  their  dress  ; — the 
Earl  to  add  a  foreign  order  or  two,  and 
Lady  Cecilia  to  place  upon  her  haughty 
brow  a  small  tiara  of  brilliants.  As 
soon  as  they  had  thus  retired — "I 
shall  feel  great  pleasure,  sir,  in  playing 
for  you,  if  you  wish  it  ? "  said  Miss 
Macspleuchan,  in  a  voice  of  such 
mingled  melancholy  and  kindness  as 
must  have  gone  to  Titmouse's  heart, 
if  he  had  possessed  one.  He  jumped 
up,  and  bowed  profoundly.  She  sat 
down  to  the  piano,  and  played  with 
great  ease  and  brilliancy  such  music 
as  she  supposed  would  suit  her  auditor 
— namely,  waltzes  and  marches — till 
the  door  opened,  and  Lady  Cecilia  re- 
appeared drawing  on  her  gloves,  with 
the  glittering  addition  which  I  have 
mentioned — followed  presently  by  the 
Earl. 

"Well,  sir,"  said  he,  with  dignified 
affability,  "I  need  not  repeat  how 
highly  gratified  I  feel  at  our  introduc- 
tion to  each  other.  I  trust  you 
will  henceforth  consider  yourself  no 

stranger  here ■" 

"Oh,  'pon  my  life,  my  lord!"  ex- 
claimed Titmouse,  in  a  low  tone,  and 
with  a  sudden  and  profound  bow. 

"And  that  on  your  return  from 
Yorkshire,"  continued  the  Earl,  draw- 
ing on  his  gloves,  "you  will  let  us  seo 
you  :  we  both  feel  great  interest  in 
your  good  fortunes.  Sir,  I  have  the 
honour  to  wish  you  a  good  evening  !  " 
He  extended  his  gloved  hand  to  Mr. 
Titmouse,  whose  hand,  however,  he 
touched  with  little  more  than  the  ends 
of  his  fingers. 

"We   exceedingly   regret    that    we 


314 


TEN  THOUSAND   A  YEAR. 


must  Lave  you,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  said 
Lady  Cecilia  with  forced  seriousness  ; 
"  but  as  we  wish  to  leave  the  duchess's 
early,  in  order  to  go  to  another  ball, 
we  must  go  early.  Good  evening,  sir," 
and  having  dropped  him  a  slight 
formal  curtsey,  she  quitted  the  draw- 
ing-room followed  by  the  Earl,  Tit- 
mouse making  four  or  five  such  bows 
as  provoked  a  smile  from  all  who 
witnessed  them.  The  next  moment 
he  was  alone  with  Miss  Macspleuchan. 
Her  unaffected  good-natured  address 
made  him  feel  more  at  home  within 
the  next  five  minutes,  than  he  had 
been  since  entering  that  frigid  scene 
of  foolish  state — since  being  in  the 
oppressive  presence  of  the  greatness 
just  departed.  She  felt  at  first  a  con- 
tempt for  him  bordering  upon  disgust, 
but  which  very  soon  melted  into  pity. 
"What  a  wretched  creature  was  this  to 
be  put  into  such  a  dazzling  position  ! 
He  soon  got  pretty  communicative 
with  her,  and  told  her  about  the  Tag- 
rags,  Miss  Tag-rag,  and  Miss  Quirk, 
both  of  whom  were  absolutely  dying 
of  love  for  him,  and  thought  he  was 
in  love  with  tin-in,  which  was  not  the 
case — -far  from  it.  Then  he  hinted 
something  iiliout  a  most  particular 
uncommon  lovely  gal  that  had  his 
heart,  and  he  hoped  to  have  hers,  as 
soon  as  he  had  got  all  to  rights  at 
Yatton.  Then  he  told  her  of  the 
gnat  style  in  which  he  was  going 
down  to  take  possession  of  his  estates. 
Having  finished  this,  he  told  her  that 
he  had  been  the  morning  before  to  see 
a  man  hanged  for  murdering  his  wife  ; 
that  he  had  been  into  the  condemned 
cell,  and  then  into  the  press-room,  and 
had  seen  his  hands  and  arms  tied,  and 
shaken  hands  with  him  ;  and  lie  was 
going  on  into  such  a  sickening  minute- 
of  detail,  that  to  avoid  it  M  i  i 
Macspleuchan,  who  felt  both  shocked 
and  -I,  suddenly  asked  him  it' 

he  was  fond  of  heraldry,  and  rising 
from  the  sofa,  she  wenl  into  the  second 
room,  where  on  an  elegant  an. I  antique 
st  iiel  lay  a  huge  roll  of  parchment,  on 
a  gilded  stick,  splendidly  mounted  and 
most  Buperbly  illuminated — -it  was 
aboui  three  quarters  of  a  yard  in 
l'i.  a. lth,  and  some  ten  or  twenty  yard  I 


in  length.  This  was  tho  Pedigree  of 
the  Dreddlingtons.  She  was  giving 
him  an  account  of  Simon  de  Drclin- 
court,  an  early  ancestor  of  the  Karl's, 
who  had  come  over  with  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  performed  stupendi 
feats  of  valour  at  the  battle  of  Hast- 
ings, Titmouse  listening  in  open- 
mouthed  wonder,  and  almost  trem- 
bling to  think  that  he  had  broken  a 
valuable  dish  belonging  to  a  nobleman 
who  had  such  wonderful  ancestor;, 
not  at  the  moment  adverting  to  the 
circumstance  that  he  was  himself  de- 
scended from  the  same  ancestors,  and 
had  as  rich  blood  in  him  as  the  Karl 
and  Lady  Cecilia  —  when  a  servant 
entered  and  informed  him  in  a  whisper 
that  "his  carriage  had  arrived."  Ho 
considered  thai  etiquette  required  him 
to  depart  immediately. 

"  Beg  your  pardon  ;  but  if  ever  you 
should  come  down  to  my  estate  in  the 
country,  shall  be  most  uncommon 
proud  to  see  your  ladyship." 

"I  beg  your  pardon  ;  you  are  mis- 
taken, sir,"  interrupted  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan hastily,  and  blushing  scarlet; 
the  fact  being  that  Titmouse  had  not 
caught  her  name  on  its  having  been 
one,'  or  twice  pronounced  by  Lady 
Cecilia,  and  very  naturally  concluding 
that  she  also  must  be  a  lady  of  rank. 
TitmOUSe  Was,  however,  so  occupied 
with  his  efforts  to  make  a  graceful 
exit,  that  he  did  not  catch  the  ex- 
planation of  his  mistake  ;  and  bowing 
almost  down  to  the  ground,  reached 
the  landing,  where  the  tall  servant, 
with  a  v.  it  easy  grace,  gave  him  his 
hat  and  cane,  ami  preceded  him  down- 
stairs. As  he  descended,  he  felt  in  his 
pockets  for  some  loose  silver,  and  gave 
several  shillings  between  the  servants 

who  st I   in   the   hall   to  witless  his 

departure  ;  after  which,  one  of  them 
having  opened  the  door  and  lei  down 
the  steps  of  t]  coach,  Titmouse 

popped  into  it. 

"  Homo,  sir  ?"  enquin  d  the  servant, 
as  he  closed  1 1  u. -  door, 

"The  Cabbage-Stalk  Hotel,  Covent 
•  larden,"  replii  d  Titmoi 

That  was  communicated  t«  tho 
coachman,  ami  oil'  rumbled  tin:  gloss 
coach.      As   Boon    as    Titmouse   had 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


315 


■become  calm  enough  to  reflect  upon 
the  events  of  the  evening,  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  was  a  very  great  man 
indeed  ;  the  Lady  Cecilia  very  beauti- 
ful, but  rather  proud  ;  and  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan  (Lady  Somebody,  as  he 
supposed)  one  of  the  most  interesting 
ladies  he  had  ever  met  with,  some- 
thing uncommon  pleasing  about  her  ; 
in  short,  he  felt  a  sort  of  grateful 
attachment  towards  her,  which,  how 
long  it  would  have  lasted  after  he  had 
heard  that  she  was  only  a  plaiu  miss, 
and  a  poor  relative,  I  leave  the  acute 
reader  to  conjecture. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Mr.  Gammon  was  with  him  about 
half-past  nine  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, sufficiently  anxious  to  hear  how 
he  had  got  on  overnight.  He  was 
received  by  Titmouse  in  a  manner 
totally  different  from  that  in  which 
he  had  ever  before  been  received  by 
him  ;  and  concluded  for  a  few  minutes, 
that  Lord  Dreddlington  had  been 
pumping  Titmouse,  had  learned  from 
him  his  position  with  respect  to  him, 
Gammon,  in  particular,  and  had  in- 
jected distrust  and  suspicion  into  the 
mind  of  Titmouse  concerning  him. 
But  Gammon,  with  all  his  acuteness, 
was  quite  mistaken.  The  truth  was, 
'twas  only  an  attempt  en  the  part 
of  poor  Titmouse  to  assume  the  com- 
posed demeanour,  the  languid  elegance, 
which  he  had  observed  in  the  distin- 
guished personages  with  whom  he 
had  spent  the  preceding  evening,  and 
which  had  made  a  very  deep  im- 
pression on  his  mind.  He  drawled 
out  his  words,  looked  as  if  he  were 
half  asleep,  and  continually  addressed 
G.immon  as  "Sir,"  and  "Mr.  Gam- 
mon," just  as  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington 
had  constantly  addressed  him  —  Tit- 
mouse. Our  friend  was  sitting  at 
breakfast,  on  the  present  occasion, 
in  a  most  gaudy  dressing-gown,  and 
with  the  newspaper  before   him  ;    in 


short,  his  personal  appearance  and 
manner  were  totally  different  from 
what  Gammon  had  ever  seen  before, 
and  he  looked  now  and  then  at  Tit- 
mouse, as  if  for  a  moment  doubting 
his  identity.  Whether  or  not  he  was 
now  on  the  point  of  throwing  over- 
board those  who  had  piloted  him  from 
amidst  the  shoals  of  poverty  into  the 
open  sea  of  affluence,  shone  upon  by 
the  vivid  sunlight  of  rank  and  dis- 
tinction, Gammon  did  not  know  ;  but 
he  contracted  his  brow,  and  assumed 
a  certain  sternness  and  peremptoriness 
of  tone  and  bearing,  which  were  not 
long  in  reducing  Titmouse  to  his  proper 
dimensions ;  and  when  at  length  Mr. 
Gammon  entered  upon  the  delightf al 
subject  of  the  morrow's  expedition, 
telling  him  that  he,  Gammon,  had 
now  nearly  completed  all  the  prepara- 
tions for  going  down  to,  and  taking 
possession  of  Yatton  in  a  style  of  suit- 
able splendour,  according  to  the  wish 
of  Titmouse  —  this  quickly  melted 
away  the  thin  coating  of  mannerism, 
and  Titmouse  was  "himself  again." 
He  immediately  gave  Mr.  Gammon  a 
full  account  of  what  had  happened  at 
Lord  Dreddlington's,  and,  I  fear,  of  a 
great  deal  more  than  might  possibly 
have  happened,  but  certainly  had  not ; 
e.  g.  his  lordship's  special  laudation  of 
Mr.  Gammon  as  a  "  monstrous  fine 
lawyer,"  which  Titmouse  swore  were 
the  very  exact  words  of  his  lordship, 
and  that  "he  should  have  been  most 
happy  to  see  Mr.  Gammon,"  and  a 
good  deal  to  the  like  effect.  Also 
that  he  had  been  "most  uncommon 
thick"  with  "Lady  Cicely,"  (so  he 
pronounced  her  name  ;)  ami  that 
both  she  and  Lord  Dreddlington  had 
"pressed  him  very  hard"  to  go  with 
them  to  a  ball  at  a  duke's!"  Ho 
made  no  mention  of  the  broken  trifle- 
dish  ;  said  they  had  nearly  a  dozen 
servants  to  wait  on  them,  (only  three 
sitting  down  to  dinner,)  and  twenty 
different  sorts  of  wine,  and  no  end  of 
courses,  at  dinner.  That  the  Earl 
wore  a  star,  and  garter,  and  ribands — 
which  Gammon  erroneously  thought 
as  apocryphal  as  the  rest ;  and  had 
told  him  that  he — Titmouse — might 
one  day  wear  them,  and  sit  in   the 


£1(5 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


House  of  Lords  ;  and  had,  moreover, 
advised  him  most  strenuously  to 
into  Parliament  as  soon  as  possible, 
as  the  "  can  c  of  the  people  wanted 
strengthening."  [As  Lord  Coke  some- 
where says,  in  speaking  of  a  spurious 
portion  of  the  text  of  Lyttlcton,  "thai 
arrow  came  never  out  of  Lytthton's 
quiver"  —  so  Gammon  instantly  per- 
ceived that  the  last  sentence  came 
never  out  of  Titmouse's  own  head,  but 
was  that  of  a  wise  and  able  man  and 
statesman.] 

As  soon  as  Titmouse  had  finished 
his  little  romance,  Gammon  pro- 
ceeded to  the  chief  object  of  his  visit 
— their  next  day's  journey.  He  said 
that  he  much  regretted  to  say  that 
Mr.  Snap  had  expressed  a  very  anxious 
■wish  to  witness  the  triumph  of  Mr. 
Titmouse  ;  and  that  Mr.  Titmouse, 
unless  lie  had  some  particular  ob- 
jection — "Oh  none,  'poll  honour! — 
poor  Snap ! — devilish  good  chap  in  a 
small  way!"  said  Titmouse;  and  at 
once  gave  his  consent-  Gammon  in- 
forming him  that  Mr.  Snap  would  be 
obliged  to  return  to  town  by  the  next 
day's  coach.  The  reader  will  smile 
When  I  tell  him,  and  if  a  lady,  will 
frown  when  she  hears,  that  Mi.->s  Quirk 
was  to  be  of  the  party — a  point  which 
her  anxious  father  had  secured  i 
time  ago.  Mrs.  Alias  hid  declared 
that  she  saw  no  objection,  as  Mr. 
Quirk  would  he.  constantly  with  his 
daughter,  and  Gammon  had  appeared 
most  ready  to  bring  about  so  desirable 
a  result,  lie  had  also  striven  haul, 
unknown  to  his  partners,  to  increase 
their  numbers,  by  the  Tag-rags,  who 
might  have  gone  down,  all  three  of 
them,  it'  they  had  chosen,  by  coach, 
and  so  have  returned.  Gammon  con- 
ceived that  this  step  might  not  have 
been  unattended  with  advantage  in 
;  and  would,  moreover, 
have  secured  him  a  considerable  souri  e 
of  amusement.  Titmouse,  however, 
would  not  listen  to  the  thing  for  one 
i:i  iment,  and  <  lammon  was  foro  d  to 
give  up  his  little  a  heme.  Two  dash- 
ing soi:i  |  J  nablo  ft  tends 
of  I  il  mou  ■,  (who  had  [del  ed  them 
up  Heaven  only  knows  where,  hut 
tiny  1. 1  vcr  d<  sertcd  him,)  infinitely  to 


Gammon's  annoyance,  were  to  be   of 
the    party.     He    had   seen    them   hut 
once,  when  he  had  accompanied  Tit- 
mouse  to  the   play,    where  they  soon 
joined    him.      One    was   a   truly  dis- 
gusting-looking fellow — a  Mi:.   Pimp 
iahoo — a  man  about  uve-and-thirty 
years   old,  tall,  with   a  profusion   of 
black  hair  parted  down  the  middle  of 
his   head,   and    falling  down   in    long 
clustering  curls  from  each  temple  upon 
his   coat   collar.       His   whiskers    also 
were  ample,  and   covered   two-thirds 
of  his  faee,   and  spread  in  disgusting 
amplitude  round  his  throat.     He  had 
also   a  jet -Mark   tuft — an  imperial — 
depending    from    his   under   lip.     He 
had  an  execrable  eye — full  of  insolence 
and    sei  suality  ;    in  short,   his  whole 
countenance  bespoke  tin?  thorough  de- 
bauchee and  ruffian.     He  had  been, 
he  said,  iii  the  army  ;  and  was  marly 
connected,  according  to  his  own   ae- 
eo'mt      as  with  fellows  of  this  descrip- 
tion is  generally  the  case-  with  "some 
of  the  first  families  in   the   North." 
He  was  now  a  man  of  pleasure  about 
town-  -which  contained,   not.  a  better 
billiard-player,  as  the  admiring  Tit- 
mouse had  had  several  opportunities 
of  judging.      He  was  a  great  patron  of 
the  ring-    kill  w  all  their  secrets — all 
their  haunts.     He  always  had  plenty 
of    the   money   of    other    people,    anil 
drove  about  in  a  most  elegant  cab,  in 
which  TitmoUSC  had  often  had  a  seat  ; 
and   as    soon    as    Mr.   Yahoo    had  ex- 
tracted from  his  communicative  Hi  tie 
companion  all  about  himself,  he  made 
it  his  business  to  conciliate  his  good 
graces  by  all  the  arts  of  which  he  was 
master— and  he  succeeded.    The  other 
chosen  companion  of  Titmouse  was  Mr. 

Algernon  Fitz-Snooks,  a  complete 

fool.      He  was  the  soV  child  of  a  rich 

tradesman— who  christened  him  l>y 

ounding  name  given  above  ;  and 
afterwards  added  the  patrician  prefix 
to  the  surname,   which  a!  o  \ on 

b,  in  order  to  gratify  his  w Lfo  ami 
son.     The  youth  never  "  took  to  bt 

" ■ —  hut  was  allowed    to  saunter 
about,    doing  and    knowing    nothit 
till    about     his    twenty-second    year, 
when  his  mother  died,  followed  a  year 
afterwards    by   his    father,   who    he- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


317 


queathed  to  his  hopeful  some  fifty 
thousand  pounds — absolutely  and  un- 
controlledly.  He  very  judiciously 
thought  that  youth  was  the  time  to 
enjoy  lite  ;  and  before  he  had  reached 
his  thirtieth  year,  he  had  got  through 
all  his  fortune  except  about  five  or  six 
thousand  pounds — in  return  for  which, 
he  had  certainly  got  something ;  viz. 
an  impaired  constitution  and  a  little 
experience,  which  might,  possibly,  be 
useful.  He  had  a  very  pretty  face — 
regular  features,  and  interesting  eyes  ; 
his  light  hair  curled  beautifully ;  and 
he  spoke  in  a  sort  of  lisp  and  in  a  low 
tone — and,  in  point  of  dress,  always 
turned  out  beautifully.  He  also  had 
a  cab,  and  was  a  great  friend  of  Mr. 
Yahoo,  who  had  introduced  him  iuto 
a  great  deal  of  high  society,  principally 
in  St.  James's  Street,  where  both  he 
and  Mr.  Yahoo  had  passed  a  great 
deal  of  their  time,  especially  during 
the  nights.  1  here  was  no  intentional 
mischief  in  poor  Fitz-Sn.-oks  :  nature 
had  made  him  only  a  fool — his  prudent 
parents  had  done  the  rest ;  and  if  he 
fell  into  vice,  it  was  only  because  he 
couldn't  help  it.  Such  were  the  chosen 
companions  of  Titmouse ;  the  one  a 
fool,  the  other  a  rogue  — and  "he 
tnust,"  he  said,  "have  them  down  to 
the  jollifying  at  Yatton."  A  groom 
and  a  valet,  both  newly  hired  the  day 
before,  would  complete  the  party  of 
the  morrow.  Gammon  assured  Tit- 
mouse that  he  had  taken  all  the  pains 
in  the  world  to  get  up  a  triumphant  en- 
try into  Yatton ;  his  agents  at  Grilston, 
Messrs.  Bloodsuck  and  Son,  attorneys 
— the  Radical  electioneering  attorneys 
of  the  county — who  were  well  versed 
in  the  matter  of  processions,  bands, 
flags,  &c.  &c.  &c.,  had  by  that  time 
arranged  everything,  and  they  were  to 
be  met,  when  within  a  mile  of  Yatton, 
by  a  procession.  The  people  at  the 
Hall,  also,  were  under  orders  from  Mr. 
Gammon  through  Messrs.  Bloodsuck 
and  Son,  to  have  all  in  readiness — and 
a  banquet  prepared  for  nearly  a  hun- 
dred persons — in  fact,  all  comers  were 
to  be  welcome.  To  all  this  Titmouse 
listened  with  eyes  glistening,  and  ears 
tingling  with  rapture  ;  but  can  any 
tongue  describe  his  emotion,  on  being 


apprised  that  the  sum  of  £2500,  in 
the  banker's  hands,  was  now  at  liia 
disposal — that  it  would  be  doubled  in 
a  few  weeks — and  that  a  cheque  for 
£500,  drawn  by  Mr.  Titmouse  on  the 
London  agents  of  the  Grilston  bankers, 
had  been  honoured  on  the  preceding 
afternoon?  Titmouse's  heart  beat  fast, 
and  he  felt  as  if  he  could  have  wor- 
shipped Gammon.  As  for  the  matter 
of  carriages,  Mr.  Gammon  said,  that 
probably  Mr.  Titmouse  would  call  that 
morning  on  Mr.  Axle,  in  Long  Acre, 
and  select  one  to  his  mind — it  must 
be  one  with  two  seats — and  Mr.  Gam- 
mon had  pointed  out  several  which 
were,  he  thought,  eligible,  and  would 
be  shown  to  Mr.  Titmouse.  That 
would  be  the  carriage  in  which  Mr. 
Titmouse  himself  would  travel ;  the 
second,  Mr.  Gammon  had  taken  the 
liberty  of  already  selecting.  With 
this  Mr.  Gammon  (just  as  the  new 
valet  brought  in  no  less  than  seveu 
boxes  of  cigars  ordered  overnight  by 
Titmouse)  shook  his  hand  and  de- 
parted, saying  that  he  should  make 
his  appearance  at  the  Cabbage-stalk 
the  next  morning,  precisely  at  eleven 
o'clock  —  about  which  time  it  was 
arranged  they  were  all  to  start.  Tit- 
mouse hardly  knew  how  to  contain 
himself  on  being  left  alone.  About 
an  hour  or  two  afterwards,  Titmouse 
made  his  appearance  at  Mr.  Axle's. 
He  carried  on  two  businesses,  one 
public,  i.  e.  a  coachbuilder — one  pri- 
vate, i.  e.  a  money-lender.  He  was 
a  rich  man  —  a  very  obliging  and 
"accommodating"  person,  by  means 
of  which  he  had  amassed  a  fortune  of, 
it  was  believed,  a  hundred  thousand 
pounds.  He  never  made  a  fuss  about 
selling  on  credit,  lending,  taking  back, 
exchanging,  carriages  of  all  descrip- 
tions ;  nor  in  discounting  the  bills  of 
his  customers  to  any  amount.  He 
was  generally  right  in  each  case  in 
the  long  run.  He  would  supply  his 
fashionable  victim  with  as  splendid  a 
chariot,  and  funds  to  keep  it  somo 
time  going,  as  hc-or  she  could  desire  ; 
well  knowing  that  in  due  time,  after 
they  had  taken  a  few  turns  in  it  about 
the  parks,  and  a  few  streets  and  squares 
in  the  neighbourhood,  it  would  quietly 


313 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


drivo  up  to  ono  or  two  huge  dingy 
fabrics  in  a  different  part  of  tho  town, 
where  it  would  deposit  its  burden, 
and  then  return  to  its  maker  little  the 
worse  for  wea™,  who  took  it  back  at 
about  a  twentieth  ]  art  of  its  cost,  and 
soon  again  disposed  of  it  in  a  similar 
way.  Mr.  Axle  showed  Mr.  Titmouse 
very  obsequiously  over  his  premises, 

fiointing  out  (as  soon  as  he  knew  who 
ic  was)  tip-  carriages  which  Mr.  Gam- 
mon had  the  day  before  desired  should 
be  shown  to  him,  and  which  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, with  his  glass  stuck  in  his  eye 
— where  it  was  kept  by  the  pure  force  of 
muscular  contraction — examined  with 
something  like  the  air  of  a  connoisseur 
■ — rapping  with  his  agate-headed  cane 
every  now  and  then — now  against  his 
teeth,  then  against  his  legs.  He  did 
not  seem  perfectly  satisfied  with  any 
of  them  ;  they  looked  "devilish  plain 
and  dull." 

"Jlollo — Mr.  Axlctrcc,  or  whatever 
your  name  is — what  have  we  here  • 
Pon  my  soul,  the  very  thing!" — he 
exclaimed,  as  his  eye  caught  a  splendid 
object  the  Btate-carriage  of  the  ex- 
sheriff,  with  its  ■  isly  decorated 

panels:  which,  having  been  vamped 
up  for  some  six  or  seven  successive 
shrievalties — (on  each  occasion  heralded 
to  the  public  by  laudatory  paragraphs 
in  the  newspap  rs,  as  entirely  new  and 
signal  instances  of  the  taste  and  mag- 
nificence of  the  sheriff  elect) — seemed 
now  pcrfunclus  oj/icio.  Mr.  Axle  was 
staggered  for  a  moment,  and  scarce 
supposed  Mr.  Titmouse  to  be  in  earnest 
— Gammon  having  given  him  no  ink- 
ling of  the  real  character  of  Titmouse  ; 
but  observing  the  earnest  steadfast 
gaze  with  which  he  regarded  the  glit- 
tering object,  having  succeeded  in 
choking  down  a  sudden  lit  of  laughter, 
lie  commenced  a  most  tempting  eulo= 
gium  upon  the  splendid  structure — 
i  ingularity  of  the 

circumstance  of  its  happening  just  at 

tli  t  ei  tcl  menl  to  be  pla  od  at  his 

disposal  by  its  f  rmer  owner— a  gen- 
tleman of  great  distinction,  who  had 
no  longer  any  OC<  I  ion  for  it.  Mr. 
Axle  had  bad  numerous  applications 
for  it  already;  on  hearing  which,  Til 
mom  e   :'"f    i  ■    ited.     Tho    door    was 


opened — ho  got  in  ;  eat  on  each  seat — 
"Don't  it  hang  beautifully  ? "  enquired 
the  confident  proprietor,  swaying  about 
the  head  of  the  carriage  as  he  spoke. 

"Let  us  see,  who  was  after  it  yes- 
terday? Oil — I  think  it  was  Sir  Fitz- 
buiscuit  Gander;  but  I've  not  closed 
with  him." 

"  "What's  your  price,  Mr.  Axletree  ? " 
enquired  Titmouse  rather  heatedly,  as 
he  got  out  of  the  corria 

After  some  little  higgle-haggling  ho 
bought  it !!  ! — for  there  was  nothing 
like  closing  at  once  where  there  was 
keen  competition.  Mr.  Gammon  could 
not  have  seen  it  when  he  was  making 
his  choice  the  day  before  !  For  tho 
rest  of  the  day  lie  felt  infinitely  elated 
at  his  fortunate  purchase,  and  excited 
his  imagination  by  pictures  of  the  as- 
tonishment and  admiration  which  his 
equipage  must  call  forth  on  the  mor- 
row. Punctual  to  his  appointment, 
Mr.  Gammon,  a  few  minute!-;  before  the 
clock  struck  eleven  on  the  ensuing 
morning,  drew  up  to  the  Cabl 
Stalk,  as  near  at  least  as  he  could  get 
to  it,  in  a  hackney  coach,  with  his 
portmanteau  and  carpet-bag.  I  say  as 
near  as  he  could  ;  for  round  about  the 
door  stood  a  little  crowd,  gazing  with 
a  sort  of  awe  on  a  magnificent  vehicle 
standing  there,  witl;  four  horses  har- 
nessed to  it.  Gammon  looked  at  his 
watch,  as  he  entered  the  hotel,  and 
asked  which  of  the  sheriffs'  carriages 
was  standing  at  the  door.  The  waiter 
to  whom  he  spoke  seemed  nearly  split- 
ting with  laughter,  which  almost  dis- 
abled him  from  answering  that  it  was 
Mr.  Titmouse's  carriage,  ready  for 
Betting  off  to  Yorkshire.  M  r.  Gammon 
opened  his  eyes  involuntarily,  turned 
pale,  and  si  erned  nearly  dropping  an 
umbrella  which  was  in  his  hand. 

"Mr.  Titmouse's!"  he  echoed  in- 
i  redulously. 

"Yes,  sir — been  here  this  hour  at 
least  packing;  such  a  crowd  all  Ihe 
while;  everybody  thinks  it's  tho 
sheriff,  sir,"  replied  the  waiter,  b< 
aide  to  keep  his  countenance.  Mr. 
<  iammon  rushed  up-stairs  with  gri 
irdpetuo  ily  than  lie  had  pel hapa  ever 
been  known  to  exhibit  before,  and  hurst 
into  M  r.  Til  mouse's  room,    There  was 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


319 


that  gentleman,  with  his  hat  on,  his 
hinds  stuck  into  his  eoat  pockets,  a 
cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  a  tumbler  of 
brandy  and  water  before  him.  Mr. 
Yahoo,  and  Mr.  Fitz-Snooks,  and  Mr. 
Snap  were  similarly  occupied  ;  and 
Mr.  Quirk  was  sitting  down  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  and  a  glass  of 
negus  before  him,  with  anything  but  a 
joyful  expression  of  countenance. 

"  Is  it  possible,  Mr.  Titmouse " 

commenced  Gammon,  almost  breath- 
lessly. 

"Ah,  how  d'ye  do,  Gammon? — 
punctual !  "  interrupted  Titmouse,  ex- 
tending his  hand. 

"  Forgive  me — but  can  it  be,  that 
the  monstrous  thing  now  before  the 
door,  with  a  crowd  grinning  around  it, 
is  your  carriage  ?  "  enquired  Gammon, 
with  dismay  in  his  face. 

"  I — rather — think — it  is,"  replied 
Titmouse,  slightly  disconcerted,  but 
striving  to  look  self-possessed. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  replied  Gammon,  in 
a  kind  of  agony,  "it  i;  impossible? 
It  never  can  be !  Do  you  mean  to 
say  that  you  bought  it  at  Mr. 
Axle's  ?  " 

"  I  should  rather  think  so,"  replied 
Titmouse  with  a  piqued  air. 

' '  He's  been  grossly  imposing  on  you, 
sir !  —Permit  me  to  go  at  once  and  get 
you  a  proper  vehicle." 

"  Ton  my  life,  Mr.  Gammon,  / 
think  that  it's  a  monstrous  nice  thing 
— a  great  bargain—  and  I've  bought  it 
and  paid  for  it,  that's  more." 

"  Gentlemen,  I  appeal  to  you,"  con- 
fidently said  Gammon,  turning  in  an 
agony  to  Mr.  Yahoo  and  Mr.  Fitz- 
Snooks. 

"  As  for  me,  sir,"  replied  the  former 
coolly,  at  the  same  time  knocking  off 
the  ashes  from  his  cigar  ; — "since  you 
ask  my  opinion,  I  confess  I  rather  like 
the  idea — ha  !  ha  !  'Twill  produce  a 
sensation;  that's  something  iu  this 
dull  life  ! —Eh,  Snooks  ? " 

' '  Ay — a — I  confess  I  was  a  little 
shocked  at  first,  but  I  think  I'm  getting 
over  it  now,"  lisped  Mr.  Fitz-Snooks, 
adjusting  his  shirt-collar,  and  then 
sipping  a  little  of  his  brandy  and  water. 
"  I  look  upon  it,  now,  as  an  excellent 
joke  ; — egad,  it  beats  Chitterfield  hol- 


low, though  he,  too,  has  done  a  trick 
or  two  lately." 

"Did  you  purchase  it  as  a  joke, 
Mr.  Titmouse  ? "  enquired  Gammon 
with  forced  calmness,  ready  to  expire 
with  vexation  and  anger. 

' '  Why— a — 'pon  my  life — if  you  ask 
me — wonder  you  don't  see  it !  Of 
course  I  did  ! — Those  that  don't  like 
it  may  ride,  you  know,  in  the  other." 

' '  "We  shall  be  hooted  at,  laughed  at, 
wherever  we  go,"  said  he  vehemently. 

"  Exactly— that's  the  novelty  I  like*," 
said  Mr.  Yahoo,  looking  at  Mr.  Gam- 
mon with  a  smile  of  ineffable  in- 
solence. 

Mr.  Gammon  made  him  no  reply, 
but  fixed  an  eye  upon  him,  under  which 
he  became  plainly  uneasy.  He  felt 
outdone.  Talk  of  scorn  ! — the  eye  of 
Gammon,  settled  at  that  ins'ant  upon 
Mr.  Yahoo,  was  its  complete  and  per- 
fect representative ;  and  from  that 
moment  he,  Mr.  Yahoo,  felt  some- 
thing like  fear  of  the  eye  of  man,  or 
of  submission  to  it.  When,  moreover, 
he  beheld  the  manner  in  which  Tit- 
mouse obeyed  Gammon's  somewhat 
haughty  summons  out  of  the  room,  he 
resolved  to  make  a  friend  of  Gammon. 
Titmouse  proved,  however,  inexorable 
for  once  ;  he  had  bought  and  paid  for 
the  carriage  ;  it  suited  his  taste — -and 
where  was  the  harm  of  gratifying  it  ? 
Besides,  it  was  already  packed— all 
was  prepared  for  starting.  Gammon 
give  it  up  ;  and,  swallowing  down  his 
rage  as  well  and  as  quickly  as  he  could, 
endeavoured  to  reconcile  himself  to 
this  infernal  and  most  unexpected 
predicament. 

It  seems  that  Miss  Quirk,  however 
really  anxious  to  go  down  to  Yatton — - 
to  do  anything,  in  short,  calculated  to 
commit  Mr.  Titmouse  to  her— was 
quite  staggered  on  discovering,  and 
shocked  at  seeing,  the  kind  of  persons 
who  were  to  be  their  travelling  com- 
panions. As  for  Mr.  Yahoo,  she 
recoiled  from  him  with  horror  as  soon 
as  she  had  seen  him.  What  decent 
female,  indeed,  would  not  have  done 
so  ?  She  had  retired  to  a  bed-chamber 
soon  after  entering  the  Cabbage-Stalk, 
and,  seeing  her  two  unexpected  fellow- 
travellers,  presently  sent  a  chamber- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


maid  to  request  Mr.  Quirk  to  come  to 
her. 

He  found  her  considerably  agitated. 
She  wished  earnestly  to  return  to  Alibi 
House  ;  and  consented  t<»  proceed  on 
her  journey  only  on  the  express  pro- 
mise of  Mr.  Titmouse,  that  no  one 
should  be  in  the  carriage  in  which  she 
went  except  Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr.  Gam- 
mon— unless,  indeed,  Mr.  Titmouse 
thought  proper  to  make  the  fourth. 

Mr.  Quirk,  on  this,  sent  for  Mr. 
Gammon,  who,  with  a  somewhat  bad 
grace,  ("Confound  it!"  thought  he, 
"everything  seems  going  wrong,") 
undertook  to  secure  Mr.  Titmouse's 
consent  to  that  arrangement. 

While  he  was  thus  closeted  for  about 
five  or  ten  minutes  with  Mr.  Quirk, 
one  of  the  waiters  informed  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse that  a  lad  had  brought  a  parcel 
for  him,  which  he,  the  afore:  aid  lad,  Vi  as 
himself  to  deliver  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Titmouse.  Accordingly  there  was  pre- 
sently shown  into  the  room  a  little  lad, 
in  tarnished  livery,  in  whom  Titmouse 
recollected  the  boy  belonging  to  .Mr. 
Tag-rag's  one-horse  chaise,  and  who 
gave  a  small  parcel  into  Mr.  Titmouse's 
haii' Is,  "  with  Mrs.  and  Miss  Tag-rag's 
respects." 

As  soon  as  he  had  quitted  the  room, 
"  By  Jove!  What  have  we  here  ?" 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  just  a  little  flus- 
tered as  he  cut  open  the  string.  In- 
side was  another  parcel,  wrapped  up 
in  white  paper,  and  tied  in  a  pretty 
bow,  with  thin  satin  ribands.  This 
again,  and  another  within  it  having 
],  , .,,  opene  1, — behold  there  were  three 
nice  cambric  pocket-handkerchiefs, 
which,  on  being  examined,  proved  to 
be  each  of  them  marked  with  the 
initials  "T.  T."  in  haw;  and  Mr. 
Yahoo  happening  to  unfold  one  of 
them,  lo !  in  the  centre  was— also  done 
in  linir — the  figure  of  a  heart  trans- 

I  with  an  arrow  !  '.  !     Mr.  Yi 
roared,  and   Mr.   Fitz-Snooka  lisped, 
"Is  she   pretty,  Tit !     Where's  her 
I     Any  old  hi  ids  |  -eh  I  " 

Titmouse  coloured  a  little,  then 
grinned,  and  put  his  finger  to  the  side 
of  his  nose,  and  winked  his  eye,  as  it 
f,r,  onring  th  bright  idea  of  Mr.  Pita- 
Snooks.      On  a  Bheet  of   gilt-edged 


paper,  and  sealed  with  a  seal  bearing 
the  tender  words,  "Forget  me  not," 
was  written  the  following  : 

"Sib — Trusting  you  will  excuse 
the  liberty,  1  send  yon  three  best 
cambric  pocket-handkerchiefs,  which 
my  daughter  have  marked  with  her 
own  hair,  and  1  beg  your  acceptance 
thereof,  hoping  you  may  be  resigned 
to  all  that  may  befall  you,  which  is  the 
prayer  of,  dear  sir,  yours  respectfully, 
"  Martha  Tag-rag. 

"P.  S. —  My  daughter  sends  what 
you  may  please  to  wish  and  accept. 
Shall  we  have  the  great  happiness  to 
see  you  here  again  ? 

"Satin  lodge,  18th  May,  13—." 

"Oh!  the  naughty  old  woman  I 
Fie  I  Fie!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Yahoo, 
with  his  intolerable  smile. 

"Ton  my  soul,  there's  nothing  in 
it,"  said  Titmouse,  reddening. 

"Where's  Satin  Lodge  ?  enquired 
Mr.  Fitz-Snooks. 

"  It  is  a  country-house  on  the — the 
Richmond  road,"  said  Titmouse,  with 
a  little  hesitation  ;  and  just  then  the 
return  of  Gammon,  who  had  resumed 
his  usual  calmness  of  manner,  relieved 
him  from  his  embarrassment.  Mr. 
Gammon  succeeded  in  effecting  the 
arrangement  suggested  by  Mr.  Quirk 
and  his  daughter  ;  and  within  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  behold 
the  ex-sheriffs  resplendent  but  cast- 
off  carriage  tilled  by  Miss  Quirk  and 
Titmouse,  and  Mr.  Quirk  and  Gammon 
— the  groom  and  valet  siting  on  the 
coach-box  ;  while  in  the  other,  a  plain 
yellow  carriage,  covered  with  luggage; 

sat  Mr.  Yahoo,  Mr.   Fitz-Si ks,  and 

Mr.  Snap,  all  of  th  m  with  lighted 
cigars  Snnp  never  having  been  so 
happy  as  at  that  moment. 

Mr.   Titmouse   had   laid   aside   his 
:    in  compliment  to  Miss  Quirk, 
w  ho  had  a  lone  black  veil  on,  at  d 
elegant  light  shawl,  and    looked  un- 
commonly like  a  young  bride  setting  off 

— oh,  Heavens  !  t  hat  it  l<<i<t  1 a  so  I — 

..n  her  wedding  excursion.  Mr.  Gam- 
mon slouched  his  hat  over  his  eyes, 

and  inclined  his  head  downwards,  tit 
to  expire,  with  vexation  and  di.-gu  t, 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


321 


as  lie  observed  the  grin  anil  tittering 
of  the  crowd  around  ;  but  Titmouse, 
who  was  most  splendidly  dressed,  took 
off  his  hat  on  sitting  down,  and  bowed 
several  times  to,  as  he  supposed,  the 
admiring  crowd. 

"  Get  on,  boys  !  "  growled  Mr.  Gam- 
mon ;  and  away  they  went,  exciting 
equal  surprise  and  applause  wherever 
they  went.  No  one  that  met  them 
but  must  have  taken  Titmouse  and 
Miss  Quirk  for  a  newly-married  couple 
— probably  the  son  or  daughter  of  one 
of  the  sh  riffs,  who  had  lent  the  state 
carriage  to  add  eclat  to  the  interesting 
occasion. 

With  the  exception  of  the  sensation 
produced  at  every  place  where  they 
changed  horses,  the  only  incident 
•worth  noting  that  occurred  during 
their  journey,  was  at  the  third  stage 
from  London.  As  they  came  dashing 
up  to  the  door  of  the  inn,  their  advent 
setting  all  the  bells  of  the  establish- 
ment ringing,  and  waiters  ami  ostlers 
scampering  up  to  them  like  mad,  they 
beheld  a  plain  and  laden  dusty  travel- 
ling-carriage, waiting  for  horses — and 
Gammon  quickly  perceived  it  to  be 
the  carriage  of  the  unfortuna'e  Au- 
breys !  The  travellers  had  alighted. 
The  graceful  figure  of  Miss  Aubrey, 
her  face  pale,  and  wearing  an  expres- 
sion of  manifest  anxiety  and  fatigue, 
was  standing  near  the  door,  talking 
kindly  to  a  beggar-woman,  with  a 
cluster  of  half-naked  children  around 
her  ;  while  little  Aubrey  was  romping 
about  with  Miss  Aubrey's  beautiful 
little  spaniel  C'ato  ;  Agnes,  looking 
on  and  laughing  merrily,  and  trying 
to  escape  from  the  hand  of  her  attend- 
ant. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  were  talk- 
ing together,  close  beside  the  carriage- 
door.  Gammon  observed  all  this,  and 
particularly  that  Mr.  Aubrey  was 
scrutinizing  their  appearance,  with  a 
sort  of  half-smile  on  his  countenance, 
melancholy  as  it  was. 

"Horses  on!"  said  Gammon,  lean- 
ing back  in  the  carriage. 

"That's  a  monstrous  fine  woman 
standing  at  the  inn  door,  Titmouse — 
eh  ?  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Yahoo,  who  had 
alighted  for  a  moment,  and  stood 
beside  the  door  of  Titmouse's  carriage, 


looking  with  his  execrable  eyo  towards 
Miss  Aubrey.  "  I  wonder  who  and 
what  she  is  ?  By  Jove,  'tis  the  face — 
the  figure  of  an  angel !  egad,  they're 
somebody  ;  I'll  look  at  their  panels." 

"  1  know  who  it  is,"  said  Titmouse, 
rather  faintly;  "I'll  tell  you  by  and 
by." 

"  Now,  now  !  my  dear  fellow.  Our 
divinity  is  vanishing,"  whispered  Mr. 
Yahoo  eagerly,  as  Miss  Aubrey,  having 
slipped  something  into  the  beggar's 
hand,  stepped  into  the  carriage.  She 
was  the  last  to  get  in  ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  door  was  closed,  they  drove  off. 

"Who's  that,  Mr.  Titmouse?"  en- 
quired Miss  Quirk  with  a  little  eager- 
ness, observing — women  are  very  quick 
in  detecting  such  matters — that  both 
Gammon  and  Titmouse  looked  rather 
embarrassed. 

"It's  the — the  Aubreys,"  replied 
Titmouse. 

"Eh!  By  Jove — is  it?"  quickly 
enquired  old  Quirk,  putting  his  head 
out  of  the  window  ;  "how  very  odd, 
to  meet  the  old  birds  ?  Egad  !  their 
nest  must  be  yet  warm — ha  !  ha  !  " 

"What!  dear  papa,  are  those  the 
people  you've  turned  out  ?  Gracious !  I 
thought  I  heard  some  one  say  that  Miss 
Aubrey  was  pretty  !  La  !  I'm  sure  / 
thought — now  what  do  you  think, 
Mr.  Titmouse  ?  "  she  added, 
abruptly  and  looking  keenly  at  him 

' '  Oh  !  'pon  my  life,  I  —  I  —  see 
nothing  at  all  in  her — devilish  plain, 
I  should  say— infernally  pale,  and  all 
that ! " 

They  were  soon  on  their  way  again. 
Titmouse  quickly  recovered  his  equa- 
nimity, but  Gammon  continued  silent 
and  thoughtful  for  many— many  miles ; 
and  the  reader  would  not  be  surprised 
at  it,  if  he  knew  as  well  as  I  do  the 
thoughts  which  the  unexpected  sight 
of  that  travelling  carriage  of  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  suggested  to  Mr.  Gammon. 

As  they  approached  the  scene  of 
triumph  and  rejoicing,  and  ascertained 
that  they  were  within  about  a  mile  of 
the  peaceful  little  village  of  Yatton, 
the  travellers  began  to  look  out  for 
indications  of  the  kind  which  Mr. 
Gammon  had  mentioned  to  Titmouse, 
viz.  a   band   and  procession,  and  an 

Y 


turning 


322 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


attendant  crowd.  But  however  care- 
ful and  extensive  might  have  been  the. 
arrangements  of  those  to  whom  that 
matter  had  been  entrusted,  they  were 
likely  to  be  sadly  interfered  with  by  a 
circumstance  which,  happening  just 
then,  might,  to  a  weaker  and  more 
superstitious  mind  than  that  of  Mr. 
Titmouse,  have  looked  a  little  ominous 
—  namely,  a  tremendous  thunder- 
storm. It  was  then  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  The  whole  day  had 
been  overcast,  and  the  sky  threaten- 
ing ;  and  just  as  the  two  carriages 
came  to  that  turning  in  the  road 
which  gave  them  the  first  glimpse  of 
the  Hall — only,  however,  the  tops  of 
the  great  chimneys,  which  were  visible 
above  the  surrounding  trees — a  fearful, 
long-continued  Hash  of  lightning  hurst 
from  the  angry  heavens,  followed, 
after  an  interval  of  but  a  second  or 
two,  by  a  peal  of  thunder  which 
sounded  as  if  a  park  of  artillery  was 
being  repeatedly  discharged  immedi- 
ately overhead. 

"Mind  your  horses'  heads,  boys," 
called  out  Mr.  Gammon;  "keep  a 
tight  rein." 

Miss  Quirk  was  dreadfully  alarmed, 
and  clung  to  her  father;  Titmouse 
also  seemed  disconcerted,  and  looked 
to  Gammon,  who  was  perfectly  calm, 
though  his  face  was  not  free  from 
anxiety.  The  ghastly  glare  of  the 
lightning  was  again  around  them — all 
involuntarily  hid  their  faces  in  their 
hands — and  again  rattled  the  thunder 
in  a  peal  that  lasted  more  than  half  a 
minute,  and  seemed  in  frightful  con- 
tiguity, as  it  were  only  a  few  yards 
above  their  heads.  Down,  then,  came 
the  long  suspended  rain,  pouring  Like 
a  deluge,  and  so  it  continued,  with 
frequent  let  urns  of  the  thunder  and 
lightning,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  Tin' last  turning  brought  them 
within  sight  of  the  Tillage,  and  also 
of  some  fifty  or  sixty  pi  t  ms  crowding 
under  the  hedges,  on  each  Bide  these 
were  the  procession;  musicians,  ban- 
nermen,  fool m<  d,  horsemen,  all  drip- 
ping with  wet,  Burely  a  piteous  spec- 
tacle to  behold.     <'ut,  however,  they 

all  turned,  true  to  their  orders,  as  BOOD 
as  they  saw  the  carriages,  which   im- 


mediately slackened  their  speed — the 
rain  also  somewhat  abating.  Tho 
flagman  tried  desperately  to  unroll  a 
wet  banner,  of  considerable  size,  with 
the  words — 

"Welcome  to  Yatton  1 " 

in  gilded  letters  ;  while  the  band  (con- 
sisting  of  a   man  with  a  big   drum, 
another  with  a  serpent,  a  third  with  a 
trumpet,  a  fourth  with  a  bassoon,  two 
with  clarionets,  and  a  boy  with  a  fife) 
struck   up — 'Sec  the  conquering  hero 
comes ! "  They  puffed  and  blew  lustily  ; 
bang  !  bang  !  bang  !  went  the  drum  ; 
but    the    rain,    the  thunder,   and   tho 
lightning  woefully  interfered  with  their 
harmony.     'Twould  have  made  your 
heart  ache  to  see  the  wet  flag  clinging 
obstinately  to  the  pole,  in  spite  of  all 
the  efforts  of  its  burly  bearer  !     First, 
on    horseback,  was    Barnabas   Blood- 
suck,  (senior,)  Esq.  ;  beside  him  rode 
his  son,  Barnabas  Bloodsuck,  (junior,) 
Esq.;  then  came  the  Reverend  Gideon 
Flcshpot,  solemn  simpleton,  the  vicar 
of  Grilston,  the  only  Radical  clergy- 
man in  that  part  of  the  country  ;  be- 
side him,  the  Reverend  Smirk   Mud- 
Hint,  a  flippant,  bitter,  little  Unitarian 
parson,  a  gnat  crony  of  Mr.  Flcshpot, 
and  his  name  singularly  enough  exactly 
designating  the  qualities  of  his  brain 
and  heart.     Next  to  these,  alone  in 
his   one-horse  chaise,  (looking  like  a 
pill-box  drawn  by  a  leech,)  came  tho 
little    fat    "Whig    apothecary,    Gargle 
Glister,    Esq.      Following    him   came 
doing   Gone,   Esq.,   tho   auctioneer — 
tin;  main  prop   of  the   Liberal   side, 
being  a  most  eloquent  speaker — and 
Mr.  Hie   rise  Hoc,  a  learned  school- 
master, whotaughl  tho  Latin  grammar 
up  as  far  as  the  irregular  verbs.    Then 
there  were   Mr.   Centipede,  the  occa- 
sional   editor,    and    .Mr.     Woodlouse, 
the  publisher  and   proprietor  of  the 
"Yorkshire    Stingo,     for   which, 
.  M  r.  Mudflint  wrote  a  great  di  al, 
These,  and  about  a  dozen  others,  the 
dower  of  the    "  party "    thereabouts, 
di  idainful  of  the  inclement  weather, 
benl  on  displaying  their  attachment 
to  the  new  Whig  owmr  of  yatton, 

and    solacing    each    his    patient    inner 

man   with   anticipation   of   the  jolly 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


323 


cheer  that  awaited  them  at  the  Hall, 
formed  the  principal  part  of  the  pro- 
cession ;  the  rest,  consisting  of  rather 
a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  scot-and- 
lot  and  potwalloper-lookiiig  people,  all 
very  wet  and  hungry,  and  ever  and 
anon  casting  a  look  of  devout  expect- 
ation towards  the   Hall.     Scarcely  a 
villager    of    Yatton   was   to    be   seen 
stirring  ;  nor  did  any  of  the  tenants 
of  the  estate  join  in  the  procession  ; 
even  had  they  not  felt  far  otherwise 
disposed,  they  had  luckily  a  complete 
excuse  for  their  non-api>earance  in  the 
deplorable  state  of  the  weather.  Some- 
times the  band  played  ;  then  a  peal  of 
thunder  came  ;  then  a  cry  of  "  hurra  ! 
Titmouse  for  ever  !  hurra !  "  then  the 
band,  and  then  the  thunder,  and  rain  ! 
rain  1    rain !      Thus   they  got  to  the 
park  gates,  where  they  paused,  shout- 
ing, "Titmouse  for  ever!  hurra — a — 
a ! "     Mr.    Titmouse    bobbing    about, 
now  at  one  window,  then  at  the  other, 
with  lus  hat  off,  in  the  most  gracious 
manner.     Really,  it  almost  seemed  as 
if    the    elements   were   conspiring  to 
signalize,  by  their  disfavour,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's assumption  of   Yatton ;   for 
just  as  he  was  passing  under  the  old 
gateway,    out    hashed    the   lightning 
more  vividly  than  it  had  yet  appeared, 
and  the  thunder  bellowed  and  rever- 
berated among  the  woods  as  though  it 
would  never  have  ceased.     The  music 
and   shouting  ceased   suddenly  ;    car- 
riages, hors  men,  pedestrians  quickened 
their  pace  in  silence,  as  if  anxious  to 
get  out  of  the  storm  ;  the  horses  now 
and  then  plunging  and  rearing  vio- 
lently.    Titmouse  was  terribly  fright- 
ened, in  spite  of  his  desperate  efforts 
to  appear  unconcerned.     He  was   as 
pale  as  death,  and  looked  anxiously 
at   Gammon,   as  if  hoping  to  derive 
courage  from  the  sight  of  his  counten- 
ance.    Miss  Quirk  trembled  violently, 
and    several    times    uttered    a    faint 
scream  ;     but    her    father,    old    Mr. 
Quirk,  did  not  seem  to  care  a  pinch 
of  snuff  about  the  M-hole  matter :  he 
rubbed  his  hands  together  cheerily, 
chucked  his  daughter  under  the  chin, 
rallied    Titmouse,    and    nudged    and 
jeered  Gammon,  who  seemed  disposed 
to  be    serious    and    silent.      Having 


drawn  up  opposite  the  Hall  door,  it 
was  opened  by  Mr.  Griffiths,  with 
rather  a  saddened,  but  a  most  respect- 
ful look  and  manner ;  and  in  the 
same  way  might  be  characterized  some 
six  or  seven  servants  standing  behind 
him,  in  readiness  to  receive  the  new- 
comers. The  half-drowned  musicians 
tried  to  strike  up  "Rule  Britannia," 
as  the  hero  of  the  day,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
descended  from  his  carriage,  Mr. 
Griffiths  holding  an  umbrella  for  him, 
and  bounded  out  of  the  rain  with  a 
hop,  step,  and  jump  into  the  Hall, 
where  the  first  words  he  was  heard  to 
utter,  were — 

"  What  a  devilish  rum  old  place  !  " 

"God  bless  you!  God  bless  you! 
God  bless  you,  Titmouse  !  "  exclaimed 
old  Mr.  Quirk,  grasping  him  by  the 
hand  as  soon  as  he  had  entered.  Tit- 
mouse shook  hands  with  Miss  Quirk, 
who  immediately  followed  a  female 
servant  to  an  apartment,  being  ex- 
ceedingly nervous  and  agitated.  Gam- 
mon seemed  a  little  out  of  spirits  ;  and 
.said  simply,  "  You  know,  Titmouse, 
how  fervently  I  congratulate  you." 

"Oh!  my  dear  boy,  Tit,  do,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  if  you  want  the  thun- 
der and  lightning  to  cease,  order  those 
wretched  devils  off — send  them  any- 
where, but  do  stop  their  cursed  noise, 
my  dear  boy  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Yahoo, 
as  soon  as  he  had  entered,  putting  his 
fingers  to  his  ears. 

"Mr.  what's-your-name,"  said  Tit- 
mouse, addressing  Mr.  Griffiths,  "I'll 
trouble  you  to  order  off  those  fellows 
and  their  infernal  noise.  Demme ! 
there's  a  precious  row  making  up 
above,  and  surely  one  at  a  time  !  " 

"Ah,  ha,  capital  joke,  by  Jove  I 
capital !  "  said  Mr.  Fitz-Snooks. 

"A — Titmouse — by  Jupiter  !  "  said 
Mr.  Yahoo,  as,  twirling  his  fingers 
about  in  his  long  black  hair,  of  which 
he  seemed  very  proud,  lie  glanced 
about  the  Hall,  "  this  a'n't  so  much 
amiss  !  Do  you  know,  my  dear  boy, 
I  rather  like  it ;  it's  substantial, 
antique,  and  so  forth." 

' '  Who  are  those  dem  ugly  old 
fellows  up  there  ?  "  presently  exclaimed 
Titmouse,  as,  with  his  glass  stuck  into 
his  right  eye,  and  his  hands  into  his 

Y  2 


324 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


coat  pockets,  ho  stood  staring  at  the 
old-fashioned  pictures  standing  round 
the  Hall. 

"Some  of  them  are  ancestors  of  the 
Dreddlingtons,  others  of  the  Aubrey 
families.  They  are  very  old,  sir," 
continued  Mr.  Griffiths,  "and  an: 
much  admired,  and  Mr.  Aubrey  de- 
sired me  to  say,  that  if  you  should  be 
disposed  to  part " 

"Oh  confound  him,  ho  may  have 
'em  all,  if  that's  what  he  wants:  / 
shall  soon  send  them  packing  off!  " 
Mr.  Griffiths  bowed,  and  heaved  a 
very  deep  sigh.  By  this  time  the 
Hall  was  crowded  with  the  gentlemen 
who  had  formed  part  of  the  procession, 
and  who  came  bowing  and  scraping  to 
Titmouse,  congratulating  him,  and 
wishing  him  health  and  happiness. 
As  soon  as  he  could  disengage  himself 
from  their  flattering  but  somewhat 
troublesome  civilities,  his  valet  came 
and  whispered,  '"Will  you  dress,  sir  1 
All  is  ready,"  and  Titmouse  followed 
him  to  t lie  dressing-room  which  had 
formerly  been  young  Mrs.  Aubrey's. 
"fwas  the  first  time  that  Titmouse 
ever  experienced  the  attentions  of  a 
Valet,  and  be  was  quite  nonplussed  at 
the  multitudinousness  and  elegance  of 
the  arrangements  around  him.  Such 
Quantities  of  clothes  of  all  sorts  — 
dressing-implements,  combs,  brushes, 
razors,  a  splendid  dressing-case,  scents 
in  profusion,  oils,  bear's-greasc,  four 
or  live  different  sorts  of  soaps,  &c, 
&e.,  &c.  ;  all  this  gave  Titmouse  a  far 
livelier  idea  of  his  altered  circum- 
stances, of  his  having  really  become  a 
gentleman,  than  anything  that  he  had 
up  to  that  moment  experienced.  He 
thought  his  valet  one  of  the  cleverest 
and  most  obliging  men  in  the  world, 
only  he  oppressed  1  im  with  his 
attentions,  and  at  length  Mr.  Titmouse 
said  he  preferred,  this  time,  drei 
alone,  and  so  di  mi-  ted  his  obsequious 
attendant.  In  about  an  hour's  time, 
having  been  obliged  to  summon 
Tweedle  to  his  assistance  after  all,  he 
had  completed  his  toilet,  and  was 
ushered  into  the  drawing-room,  which, 
a-s  well  u  the  dining-room,  was  ready 
prepared  for  the  banquet,  forty  or 
fifty   covers    being    laid    in    the   two 


rooms,  and  good  substantial  faro  for 
at  least  as  many  more,  in  the  servants' 
hall,  where  operations  had  already 
commenced.  On  entering  the  drawing- 
room,  his  appearance  seemed  to  produce 
a  great  sensation,  and  after  a  little 
pause,  the  only  county  gentleman  who 
was  present  advanced  and  introduced 
himself,  his  wife,  and  daughter.  This 
was  Sir  llarkaway  Rotgut  Wildfire, 
Baronet,  a  tall  and  somewhat  corpulent 
man  of  about  fifty,  very  choleric  and 
overbearing,  his  countenance  showing 
the  hard  life  he  had  led,  his  nose  being 
red,  and  his  forehead  and  mouth  beset 
with  pimples.  He  had  been  a  bitter 
political  opponent  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  ami 
had  once  been  a  member  for  the 
county,  but  had  so  crippled  his  re- 
sources by  hunting  and  horse-racing, 
as  to  compel  the  sacrifice  of  their  town 
amusements  ;  viz.  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  Lady  Wild- 
lire's  box  at  the  opera.  This  had 
soured  both  of  them  not  a  little,  and 
they  had  sunk,  as  it  were,  out  of  i he 
county  circle,  in  which  they  had  once 
been  sufficiently  conspicuous.  Sir 
llarkaway  had  an  eve  to  the  borough 
of  Yatton  on  the  happening  of  the 
next  election,  as  soon  as  he  had  ob- 
tained an  inkling  that  the  new  pro- 
prietor of  Yatton  was  a  very  weak 
young  man  ;  and  hence  his  patronizing 
presence  at  Yatton,  in  consequence  of 
the  invitation  respectfully  conveyed 
to  him  in  Mr.  Titmouse's  name, 
through  Messrs.  Bloodsuck  and  Son. 
Besides  Lady  Wildfire  and  her  daugh- 
ter, both  of  whom  had  enquired  wi  h 
a  sort  of  haughty  curiosity  about  tho 
lady  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse from  town — a  point  which  had 
been  at  length  cleared  up  to  their 
satisfaction — there  were  about  a  dozen 

ladies,  tin;  wives  of  the  gentlemen 
who  had  borne  so  distinguished  a  part 
in  the  triumphal  procession.  They 
looki  d  rathi  r  a  queer  set,  ami  none  of 
them  dared  to  speak  either  to  Lady 
Wildfire  or  her  daughter  ti  I  spoken  to 
by  them.  Never  had  old  Yatton  be- 
held   within     its    walls    so     motley    a 

group  ;  and  had  the  Aubreys  continued 

there,    hospitable   as    they  were,   ac- 

ible  and  charitable  as  they  were,  I 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


325 


leave  the  reader  to  guess  whether  such 
creatures  ever  would  have  found  their 
way  thither.  By  such  guests,  how- 
ever, were  the  two  principal  tables 
crowded  on  this  joyous  occasion,  and 
about  half-past  six  o'clock  the  feast 
commenced,  and  a  feast  it  certainly 
was,  both  elegant  and  substantia], 
nothing  having  been  spared  that  money 
could  procure.  Mr.  Aubrey  had  a 
fine  cellar  of  wines  at  Yatton,  which, 
owing  to  some  strange  misunder- 
standing, had  been  sold  by  private 
contract,  not  amongst  his  own  friends 
in  the  neighbourhood,  as  Mr.  Aubrey 
had  intended,  and  imagined  that  he 
had  directed,  but  to  Mr.  Titmouse. 
Choice,  indeed,  were  these  wines,  and 
supplied  on  the  present  occasion  in 
wanton  profusion.  Champagne,  bur- 
gundy, and  claret,  flowed  like  water, 
and  the  other  wines  in  like  manner ; 
but  which  last  were  not,  like  the 
former  class  of  wines,  confined  to  the 
two  principal  rooms,  but  found  their 
way  into  the  servants'  hall,  and  were 
there  drunk  without  stint.  Merriment 
echoed  uproariously  from  all  parts  of 
the  old  Hall,  and  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
universally  declared  to  be  a  very  fine 
fellow,  and  likely  to  become  by  far  the 
most  popular  man  in  the  county.  The 
Reverend  Mr.  Fleshpot  said  grace,  and 
the  Eeverend  Mr.  Mudflint  returned 
thanks ;  and  shortly  afterwards  Sir 
Harkaway  arose,  and,  his  eye  fixed 
firmly  on  the  adjoining  borough,  and 
also  on  the  jolly  table  which  promised 
to  be  ever  opened  to  him  at  Yatton, 
he  proposed  the  health  of  the  distin- 
guished proprietor  of  Yatton,  in  cer- 
tiunly  a  somewhat  fulsome  strain. 
The  toast  was  received  with  the  utmost 
enthusiasm  ;  the  gentlemen  shouted 
and  jingled  their  glasses  on  the  table, 
while  the  ladies  waved  their  handker- 
chiefs ;  indeed  the  scene  was  one  of 
such  overpowering  excitement,  that 
Miss  Quirk  burst  into  tears,  overcome 
by  her  emotions  ;  her  papa  winking 
very  hard  to  those  about  him,  and 
using  every  exertion  in  his  power  to 
point  the  attention  of  those  present 
to  the  probability  that  a  very  near  and 
tender  relationship  was  going  to  exist 
between   that    young   lady  and    Mr. 


Titmouse.  Mr.  Gammon,  who  sat 
next  to  Titmouse,  assured  him  that  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  for  him  to 
mako  a  speech  to  the  company  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  compliment 
which  had  just  been  paid  him. 

"  I  shall  put  my  foot  in  it — by  jingo 
I  shall !  You  must  help  me  ! "  he 
whispered  to  Mr.  Gammon,  in  an 
agony  of  trepidation  and  a  mist  of 
confusion,  as  he  rose  from  his  chair, 
being  welcomed  in  the  most  enthusi- 
astic manner,  by  applause  of  every 
kind,  lasting  for  several  minutes.  At 
length,  when  the  noise  had  subsided 
into  a  fearful  silence,  he  stammered 
out,  prompted  incessantly  by  Mr. 
Gammon,  something  exceedingly  like 
the  following,  if,  indeed,  he  did  not 
use  these  very  words. 

"Mr. — I  beg  pardon — Sir  Hark — 
away,  and  gentlemen — gentlemen  and 
ladies,  am  most  uncommon,  monslrous 
—particular  happy  to — to— (eh  ?  what 
d'ye  say,  Mr.  Gammon  ?)  see  you  all 
here — at  this  place — here — at  Yatton. " 
— {Applause.)  "Ladies  and  gentle- 
men— I  say — hem! — unaccustomed  as" 
— {much  applause,  during  which  Tit- 
mouse stooped  and  whispered  to  Gam- 
mon— "Curse  me  if  I  can  catch  a 
word  you  say  !  ")  "Happy  and  proud 
to  see  you  all  here — at  Yatton — homes 
of  my  ancestry — known  to  you  all — 
centuries.  Enjoyed  yourselves,  I  kopo 
— {great  ajiplause) — and  hope  you'll 
oft  n  come  and  do  the  same — {still 
greater  applause.)  Particular  glad  to 
see  the  ladies — {applause) — often  heard 
of  the  beauties  of  Yatton — never  be- 
lieved it — no— beg  pardon,  mean  I 
now  see  them — {applause.)  Am  fond 
of  horses — {applause) — racing,  hunt- 
ing, and  all  that."  (Here  Sir  Hark- 
away,  extending  his  hand,  publicly 
shook  that  of  the  eloquent  speaker.) 
"  Sorry  to  turn  out  the — the — old  bird 
— but — nest  not  his — mine  all  the 
while — {emotion) — bear  him  no  ill-will 
— (ajplattse.)  Political  principles — 
{profound  silence)  good  old  "Whig  prin- 
ciples— {loud  applause) — rights  of  the 
people — religious  liberty  and  all  that 
— {vociferous  applause) — found  at  my 
post  in  the  hour  of  danger — enemy 
stole  a  inarch  on  me — {great  laughter 


32G 


TEX    THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


and  a2'>phitisc.)  Won't  detain  you — 
ladies  and  gentlemen — drink  your  good 
healths,  and  many  happy  returns  of 
the  day."  Down  sat  Mr.  Titmouse, 
exhausted  with  his  maiden  speech  ; 
and  quite  overpowered,  moreover,  by 
the  extraordinary  applause  with  which 
he  was  greeted  at  its  conclusion.  In 
due  course,  many  other  toasts  were 
drunk.  "  Lmlij  Wildfire  and  the 
married  ladies."  "Miss  Wildfire  and 
the  single  Indies."  "Sir  Hathaway 
Motijut  I  Filt  I  fire."  "Religious  Liberty." 
(to  which  Mr.  Mudilint  responded  in 
a  very  eloquent  speech.)  "  ThcLibcrty 
of  the  Press ;"  "Messrs.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap,  the  enterprising,  skil- 
ful, and  learned  professional  advisees 
of  Mr.  Titmouse."  Dancing  was  now 
loudly  called  for  ;  and  the.  hall  was 
speedily  prepared  for  it  By  this  time, 
however,  it  was  past  eleven  o'clock: 
the  free  potations  of  all  the  men,  and 
fndeed  of  more  than  one  of  the  ladies, 
were  beginning  to  tell,  and  the  noise 
and  confusion  were  very  great.  Fierce 
confused  sounds  issued  from  the  serv- 
ants'hall,  where  it  proved  that  a  great 
fight  was  going  on  between  Pumpkin 
the  gardener,  ami  a  man  who  insisted 
on  shouting  "Titmouse  for  ever  — 
dowu  with  the  Tory  Aubrey  !  "  Pump- 
kin had  much  the  Inst  of  it,  and  beat 
his  opponent,  after  a  severe  encounter, 
into  silence  and  submission.  Then 
there  were  songs  sung  in  all  the  rooms 
at  once — speeches  made-,  half-a-dozen 
at  the  same  timo ;  in  short,  never 
before  had  such  scenes  been  witnessed, 
or  such  uproar  heard,  within  thedecor- 
ous,  the  dignified,  and  venerable  pre- 
cincts of  Yal  ton.  Scenes  ensued  which 
really  baffle  description.  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, of  course,  drank  a  great  quan- 
tity of  wine,  although  Mr.  Gammon 
never  left  liis  side,  and  checked  him 
fifty  times  when  he  was  about  to  till 
hisgla  s ;  and  thee  ccitemeui  product  d 
Lne,  will,  J  tmst,  in  some  measure, 
mitigate  the  r'fl   indignation   at 

hearing  of  a  little  incident  which 
occurred,  in  which  Titmouse  was  con- 
cerned, and  which,  about  half  pa  I 
three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morni 

Served  to  bring  that  hri  lliaiit  en  I  ei  I  ain- 

ment  to  a  somewhat  abrupt  and  rath  i 


unpleasant  termination.  Scarcely 
knowing  where,  he  was,  or  what  ho 
was  about,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that 
while  standing,  as  well  as  lie  could, 
Inside  Miss  Wildfire,  to  dance  for  the 
fifth  time  with  her — a  plump,  fair- 
faced,  good-natured  girl  of  about  nine- 
teen or  tw  nty — he  suddenly  threw 
his  arms  round  her,  and  imprinted 
half-a-dozen  kisses  on  her  forehead, 
lips,  cheek,  and  neck,  before  she  could 
recover  from  the  confusion  into  which 
this  extraordinary  assault  had  thrown 
her.  Her  faint  shriek  reached  her 
father's  ears,  while  he  was,  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  room,  persecuting  Miss 
Quirk  with  his  drunken  and  profligate 
impertinences.  Hastily  approaching 
the.  quarter  whence  his  daughter's 
voice  had  issued,  he  beheld  her  just 
extricated  from  the  insolent  embrace 
of  the  half-unconscious  Titmouse,  and 
greatly  agitated.  With  flaming  eye 
and  outstretched  arm,  he  approach  d 
his  unfortunate  little  host,  and  seizing 
hold  of  his  righi  ear,  almost  wrung  it 
out  of  his  head,  Titmouse  quite  shriek- 
ing with  the  pain  it  occasioned.  Still 
retaining  his  hold,  uttering  the  while 
most  fearful  imprecations  —  he  gave 
him  three  violent  kicks  upon  the  seat 
of  honour,  the  last  of  which  sent  him 
spinning  into  the  arms  of  old  Mr. 
Quirk,  who  was  hurrying  up  to  his 
relief,  and  who  fell  Hat  on  the  floor  with 
the  violent  concussion.  Then  Miss 
Quirk  rushed  forward  and  screamed  ; 
a  scene  of  dreadful  confusion  ensued  ; 
and  at  length  the  infuriated  anil  half- 
drunken  baronet,  forced  away  by  his 
wife  and  his  daughter,  quitted  the 
Hall,  and  got  into  his  carriage,  utter- 
ing fearful  threats  and  curses  all  the 
way  home  ;  without  once  adverting  to 

the  circumsta ,  of  which  also  Lady 

Wildfire  and  her  daughter  were  not 
aware,  that  he  had  been  himself  <  11- 
■  I  in  perpetrating  the  very  same 
kind  of  miscondui  t  which  he  had  so 
severely  and  justly  punished  in  poor 
Titmouse.  As  for  Mr.  Yahoo  and  Mr. 
Fitz-Snooks,  they  had  been  in  quest 
of  the  same  species  of  amusement  the 
whole  night ;  and  had  each  of  them, 
ill    pursuing   their    adventures    in    the 

servants1  hall,  very  narrowly  escaped 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


327 


much  more  serious  indignities  and 
injuries  than  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of 
the  hospitable  owner  of  the  mansion. 

About  half  past  four  o'clock,  the 
sun  was  shining  in  cloudless  splendour, 
the  air  cleared,  and  all  nature  seeming 
freshened  after  the  storm  of  the  pre- 
ceding day  ;  but  what  a  scene  was 
presented  at  Yatton !  Two  or  three 
persons,  one  with  his  hat  off,  asleep  ; 
another  grasjung  a  half-empty  bottle  ; 
and  a  third  in  a  state  of  desperate 
indisposition,  were  to  be  seen,  at  con- 
siderable distances  from  each  other,  by 
the  side  of  the  carriage-road  leading 
down  to  the  park  gates.  Four  or  five 
horses,  ready  saddled  and  bridled,  but 
neglected,  and  apparently  forgotten 
by  both  servants  and  masters,  were 
wandering  about  the  fine  green  old 
court  opposite  the  Hall  door,  eating 
the  grass,  and  crushing  with  their 
hoofs  the  beautiful  beds  of  flowers  and 
shrubs  which  surrounded  it.  Mr. 
Glister's  gig  had  got  its  wheels  en- 
tangled with  the  old  sundial, — having 
been  drawn  thither  by  the  horse, 
which  had  been  put  into  it  at  least 
two  hours  before;  opposite  the  Hall 
door  stood  the  post-chaise  which  had 
brought  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mudllint  and 
their  daughter.  The  latter  two  were 
sitting  in  it,  one  asleep — the  other, 
Mrs.  Mudflint,  anxiously  on  the  look- 
out for  her  husband,  from  time  to  time 
calling  to  him,  but  in  vain  ;  for  about 
half-an-hour  before,  he  had  quitted 
the  room  where  he,  Mr.  Fleshpot,  Mr. 
Going  Gone,  and  Mr.  Centipede  had 
been  playing  a  rubber  at  whist,  till 
they  almost  all  of  them  fell  asleep 
with  their  cards  in  their  hands,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  stables,  where, 
not  finding  his  chaise  in  the  yard,  or 
his  horses  in  the  stalls,  he  supposed 
his  wife  and  daughter  had  gone  home, 
whither  he  followed  them  by  the  foot- 
path leading  through  the  fields  which 
stretched  along  the  high  road  to  Gril- 
ston ;  and  along  which  said  fields  he 
was,  at  that  moment,  staggering,  hic- 
cuping,  not  clearly  understanding 
where  he  was,  nor  where  he  had  last 
seen  his  wife  and  daughter.  Candles 
and  lamps  were  still  burning  and  glim- 
mering in  some  of  the  rooms  :  and  in 


the   servants'   hall   thero   were   some 
dozen  or  so,  who,  having  awoke  from 
a  deep  sleep,  were  calling  for  more  ale, 
or  wine,  or  whatever  else  they  could 
get.     Some  of  the  old  family  servants 
had  fled  hours  ago  from  scenes  of  such 
unwonted   riot,    to   their   bed-rooms, 
and,  having  locked  and  barricaded  the 
doors,  gone  to  sleep.    Mr.  Griffiths  sat 
in  an  old  arm-chair  in  the  library,  the 
picture  of  misery  ;   he   had  been   re- 
peatedly abused  and  insulted  during 
the  night,  and  had  fled  thither,  unable 
to   bear  the  sight  of  the   disgusting 
revelry  that  was   everywhere   around 
going  forward,   in  short,  at  every  point 
that  caught  the  eye,  were  visible  the 
evidences  of  the  villainous  debauchery 
that  had  prevailed  for  the  last  seven, 
hours  ;  and  which,  under  the  Titmouse 
dynasty,  was  likely  to  prevail  at  all 
times  thereafter.    As  for  Mr.  Titmouse, 
half  stunned  with   the   treatment   ho 
had  experienced  at  the  hands  of  Sir 
Harkaway,  he  had  been  carried  to  bed 
— to   the   late   bed-room  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Aubrey — where,  by  his  excessive, 
and  miscellaneous,  and  long-continued 
potations,    aiding    the    effect  of    the 
serious   injuries  which    he    had   sus- 
tained, he  lay  sprawling  on  the  bed, 
half  undressed,  in  a  truly  deplorable 
condition.    Mr.  Glister,  who  had  been 
summoned  to  his  bed-side  upwards  of 
an  hour  before,  sat  now  nodding  in  his 
chair  beside  his  patient ;  and  pretty 
nearly  in  a  state  of  similar  exhaustion 
were  his  valet  and  the  housekeeper, 
who  had,  from  time  to  time,  wiped  her 
eyes  and  sobbed  aloud  when  thinking 
of  past  times,  and  the  grievous  change 
that  had  come  over  old  Yatton.     Mr. 
Yahoo,    Mr.  Fitz-Snooks,    Mr.  Snap, 
Mr.  Quirk,  and  Miss  Quirk,  (the  last 
having    retired  to    her    bed-room  in 
alarm,  at  the  time  of  Titmouse's  mis- 
chance,)   were    in     their     respective 
chambers,  all  of  them  probably  asleep. 
Poor  Hector,  chained  to  his  kennel, 
having    barked    himself    hoarse    for 
several  hours,  lay  fast  asleep,  no  one 
having  attended  to  him,  or  given  him 
anything  to  eat  since  Mr.  Titmouse's 
arrival.     Gammon  had  fled  from  the 
scene,  in  disgust   and   alarm,   to   his 
bed-room,  some  three  hours  before,  but 


223 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


unable  to  sleep — not,  however,  with 
excess  of  wine,  for  he  had  drunk  but 
a  very  few  glasses — had  arisen  about 
four  o'clock,  and  was  at  that  moment 
wandering  slowly,  with  folded  anus 
and  downcast  countenance,  up  and 
down  the  line  avenue  of  elm-trees, 
where,  it  may  be  recollected,  Mr. 
Aubrey  bad  spent  a  portion  of  the 
last  evening  of  his  slay  at  Yatton. 

Such  is  my  account — and  as  fair  an 
account  as  1  know  how  to  give  of  the 
matter;  but  it  is  curious  to  observe 
how  very  differently  the  same  thing 
will  strike  different  people.  As  soon 
as  the  grateful  Mr.  Centipede  had  re- 
covered from  the  excitement  occasioned 
by  the  pari  he  had  taken  in  the  memor- 
able festival  above  described,  lie  set  to 
work  with  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer, 
and  in  the  next  number  of  the  "  YORK- 
SHIRE Stingo,"  there  appeared  the 
following  interesting  account  of  the 

'^Festivities  at  Yatton  Ham.,  oh 
the  occasion  of  possession  being 
taken  by  Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
Esquire. 

"Yesterday  this  interesting  event 
came  off  with  signal  eclat.  Notwith- 
standing the  very  unfavourable  state 
of  the  weather,  about  live  o'clock  in 
the  evening  an  imposing  cavalcade, 
comprising  many  of  the  leading  gentry 
and  yeomanry  if  this  part  of  the 
county,  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  pre- 
ceded by  an  admirable  band,  and  a 
large  and  splendid  banner,  bearing  the 
inscription  —  '  Welcome    to    Yatton,' 

Went   out  to  inert  t  he  at  ioVe  gen  t  leli  Kill, 

whose  cortege,  in  two  carriages,  made 
'  e  jn  the  village  aboul 
half-past  five.  The  band  immediately 
struck  up 'See  the  Conquering  Hero 
comes!'  which,  however,  was  nearly 
drowned  in  the  shout  which  welcomed 

new  prop   etoi  of  I ]  ■  noble  i 
of  Yatton.     His  was  of  the 

lid,  and  unique 
descri]  :  .  and  atti  icted  mm  i 
admiration.  Mr.  Titmouse  rep  ati 
bowed  tli rough  the  carriage  windows, 
in  graceful  acknowledgment  of  the 
cordial  welcome  and  congratulations 
with  whii  li  be  was  received.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  light-blue  snrtout,  with 


velvet  collar,  full  black  stock,  and  a 
rich  velvet  waistcoat  of  plaid  pattern. 
His  countenance  is  handsome  and  ex- 
pressive, his  eye  penetrating,  and  hi? 
brow  strongly  indicative  of  thought. 
He  appeal's  to  be  little  more  than 
twenty-five  years  old  ;  so  that  he  has 
before-  him  the  prospect  of  a  long  and 
brilliant  career  of  happiness  and  public 
usefulness.  Tables  were  spread  in  all  the 
chief  apartments,  groaning  beneath 
the  most  costly  viands.  All  the  lux- 
uries of  the  season  were  there  ;  and 
tin1  wines  (which  we  believe  were  those 
of  Mr.  Aubrey)  were  of  the  first  de- 
scription. Grace  was  said  by  the  ex- 
emplary vicar  of  Grilston,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Flcshpot;  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Mudflint  returned  thanks.  Sir  Hark- 
away  Rotgut  Wildfire  (whose  amiable 
lady  and  accomplished  daughter  were 
present)  proposed  the  health  of  Mr. 
Titmouse  in  a  brief,  but  manly  and 
cordial  address;  and  the  manner  in 
which  Mr.  Titmouse  acknowledged  the 
toast,    which    was    drunk   with    the 

tesl  po    Lble  enthusiasm — the  sim- 
plicity, point,  and  fervour  which  cha- 

rixed  every  word  he  uttered — w  i  re 
such  as  to  excite  lively  emotion  in  all 
who  bend  it,  and  warrant  the  high  st 
expectations  of  his  success  in  parlia- 
ment. Nothing  could  be  more  touch- 
ing than  his  brief  allusions  to  tlio 
sufferings  and  privations  which  ho 
had  undergone — nothing  more  delicate 
and  forbearing  than  the  feeling  which 
pervaded  his  momentary  allusions  to 
the  late  occupant  of  Yatton.  "When, 
however,  he  distinctly  avowed  bis 
political  principle  s  as  those  of  a  strong 
and  decided  Whig  —  as  those  of  a 
dauntless  champion  of  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty  among  all  classes  of  his 
Majesty's  subjects-  the  a]  plause  was 
long  and  enthusiastic.     Afti  r  dinner, 

[real  hall  was  cleaVi  d  for  dancing, 

which  was  opened   by  Mr.  Titmouse 

■  I    Miss    Wildfire;    Lady  Wildfire 

gled  out  by  the  Hon.  Mr.  Yahoo, 
an   intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Titmou 
We  should  nol  omit  lo  mention  that 

Miss  Quirk  (tl nly  daughter  of  Caleb 

Quirk,  Esq.,  the   head  of  the  dlstin- 

ed  lit  mi  of  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 

Snap,   of  London,  to  whose  untiring 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


329 


and  most  ablo  exertions  is  owing  the 
happy  change  which  has  taken  place 
in  the  ownership  of  the  Yatton  pro- 
perty) accompanied  her  father,  at  the 
earnest  request  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  who 
danced  several  sets  with  her.  Sir 
Algernon  Fitz-Snooks,  a  distinguished 
fashionable,  also  accompanied  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, and  entered  with  great  spirit 
into  all  the  gaieties  of  the  evening. 
The  '  light  fantastic  toe '  was  kept 
'  tripping '  till  a  late,  or  rather  very 
early  hour  in  the  morning — when  the 
old  Hall  was  once  more  (for  a  time) 
surrendered  to  the  repose  and  solitude 
from  which  it  has  been  so  suddenly 
and  joyously  aroused."  [In  another 
part  of  the  paper  was  contained  an 
insulting  paragraph,  charging  Mr. 
Aubrey  with  being  a  party  to  the 
"flagrant  and  iniquitous  job,"  by 
which  Sir  Percival  Pickering  had  been 
returned  for  the  borough ;  and  inti- 
mating pretty  distinctly,  that  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  not  gone  without  "  a  con- 
sideration "  for  his  share  in  the  nefari- 
ous transaction.] 

A  somewhat  different  account  of  the 
affair  appeared  in  the  "York  Tit  VIE 
Blue  "  of  the  same  day. 

"We  have  received  one  or  two 
accounts  of  the  orgies  of  which  Yatton 
Hall  was  yesterday  the  scene,  on  occa- 
sion of  Mr.  Titmouse  taking  posses- 
sion. We  shall  not  give  publicity  to 
the  details  which  have  been  furnished 
us — hoping  that  the  youth  and  inex- 
perience of  the  new  owner  of  Yatton 
(all  allowance,  also,  being  made  for 
the  very  natural  excitement  of  such  an 
occasion)  will  be  allowed  in  some 
measure  to  palliate  the  conduct  then 
exhibited.  One  fact,  however,  we 
may  mention,  that  a  very  serious 
fracas  arose  between  Mr.  Titmouse  and 
a  certain  well-known  sporting  Baronet, 
which  is  expected  to  give  employment 
to  the  gentlemen  of  the  long  robe. 
Nor  can  we  resist  adverting  to  a  cir- 
cumstance, which  our  readers  will,  we 
trust,  credit,  on  being  assured  that  we 
witnessed  it  with  our  own  eyes — that 
Mr.  Titmouse  positively  travelled  in 
the  cast-off  state  carriage  of  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  !  !  ! !  Nothing,  by 
the  way,   could  be  more  absurd  and 


contemptible  than  the  attempt  at  a 
'  Procession '  which  was  got  up — of 
which  our  accounts  are  ludicrous  in 
the  extreme.  Will  our  readers  believe 
it,  that  the  chief  personages  figuring 
on  the  occasion,  were  the  editor  and 
publisher  of  a  certain  low  Padical 
paper — which  will  no  doubt,  this  day, 
favour  its  readers  with  a  flaming  de- 
scription of  this  'memorable  affair.'" 


Titmouse,  assisted  by  his  attentive 
valet,  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  get 
up,  and  present  himself  the  next  day 
at  dinner.  Aided  by  a  glass  of  pretty 
strong  brandy  and  water,  he  at  length, 
got  through  the  fatiguing  duties  of  the 
toilet,  and  entered  the  drawing-room, 
where  his  travelling  companions  were 
awaiting  his  arrival  — dinner  being 
momentarily  expected  to  be  an- 
nounced. He  was  deadly  pale  ;  his 
knees  trembled  ;  his  eyes  could  not 
bear  the  light ;  and  everything 
seemed  in  undulating  motion  around 
him,  as  he  sank  in  silent  exhaustion 
on  the  sofa.  After  a  few  minutes' 
continuance,  he  was  compelled  to  leave 
the  room,  leaning  on  Gammon's  arm, 
who  conducted  him  to  his  bed-room, 
and  left  him  in  charge  of  his  valet, 
who  got  him  again  into  bed,  where  he 
lay  enduring  much  agony,  (Dr.  God- 
dart  being  sent  for,)  while  his  friends 
were  enjoying  themselves  at  dinner. 

Snap  had  set  off  the  ensuing  day  for 
town,  by  the  first  coach,  pursuant  to 
the  arrangement  already  spoken  of; 
but  I  think  that  old  Mr.  Quirk  would 
have  made  up  his  mind  to  continue  at 
Yatton  until  something  definite  had 
been  done  by  Titmouse,  in  two  mat- 
ters which  absorbed  all  the  thoughts 
of  the  old  gentleman — his  daughter 
and  the  Ten  Thousand  Pounds  bond. 
Miss  Quirk,  however,  intense  as  was 
her  anxiety  to  become  the  affianced 
bride  of  Titmouse,  and  as  such  the 
mistress  of  the  delightful  domain 
where  at  present  she  dwelt  only  as  a 
guest,  and  in  a  very  embarrassing 
position — was  not  so  blind  to  all  per- 
ception  of  womanly  delicacy  as  to 
prolong  her  stay  at  Yatton  ;  and  at 
length  prevailed  upon  her  father   to 


330 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


take  their  departure  on  the  day  but 
one  after  that  on  which  they  had 
arrived.  Mr.  Quirk  was  perfectly 
wretched;  lie  vehemently  distrusted 
Titmouse  —  he  feared  and  det. 
Gammon.  As  for  the  former  gi  i 
man,  he  hail  not  made  any  definite 
advances  whatever  towards  Miss 
Quirk.  He  had  not  afforded  to  any 
one  the  slightest  evidence  of  a  promise 
of  marriage,  either  express  or  implied. 
He  chattered  to  Miss  Quirk  an  infinite 
deal  of  civil  nonsense — hut  that  was 
all,  in  spile  of  the.  innumerable  oppor- 
tunities afforded  him  by  the  lady. 
"Was  Titmouse  acting  under  the  seeivt 
advice  of  that  deceitful  devil  Gam- 
mon?— thought  Mr.  Quirk,  in  an 
ecstasy  of  perplexity  and  apprehen- 
sion. Then  as  to  the  other  matter 
■ — hut  there  Gammon  had  almost  as 
deep  a  stake,  in  proportion,  as  Quirk 
himself.     On  the  morning  of  his  de- 

f>arture,  he  and  Gammon  had  a  very 
ong  interview,  in  which  they  several 
times  came  to  high  words  ;  but  in  the 
end  Gammon  vanquished  his  opponent 
as  usual;  allayed  all  his  appre- 
hensions ;  accounted  for  Titmouse's 
conduct  in  the  most  natural  way  in 
the  world — look  at  his  position  just 
now,  the  excitement,  the  novelty,  the 
bewilderment,  the  indisposition  he 
was  experiencing:  surely,  surely  thai 
was  not  a  moment  to  bring  him  to 
hook  1  In  short,  Gammon  at  length 
brought  Quirk,  who  had  received  the 
first  intimation  of  the  matter  with  a 
sudden  grunt  of  surprise  and  anger,  to 
acknowledge  the  propriety  of  Gam- 
mon's remaining  behind,  to  protect 
Titmouse  from  the  designing  Yahoo 
that  had  got  hold  of  him;  and 
solemnly  pledged  himself,  as  in  the 
sight  of  Heaven,  to  use  his  utmost 
efforts  to  bring  about,  as  speedily  as 
possible,  the  two  grand  objects  of  Mr. 
Quirk's  wishes.     With   this  the  old 

gentleman    was    fain    to   be    satisfied  ; 

but  entered  the  chaise  which  was  to 
convey  Miss  Quirk  and  himself  to 
( Irilston,  with  as  rueful  a  count*  nana 
us  he  had  ever  exhibited  in  his  life. 
Mr.  Titmouse  was  sufficiently  re- 
covered to  be  present  at  the  departure 
of  M       l        k,  who  regar  led  lis  inter- 


esting and  languid  looks  with  an  eye 
of  melting  sympathy  and  affection. 
With  half  a  smile  and  half  a  tear,  she 
slipped  into  his  hand,  as  he  led  her  to 
the  chaise,  a  little  sprig  of  heart's  ease, 
which  he  at  once  stuck  into  the 
button-hole  of  his  coat. 

"Ton  my  soul — must  you  goT 
Devilish  sorry  you  can't  stay  to  have 
seen  some  fun  !  -The  old  gent  (mean- 
ing her  father)  don't  quite  seem  to  like 
it — he,  he !  "  said  he  in  a  low  tone  : 
then  lie  handed  her  into  the  chaise, 
she  dropping  her  veil  to  conceal  the 
starting  tear  of  mingled  disappoint- 
ment, ami  desire,  and  disgust,  and 
they  drove  off,  Titmouse  kissing  his 
hand  to  her  as  he  stood  upon  the 
sieps  ;  and,  as  soon  as  they  were 
out  of  sight,  he  exchanged  a  very 
significant  smile  with  Mr.  Gammon. 

The  next  day,  Titmouse  rose  about 
ten  o'clock,  almost  entirely  re- 
covered from  his  indisposition.  Ac- 
companied by  Mr.  Yahoo  and  Mr. 
Fitz-Snooks,  with  whom  he  was  con- 
versing as  to  the  course  he  should 
lake  with  reference  to  Sir  Harkaway 
— whom,  however,  they  advised  him 
to  treat  with  silent  contempt,  as  ho, 
Titmouse,  was  clearly  in  the  wrong — 
he  took  a  stroll  about  noon,  down  the 
path  leading  to  the  park  gates.  They 
all  three  had  cigars  in  their  mouths, 
Titmouse  walking  between  them,  as 
odious-looking  a  little  puppy,  sure,  as 
man  ever  saw — puffing  out  his  smoke 
s'owly,  and  with  half-closed  eye,  his 
right  hand  stuck  into  his  coat  pocket, 
and  resting  on  his  hip.  These  three 
figures — Heaven  save  the  murk!  — 
were  the  new  lord  of  Yatton  and  his 
select  friends ! 

"By  jingo,  surely  hero  comes  a 
parson,"  quoth  Titmouse  ;  "what  the 
d — 1  can  lie  want  with  me  ?" — 'Twas 
Dr.  Tatham,  who  slowly  approached 
them,  dressed  in  his  Sunday  Buit,  and 

leaning  on  his  old-fashioned  walking- 
stick,  given  him  many,  many  years 
ago  by  the  deceased  Mrs.  Aubrey. 

"Let's have  some  sport,"  said  Fitz- 
Snooks. 

"We  must  look  devilish  serious — 

no  grinning  till  the  proper  time,"  said 
Yahoo. 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


331 


"Hallo  —  you,  sir!"  commenced 
Titmouse,  "who  are  you?"  Dr. 
Tat  ham  took  off  his  hat,  ho  wed,  and 
was  passing  on. 

"Devilish  cool,  upon — my — soul- 
sir?"  said  Titmouse,  stopping,  and 
staring  impudently  at  the  worthy  little 
doctor,  who  seemed  taken  quite  hy 
surprise. 

"My  worthy  old  gentleman,"  said 
Yahoo,  with  mock  respect,  "are  you 
aware  who  it  was  that  asked  you  a 
question  ? " 

"  I  am  not,  sir,"  replied  Dr.  Tatham 
quietly,  hut  resolutely. 

"  My  name  is  Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
at  your  service — and  you  are  now  in 
my  grounds,"  said  Titmouse,  approach- 
ing him  with  an  impudent  air. 

"  Have  I  really  the  honour  to  address 
Mr.  Titmouse  ?  "  enquired  Dr.  Tatham, 
somewhat  iucredulously. 

"  "Why,  'pon  my  life  I  think  so,  un- 
less I'm  changed  lately  ;  and  by  Jove, 
sir — now,  who  are  you  ?  " 

"I  am  Dr.  Tatham,  sir,  the  vicar 
of  Yatton  :  I  had  intended  calling  at 
the  Hall  to  offer  my  compliments ; 
but  I  fear  I  am  iutruding " 

"Devil  a  bit — no,  'pon  honour,  no  ! 
you're  a  very  good  old  fellow,  I  don't 
doubt — is  that  little  church  outside, 
yours  ? " 

"It  is,  sir,"  replied  Dr.  Tatham 
seriously  and  sternly ;  his  manner 
completely  abashing  the  presumptu- 
ous .  little  coxcomb  who  addressed 
him. 

"  Oh — well — I — I — 'pou  my  soul, 
happy  to  see  you,  sir  —  you'll  find 
something  to  eat  in  the  Hall,  I  dare 
say " 

"Do  you  preach  in  that  same  little 
church  of  yours  next  Sunday  ? "  en- 
quired Mr.  Yahoo,  whose  gross  coun- 
tenance filled  Dr.  Tatham  with  un- 
speakable aversion. 

' '  I  preach  there  every  Sunday,  sir, 
twice,"  he  replied,  gravely  and  dis- 
tantly. 

"You  see,  sir,"  lisped  Fitz-Snooks, 
"  the  prayers  are  so — so — dcvilishlong 
and  tiresome — if  you  could — eh  ? — 
shorten  'em  a  little  ? — " 

Dr.  Tatham  slowly  turned  away 
from    them,    and,    disregarding  their 


calls  to  him,  though  their  tone  of 
voice  was  greatly  altered,  walked  back 
again  towards  the  gate,  and  quitted 
the  park,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
with  feelings  of  mortal  repugnance. 
On  reaching  his  little  study,  he  sat 
down  in  his  old  arm-chair,  and  fell 
into  a  sad  reverie  that  lasted  more 
than  an  hour,  and  then  he  got  up  to 
go  and  see  the  old  blind  stag-hound 
fed — and  he  looked  at  it,  licking  his 
hands,  with  feelings  of  unusual  tender- 
ness ;  and  the  little  Doctor  shed  a  tear 
or  two  as  he  patted  its  smooth  grey 
old  head. 

On  Saturday  morning,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
at  Mr.  C amnion's  instance,  had  fixed 
to  go  over  the  estate,  accompanied  by 
that  gentleman,  and  by  Mr.  "Waters 
and  Dickons,  to  give  all  the  informa- 
tion required  of  them,  and  point  out 
the  position  and  extent  of  the  properly. 
To  an  eye  capable  of  appreciating  it, 
in  what  admirable  order  was  every- 
thing !  but  Titmouse  quickly  tired  of 
it,  and  when  about  a  mile  from  the 
Hall,  discovered  that  he  had  left  his 
cigar-box  behind  him  ;  at  which  he 
expressed  infinite  concern,  and,  greatly 
to  the  annoyance  of  Gammon,  and  the 
contempt  of  his  two  bailiffs,  insisted 
on  returning  home  ;  so  they  re-entered 
the  park.  How  beautiful  it  was  !  Its 
gently  undulating  surface,  smooth  a3 
if  overspread  with  green  velvet ;  trees, 
great  and  small,  single  and  in  clumps, 
standing  in  positions  so  picturesque 
and  commanding  ;  the  broad,  babbling, 
clear  trout  -  stream  winding  through 
every  part  of  the  park,  with  here  and 
there  a  mimic  fall,  seen  faintly  flashing 
and  glistening  in  the  distance  ;  herds 
of  deer  suddenly  startled  amid  their 
green  pastures  and  silent  shades,  and 
moving  off  with  graceful  ease  and 
rapidity ;  here  and  there  a  rustic 
bridge  over  the  stream ;  here  an  old 
stone  bench  placed  on  an  elevation 
commanding  an  extensive  prospect ; 
there  a  kind  of  grotto,  or  an  ivy- 
covered  summer-house;  then  tho 
dense,  extensive,  and  gloomy  woods, 
forming  a  semicircular  sweep  round 
the  back  of  the  Hall ;  all  around, 
nearly  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
land  of  every  kind  in  the  highest  state 


332 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAH. 


of  cultivation,  plentifully  stocked  with 
fine  cattle,  ami  interspersed  with  snug 
and  substantia]  farms. 

AH  this,  thought  Titmouse,  might 
do  very  well  for  those  who  fancied 
that  sort  of  thing;  but  as  for  him, 
how  the  devil  could  he  have  thought 
of  leaving  his  cigars  behind  him ! 
Where,  he  wondered,  were  Yahoo  and 
Fitz-Snooks  ?  and  quickened  his  pace 
homeward. 

On  Gammon  the  scene  they  had 
been  witnessing  had  made  a  profound 
impression  ;  and  as  his  attention  was 
now  ami  then  called  oir  from  contem- 
plating it  by  some  ignorant  and  puerile 
remark  of  the  proprietor  of  the  fine 
domain,  he  felt  a  momentary  exaspera- 
tion at  himself  for  the  part  he  had 
taken  in  the  expulsion  of  the  Aubreys, 
and  the  introduction  of  such  a  creature 
as  Titmouse.  That  revived  certain 
other  thoughts,  which  led  him  into 
speculations  of  a  description  which 
would  have  afforded  uneasiness  even 
to  the  little  idiot  beside  him,  could  he 
have  been  made  aware  of  them.  But 
the  cloud  that  had  darkened  his  brow 
was  dispelled  by  a  word  or  two  of 
Titmouse.  "Mr.  Gammon,  'pon  my 
Boul  you're  devilish  dull  to-day,"  said 
he.  Gammon  started  ;  and  with  his 
winning  smile  and  cheerful  voice,  in- 
stantly replied,  "Oh,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
I  was  only  thinking  how  happy  you 
are  ;  and  that  you  deserve  it !  " 

"  Yea  ;  'pon  my  soul  it  ought  all  to 
have  been  mine  at  my  birth  !  Don't 
it  tire  you,  Mr.  Gammon,  to  walk  in 
this  up-and-down,  zig-zag,  here-and- 
there  sort  of  way?  Jt  docs  mc,  'pon 
my  life  !  "What  would  I  give  for  a 
cigar  at  this  moment !  " 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  tran- 
quil and  beautiful  ;  and  just  as  the 
little  tinkling  bell  of  Yatton  church 
had  ceased,  Dr.  Tatham  rose,  in  his 
reading-desk,    and    commenced    the 

firayers.  The  church  was  quite  full, 
or  every  one  was  naturally  anxious  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  new  tenants  id' 
the  Squire's  pew.  Jt  was  empty, 
ever,  till  about  five  minufc  ift<  i 
the  service  had  commenced,  when  b 
gentleman   walked    .'lowly   Up    to    tie 

church-door j  and   having  whispered 


an   enquiry  of   the    old    pew-opener 

which  was  the  Squire's  p.  w,  she  led 
him  into  it — all  eyes  settled  upon  him, 
and  all  were  struck  with  his  appearance, 
his  calm  keen  features, and  gentlemanly 
figure.  'Twas,  of  course,  Gammon  ; 
who,  with  the  utmost  decorum  and 
solemnity,  having  stood  for  near  a 
minute  with  his  hat  covering  his  face, 
during  which  time  he  reflected  that 
Miss  Aubrey  had  sat  in  that  pew  on 
the  last  occasion  of  his  attendance  at 
the  church,  turned  round,  and  behaved 
with  the  greatest  seriousness  and  rever- 
ence throughout  the  service,  paying 
marked  attention  to  the  sermon. 
Gammon  was  an  unbeliever,  but  ho 
thought  Dr.  Tatham  an  amiable  and 
learned  enthusiast,  but  who  was  most 
probably  in  earnest;  and  he  felt  dis- 
posed to  admit,  as  his  eye  glanced 
round  the  attentive  and  decent  con- 
gregation, that  the  sort  of  thing  was 
not  without  its  advantages.  Almost 
all  present  took  him  for  Titmouse,  and 
watched  every  turn  of  his  countenanco 
with  intense  interest  ;  and,  in  their 
simplicity,    they    rejoiced    that    Mr. 

Aubrey's  successor  was,  at  all  events, 
so  grave  and  respectable  -  looking  a 
man  ;  and  they  fancied  that  he  fre- 
quently thought,  With  kindness  and 
regret,  of  those  whose  seat  ho  was 
occupying.  About  the  middle  of  the 
service,  the  doors  of  the  church  being 
wide  open,  the  congregation  beheld 
three  gentlemen  smoking  cigars,  and 
laughing  and  talking  together,  ap- 
proaching the  porch.  They  wero 
dressed  very  finely  indeed  ;  and  were. 
supposed  to  be  some  of  tho  great 
friends  of  the  new  Squire.  They 
stopped  when  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  church  ;  and  after  whispering  to- 
gether for  a  moment,  one  of  them, 
having  expelled  a  mouthful  of  BIUO 
stepped  forward  to  the  door,  hold 
his  cigar  in  one  hand,  and  with  the 
other  taking  oil' his  hit.  There  was  a 
faint  smirk  on  his  face,  (for  he  did  not 
catch  the  stern  countenanco  of  Gammon 

anxiously   directed    towards   him,)  till 

he  beheld  Dr.  Tatham's  solemn  eye 
fixed  upon  him,  while  he  made  a 
momentary  pause.  Titmouse  blushed 
scarlet ;   made  a  bei  itating  but  an    i 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


333 


respectful  bow  ;  and,  stepping  back  a 
few  paces,  replaced  his  hat  on  his 
head,  and  lit  his  cigar  from  that  of 
Mr.  Fitz-Snooks,  within  view,  perhaps 
unconsciously,  of  more  than  half  the 
congregation.  Then  the  three  gentle- 
men, after  Mr.  Titmouse  had  spoken 
a  word  or  two  to  them,  burst  out  into 
a  laugh,  and  quitted  the  churchyard. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Aubrey's  sudden  plunge  into  the 
cold  and  deep  stream  of  trouble,  had 
• — the  first  shock  over — served,  as  it 
were,  to  brace  his  nerves.  'Tis  at 
such  a  time,  and  on  such  an  occasion, 
that  the  temper  and  quality  of  the 
soul  are  tried  ;  whether  it  be  weak  in 
seeming  strength,  or  strong  in  seeming 
weakness.  How  many  are  there,  walk- 
ing with  smiling  complacent  confi- 
dence along  the  flowery  bank,  who,  if 
suddenly  bidden  to  strip  and  enter, 
would  turn  pale  and  tremble  as  they 
reluctantly  prepared  to  obey  the  stern 
mandate ;  and,  after  a  convulsive 
Bhudder,  a  faint  shriek,  a  brief  struggle, 
disappear  from  the  surface  paralysed, 
never  to  be  seen  again !  In  such  a 
point  of  view,  let  me  hope  that  the 
situation  of  Aubrey,  one  of  deepening 
difficulty  and  danger  —  the  issue  of 
which,  hid  in  the  darkness  of  the 
future,  no  earthly  intelligence  coiild 
predict — will  excite  in  the  thoughtful 
reader  an  anxiety  not  unmingled  with 
confidence. 

The  enervating  effects  of  inactivity 
upon  the  physical  structure  and  ener- 
gies of  mankind,  few  can  have  failed 
to  observe.  Rust  is  more  fatal  to  metal 
than  wear.  A  thorough-bred  racer,  if 
confined  in  stable  or  paddock,  or  a 
boxer,  born  of  the  finest  muscular 
make,  if  prematurely  incarcerated  in  a 
jail,  will,  after  a  few  years,  become 
quite  unable  to  compete  with  those 
vastly  their  inferiors  in  natural  endow- 
ments and  capabilities  ;  however,  they 
may,  with  careful  training,  be  restored 
to  the  full  enjoyment  and  exercise  of 


their  powers.      Thus  is  it  with   the 
temper  and  intellect  of  man,  which, 
secluded  from  the  scenes  of  apjjropi-iate 
stimulus  and  exercise,  become  relaxed 
and   weakened.      "What    would    have 
become    of    the    glorious    spirit    and 
powers  of  Achilles,  if  his  days  had  all 
melted  away  in  the  tender,  delicate, 
emasculating  inactivity  and  indulgence 
of  the  court  of  Lycomedes  ?     The  lan- 
guage of  the  ancient  orator  concerning 
his  art  may  be  applied  to  life,  that  not 
only  its  greatness,  but  its  enjoyment, 
consists  in   action — action  —  action. 
The  feelings,  for  instance,  may  become 
so  morbidly  sensitive,   as  to  give  an 
appearance  of  weakness   to  the  whole 
character ;    and   this  is  likely  to  be 
specially  the   case   of  one  born  with 
those  of  superior  liveliness  and  deli- 
cacy, if  he  be  destined  to  move  only 
in  the  regions  of  silent  and  profound 
abstraction    and    contemplation  —  in 
those  refined   regions  which  may  be 
termed  a  sort  of  paradise,  where  every 
conceivable   source    of    enjoyment    is 
cultivated  for  the  fortunate  and  fas- 
tidious occupants,  to  the  very  uttei'- 
most,  and  all  those  innumerable  things 
which    fret,   worry,    and    harass    the 
temper,  the  head,  and  the  heart  of  the 
dwellers  in  the  rude  regions  of  ordinary 
life — most  anxiously  weeded  out ;  in- 
stead of  entering  into  the  throng  of 
life,  and  taking  part  in  its  constant 
cares  and  conflicts — scenes  which  re- 
quire all  his  energies  always  in  exercise, 
to   keep   his  place  and  escape   being 
trodden    underfoot.      Rely  upon    it, 
that  the  man  who  feels  a  tendency  to 
shrink  from  collision  with  his  fellows, 
to  run  away  with  distaste  or  apprehen- 
sion from  the  great  practical  business 
of  life,  does  not  enjoy  moral  or  intel- 
lectual health  ;   will  quickly  contract 
a  silly  conceit  and  fastidiousness,   or 
sink  into  imbecility  and  misanthropy  ; 
and  should  devoutly  thank  Providence 
for  the  occasion,  however  momentarily 
startling  and   irritating,   which  stirs 
him  out  of  his  lethargy,  his  coiuardly 
lethargy,  and  sends   him   among   his 
fellows — puts  him,  in  a  manner,  upon 
a  course  of  training ;  upon  an  experi- 
ence of  comparative  suffering,  it  may 
be  of  sorrow,  requiring  the  exercise  of 


331 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


powers  of  which  he  had  before  scarcely 
been  conscious,   and  giving  him  pre- 
sently the  exhilarating  consciousness 
that  lie  is  exhibiting  himself— a  man. 
"It  is  probable,"  says  a  very  acute 
and  powerful  writer  of  the  present  day, 
llr.  Foster,  in  his  Essay  on  "Decision 
of  Character" — "that  the  men  most 
distinguished  for  decision,  have  not, 
in  general,  possessed  a  large  share  of 
tenderness  ;  and  it  is  easy  to  imagine 
that  the  laws,  according  to  which  our 
nature  is  formed,  will  with  great  diffi- 
culty  allow   the   combination   of  the 
refined    sensibilities,    with    a    hardy, 
never  shrinking,   never  yielding  con- 
stancy.   Is  it  not  almost  of  the  essence 
of  this  constancy,  to  be  free  from  even 
the  perception  of  such  impressions  as 
cause  a  mind,  weak  through  suscept- 
ibility,   to  relax,    or   to   waver  ? — No 
doubt,  this  firmness  consists  partly  in 
overcoming  feelings — but  it  may  con- 
sist partly,  too,  in  not  having  them." 
The  case  I  am  contemplating  is  perhaps 
the  difficult,   though  by  no  means,  I 
am  persuaded,  uncommon  one — of  a 
person  possessing  these  delicate  sensi- 
bilities, these  lively  feelings  ;  yet  with 
a  native  strength  of  character,  beneath 
which,  when  the  occasion  for  its  dis- 
play has  arisen — when  it  is  placed  in 
a  scene  of  constant  and   compulsory 
action,  will  fully  evince  and  vindicate 
itself.      It    is    then    "that    another 
essential  principle  of  decision  of  cha- 
racter," to  quote  from  another  part  of 
the  same  essay,  "will  be  displayed; 
namely,  a  total  incapability,   of  sur- 
rendering to  indifference  or  delay  the 
serious  determinations  of  the  mind. 
A   strenuous  will    accompanies    the 
conclusions  of  thought,  and  constantly 
urges    the    utmost    efforts    for    their 
practical  accomplishment.     The  intel- 
lect is   invested,    as   it   were,   with  a 
glowing  atmosphere  of  passion,  under 
the  influence  of  which  the  cold  dictates 
of  reason   take  fire,  and  spring  into 
active  powers." 

Then'  is,  indeed,  nothing  like  throw- 
ing a  man  of  the  description  we 
■  oi  riderng  npon  bis  ov  n  )■  ourct  s, 
and  compelling  him  to  exertion. 
Listen,  ye  languid  and  often  gifted 
victims  of  indole  in  ■.  and  <  nnui,  to  the 


noblo  language  of  one  blessed  with  as 
great  powers  as  perhaps  were  ever 
vouchsafed  to  man — Edmund  Burke  ! 

"Difficulty  is  a  severe  instructor, 
set  over  us  by  the  Supreme  ordinance 
of  a  parental  guardian  and  legislator, 
who  knows  us  better  than  we  know 
ourselves,  as  he  loves  us  better,  too. 
1'atcr  ipse  eolendi,  kaud  facilcm  esse 
ci" m,  rvhtit.  He  that  wrestles  with 
us,  strengthens  our  nerves  and  sharpens 
our  skill ;  our  antagonist  is  our  helper. 
This  amicable  contest  with  difficulty, 
obliges  us  to  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  our  object,  and  compels  us  to 
consider  it  in  all  its  relations  ;  it  will 
not  suffer  us  to  be  superficial." 

The  man,  moreover,  whose  disposi- 
tion is  one  of  sterling  excellence,  de- 
spite the  few  foibles  which  it  may 
have  contracted  in  comparative  soli- 
tude and  inactivity,  when  he  is  com- 
pelled to  mix  indiscriminately  with 
the  great  family  of  man,  oh,  how 
patient  and  tolerant  becomes  he  of  the 
weakness  and  errors  of  others,  when 
thus  constantly  reminded  of,  and  made 
to  feel,  his  own !  Oh,  how  pitiful ! 
how  very  pitiful  is  he  ! — how  his  heart 
yearns  ami  overflows  with  love,  and 
mercy,  and  charity  towards  his  species, 
individually — whose  eye  looks  oft  on 
their  grievous  privations,  their  often 
incurable,  distress  and  misery! — and 
who  in  the  spirit  of  a  heavenly  philan- 
thropy penetrates  even  to  those  deserted 
quarters — 

"  Where  hopeless  anguish  pours  her  moan, 
And  lunely  want  retires  to  die  !  " 

It  may  be  that  some  of  the  preced- 
ing observations  are  applicable  to  many 
individuals  of  the  purest  and  most 
amiable  characters,  and  powerful  and 
cultivated  intellects,  in  the  higher 
classes  of  society,  whoso  affluence 
exempts  them  from  the  necessity  of 
actively  intermingling  with  the  con- 
cerns of  life,  and  feeling  the  conscious- 
ness of  individual  responsibility,  of 
having  a  personal  necessity  for  anxious 
care  and  exertion.  A  position  of  ri  il 
iriousness  and  danger,  is  that 
which  is  requisite  for  developing  the 
ies  of  a  man  of  high  moral  and 
intellectual  character,  as  it  will  expose 


TEN    THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


335 


to  destruction  one  of  a  contrary  de- 
scription. 

I    have    endeavoured,   in    previous 
portions  of  this   history,  to  delineate 
faithfully  the  character  of  Mr.  Aubrey 
— one  (how  idle   and   childish  would 
have  been  the  attempt !)  by  no  means 
perfect,  yet  with  very  high  qualities  ; 
a  noble  simplicity  ;  a  man,  generous, 
confiding,  sincere,  alfectionate :  possess- 
ing a  profound  sense  of  religion,  really 
influencing    his  conduct  in   life ;    an 
intellect  of  a  superior  order,  of  a  prac- 
tical turn,  of  a  masculine  strength — as 
had  been  evidenced  by  his  successful 
academical  career,  his  thorough  mastery 
of  some  of  the  most  important  and 
difficult  branches  of  human  knowledge, 
and  by  his  superior  aptitude  for  public 
business.     He  was  at  the  same  time 
possessed  of   a    sensibility  that  was 
certainly  excessive.     He  had  a  morbid 
tendency  to  pensiveness,  if  not  melan- 
choly, which,  with  a  feeble  physical 
constitution,  was  partly  derived  from 
his  mother,  and  partly  accounted  for 
by  the  species  of  life  which  he  had  led. 
From  his  early   youth  he  had  been 
addicted   to   close  and  severe  study, 
which    had    given    permanence    and 
strength  to  his  naturally  contemplative 
turn.      He  had  not,  moreover,  with 
too  many  possessed  of  his  means  and 
station,  entered,  just  at  the  dawn  and 
bloom  of  manhood,  upon  that  course 
of  dissipation  which    is  a  sure   and 
speedy  means  of  destroying  "the  fresh- 
ness of  thought  and  of  feeling,"  and 
inducing  a  lowered  tone  of  feeling,  and 
a  callousness  which  some  seem  to  con- 
sider necessary  to  enable  them  to  pass 
through  life  easily  and  agreeably.    He, 
on  the  contrary,  had  stepped  out  of 
the  gloom  and  solitude  of  the  cloister 
into  the  pure  and  peaceful  region  of 
domestic  life,  with  all  its  hallowed  and 
unutterable    tendernesses,   where  the 
affections    grew  luxuriantly ;    in  the 
constant  society  of  such  women  as  his 
mother,  his  sister,  his  wife,  and  latterly 
his  lovely   children.      Then    he  was 
possessed,  all  this  while,  of  a  fine  for- 
tune— one  which  placed  him  far  beyond 
the  necessity  for  anxiety  or  exertion. 
"With  such    tastes  as    these,    such   a 
temperament  as  his,  and  leading  such 


a  life  as  his,  is  it  surprising  that  the 
tone  of  his  feelings  should  have  become 
somewhat  relaxed  ?  The  three  or  four 
years  which  he  had  spent  in  Parlia- 
ment, when  he  plunged  into  its  fierce 
and  absorbing  excitement  with  charac- 
teristic ardour  and  determination, 
though  calculated  to  sharpen  the 
faculties,  and  draw  forth  the  resources 
of  his  intellect,  subjected  him  to  those 
alternations  of  excitement  and  depres- 
sion, those  extremes  of  action  and 
reaction,  which  were  not  calculated  to 
correct  his  morbid  tendencies. 

Therefore  came  there  up  to  him  a 
messenger  from  Heaven,  with  trouble 
and  affliction  in  his  countenance,  tell- 
ing him  to  descend  from  the  happy 
solitudo  of  his  high  mountain,  into  the 
dismal  hubbub  and  conflict  in  the 
plain  beneath.  He  came  down  with 
humility  and  awe,  and  with  reverent 
resignation  ;  and  was — instantly  sur- 
rounded ! — 

A  weak  man  would  have  been  con- 
fused and  stunned,  and  so  sunk  help- 
less into  the  leaden  arms  of  despair. 
But  it  was  not  so  with  Aubrey.  There 
was  that  dormant  energy  within, 
which,  when  appealed  to,  quickly 
shook  off  the  weakness  contracted  by 
inaction,  and  told  him  to  be  up  and 
doing ;  and  that  not  with  the  fitful 
energy  of  mere  impulse,  but  the  con- 
slant  strength  of  a  well  regulated 
mind,  conscious  of  its  critical  position  ; 
and  also  of  a  calm  inflexible  deter- 
mination to  vanquish  difficulty,  and 
if  possible  escape  the  imminent  danger, 
however  long  and  doubtful  might 
prove  the  conflict.  Above  all,  he  was 
consoled  and  blessed  by  the  conviction, 
that  nothing  could  befall  him  that 
was  not  the  ordination  of  Providence, 

"  supremely  wise, 

Alike  ia  what  it  gives  aud  what  denies  ; " 

that  His  was  the  ordering  of  the  sun- 
shine and  the  gloom,  the  tempest  and 
the  calm  of  life.  This  wa3  to  Aubrey 
— this  is — as  the  humble  writer  of 
these  pages  (who  has  had  in  his  time 
his  measure  of  anxiety  and  affliction) 
has  in  his  soul  a  profound  and  inti- 
mate persuasion  and  conviction  of — 
the  only  source  of  real  fortitude  and 


33G 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


resignation,  amidst  tho  perplexities, 
and  afflictions,  and  dangers  of  life. 
Depend  upon  it,  that  a  secret  and 
scarce-acknowledged  disbelief,  or  at 
least  doubt  and  distrust  of  the  very 
existence  of  God,  and  of  his  govern- 
ment of  the  world— HIS  REAL  l'HE- 
BBKCB  AND  INTERFERENCE  with  the 
men  and  the  tilings  of  the  world — lies 
at  the  bottom  of  almost  all  impatience 
and  despair  under  adverse  circum- 
stances. How  can  he  be  impatient, 
or  despairing,  who  believes  not  only 
the  existence  of  God,   and  his  moral 

fovernment  of  the  world,  but  that  he 
as  mercifully  vouchsafed  to  reveal 
and  declare  expressly  that  the  infliction 
of  suffering  and  sorrow  is  directly  from 
himself,  and  designed  solely  for  the 
advantage  of  his  creatures  1  If  ye 
endure  chastening,  God  dcalcth  with 
you  as  with  sons  ;  for  what  son  is  he 
whom  the  fatlicr  chastcnclh  not?  We 
have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  which 
corrected  us,  and  wc  gave  them  rever- 
ence :  shall  wc  not  much  rather  be  in 
subjection  unto  tlie  Fatlicr  of  spirits, 
and  live?  For  they  verily  for  a  few 
days  chastened  us  after  their  own  plea- 
sure ;  but  he  for  our  profit,  that  wc 
might  be  partakers  of  his  holit 
Noic,  no  chaste ning  for  the  present 
scemethto  be  joyous,  but  grievous :  never- 
theless afterward  it  yieldeth  tlic  peace- 
able fruit  of  righteousness  unto  them 
which  arc  exercised  thci-eby.  Where- 
fore lift  up  the  hands  which  hang 
down,  and  the  feeble  knees.  While 
thus  benignantly  teacheth  the  voice  of 
God,  thought  Aubrey,  shall  I  rather 
incline  mine  ear  to  the  blighting  whis- 
per of  the  Evil  One — a  liar,  and  the, 
father  of  a  lie,  who  would  fain  that  J 
should  become  a  fool,  soiling  within 
inn  heart  tlu  re  is  no  God — or,  if  I  can- 
not but  believe  that  there  is  one,  pro- 
voking me  to  charge  Jfim  foolishly ,  t 
curst  Him  mul  die?  Not  so,  however, 
had  Aubrey  read  the  Scriptures — not 
so  had  he  learned  the  Christian  religion. 
The  last  time  that  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  ruined  family,  they  had 
rod  nearly  al  the  end  of  their  long 
and  lindane  holy  journey  from  Yatton 
to  the  metropolis,  When  h<  fore  h  id 
such  been  the  character  oftheirjourney 


to  town  ?  Had  they  not  even  looked 
forward  with  pleasure  towards  the 
brilliant  gaieties  of  the  season  ;  their 
re-entrance  into  an  extensive  and 
Bplendid  circle  of  friends — and  he  into 
the  delightful  excitement  of  political 
life — the  opening  of  the  parliamentary 
campaign!  Alas,  how  changed  now 
all  this  !  how  gloomy  and  threatening 
the  aspect  of  the  metropolis,  wh<  a  • 
dusky  outskirts  they  were  entering! 
With  what  feelings  of  oppression — of 
vague  indefinite  apprehension  —  did 
they  now  approach  it :  their  spirits 
heavy,  their  hearts  bleeding  with  their 
recent  severance  from  Yatton  !  Now, 
distress,  desertion,  dismay,  seemed 
associated  with  the  formidable  name 
of  "London."  They  had  now  no 
place  of'theirown  awaiting,  thoroughly 
prepared  for  them,  their  welcome 
arrival — but  must  drive  to  some  quiet 
and  {inexpensive  family  hotel  for  tem- 
porary shelter.  As  their  eyes  caught 
familiar  point  after  point  in  their  route 
through  the  suburbs— now  passed  at 
a  moderate  pace,  with  a  modest  pair 
of  horses;  formerly  dashed  past  by  them 
in  their  carriage  and  four — there  were 
very  few  words  Bpoken  by  those  within 
the  carriage.  Both  the  children  were 
fast  asleep.  Poor  Kate,  as  they  entered 
Piccadilly,  burst  into  tears  :  her  pent- 
up  feelings  suddenly  gave  way,  and 
she  cried  heartily;  Mrs.  Aubrey  also 
shedding  tears.  Mr.  Aubrey  was  calm, 
but  evidently  oppressed  with  profound 
anxiety.  Still  he  affectionately  grasped 
their  hands,  and,  in  something  de- 
signed for  a  cheerful  tone  and  manner, 
besought  them  to  restrain  their  feel- 
ings, and  thank  Heaven  that  so  far 
they  had  got  on  safely. 

"I  shall  bo  better  presently, 
Charles,"  said  Miss  Aubrey  passion- 
ately, burying  her  face  in  her  hand- 
kerchief, "but  I  feed  quite  afraid  <A 
L Ion  !  " 

Over  tho  pavement  they  rattled, 
meeting  carriages  rolling  in  all  direc- 
tions— for  it  was  about  the  dinner 
hour,  and  in  the  height  of  the  seal  on  ; 
and  it  was  the  casual  but  vivid  evi« 
dence  thus  afforded  of  their  desolate 

"in,    this   sudden   glimpse   of  old 

familiar   scenes,   which  had  raoxnen* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


337 


tarily  overcome  the  fortitude  of  Miss 
Aubrey.  They  drove  to  a  quiet  family 
hotel  in  a  retired  street  running  parallel 
v.-ith  Piccadilly  ;  they  were  all  wearied, 
both  in  mind  and  bod}',  and  after  a 
very  slight  repast,  and  much  anxious 
and  desponding  conversation,  they 
bade  each  other  affectionate  adieus, 
and  retired  to  rest.  They  rose  in  the 
morning  refreshed  with  repose,  and  in 
a  much  more  tranquil  mood  of  mind 
than  could  have  been  expected. 

"  Now,  we  enter, "  said  Aubrey,  with 
a  cheerful  smile,  ' '  upon  the  real  busi- 
ness of  life  ;  so  we  must  discard  senti- 
ment— we  must  not  think  of  the  past, 
but  the  future." 

At  their  request,  they,  shortly  after 
breakfast,  accompanied  him  to  the 
house  agent,  who  had  been  commis- 
sioned by  Mr.  Punnington  to  look  out 
two  or  three  residences  such  as,  on 
their  arrival  in  town,  they  might  easily 
select  from.  One  was  particularly  re- 
commended to  them  ;  and,  after  due 
enquiry,  within  three  days  after  their 
arrival  in  town,  they  engaged  it.  'Twas 
a  small,  but  convenient,  airy,  and  com- 
fortable house,  within  five  minutes' 
walk  of  Hyde  Park,  and  situated  in 
Yivian  Street — a  recent  street — and 
as  quiet  and  retired  as  they  could 
have  wished.  The  rent,  too,  was 
moderate — fifty  pounds  a-  year.  Though 
none  of  the  houses  in  the  street  were 
large,  they  were  all  strictly  private 
residences,  and  had  an  air  of  thorough 
respectability.  Mr.  Aubrey's  house 
had  but  one  window  to  the  dining- 
room,  and  two  to  the  drawing-room. 
The  passage  and  staircase  were  suffi- 
ciently commodious,  as  were  the  rooms. 
At  the  back  of  the  house  was  a  small 
garden,  about  twenty  yards  in  length, 
and  about  ten  yards  in  width,  with 
several  lilacs,  laburnums,  and  shrubs  ; 
and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  wall 
was  covered  with  ivy.  "Was  not  this 
a  delightful  place  for  the  children  to 
play  about  in  ?  The  back  parlour,  a 
somewhat  small  room  certainly,  looked 
into  this  garden  ;  and  that  room  was 
at  once  appropriated  to  a  study  for 
Mr.  Aubrey.  Within  a  week's  time, 
all  their  luggage,  furniture,  &c.,  had 
arrived  in   town  from  Yatton ;    and 


they  had  quite  sufficient  to  furnish 
their  little  residence  out  of  the  wreck 
of  the  furniture  and  equipments  of  the 
old  Hall — adapted,  as  it  was,  under 
the  tasteful  superintendence  of  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Aubrey,  with  equal  regard 
to  elegance,  simplicity,  and  economy. 
How  busy  were  they  all  for  a  fortnight  1 
Many  and  many  an  irrepressible  sigh, 
and  rebellious  tear,  would  the  sight  of 
these  old  familiar  objects,  in  their  new 
situation,  occasion  there  !  Some  half- 
dozen  family  pictures  hung  upon  the 
wall.  Over  the  mantelpiece  was  sus- 
pended a  piece  of  beautiful  embroid- 
ery— by  poor  old  Mrs.  Aubrey,  many 
years  before — of  the  arms  of  the  family. 
In  the  dining-room  was  the  old  high- 
backed  chair  in  which  she  had  sat  for 
twenty  years  and  more.  In  the  draw- 
ing-room was  Miss  Aubrey's  favourite 
cabinet,  and  Mrs.  Aubrey's  piano ; 
and  in  both  the  rooms  were  to  be  seen 
everywhere  the  delicate  traces  of  dear, 
dear,  graceful,  and  elegant  woman — ■ 
touching  nothing  that  she  adorns  not ! 
What  with  the  silk  curtains,  and  a 
carpet  of  simple  but  tasteful  pattern, 
and  the  various  articles  of  furniture 
and  ornament,  all  possessing  a  kind  of 
old  family  air — all  from  Yatton,  I 
declare  there  was  a  kind  of  richness 
about  the  general  aspect  of  the  room  ; 
and  when  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Mis3 
Aubrey  came  to  fetch  Mr.  Aubrey  out 
of  his  study  to  witness  the  completion 
of  their  labours,  he  gazed  round  him, 
looked  at  each  object,  and  then  at  the 
two  dear  fond  beings  standing  beside 
him,  awaiting  his  opinion  with  wo- 
manly eagerness ;  but  he  could  not 
express  his  feelings.  He  kissed  each 
of  them  very  tenderly,  and  in  silence, 
and  then  th'jy  were  a  little  overcome. 
His  study,  also,  though  very  small, 
was  as  snug  a;d  comfortable  as  a  book- 
worm cou'd  desire.  All  the  sides  were 
covered  with  books,  and  in  the  middle 
were  the  library-table  and  arm-chair 
which  he  had  used  in  Grosvenor  Street, 
and  which  were  certainly  on  too  large 
a  scale  for  the  little  room  to  which 
they  had  been  removed.  That  they 
were  not  incessantly  and  very  pain- 
fully reminded  of  the  contrast  afforded 
by  their  present  to  their  former  cir- 


338 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


cumstances,  I  Jo  not  pretend  to  assert ; 
but  it  very,  wry  seldom  formed  a 
topic  of  conversation  between  any  of 
them.  When,  however,  tin:  little 
lu- lie  and  occupation  of  arran 
their  house  was  over,  and  Mrs.  Aubrey 
ami  Kate  were  left  a  good  deal  to 
thrmselves — Mr.  Aubrey  being  either 
absent  from  home,  or  in  his  study, 
engaged  in  matters  of  the  last  import- 
ance to  them  all — then  they  would 
talk  together  with  increasing  eager- 
ness and  excitement  about  past  times, 
and  their  recent  troubles  and  bereave- 
ments; not  displaying  then  —  sweet 
souls! — quite,  that  degree  of  resigna- 
tion and  fortitude  which  they  Btrove 
to  exhibit  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Aubrey. 

"  Some  natural  tears  they  dropt,  but  wiped 
them  soon." 

They  passed  a  good  deal  of  their  time 
in-doors  iu  needle-work,  practical 
family  needlework,  an  art  in  which 
they  were  not  particularly  accom- 
plished, but  which  they  quickly  ac- 
quired from  a  Bempstress  whom  tiny- 
kept  engaged  constantly  in  the  house 
for  several  weeks.  Then  Bometimcs 
tiny  would  sit  down  to  the  piano  ;  at 
other  times  they  would  lead— on  all 
occasions,  however,  frequently  falling 
into  conversation  on  the  all-engrossing 
topic  of  their  expulsion  from  Yatton. 
Now  and  then,  they  could  scarcely 
tefrain  from  a  melancholy  smile,  when 
they  remarked  upon  their  shrunken 
personal  importance.  "Really,  Agnes," 
said  one  day  Miss  Aubrey,  "1  feel 
just  as  one  can  fancy  a  few  poor 
newly  shorn  sheep  must  feel !  So 
light  and  cold  1  So  much  less  than 
they  were  half  an  hour  before  !  Sure'y 
they  must  hardly  know  what  to  make 
of  themselves  1 ' 

"Then,  I  suppose,  mamma,"  said 
Charles,  who  was  Bitting  on  a  stool 
beside  them— making  believe  to  write 

on  a  small  slate — "I  am  a  littli     beep?" 

They  both  Looked  at  the  child  with 
silent      tenderness,     and      ) 
thought  of  Him  who   "tempers  the 

Wind  t"  the  shorn  lamb." 

Their  proximity  to  the  parks  was 

delightful,  and  many  a  pleasant  hour 


did  they  pass  there  with  the  children  } 
and  then  returning  home,  would  occupy 
themselves  with  writing  letters — and 
long  ones  tin  y  usually  were — to  early 
ami  loved  friends,  especially  to  Dr. 
Tatham,  with  whom  Miss  Aubrey 
kept  up  a  constant  correspondence. 
I  ought  to  have  mentioned  before, 
that  Mr.  Aubrey,  in  bringing  his 
favourite  Valet  up  to  town  with  him, 
had  no  other  design  than,  with  that 
kind  thoughtfulness  for  which  he  was 
remarkable,  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
securing  for  him  a  good  situation  ; 
and  that  he  succeeded  in  doing,  after 
about  a  fortnight's  interval;  but  the 
poor  fellow  was  quite  confounded 
when  he  first  heard  that  he  was  to 
quit  the  service  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  and, 
almost  falling  on  his  knees,  begged  to 
he  permitted  to  continue  and  receive 
no  wages,  and  he  should  be  a  happy 
man.  Mr.  Aubrey  was,  however,  firm  ; 
and  on  parting  with  him,  which  he 
did  with  no  little  emotion,  put  two 
guineas  into  his  hand  as  a  present,  and 
wished  him  health  and  happin 
The  poorfellow'sdeepdistressat  parting 
with  the  family  sensibly  affected  them 
all,  and  reminded  them  vividly  of  one 
of  the  latest  and  bitterest  Bccncs  at 
Yatton.  On  his  departure,  their  little 
establishment  consisted  but  of  three 
female  servants,  a  cook,  a  housemaid, 
and  a  nurserymaid.  It  took  them 
some  little  time  to  familiarize  them- 
selves with  the  attendance  of  a 
female  servant  at  dim  er  !  That  was 
one  little  matter  —  and  another  was 
I  harles'  now  and  then  complaining  of 
being  tired,  and  enquiring  why  his 
mamma  did  not  drive  in  the  carriage 
as  she  used  to  do,  and  how  he  liked  to 
go  with  her  !  which  brought  home  to 
them,  in  a  lively  manner,  their  altered 
circumstances — their  fallen  fortunes. 
.Many,  many  Were  the  anxious  calcula- 
tions they  made  together,  of  tho 
probable  amount  of  their  annual  ex- 
penditure— which  at  length,  inexperi< 

1  as  they  were,  they  fixed  nt  from 
£300  to  £500,  including  everything; 
.Mis.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey  eagerly 

ring  Mr.  Aubrey,  and  each  other, 
that  as  for  clothes — their  wardrobe 
would,  with  care,  last  tin  in  for  three 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


339 


or  four  years  to  come — so  that  that  was 
i  n  item  which  might  be  almost  alto- 
gether excluded  from  the  account  ; 
except,  by  the  way,  the  children — yes, 
they  should  be  always  well-dressed  ; 
that  all  agreed  upon.  Then  there  was 
their  education — oh,  Kate  would  see 
to  that !  Could  they,  in  this  manner, 
with  rigid,  systematic  economy,  hold 
on  their  way  for  a  year  or  two  ?  was  a 
question  they  often  asked  one  another, 
with  beating  hearts.  If  they  could,, 
then,  they  said,  they  should  be  happy  ; 
for  they  had  health — they  had  peace 
of  mind;  their  consciences  were  not 
oppressed  by  a  sense  of  misconduct 
— and  they  Avereable  to  put  their  trust 
in  Providence. 

Mr.  Aubrey  resolved  to  live  in  strict 
privacy  ;  and  they  communicated  their 
residence  to  but  one  or  two  of  their 
numerous  frieuds,  and  to  them  only  in 
confidence.  To  have  acted  otherwise, 
would  have  seriously  interfered  with 
the  arrangements  which,  long  ago 
contemplated,  he  had  now  fixed  upon  ; 
it  would  bo  perpetually  calling  their 
attention  to  the  contrast  between 
former  days  and  scenes,  and  the  pre- 
sent :  it  would  disturb  their  feelings, 
and  might,  moreover,  subject  them  to 
kind  and  generous  importunities  and 
offers,  which,  however  delicate,  would 
be  exquisitely  painful  and  trying  to 
an  honourable  pride.  But  it  is  time 
that  I  should  proceed  to  give  a  more 
particular  account  of  the  position,  the 
personal  feelings,  and  purposes  and 
prospects  of  Mr.  Aubrey. 

From  the  moment  when  Aubrey 
received  the  first  intimation  of  the 
desperate  assault  about  to  be  made 
upon  his  fortunes,  he  felt  a  conviction, 
whether  arising  from  weakness,  or 
superstition,  or  any  other  cause,  it 
concerns  me  not  here  to  say — that  the 
issue  would  be  a  disastrous  one  for 
him  ;  and,  the  first  alarm  and  con- 
fusion over,  with  serious  calmness, 
with  deep  anxiety,  addressed  himself 
to  the  determination  of  his  future 
course  of  life.  A  man  of  his  refined 
taste  and  feeling  would  inevitably 
appreciate  exquisitely — with  a  most 
agonizing  intensity — the  loss  of  all 
those  superior  enjoyments — the  dclicuc 


of  life — to  which  he  had  been  from  his 
birth  accustomed.  Semper  cnim  deli- 
cate  fl-c  mollitcr  vixit.  I  speak  not 
here  of  the  mere  exterior  "appliances 
and  means  "  of  wealth  and  station,  but 
of  the  fastidious  and  sensitive  condition 
of  feeling  and  temper,  which  such  a 
state  of  things  is  calculated  to  en- 
gender in  a  person  of  his  description. 
He  could  part  with  the  one  ;  but  how 
could  he  divest  himself  of  the  other  ? 
Even  had  he  been  alone  in  the  world, 
and  not  surrounded  with  objects  of  the 
tendcrest  regard,  whose  safety  or  ruin 
was  involved  in  his  own,  one  of  the 
results  of  his  opponent's  success — ■ 
namely,  his  claim  to  the  mesne  profits 
— was  calculated  to  fetter  all  his  move- 
ments, to  hang  like  a  millstone  round 
his  neck  ;  and  that  effect,  indeed,  it 
had.  Still  he  played  the  man — re- 
solved to  act  promptly,  and  with  the 
best  consideration  he  could  give  his 
critical  position.  He  had  not  yet 
reached  the  prime  of  life  ;  had  a  fan- 
share  of  health ;  had  been  blessed 
with  the  inestimable  advantages  of  a 
thorough — a  first-rate  education — and, 
above  all,  had  followed  out  his  early 
advantages  by  laborious  and  system- 
atic study  ;  and  had  not  only  mado 
accurate,  extensive,  and  valuable  ac- 
quisitions, but  learned  how  to  uso 
them — to  turn  them  to  practical  ac- 
count. What  would,  he  thought,  have 
become  of  him,  had  he  —  or  those 
before  him — neglected  his  education  ? 
Then  he  had  acquired  a  considerable 
familiarity  with  business-habits,  in 
the  House  of  Commons ;  and  had 
friends  and  connections  who  might  bo 
of  essential  service  to  him,  if  he  could 
but  first  succeed  in  acquiring  a  posi- 
tion that  would  enable  him  to  avail 
himself  of  them.  Surely  all  these  were 
cheering  considerations  ;  subject,  how- 
ever, always  to  the  dreadful  drawbaek 
to  which  I  have  alluded.  Had  he  not 
even  advantages  superior  to  those 
possessed  by  many  in  entering  upon 
some  one  of  the  scenes  of  honourable 
struggle  for  a  livelihood,  and  for  even 
distinction  ?  He  surveyed  them  all 
with  much  deliberation.  The  army 
and  navy  were  of  course  out  of  the 
question.      There    was    the   Church: 

Z  2 


3-10 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


but  no — his  soul  recoiled  from  the 
di  gradation  and  guilt  of  entering  that 
holy  calling  from  mercenary  motives, 
rner  !y  as  a  means  of  acquiring  a 
livelihood  ;  and  lie  would  rather  have 
perished,  than  prefer  the  prayer  of  one 
whose  lamentable  ease  is  left  on  record 
— who  came  and  crouched  for  a  piece 
of  silver,  and  a  morsel  of  bread,  saying, 
2nd  me,  I  pray  thee,  into  one  of  the 
pric-ii'  oj/kes,  that  I  may  cat  a  piece  of 
bread.  A  personage  of  very  high  dis- 
tinction in  the  Church — of  eminent 
piety  and  learning — who  was  aware  of 
the  misfortunes  of  Aubrey,  and  well 
acquainted  with  his  pure  and  exem- 
j  ry  character — his  learning  and  ac- 
quirements— his  fitness  for  the  minis- 
terial otliee — wrote  to  him,  offering 
him  every  facility  for  taking  orders, 
and  assuring  him  that  he  need  not 
wait  long  before  vi  ry  suitable  provision 
would  be  made,  for  him.  Though  he 
assured  Mr.  Aubrey  that  he  believed 
himself  consulting  the  best  interests, 
both  of  Mr.  Aubrey  and  of  the  Church 
— the  scruples  of  Air.  Aubrey  were  not 
to  be  overcome  ;  and  he  wrote  to  the 
kind  and  venerable  prelate,  a  letter 
declining  his  oilers,  and  assigning 
reasons  v.  liich  filled  him  with  profound 
respect  for  Air.  Aubrey.  Then  litera- 
ture, for  which — for  real  substantial 
literature  —  he  possessed  superior 
qualifications,  was  proverbially  pre- 
carious. As  iot teaching — he  felt  quite 
unlit  for  it ;  he  had  not  tho  least 
inclination  for  it;  'twas  a  cheerless 
scene  of  exertion  ;  in  which,  as  it  were, 
he  felt  his  energies  perishing  in  the 
rj.  The  Bab  was  the  profession 
to  which  his  tastes  and  inclinations, 
and,    he    hoped,    his    qualifications, 

fiointed  him.  One  of  the  first  things 
le  clid,  on  reaching  London,  was  to 
apply  for  information  to  one  con- 
summately qualified  to  guide  him  in 
the  matter.  He  wroto  to  the  Attorney- 
General,  soliciting  an  interview  at  his 
chambers  upon  the  Bubject  of  entering 
the  profession;  and  received  an  im- 
mediate an  iwer,  appoint  ing  ten  o'clock 
< > 1 1  Saturday,  on  which  day  the 
Attorney-General  expected  to  bo  free 
from  public  engagements.  Precisely 
at  that  hour,  Air.  Aubrey  entered  the 


chambers  of  that  distinguished  person, 
whose   arrival    he   anticipated.     Poor 


Aubrey  felt  a  little  nervous  and  de- 
pressed as  the  fussy  clerk  showed  him 
into  the  room — as  lie  fancied,  and  only 
fancied — with  an  air  of  patronizing 
civility,  as  if  aware  of  his  diminished 
personal  consequence.  He  stood  for 
a  minute  or  two  very  close  to  Air. 
Aubrey,  with  a  sort  of  confidence  in 
his  manner,  as  he  rubbed  his  hands, 
and  observed  on  the  innumerable  en- 
gagements of  the  Attorney-General, 
which  slightly  —  very  slightly  —  dis- 
pleased Air.  Aubrey,  suggesting  the 
idea  of  undue  familiarity.  He  answered 
the  voluble  clerk  therefore  courteously, 
but  with  an  evident  disinclination  to 
prolong  tho  conversation,  and  was 
quickly  left  alone.  Poor  Aubrey's 
pride  had  taken  the  alarm.  Was  it 
possible  that  the  man  had  been  pre- 
suming to  give  him  a  hint  not  to 
occupy  much  of  the  Attorncy-Gcneral'3 
time?  "Was  it  even  possible  that  it 
had  been  done  in  consequence  of  an 
intimation  from  the  Attorney-General 
himself?  Oh.no  his  own  good  sense 
came  presently  to  his  assistance,  and 
banished  so  absurd  a  notion.  There 
were  three  tables  in  the  room,  and 
each  was  laden  with  briefs,  some  of 
them  of  prodigious  bulk.  Seven  or 
eight  very  recent  ones  were  placed  on 
the  table  opposite  to  which  his  vacant 
chair  was  standing  ;  the  very  sight  of 
all  this  oppressed  Aubrey  :  how  could 
one  man's  head  manage  so  much  ? 
He  was  ruminating  on  such  matters — 
and    especially    upon     the    powerful, 

versatile,  and  practised  intellect  whii  h 
was  requisite  to  get  through  so  much, 
especially  amidst  all  the  harassing 
responsibilities  and  occupations  of 
political  office,  when  the  Attorney- 
General  entered,  lb:  was  a  tall  and 
handsome  man,  about  forty-fire,  with 
an  extremely  graceful  and  gentleman- 
like carriage— a  Blight  dash  of  negli- 
gence in  it  ;  his  manner  fraught  with 
cheerful  composure.  Ho  looked  quite 
a  man  of  the  world  ;  you  would  have 
thoughl  that  he  could  have  nothing  to 
do  but  lounge  at  his  club,  ride  round 
the  Park,  and  saunter  into  the  House 
of  Lord     for  an  hour  or  two.     Thero 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


341 


was  not  a  trace  of  anxiety  or  exhaus- 
tion about  him ;  yet  he  had  been 
engaged  during  the  whole  of  the  pre- 
ceding day  conducting  a  great  political 
cause,  and  not  concluding  his  reply 
till  nine  o'clock  at  night !  There  was 
a  playful  smile  about  his  mouth  ;  his 
ample  forehead  seemed  unfurrowed  by 
a  wrinkle  ;  and  his  bright  penetrating 
hazel  eyes  seemed  never  the  worse  for 
Wear  with  all  the  tens  of  thousands 
of  brief  sheets  on  which  they  had 
travelled  for  the  last  twenty  years. 

"  Ha — Aubrey — I'm  a  few  minutes 
behind  time,  I'm  afraid  ! — How  are 
you?"  said  he,  with  a  cheerful  air, 
grasping  his  saddened  visitor  by  tie 
hand. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Attorney — 
Cum  tot  sustineas,  ct  tanla  negotia, 
solus  "■ — commenced  Aubrey,  pointing 
to  the  piles  of  briefs. 

"  Pho,  my  dear  Aubrey  ;  nonsense  ! 
They've  enough  of  my  time,  surety, 
without  grudging  me  half  an  hour's 
conversation  with  a  friend — ah,  ha  !  " 
They  were  bolh  quickly  seated — and 
within  a  minute  or  two's  time  the 
Attorney-General  had  got  to  Intsincss — 
the  business  of  the  visit.  Aubrey  per- 
ceived the  rapidity  of  the  movement ; 
but  nothing  could  be  kinder  than  the 
manner  of  his  companion,  however 
distinct  and  decisive  his  intimation 
that  time  was  very  precious.  He 
approved  entirely  of  Mr.  Aubrey's 
coming  to  the  bar,  and  strongly  re- 
commended him  not  to  lose  one  day 
in  entering  upon  the  serious  practical 
study  of  it ;  informing  him  that,  as 
an  university  man,  within  three  years' 
time  he  would  be  eligible  to  be  called 
to  the  bar.  "I'll  call  you  myself, 
Aubrey,  if  you  will  allow  me,"  said 
he  ;  but  bef  re  that  period  had  arrived, 
he  hnd  taken  his  seat  upon  the 
Woolsack,  as  Lord  High  Chancellor 
of  England. 

"Undoubtedly,"  said  he,  amongst 
other  things,  when  pressed  by  Aubrey 
about  the  difficulties  he  should  have 
to  encounter,  "the  acquisition  of  the 
technical  knowledge  will  be  for  some 
little  time  rather  troublesome;  but  a 
twelvemonth's  steady  study  by  a  man 
who  is  in  earnest  and  accustomed  to 


work,  will  make  a  vast  inroad  on  it. 
Everything  you  master,  you  see,  helps 
to  master  so  much  more.    Three  years' 
serious   application  to   the  law  by  a 
man  like  you,  will  place  you  far  a- 
head  of  the  bulk  of  men  at  the  bar. 
Besides,   'tis   not    the   study  but    the 
practice,  of  the  law  that   teaches  law 
most   effectually.  —  Always   have   an 
eye  to  principle,  and  resolve  thoroughly 
to   understand   the   smallest   details ; 
and  it  will  be  a  wonderful  assistance 
in  fixing  them  for  practical  use  in  your 
mind,  to  learn  as  much  as  you  can  of 
the  i-easons  and  policy  in  which  they 
originated.     You'll  find  Reeve's   His- 
tory of  the    English   Lav/  of  infinite 
service  to  you  ;  I  should  read  it  in  the 
evenings  ;  'tis  full  of  interest  in  every 
point  of  view.     I  read  every  word  of 
it,    very  carefully,    soon   after   I    left 
college  ;  and,  by  the  way,  I'll  tell  you 
another  book,    by  which   I   did   the 
same — the  State  Trials  :  ay,  by  Jove, 
Aubrey,  I  read  eveiy  word  of  them — 
speeches,  examinations,  cross-examina- 
tion of  witnesses,  reply,  and  summing 
up.     That's  where  I  first  learned  how 
to  examine  and  cross-examine  a  wit- 
ness.    Consider,  the  counsel  employed 
were,    3'ou   know,    generally  first-rato 
men,  and  exerted  themselves,  on  such 
occasions,  to  the  utmost.     And  there 
you  also  learn  a  great  deal  of  consti- 
tutional law.  ■ —  You    ask  how  I    get 
through  so  much  ?     To   be  sure,  one 
has  enough  to  do,  and  I'm  afraid  I 
neglect   a   good  deal ;    but   the  great 
secret  is — attention,  and  to  one  thing 
at  a   time.     The  sun's  rays  scattered 
are  comparatively  powerless  ;  condense 
them,  they  are   irresistible  : — but  all 
this  3^011  know  as  well  as  I  do. — Cer- 
tainly, law  is  difficult :  but  its  difficulty 
is  often  greatly  overrated,   especially 
by  imperfectly  educated  and  ill-disci- 
plined, quick,  sharp  men.      You,  will 
find  it  a  very  different  matter.     "What 
is   wanted    is   a   clear   head,    a  good 
memory,    strong   common    sense,    an 
aptitude    for    analysis    and    arrange- 
ment :     before    these    combined,    the 
difficulties  of  law  fly  like  the  morning 
mist  before  the  sun. — Tact  with  the 
court  and  a  juiy  is  acquired  by  prac- 
tice, to  a  considerable  extent,  iu  tho 


342 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


absence  even  of  natural  endowments. 
And  as  for  you,  Aubrey — upon  my 
honour,  I've  often  listened  with  great 
satisfaction  to  you  in  the  House  ;  few 
ever  made  clearer  statements  of  facts, 
or  reasoned  more  closely  and  cogently 
than  you  did  ;  with  practice,  you  would 
have  become  a  formidable  debater.  In 
your  new  profession  you  will  find  facts 
become  quite  dilfercnt  things  ;  flexible, 
elastic,  accommodating — you  may  do 
anything  with  them — twist,  and  turn, 
and  combine;  ha!  ha !  Aubrey!" 
[Here  the  Attorney-General  laughed 
in  the  plenitude  of  his  own  conscious 
power.]  "In  a  word,  Aubrey,  if  you 
determine  to  get  on  at  the  bar,  you 
will ;  and  if  you  can  but  get  a  bit  of  a 
start  at  beginning;  now,  for  instance, 
there's  Runningtons'  house — one  of  the 
very  first  in  London — why  it  they  would 
push  you — your  fortune's  made.  But 
you  must  make  up  your  mind  to  wait 
a  little :  you  can't  get  into  a  great 
business  by  a  bop,  step,  and  a  jump, 
believe  me.  Certainly  /have  no  cause 
to  be  dissatisfied ;  I've  done  pretty 
Well;  but  I  can  tell  you  that  eighl 
years  passed  over  me  before  I  earned 
enough  a-year  to  pay  my  laundress  ! 
With  me,  accident  supplied  the  place 
of  connexion  :  but  only  suppose  how  I 
must  have  worked  in  the  mean  time  to 
be  able  to  do  business  when  it  came  to 
me !  I  know  it's  said  that  I  was  al- 
ways an  idle  man  ;  but  people  wen;  a 
good  deal  mistaken  about  that  matter, 
1  can  promise  them  !  Wirnt idiots,  in- 
deed, to  suppose  such  a  thing  I  "Why, 
my  very  first  start  lifted  me  into  a 
business  of  a  thousand  a-year  ;  and  in 
the  name  of  common  sense,  how  could 
I  have  got  through  it,  if  I  hadn't 
worked  beforehand?  Bah! — Now,  if 
Runningtons'  will  Btand  by  you,  I'll 
guarantee  your  making  .£500  your  first 
year  I  and  if  they  won't,  why,  don't 
despair,  you'll  have  to  wait  a  little 
longer  ;  but  it  will  come  at  last,  de- 

fiend  on  it,  if  you  continue  on  the 
ook-out !  Besides,  you  can  help  me 
a  little  bit,  eh!  It  will  bo  a  sorl  of 
introduction,  you  know;  but  we've 
time  enough  to  Bee  about  thai .-  [re- 
commend you  to  gel  a<  once  into  the 
chambers  of  some  hard-working  man, 


with  a  good  deal  of  general  business, 
particularly  Pleading — let  me  see  " — ■ 
Here  the  Attorney-General  paused  and 
stroked  his  chin  for  a  moment  or  two 
in  a  musing  manner,  "Ah,  yes,  there's 
WEASEL,  the  very  man  for  your  pur- 
pose. He's  a  good  pleader,  and  a  neat 
draftsman  ;  gets  through  his  work  very 
clean!)/ — ah  !  Weasel's  a  clear-headed 
pains-taking  man — all  for  law ;  and 
he's  got  a  good  deal  of  it.  He's  not  a 
very  polished  person,  Weasel,  ha  !  ha  ! 
but  he's  an  honourable,  right-minded 
man — shall  I  introduce  you?  "Well, 
by  and  by,  I'll  walk  over  with  you. — 
As  to  books  ?  oh  !  why — I  suppose 
you've  looked  into  Blackstone  ?  lie's 
a  fine  fellow  Blackstone,  and  deserves 
all  that  lias  been  said  in  his  praise. 
Many  think  that  he's  only  to  bo 
glanced  at,  at  the  beginning  of  their 
studies  ;  never  believe  it !  lie's  good 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter  !  I've  a  pro- 
found respect  for  Blackstone  ;  it's  tho 
only  hook  I've  read  four  or  five  times 
through — ay,  from  cover  to  cover  ;  ho 
makes  law  lovely  !  Stick  to  Black- 
stone  by  all  means!  Beeves — oh!  I 
mentioned  him,  you  know.  Then  I 
should  go,  I  think,  to  Coke  on  Little- 
ton ;  but  we  shall  have  several  oppor- 
tunities of  talking  over  these  matters. 
I  really  believe,  Aubrey,  that  you  are 
doing  a  very  wise  thing  in  coming  to 
the  liar.  If  you've  health,  and  the. 
average  opportunities,  (though  I  think 
you  will  have,  more,)  I'll  undertake  to 
say  that  in  a  few  years'  time  you  will 
realize  an  income — which  may  be  a 
great  one  —  but  which  (whatever  it 
may  be)  you'll  earn,  as  you  did  not 
the  one  you've  lost;  and  you'll  enjoy 
it,  Aubrey,  ten  thousand  times  more! 
All  that  I  can  do  for  you,  in  every 
way,  I  will — command  me  !  By  tho 
way,"  he  added,  assuming  a  somewhat 
anxious  expression  of  countenance,  ami 
a  manner  very  different  from  the  free, 
buoyant,  off-hand  manner  in  which, 
for  tho  last   twenty   minutes,   he   had 

been  speaking,  (Aubrey feeling  all  tho 
while  the  easy  commanding  power  and 
simplicity  of  the  splendid  intellect  with 
which  he  was  communing,)  "  I'm  al- 
most afraid  to  ask;  hut  how  do  yc-U 
come  cm,  about  the Mesne  Profits!" 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


343 


"I  have  heard  nothing  whatever 
about  them,  as  yet,"  replied  Aubrey, 
sighing ;  his  face  suddenly  oversha- 
dowed with  gloom.  A  moment's  pause 
ensued  ;  winch  was  interrupted  by  the 
Attorney-General  saying,  in  a  very 
earnest  and  feeling  manner,  "I  hope 
to  God  you'll  be  able  to  get  some 
favourable  arrangement  made  !  You've 
not  seen  anything  of  Mr.  Titmouse's 
attorneys,  I  suppose  ? " 

"Oh,  no  !  nor  heard  anything  from 
them." 

"  I've  had  very  little  to  do  with 
them  ;  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap — 
these  are  the  people,  eh  ? "  Mr.  Aubrey 
nodded.  ' '  Quirk  is  a  stubborn  wooden- 
headed  fellow  —  an  old  hedgehog ! 
Egad !  that  man's  compounded  more 
felonies,  the  old  scamp,  than  any  man 
in  England !  I  should  like  to  have 
him  in  the  witness-box  for  a  couple 
of  hours,  or  so !  I  think  I'd  tickle 
him  a  little,"  said  the  Attorney- 
General,  with  a  bitter  smile.  "They 
say  he's  a  confidential  adviser  to  a  sort 
of  Thieves'  Association.  But  there's 
Gammon :  I've  had  several  things  to 
do  with  him.  He  is  a  superior  man, 
that  Gammon ;  a  very  superior  man. 
A  keen  dog !  I  recollect  him  being 
principal  witness  in  a  cause  when  I 
was  for  the  plaintiff;  and  he  com- 
pletely  baffled  Subtle — ah,  ha,  how 
well  I  recollect  it ! — Subtle  lost  his 
temper  at  last,  because  he  couldn't 
make  Gammon  lose  his !  Ah,  how 
cleverly  the  fellow  twisted  and  turned 
with  Subtle  for  nearly  an  hour !  ah, 
ha  —  Subtle  looked  so  chagrined  !  — 
Have  you  seen  Mr.  Gammon  ? " 

"No,  I've  had  no  occasion." 

"He  has  a  pleasing,  gentlemanlike 
appearance ;  rather  a  striking  face. 
lies  the  man  you'll  have  to  deal  with 
in  any  negotiations  on  the  subject  I 
named.  You  must  mind  what  you're 
about  with  him.  You  mustn't  think 
me  intrusive,  Aubrey  ;  but,  have  they 
sent  in  their  bill  yet?" 

Mr.  Aubrey  involuntarily  shuddered, 
as  he  answered  in  the  negative. 

"I'd  give  a  triile  to  know  how  the  I 
plague  such  people  ever  came  to  be 
concerned  in  such  a  case.     'Tis  quite 
out  of   their  way — which   is  in   the 


criminal  line  of  business !  —  They'll 
make  their  client  pay  for  it  through 
the  nose,  I  warrant  him ! — By  the 
way,  what  an  inconceivably  ridiculous 
little  ass  that  Titmouse  is— I  saw  him 
in  court  at  York.  If  he'd  only  go  on  • 
the  stage,  and  act  naturally,  he'd 
make  his  fortune  as  a  fool !  " — Mr. 
Aubrey  faintly  smiled  at  this  sally ; 
but  the  topics  which  the  Attorney- 
General  had  just  before  touched  upon, 
had  not  a  little  oppressed  his  spirits. 

' '  As  this  is  comparatively  an  idle 
day  with  me,"  said  the  Attorney- 
General,  "and  I've  got  ten  minutes 
more  at  your  service — suppose  I  go 
with  you  at  once — nothing  like  tho 
present  moment — to  Mr.  "Weasel's  ?  " 

"I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you,"  re- 
plied Aubrey — and  both  rose  to  go. 
"Say  I  shall  be  back  in  a  few  min- 
utes," said  the  Attorney-General,  in 
answer  to  his  clerk,  who  reminded 
him,  as  he  passed  the  clerk's  door, 
that  Mr.  Sergeant  Squelch  and  Mr. 
Putty  would  be  there  in  a  moment  or 
two's  time.  As  they  crossed  the  court 
—"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Putty?" 
said  the  Attorney-General,  with  lofty 
civility,  to  a  grinning  little  confident 
personage  who  met  him,  exclaiming 
with  flippant  familiarity,  "How  do 
you  do,  Mr.  Attorney?' — Coming  to 
your  chambers — you  don't  forget  ? — 
Consultation — eh  ? " 

"I  perfectly  recollect  it,  Mr.  Putty, 
I  shall  return  presently" — replied  the 
Attorney-General,  somewhat  stiffly, 
and  passed  on,  arm-in-arm  with  Mr. 
Aubrey. 

"Now,  that  forward  little  imp's 
name,  Aubrey,  is  Putty,"  whispered 
the  Attorney-General.  "He  was  a 
glazier  by  trade ;  but  just  as  he 
finished  his  apprenticeship,  an  uncle 
left  him  a  few  hundred  pounds,  with 
which  —  would  you  believe  it  ?  — • 
nothing  would  suit  him  but  decking 
himself  in  a  wig  and  gown,  and 
coming  to  the  bar  —  ah,  ha!— The 
fellow's  creeping,  however,  into  a  l.ttle 
business,  positively  !  They  say  he  has 
a  cousin  who  is  one  of  the  officers  to 
the  Sheriff  of  Middlesex,  and  puts  a 
good  many  little  things  in  his  way ! 
He's  my  junior  in  a  criminal  informa- 


344 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YE  AIL 


tlnn  against  a  newspaper,  for  charging 
his  father-in-law — a  baker,  who  sup- 
plies some  workhouse  with  bread — ■ 
with  making  it  of  only  one-third  floor, 

one-third  rye,  and  the  remainder 
dust — ah,  ha,  ha  ! — I  dared  hardly 
look  at  the  judges  while  I  moved 
the  Rule  Nisi,  for  fear  of  laughing! 
This  is  the  case,  in  which  we're  going 
to  have  the  consultation  he  spoke  of 
—  hut  here's  Mr.  Weasel's."  They 
mounted  a  narrow  dingy-looking, 
Well-worn  stair-ease — and  on  the  first 
floor,  beheld  "Mr.  Weasel "  painted 
over  the  door.  On  the  Attorney- 
General  knocking,  as  soon  as  his  clear 
silvery  voice  was  heard  asking  for  Mr. 
"Weasel,  and  his  dignified  figure  had 
been  recognised  by  the  clerk,  who  had 
one  pen  in  his  mouth,  and  another  he- 
hind  his  ear — that  humble  functionary 
suddenly  bent  himself  almost  double 
three  or  four  times  ;  and  with  flustered 
obsequiousness  assured  (he  great  man 
that  Mr.  Weasel  was  quite  at  liberty. 
The  next  moment  the  Attorney-General 
and  Mr.  Aubrey  were  introduced  into 
Mr.  Weaa  l's  room  —  a  small  dusky 
room,  wretchedly  furnished,  the  walls 
lined  with  book-shelves,  well  filled — 
and  the  table  at  which  he  was  writing, 
and  a  chair  on  each  side  of  him, 
strewed  with  draft  paper,  which  he 
was  covering  at  a  prodigious  rate. 
He  was,  in  fact,  drawing  a  "Declara- 
tion" in  an  action  for  a  Breach  of 
promise  of  Marriage;  (taking  a  hasty 
pinch  of  fiery  Welsh  snuff  every  three 
minutes  ;)  and  his  task  seemed  to  be 
rendered  very  difficult,  by  the  stra 
conduct  of  the  defendant — surely  the 
most  fickle  of  mankind — who,  with 
an  extraordinary  inconsistency,  not 
knowing  his  own  mind  for  a  day  to- 
gether, bad  promised  to  marry  Miss 
M 'Squint,  the  heart-broken  plaintiff, 
firrtiy,  within  a  reasonable  time; 
ndly,  on  a  given  day  ;  thirdly, 
on  the  defendant's  return  from  the 
c< 'ii t iii'  ii t  ;  fourthly,  i  n  tie'  death  of 
bis  father,  (both  of  which  events  were 
averred  to  have  t  iki  a  phv  e  ;)  fifthly, 
when  the defendai  ecul  his 

Wise    teeth,    (which    it    Was   aVelTed    he 

had  ;)  and  lastly,  on  "/.  ing  requested" 
by  the  lady — which  it  was  avcrr  d  Bhc 


had  done,  and  in  the  most  precise  and 
positive  manner,  had  been  ready  and 
willing,  and  then  [what  will  the  ladies 
say  >]  "tendered  and  offered  herself  to 
marry  the  said  defendant"  who  had 
then  wholly  neglected  and  refused  to 
do  any  such  thing.  One  notable  pe- 
culiarity of  the  case  was,  that  all  these 
promises  had  been  made,  and  all  these 
events  had  transpired  in  one  particular 
place — and  that  rather  an  odd  one, 
viz.  in  "the  parish  of  Saint  Mary  Le 
Bow,  in  the  ward  of  Cheap,  in  the 
City  of  Zandon."*  If  you  had  been 
better  acquainted  with  Mr.  Weasel's 
associations  and  mode  of  doing  busi- 
ness, you  would  have  discovered  that 
in  his  imagination,  almost  all  the  oc- 
currences of  life  took  place  at  this 
same  spot !  But  to  return — thus  was 
Mr.  Weasel  engaged  when  they  entered. 
Ho  was  a  bachelor,  upwards  of  forty  ; 
was  of  spare  make,  of  low  stature, 
had  a  thin,  sharp,  sallow  face,  and 
short  stiff  black  hair ;  there  was  an 
appearance  about  the  eyes  as  if  they 
W<  re  half-blinded  with  being  inces- 
santly directed  to  white  paper ;  ho 
had  a  furrowed  forehead,  a  small 
pursed-up  mouth — one  hardly  knew 
why,  but  really  there  was  something 
about  his  look  that  instantly  suggi  stcd 
to  you  the  image  of  the  creature  whoso 
name  he  bore.  He  was  a  ravenous 
lawyer,  darting  at  the  point  and  pith 

of  every  case  he  was  concerned  in,  and 
sticking  to  it — just  as  would  his  blood- 
thirsty  namesake  at  the  neck  of  a  rab- 
bit. In  law  he  lived,  moved,  and  had 
bis  being.  In  his  dreams  he  was  ever- 
lastingly spinning  out  pleadings  which 
he  never  could  understand,  and  hunt- 
ing for  cases  which  he  could  not  dis- 
cover. In  the  daytime,  hnwvvcr,  ho 
was  more  successful.  In  fact,  every- 
thing he  saw,  heard,  or  read  of  — 
wherever  he  was,  whatever  he  was 
doing,  suggested  tit  him  questions  of 
law  that  might  arise  out  of  it.     At 

his  sister's  welding  (whither  he   had 

without  reluctant  e)  he  got 

into  a  wrangle  with  the  bridegroom, 

*  It  may  be  aa  well  to  appri  i  the  reader, 

that  tl  b  mode  of  pit  a g  baa  bei  a 

l.cuh  fed  by  one  luoio  1'casuliable 

and  intelligible. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


345 


on  a  question  started  by  himself, 
whether  an  infant  was  liable-  for  goods 
supplied  to  his  wife  before  marriage  ; 
at  his  grandmother's  funeral  he  got 
into  an  intricate  discussion  with  a 
puzzled  proctor  about  bona  notabilia, 
with  reference  to  a  pair  of  horn  spec- 
tacles, which  the  venerable  deceased 
had  left  behind  her  in  Scotland,  and 
a  poodle  in  the  Isle  of  Man ;  and  at 
church,  the  reading  of  the  parable  of 
the  Unjust  Steward,  set  his  devout, 
ingenious,  and  fertile  mind  at  work 
for  the  remainder  of  the  service,  as  to 
the  modes  of  stating  the  case  now-a- 
days  against  the  offender,  and  whether 
it  would  be  more  advisable  to  proceed 
civilly  or  criminally  ;  and  if  the  for- 
mer, at  law  or  in  equity.  He  was  a 
hard-headed  man ;  veiy  clear  and 
acute,  and  accurate  in  his  legal  know- 
ledge :  every  other  sort  of  knowledge 
he  despised,  if,  indeed,  he  had  more 
than  the  faintest  hearsay  knowledge 
of  its  existence.  He  was  a  Cambridge 
man  ;  and  there  had  read  nothing  but 
mathematics,  in  which  he  had  made  a 
decent  figure.  As  soon  as  he  had  taken 
his  degree,  he  migrated  to  the  Temple, 
where  he  had  ever  since  continued  en- 
gaged in  the  study,  and  then  the  suc- 
cessful practice,  of  the  law,  as  a  special 
pleader  under  the  bar.  He  had  a  very 
large  business,  which  he  got  through 
ably  and  rapidly.  He  scarcely  ever 
went  into  society ;  early  want  of  op- 
portunity for  doing  so,  had  at  length 
given  him  a  want  of  inclination  for  it 
— to  say  nothing  of  his  want  of  timr. 
"When,  as  was  seldom  the  case,  he 
ventured  out  for  a  wyalk,  he  went,  mut- 
tering to  himself,  at  a  postman's  pace, 
to  get  the  greatest  quantity  of  exer- 
cise, in  the  smallest  space  of  time. 
He  was, not  a  bad-tempered  man,  but 
had  become  nervous,  fidgety,  and  irri- 
table. His  tone  of  voice  was  feeble, 
his  utterance  hesitating,  his  manner 
hurried.  What  a  laughable  contrast 
between  him  and  his  visitor !  The 
Attorney-General  coming  to  Mr.  W< la- 
ser's chambers,  suggested  the  idea  of  a 
magnificent  mastiff  suddenly  poking 
his  head  into  the  little  kennel  of  a 
querulous  pug-dog ;  and  I  suppose 
Mr.  Aubrey  might  be   likened  to  a 


greyhound  accompaning  the  aforesaid 
mastiff!  On  seeing  his  visitors,  Mr. 
Weasel  instantly  got  up,  with  a  blush 
of  surprise,  and  a  little  hurry  and  em- 
barrassment of  manner.  His  clerk 
put  out  a  couple  of  chairs,  and  down 
they  sat.  The  Attorney-General  came 
to  the  point  in  about  half  a  minute, 
and  the  matter  was  very  quickly  set- 
tled ;  it  being  arranged  that  within  a 
day  or  two's  time,  as  soon  as  the  forms 
necessary  for  admitting  Mr.  Aubrey  to 
an  Inn  of  Court  should  have  been 
completed,  he  should  commence  hi3 
attendance  at  Mr.  Weasel's,  from  ten 
o'clock  till  five,  daily. 

"It's  a  comical  looking  little  ani- 
mal, isn't  it  ? "  quoth  the  Attorney- 
General,  with  a  laugh,  as  soon  as  they 
had  got  out  of  hearing. 

"  Certainly,  I  don't  feel  particularly 
prepossessed 

"  Oh,  pho  !  He's  the  very  man  for 
you — the  very  man.  There's  no  non- 
sense with  Weasel ;  you  may  learn  an 
infinite  deal  of  law  from  him,  and 
that  is  all  you  want.  He's  a  very 
inoffensive  fellow  ;  and  I've  no  doubt 
you'll  soon  like  his  chambers  greatly, 
if  you're  in  earnest  in  studying  the 
law.  You  go  or  not,  of  course,  as 
you  choose  ;  whatever  you  do  is  per- 
fectly voluntary ;  pay  him  his  hundred 
guineas,  and  then,  if  you  like,  you 
may  gut  many  thousand  pounds'  worth 
out  of  him  in  the  twelvemonth.  Now, 
I  must  bid  you  good  morning — I've 
really  not  another  moment  to  spare. 
God  bless  you,  my  dear  Aubrey ;  and," 
he  added,  with  great  kindness,  and  a 
very  pointed  manner,  "whenever  you 
may  think  it  worth  your  while  to  talk 
over  your  affairs  with  me,  come  with- 
out notice  or  ceremony — wherever  I 
may  be,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  see 
you  !  "  Then  they  parted.  Mr.  Au- 
brey was  not  aware  of  a  certain  stroke 
of  delicacy  and  generosity  on  the  part 
of  the  Attorney-General ;  viz.  that 
immediately  on  the  Rule  being  dis- 
charged, ho  had  sunt  for  Mr.  Run- 
ningtoii,  and  insisted  on  returning 
every  sixpence  of  his  fees — upward:; 
of  six  hundred  guineas — desiring  that 
Mr.  Aubrey  should  not  be  made  ac- 
quainted with  it,   if  by  any  means 


346 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Messrs.  rauinington  could  conceal  it 
from  him  ! 

A  little  fatigued  and  harassed  by 
Beveral  important  matters,  which  kept 
him  engaged  till  a  late  hour  in  the 
afternoon,  he  reached  Vivian  Street  in 
a  depressed  and  desponding  mood. 
Just  as  lie  turned  the  corner,  he  beheld, 
at  about  twenty  yards'  distance,  Mrs. 
Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey  slowly  walk- 
ing homeward,  on  their  return  from 
the  l'ark.  Mrs.  Aubrey  held  Charles 
by  the  hand,  who  was  dancing  and 
frisking  wildly  about,  and  Miss  Au- 
brey's beautiful  little  Cato  she  was 
leading  along  by  a  slender  chain. 
They  were  in  half-mourning;  there 
was  such  an  air  of  elegant  simplicity 
about  them — their  figures,  their  car- 
riage, so  easy  and  graceful!  Aubrey, 
as  he  neared  them,  gazed  at  them 
•with  mingled  feelings  of  pride  and 
tenderness. 

"Oh,  my  papa!  my  papa!"  sud- 
denly exclaimed  Charles,  who,  hap- 
pening to  turn  round,  had  caught 
sight  of  his  father,  and  ran  eagerly 
down  to  him  :  with  what  a  thrill  of 
Live  did  he  take  in  his  arms  the  beau- 
tiful breathless  boy,  and  how  his  heart 
yearned  towards  his  wife  and  sister,  as 
they  also  turned  quickly  round  to  mc<  t 
him,  after  a  long  day's  absence  !  How 
inexpressibly  dear  were  they  to  him — 
how,  that  day,  he  enjoyed  their  quiet 
little  dinner-table— the  romp  with  his 
children  afterwards — and  a  long  even- 
ing of  eager  and  interesting  conversa- 
tion, after  the  little  ones  had  gone  to 
bed,  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  busy  the 
while  with  some  slight  matter  of  needle- 
work !  They  had  received  several 
letters  from  Yorkshire,  which  they 
read  to  him.  One  was  from  poor 
Dr.  Tallinn,  who,  though  he  concealed 
a  good  deal  lhat  would  have  occasioned 
needless  pain,  y<  I  Mem  a  melan- 

choly notion  of  the  altered  Btate  of 
things  at  the  Hall,  Though  it  was 
rathi  r  late  before  'hey  retired  to  re  I 
il  i  he  ensuing  Sunday, 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  to  be  Found  Beated  in 
his  study  by  half  past  four  on  Monday 
morning,    perusing,    with    profound 

attention,    .stimulated    by    the    si1 

observation  of  the  Attorney-General, 


tho  second  volume-  of  Blacfcstore's 
Commentaries — a  work  with  which  he 
had  already  a  very  tolerable  familiarity. 
'Twas  really  a  thing  to  be  proud  of, 
that  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  so  many  ab- 
sorbing anxieties,  such  distracting 
apprehensions  concerning  the  future, 

I  command  his  attention  in  tho 
way  he  did.  To  be  sure,  he  felt  that 
it  was  plainly  life-and-death  work  with 
him  ;  but  he  might  have  derived  gnat 
encouragement  from  perceiving  him- 
self possessed  of  that  faculty  of  con- 
centrating tho  attention,  which  tho 
Attorney-General  had  spoken  of  as  so 
essential  an  attribute  of  a  lawyer. 
The  way  in  which  he  parcelled  out  his 
time  was  this  :  From  the  time  that  ho 
entered  his  study  till  breakfast-time, 
he  resolved  to  read  law  —  from  ten 
o'clock  till  four  or  live,  was  to  be  spent 
at  Mr.  Weasel's  chambers  —  and  tho 
evenings  were  to  be  devoted  to  tho 
society  of  his  children,  his  wife,  and 

r,  and  also  to  certain  occasional 
literary  efforts,  from  which  he  hoped 
to  derive  some  little  increase  to  his 
means.  This  was  s"vere  work  ;  but  it 
was  probably  the  most  fortunate  and 
salutary  thing  in  the  world  for  Aubrey, 
that  his  energies  should  be  thus  oc- 
cupied, and  his  mind  kept  from  tho 
corroding  effects  of  constant  reflection 
upon  his  misfortunes,  and  dismal  ap- 
prehensions concerning  the  future. 
After  he  had  spent  a  few  days  in  Mr. 
Weasel's  chambers,  a  good  deal  of  Ids 
prejudice  against  that  gentleman  began 
to  wear  off.  Mr.  Aubrey  found  him 
all  that  the  Attorney-General  had 
described  him  as  being — a  very  acute 

and     able     lawyer,    with     a     constant 

current  of  important,  varied,  and  in- 
structive business  running  through 
bis  chambers,  and  every  disposition  to 
render  his  utmost  assistance  to  Mr. 
Aubrey,  whom  he  quickly  found  out 
to  be  b  in":  of  very  superior  intellect, 
and  most  seriously  bent  upon  acquiring 
a  know  led;;.'  of  the  profession.  Mr. 
Weasel  was  in.;  ble  3ed  with  the  power 
of  formally  communicating  elementary 
knowledge;  Mr.  Aubrey  had,  as  it 
.  to  extract  from  him  what  ho 
wanted,  with  some'hing  like  a  painful 
effort.     The  advantages  of  his  position 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR 


347 


Were  the  Innumerable  practical  hints 
and  suggestions  as  to  the  mode  of  deal- 
ing with  miscellaneous  business,  which 
he/ derived  from  a  watchful  attention 
to  whatever  passed  in  chambers  —  to 
the  mode  in  which  Weasel  hunted  up 
and  applied  his  law,  and  reduced  the 
facts  involved  in  litigation  into  legal 
shape  and  language,  in  the  process  of 
pleading.  The  penetrating  eye  of  Mr. 
Aubrey,  thus  closely  fixed  on  every- 
thing that  came  under  his  notice, 
quicldy  began  to  discover  and  appre- 
ciate the  good  sense,  the  practical 
utility  of  most  of  the  positive  rules  of 
law  which  he  saw  in  operation ;  and 
at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks, 
he  began  to  feel  interest  in  the  study 
upon  which  he  had  so  vigorously 
entered,  and  in  which  he  felt  himself 
making  real  progress.  Mr.  "Weasel, 
during  even  that  time,  perceived  the 
prodigious  superiority  of  Mr.  Aubrey 
over  another  pupil,  who  had  nearly 
completed  his  second  year  in  Mr. 
Weasel's  chambers,  after  a  twelve- 
month spent  in  a  conveyancer's  ;  not, 
of  course,  in  respect  of  legal  knowledge, 
but  of  intellectual  power  and  aptitude 
for  business. — Mr.  Aubrey  would  re- 
turn to  Vivian  Street  about  six  o'clock 
each  day,  a  little  fatigued  with  a  very 
long  day's  work,  (for  he  was  never 
later  than  five  o'clock  in  entering  his 
study  in  the  morning  ;)  but  quickly 
cheered  and  refreshed  by  the  sight  of 
the  fond  and  lovely  beings  whom  he 
there  rejoined,  and  who  had  been 
counting  the  very  minutes  till  he  re- 
turned. Every  day  knit  that  little 
family  together,  if  jiossible,  in  stronger 
bonds  of  love  ;  for  they  clung  to  each 
other  with  a  feeling  of  having  been 
thrust  out  of  the  great  gay  world  to- 
gether, and  sent,  as  it  were,  upon  a 
pilgrimage  afar,  amidst  scenes  of  in- 
creasing gloom,  difficulty,  and  danger. 
Every  day  that  bore  them  further  from 
their  expulsion  from  Yatton,  as  it  were, 
mellowed  their  recollections  of  past 
scenes,  and  poured  upon  their  wounded 
feelings  the  soothing  balm  of  pious 
resignation  ;  and  sometimes,  also,  faint 
and  trembling  beams  of  hope  concern- 
ing the  future,  would  steal  across  the 
gloomy    chambers    of    their     hearts. 


Thank  Ood,  the  view  of  the  past  pre- 
sented to  them  no  occasion  for  shame, 
for  remorse,  for  self-condemnation  1 
They  trusted  that,  in  their  day  of 
wealth  and  distinction,  they  had  not 
been  found  wanting  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  imposed  upon  them. 
Therefore  they  had  consolation  from  a 
view  of  the  past.  But  the  futurk  — 
indeed — 

"  Shadows,  clouds,  and  darkness  rested 
on  it." 

Their  hearts  involuntarily  fluttered 
and  shrank  within  them,  when  they 
gazed  upon  the  threatening  gloom  that 
hung  over  it.  Their  straitened  circum- 
stances— an  honourable  poverty — had 
been  a  burden  light,  indeed,  to  bear. 
They  were  very  happy  in  one  another's 
company  ;  their  house,  though  small, 
was  convenient,  and  even  elegantly 
comfortable  ;  they  had  health  ;  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  constant  exercise  for  an 
active  and  vigorous  mind,  in  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  learning  of  a  noble 
profession,  the  practice  of  which  might 
possibly  hereafter  raise  all  of  them  to 
even  affluence  and  distinction — at  all 
events,  might  secure  them  the  sub- 
s  antial  comforts  of  life.  But  Mr. 
Aubrey  would  have  moments  of  heavi- 
ness and  trepidation.  When  engaged 
in  his  little  study,  in  the  profound 
solitude  and  silence  of  the  early  morn- 
ing, while  he  was  thus  straining  his 
faculties  to  their  utmost,  on  behalf  of 
the  sweet  innocent  beings — his  wife— 
his  children  —  his  sister  —  sleeping 
above,  he  would  sometimes  lean  back 
in  his  chair,  with  a  very  deep  sigh, 
and  sink  into  a  reverie — oh,  how  sad 
and  painful ! — deepening  occasionally 
into  agony ;  but  he  woidd  suddenly 
arouse  himself,  and  resume  his  studies 
with  a  powerful  effort  at  abstraction — ■ 
with  additional  intensity  of  applica- 
tion. How  could  he  be  otherwise  than 
momentarily  "paralysed,  when  he  sur- 
veyed his  alarming  and  tremendous 
pecuniary  liabilities  ?  Bills  of  costs — 
Heaven  only  knew  to  what  amount — 
due  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  ;  to  his  own  attorneys,  Messrs. 
llunnington  ;  and  to  Mr.  Parkinson  : 
and  then — sickening  and  fearful  object  1 


348 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


— the  Mesno  Profits — what  was  to  bo- 
coine  of  thorn  all  ?  The  mind  that,  in 
the  presence  of  such  disturbing  forces 
as  these,  could  app'y  its  en  rgi 
successfully  as  did  that  of  Mr.  Aubrey 
to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  with 
any  degree  of  calmness,  must  surely 
have  been  of  no  common  order,  and 
have  undergone  no  slight  discipline; 
hut,  alas  !  alas  !  what  Could  all  this  have 
availed  him,  unless  he  had  been  vouch- 
safed assistance  from  on  high  ?  "When 
the  waters  were  come  in  unto  his  soul ; 
when  ha  was  */?</.■*>/.</  in  deep  mire,  )Hu  re 
there  was  no  standing ;  when  he  was 
come  into  deep  waters,  where  the  floods 
overflowed  hi  m — whither  was  he  to  look 
hut  to  one  quarter,  and  that  above, 
with  earnest,  and  faithful,  and  constant 
supplication  to  the  Almighty  ! 

The  constant  apprehension  of  very 
great  evil — suspense  is  a  state  almost 
as  terrible  and  insupportable,  especially 
1o  those  of  lively  susceptibilities,  as 
that  produced  by  the  infliction  of  the 
evil.     Every  morning  when  Aubrey 

left  home,  he  dreaded  to  think  of  what 
might  happen  before  his  return  ;  and 
when  he  quitted  the  Temple,  lie  felt  a 
sinking  of  the  heart  when  lie  though! 
of  what  might  have  transpired  in  his 
absence.  In  fact,  they  all  of  them 
felt  like  those  whom  the  ominous 
silence  and  repose  of  surrounding  na- 
ture— a  portentous  calm  and  gloom 
overhead — li!l  with  trembling  appre- 
hension of  the  coming  storm.  Tneir 
fears  an-  quickened  by  the  occasional 
falling  of  large  spreading  drops  of  rain 
through  the  sultry  sky,  not  a  breath 
of  air  stirring.      Upward  is  oft  turned 

the  pale  el k  and  apprehensive  eye 

towards  the  black  accumulating  clouds, 
from  which  may  soon  II  line  the  de- 
structive lightning— what,  in  such  a 
,  is  tht  re  to  rely  upon,  but  the 
re  i«y  of  Jlim  around  \\ hose  throne 
;  i  e  clouds  and  darkness,  an  I  thewhirl- 
v.  ind  and  b  mp  Bt  his  ordering  ? 

They  were  sitting  one  morning  at 
their  usual  early  and  simple  breakfast, 
and  Mr.  Aubrey  was  reading  alo 
for  his  wife  and  Bister's  suggestions, 
a  second  article:  which  he  had  com- 
menced overnight,  de  igned  for  one 
of  the  Reviews     having  about  a  fort- 


night beforo  sent  off  his  first  efTort, 
about  'which,  however,  he  had  as  yet 
h.ard  nothing;  and  Kate  was  play- 
fully patting  his  cheek,  and  telling 
him  that,  for  all  he  might  say  to 
the  contrary,  a  particular  expre  sioii 
was  not,  in  her  opinion,  'elegant 
English  ! " 

"  It  is,  you  port  puss  of  a  critic," 
insisted  Aubrey,  with  a  good-natured 
laugh  ;  and  then,  turning  to  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  "  What  do  you  say,  Agnes  .'" 

"Oh  —  why — 1  really  like  it  very 
much  as  it  is." 

"  I  sha'n't  alter  it,"  said  Aubrey, 
laughing. 

"Then  I'll  alter  it  when  you're 
"one,"  quoth  Kate  with  affected  pcrt- 
ncss,  and  bringing  her  beaut  it'ul  laugh- 
ing face  so  ii'  ir  his  own,  with  a  hind 
of  air  of  defiance,  that  he  kissed  her 
forehead,  and  said  it.  should  be  as  she 

chose. 

Just  then  a  knock  at.  the  door  an- 
nounced a  visitor,  who  proved  to  I  e 
Mr.  Rnnnington.  Why  it  was,  they 
hardly  knew;  but  they  all  slightly 
changed  colour,  lie  had  called  so 
eirly,  he  Baid,  to  ensure  seeing  Mr. 
Aubrey  before  he  went  to  the  Temple  \ 

and,   though   he  had   been  sh  nvn  into 

the  study,  .Mr.  Aubrey  insisted  on  his 
joining  the  breakfast  table. 

"We've   very   plain    fare    for  you, 
however,"  said  he,  as  Mr.  Runninj 
yielded  to  his  wishes. 

Mr.  Aubrey  perceived,  with  some 
uneasiness,  that,  the  kind  and  thought- 
ful countenance  of  Mr.  Runnington 
wore  rather  an  anxious  expression. 
And  indeed  so  it  was.  when  ho 
looked  at  those  who  sat  before  him  — 
lovely,  elegant,  yet  with  a  plainly 
forced  cheerfulness  —  reflected  on  the 
Bufferings  which  they  had  pa 
through,  and  that  which  was  in  stort 
for  tie  m —and  for  the  first  bitter  in- 
stalment of  which  he  had  come  to 
prepare  Mr.  Aubrey  could  he  but 
feel   vry  deep  sympathy  for  thoml 

.As  s i  as  he  had  retired  with    Mr. 

Aubrey  to  the  Btudy,  in  a  low  tone  he 
infoi  mod  M  r.  Aubrey  of  his  errand, 
which  was  to  apprise  bim  that,  the 
evening  before,  Me  rs.  Quirk,  Gam* 
nioii,   and   Bnap's  BILL  had  come  in. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


349 


"Well,  show  it  me,  if  you  please," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  calmly,  extending 
his  hand. 

' '  My  dear  sir,  why  do  you  suppose 
I  have  it  with  mc?"  enquired  Mr. 
Runuington  with  a  concerned  air. 
"  You  are  not  accustomed  to  such 
matters — God  forbid  you  should!  It 
is  too  bulky  for  me  to  have  brought 
with  me,  and  lies  at  our  office !  " 

"  What  is  the  amount  of  it,  then  ? " 
enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  dreading  to 
hear  the  answer  ;  while  Mr.  Running- 
ton  took  out  of  his  pocket-book  a  slip 
of  paper,  which  he  handed  to  Mr. 
Aubrey,  and  on  which  the  latter  read 
—'£3946  14s.  6d.'  He  gazed  at  it 
for  some  moments  in  silence,  and  be- 
came very  pale.  Mr.  Rumiington 
could  hardly  bear  to  look  at  him,  and 
think  of  the  two  lovely  women  in  the 
adjoining  room,  who  were  so  fearfully 
interested  in  the  intelligence  which 
had  so  dismayed  Mi-.  Aubrey. 

"This  is  a  very — large— amount," 
said  he,  at  length,  with  forced  calmness. 

"  It  is  a  most  serious  affair,"  replied 
Mr.  Runuington,  shaking  his  head  and 
sighing. 

' '  Then  there  is  yours  —  and  Mr. 
Parkinson's." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Aubrey — sufficient  for  the 
day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

"Will  you  oblige  me  by  saying 
what  is  the  probable  amount  of  your 
bill  ? "  enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a 
calmness  which  seemed  lent  to  him 
by  despair. 

"  Oh  !  I  assure  you  we  have  thought 
nothing  at  all  about  it,  nor  shall  we 
for  some  time  to  come,  Mr.  Aubrey. 
We  have  not  the  slightest  intention  of 
troubling  ourselves,  or  you,  with  the 
matter  till  you  may  be  in  a  position 
to  attend  to  it  without  serious  incon- 
venience." 

"  But  do  favour  me  with  something 
like  a  notion,"  pressed  the  unhappy 
Aubrey. 

"Why — perhaps  I  am  hardly  doing 
right  in  mentioning  it ;  but  whenever 
our  bill  is  sent  in,  it  will  be  less  by 
some  six  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  by 
the  noble  generosity  of  the  Attorney- 
General,  who  has  returned  all  his 
fees " 


"Returned  all  his  fees!"  echoed 
Mr.  Aubrey  starting,  while  the  colour 
rushed  into  his  cheek,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  his  countenance  was  of  pride 
struggling  with  astonishment,  and 
gratitude,  and  admiration.  He  ex- 
quisitely appreciated  the  conduct  of 
his  distinguished  friend  ;  and  at  the 
same  time  felt  a  totally  new  and  very 
painful  sense  of  pecuniary  obligation. 

"  I  feel,  Mr.  Aubrey,  that  I  have 
broken  my  promise  to  the  Attorney- 
General,  who  extracted  from  me  a 
solemn  pledge,  to  endeavour  so  to 
manage  the  matter  as  that  you  should 
never  know  it.  What  is  it,  after  all — 
noble  as  it  is — to  the  Attorney-General, 
with  his  £12,000  or  £15,000  a-year ? " 

' '  Oh — do  not  talk  so,  Mr.  Running- 
ton  ;  I  am  overpowered,  oppressed. 
Never  in  all  my  life  have  I  experienced 
feelings  like  those  with  which  I  an 
now  agitated  !  "  He  rose,  and  stood 
opposite  the  window  for  a  few  minutes 
— neither  of  them  speaking.  Then  he 
returned  to  his  seat. 

' '  How  much  does  that  leave  me 
your  debtor  ? " 

"Why — really  it  is  hard  to  say,  un- 
prepared— I  should  imagine  that  our 
account  is  reduced  to  some  £1500  or 
£1000— about  which " 

"Then  there  is  Mr.  Parkinson's," 
said  Aubrey  in  a  low  tone,  but  with 
a  desperate  air  ;  presently  adding — 
"  Here  are  some  £6000  or  £7000  to 
start  with  ;  and  then  we  come  to  the 
mesne  profits  —  gracious,  gracious 
God  ! "  he  suddenly  added,  with  a 
visible  shudder.  He  folded  his  arms 
convulsively,  and  gazed,  for  a  second 
or  two,  at  Mr.  Runnington,  with  an 
eye  whose  expression  was  overpowering. 
In  his  face  Mr.  Runuington  beheld  no 
longer  the  mild  and  melancholy  ex- 
pression to  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed, but  a  sternness  and  power  were 
apparent  in  his  features,  which  Mr. 
Runuington  had  not  imagined  them 
capable  of  exhibiting.  They  told  of  a 
strong  soul  thoroughly  roused,  and 
excited,  and  in  agony.  At  that  mo- 
ment a  knocking  was  heard  at  the 
door,  as  of  very  little  fingers.  "  Gome 
in ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey,  with 
unusual  quickness  and  sternness.    The 


350 


TEX  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


door  wa3  gently  opened,  and  Charles's 
little  face  peeped  into  the  room  timidly, 
quite  startled  by  the  tone  in  which  he 
had  been  addressed.     "Come  in,  ray 

child  !  "  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  ratlin-  tremu- 
lously, when  he  saw  that  it  was  his 
son,  and  observed  the  apprehensive- 
ness  overspreading  his  little  features. 
Charles  immediately  advanced,  with  a 
serious  submissive  air,  saying— "This 
letter  is  just  come — Mamma  sent  me 
with  it,  dear  papa " 

"  Give  it  me,  Charles,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey,  extending  his  hand  for  it, 
trhile  with  the  other  he  gently  placed 
the  child  upon  his  lap,  and  kissed 
him.  "I'm  not  angry  with  you, 
diaries,"  said  he  tenderly. 

"I've  not  been  naughty,  you  know, 
dear  papa  !  "  said  he  with  innocent 
surprise. 

"No,  no,  my  little  love."  The 
ruined  father  could  say  no  more  ; 
but  putting  aside  the  child's  flowing 
curly  locks  from  his  temples,  as  it  Were 
mechanically,  he  gazed  on  Ids  little 
face  for  a  moment,  and  then  folded 
him  in  his  arms  with  unspeakable  ten- 
derness. Mr.  Kunnington  rose,  and 
stood  for  some  moments  gazing  through 
the  window,  unwilling  that  his  own 
emotion  should  be  observed.  When 
Mr.  Aubrey  opened  the  letter,  it  proved 
to  be  from  the  publisher  of  the  Review 
to  which  he  had  sent  his  article,  en- 
closing a  cheque  for  forty  guineas, 
expressing  an  earnest  desire  that  he 
would  continue  his  contributions,  and 
assuring  him  that  the  editor  considered 
the  article  "in  every  way  admirable." 
As  soon  as  lie  had  glanced  over  the 
letter — "You  little  messenger  of  hope 
and  mercy  !  "  he  thought,  again  ki 
his  son,  who  sat  passively  gazing  at 
the  agitated  countenance  ofhia  fatheb 
— "  1  cannot,  1  will  not  despair  !  You 
have  brought  me,  as  it  were,  a  ray  of 
light  from  heaven,  piercing  the  fearful 
■  m  of  my  situation  :  'tis  a  token, 
I  am  not  forgotten  :  1 
fid  as  though  an  angel,  momi  ntarily 
brightening  the  nighl  of  sorrow,  had 
cone:    and     whispi  red     in     my    e  u 

•coi  i:  •..  ;. :  '  "    His  features  Began  to 
resume  their  natural  serenity  of  ex] 
eion.      "Take  it  in  to  your  mamma," 


said  he,  kissing  little  Charles,  and  de- 
spatching him  with  the  letter.  Shortly 
afterwards,  as  soon  as  he  had  recovered 
the  command  of  his  manner  sufficiently 
to  avoid  occasioning  uneasiness  to  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Aubrey,  he  proposed  to  Mr. 
Runnington  that  they  should  walk 
towards  the  Temple  ;  and  bidding  adieu 
to  those  whom  he  left  behind  him, 
without  giving  them  an  opportunity  to 
as';  him  as  to  the  nature  of  Mr.  Run- 
nington's  errand,  but  leaving  them  in 
high  spirits  at  the  letter  which  he  had 
sent  in  to  them,  he  quitted  the  house 
arm-in-arm  with  Mr.  Runnington.  I 
am  persuaded  that  if  that  gentleman 
had  had  no  one  to  consult,  he  would 
have  relieved  Mr.  Aubrey  altogether 
from  liability  to  him;  but  lie  had  four 
partners;  their  own  pecuniary  outlay 
had  been  considerable  ;  and,  therefore, 
the  thing  was  really  out  of  the  question. 
As  they  walked  along,  in  the  course'  of 
much  anxious  conversation,  Mr.  Run- 
nington told  Mr.  Aubrey  that  he  con- 
sidered Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap's  bill  to  be  extortionate  ;  and 
that  it  might,  on  taxation — a  pro,  ess 
which  he  explained  to  Mi'.  Aubrey — 
be  reduced,  probably,  by  at  least  on«- 
Kalf,  lint  he  also  reminded  Mr. 
Aubrey  of  the  power  which  they  held 
in  their  hands,  in  respect  of  the  mesne 
profits  ;  and  intimated  his  opinion, 
that  in  all  probability  they  ha  I  made 
out  their  bill  with  an  eye  to  such  con- 
siderations— namely,  that  it.  should  bo 
discharged  without  rigorous  scrutiny 
into  its  constituent  items,  before  they 
would  listen  to  any  terms  whatever 
for  the  payment  of  the  mesne  profits  ; 
and  that  Mr.  Aubrey's  position,  with 
respect  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap,  was  one  which  required  the 
greatesl  possible  deliberation  and  cir- 
cumspection on  his  port,  especially  in 
the  matter  of  the  bill  just  de  Lv<  red  in 
by  them. 
""I    see!      The   whole,"   said    Mr. 

Aubrey,  "comes  to  this:  they  will 
relieve  me  from  liability  to  Mr.  Tit- 
e,  for  as  much  of  what  may  be 
due  to  him,  as  they  can  divi  rt.  into 
their  own  I kets  !  " 

"That  certainly  seems  very  much 
likfl    it,"    replied    Mr.    Runnington, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


351 


shrugging  his  shoulders;  "but  you 
will  leave  all  such  considerations  and 
matters  to  us  ;  and  rely  on  our  honour 
and  our  discretion.  At  what  may 
appear  to  us  the  exact  moment  for 
doing  so  with  effect,  depend  upon  our 
most  cautious  interference.  We  know, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  the  kind  of  people  we 
have  to  deal  with.  Mr.  Titmouse  is 
very  likely  to  be  merely  a  puppet  in 
their  hands — at  least  in  those  of  Mr. 
Gammon,  who  is  a  very  long-headed 
man,  and  with  whom,  I  have  no  doubt, 
our  negotiations  will  have  to  bo  carried 
on." 

"That  is  just  what  the  Attorney- 
General  said  —  and  he  invited  me, 
moreover,  to  converse  with  him,  when- 
ever I  might  consider  that  his  advice 
would  be  useful." 

"  Could  you  have  a  better  adviser  ? 
He  has  a  most  penetrating  sagacity, 
long  exercised — in  short,  his  qualifi- 
cations are  consummate  ;  and  I  should 
not  hesitate  about  consulting  him 
whenever  we  feel  at  a  loss." 

"  Why  should  I  disguise  anything 
from  you,  Mr.  Runnington  ]  " — said 
Aubrey — "you  ought  to  know  the 
exact  state  of  my  affairs.  I  have  a 
little  family  plate,  which  I  could  not 
bear  to  part  with  ;  my  books  ;  and  the 
remnants  of  the  furniture  at  Yatton, 
which  I  have  saved  in  order  to  furnish 
our  present  residence.  Besides  this, 
the  outside  of  all  that  I  am  possessed 
of — and  I  have  no  expectations,  nor 
has  my  wife  nor  my  poor  sister,  from 
any  quarter — is  a  sum  of  about  £3000 
in  the  funds,  and  £423  at  my  banker's. 
Those  are  my  circumstances ;  they 
appal  me  merely  in  stating  them  : — 
Why,  I  owe  double  the  sum  I  have 
named,  for  lawyers'  bills  only.  I  have 
not  enough,  without  parting  with  my 
books  and  plate,  to  discharge  even 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap's 
bill ! " 

"  It  would  be  cruel  and  absurd  in 
me  not  to  express  at  once,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
my  conviction  that  your  situation  is 
fearfully  critical ;  and  that  your  sole 
hope  is  in  the  treatment  which  may  be 
expected  from  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap,  and  their  client,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse.     Serious   as  are,  at  present, 


your  other  liabilities— to  that  one,  they 
are  but  as  a  bucket  of  water  to  the 
Thames.  As  we  are  talking,  Mr.  Au- 
brey, in  this  candid  and  unrestrained 
manner,  I  will  tell  you  my  chief  source 
of  apprehension  on  your  account,  with 
reference  to  Messrs.  Quirk?  Gammon, 
and  Snap  :  namely,  that  they  may 
possibly  speculate  on  your  being  able, 
if  placed  in  real  peril,  to  call  around 
you,  in  your  extremity,  a  host  of 
wealthy  and  powerful  friends  —  as 
security,  or  otherwise " 

"They  will  find  themselves,  then, 
utterly  mistaken.  If  they  and  their 
client  are  really  capable  of  such  shock- 
ing brutality — such  wanton  oppression 
— let  them  do  their  worst :  I  am  re- 
signed. Providence  will  find  out  a 
shelter  for  my  wife  and  children,  and 
my  dear,  devoted,  high-spirited  sister  ; 
and  as  for  myself,  rather  than  satiate 
the  rapacity  of  such  wretches,  by  plun- 
dering good  -  natured  and  generous 
friends,  I  will  end  my  days  in  prison. " 

Mr.  Aubrey  was  evidently  not  a  little 
excited  while  he  said  this ;  but  thero 
was  that  in  his  tone  of  voice,  and  in 
his  eye,  which  told  Mr.  Runnington 
that  he  meant  what  he  said  ;  and  that, 
as  soon  as  it  should  have  come  to  the 
point  of  oppression  and  injustice,  no 
man  could  resist  more  powerfully,  or 
endure  with  a  more  dignified  and  in- 
flexible resolution.  But  Mr.  Running- 
ton  would  fain  hope  that  it  would  not 
come  to  such  an  issue.  He  consoled 
Mr.  Aubrey  with  assurances  that,  as 
for  their  own  demand,  it  might  stand 
over  for  several  years  :  and  that  so,  he 
was  sure,  would  it  be  with  the  far  lesser 
demand  of  Mr.  Parkinson  ;  and  that 
if,  by  a  great  effort,  sufficient  could  be 
raised  to  discharge  promptly  the  bill 
of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
some  much  more  favourable  arrange- 
ment respecting  the  amount  and  mode 
of  payment  of  the  mesne  profits  might 
be  effected — leaving  Mr.  Aubrey,  in  the 
mean  time,  leisure  to  apply  himself 
vigorously  to  his  studies  for  the  bar, 
for  which  Mr.  Runnington  assured 
him  that  he  considered  him  peculiarly 
qualified  ;  and  pledged  himself  to  back 
him  with  all  the  influence  ho  had,  or 
could  command. 


3jJ 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"Gracious  Heaven,  Mr.  Huiiiiinpc- 
ton ! "  said  Aubrey,  with  a  little 
excitement,  "is  it  not  very  nearly 
intolerable  that  I  should  pass  the 
prime  of  my  days  in  thraldom  to  such 
people  as  these,  and  be  encircled  by 
the.  chains  of  such  a  man  as  this  Tit- 
mouse is  represented  as  being?  I  will 
not  call  myself  his  foe,  nor  his  victim; 
Lut  I  am  the  one  through  whose 
sudden  destitution  he  has  obtained  a 
splendid  fortune.  I  did  not  knowingly 
deprive  him  of  it — he  must  be  bereft 
of  all  the  ordinary  feelings  of  humanity, 
to  place  me,  whom  he  has  already 
stripped  of  all,  upon  the  rack — the 
rack  of  extortion  !  Oh !  put  mo  in 
his  place,  and  him  in  mine — do  you 
think  I  would  not  have  been  satisfied 
with  what  I  had  gained  ?  Would  / 
have  alarmed  and  tortured  him  by 
calling  for  an  account  of  what  he  had 
spent  with  a  firm,  a  reasonable  per- 
suasion that  it  was  his  own  •  Oh,  no! 
J  i  ould  not  only  have  forgiven  him  all, 
but  endeavoured  to  secure  him  from 
future  want."  He  sighed.  "  Oh,  that 
I  were  at  this  moment  a  free  man  ! 
pauper — s  d  in  meo  cere;  that  I  had 
but  five  hundred  pounds  to  keep  me 
and  mine  for  a  year  or  two — with  a 
mind  at  ease  and  lit  for  study  !  but 
lure  we  are,  at  the  Temple.  When 
.shall  wo  meet  again — or  shall  I  hear 
from  you  ?" 

"  Very  shortly,"  replied  Mr.  Run- 
nington,  who  for  the  last  few  minutes 
had  been  listening  to  Mr.  Aubrey  in 
respectful  and  sympathizing  silence  ; 
and  .shaking  him  warmly  by  the  hand, 
with  much  cordiality  and  fervency  of 
manner,  he  pledged  himself  to  do  all 
in  his  power  to  promote  his  interests. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Whek  Mr.  Aubrey  arrived  at  Mr. 
Weasel's  chambers,  he  looked  dejected 
ami  haras  le  1  ;  but,  with  a  aoble  effort 
of  Belf-commaud,  nt  once  addressed 
himself,  calmly  and  vigorously,  to 
the  business  of  the  day.     From   time 


to  timo  ho  peremptorily  excluded  the 
harassing  thoughts  and  recollections 
arising  out  of  his  morning's  interview 
with  Mr.  Runnington  ;  and  succeeded 
in  concentrating  his  attention  upon  a 
case  of  more  than  usual  intricacy  and 
multifariousness  of  details,  which  Mr. 
Weasel,  having  glanced  over,  had  laid 
aside  for  a  more  leisurely  perusal  He 
handed  it,  however,  to  Mr.  Aubrey 
soon  after  his  arrival,  with  something 
approaching  to  a  secret  satisfaction,  in 
the  expectation  of  its  "proving  too 
much  for  him  ;"  but  he  was  mistaken. 
Mr.  Aubrey  left  a  little  earlier  than 
usual  ;  but  not  before  he  had  sent  in 
the  voluminous  "case"  to  Mr.  Weasel's 
room  by  the  clerk,  together  with  a 
half-sheet  of  draft  paper,  containing  a 
brief  summary  of  the  results  at  which 
he  had  arrived  ;  and  which  not  a  little 
surprised  Mr.  Weasel.  The  case  did 
not  happen  to  involve  much  technical 
knowledge  ;  but  in  respect  of  the  im- 
perfect manner  in  which  it  was  drawn 
up,  and  the  confusion  worse  confounded 
of  the  transactions  themselves,  out  of 
which  the  questions  arose,  required 
patient  persevering  attention,  strength 
of  memory,  and  great  clear-headedness. 
In  short,  Weasel  owned  to  himself 
that  poor  Aubrey  had  taken  a  very 
masterly  view  of  the  case  ;  and  how 
would  his  estimate  of  his  pupil's  ability 
have  been  enhanced,  by  a  knowledge 
of  the  situation  in  which  he  was 
placed— one  so  calculated  to  distract 
his  attention,  and  prevent  that  hearty 
ami  complete  devotion  to  legal  studies, 
without  which  Mr.  Weasel  well  knew 
how  vain  was  the  attempt  to  master 
them? 

"Have   you   read  Aubrey's  opinion 
on  that  troublesome  case  - 1  mean  the 
I  lornish    Bank  I  "    enquin  d    Wea 
taking    a    pinch    of    Bnuff,    of    Mr. 
Thorou  ;hp  ice,  another  pupil  w ho  had 

taken  his  si  il  !-  side  Mr.  V>  e 
to  see  him  "settle"  [i.r.  score  out, 

interline,  and   alter]  q   pleading  drawn 

by  the  aforesaid  Thoroughpace.     That 
!•  in  ui   replied    in    the    negat  ive. 

"lie's  got  a  headpiece  of  his  own,  I 
can  tell  you.  Egad,  somehow  re 
another,  he  always  contrives  to  ait 
the  nail  on  the  head." 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


353 


"  I'd  a  sort  of  notion,  the  very  first 
day  ho  came,  that  he  was  a  superior 
man,"  replied  Thoroughpace.  "He 
makes  very  few  notes — seems  to  trust 
entirely  to  his  head  " 

"Ah  !  a  man  may  cany  that  too  far, " 
interrupted  Mr.  Weasel,  thrusting  a 
pinch  of  snuff  up  his  nose. 

"Then  I  wish  /  could,"  replied 
Thoroughpace.  "Isn't  there  such  a 
thing  as  making  the  hand  engross  the 
business  of  the  head  ?  "  Mr.  Weasel — 
recollecting  that  in  his  library  stood 
twelve  thick  folio  volumes  of  manu- 
script "precedents,"  which  he  had 
been  fool  enough  to  copy  out  with  his 
own  hand  during  his  pupilage,  and 
the  first  year  or  two  of  his  setting  up 
in  business — hemmed,  and  again  ap- 
plied to  his  snuff-box.  "  How  do  you 
get  on  with  him  in  the  pupil's  room  ?  " 
he  enquired. 

"  Why,  I  didn't  like  him  at  first. 
Very  reserved,  and  has  a  little  hauteur. 
Even  now,  though  very  courteous,  he 
says  little,  seems  entirely  absorbed  by 
his  studies,  and  yet  to  have  something 
or  other  on  his  mind." 

' '  Ah  !  I  dare  say  !  Law's  no  trifle, 
I  warrant  him  !  No  doubt  it's  teasing 
him !  "  replied  Weasel,  rather  com- 
placently. 

"By  Jove!  but  I  don't  think  it 
docs.  I  never  saw  a  man  to  whom  it 
seemed  to  yield  so  easily.  —  He's  a 
particularly  gentlemanlike  person,  by 
the  way  ;  and  there's  something  very 
attractive  in  his  countenance.  He 
seems  highly  connected.  I've  seen 
several  notes  come  here  for  him  with 
coronets  on  the  seals,  and  several  well- 
known  " 

"Oh — -why,  you've  heard  of  the 
great  cause  of  Doe  d.  Titmouse  v. 
Joltcr,  a  Yorkshire  ejectment  case, 
tried  only  last  Spring  assizes  ?  Well, 
he's  the  defendant,  and  has,  I  hear, 
lost  everything." 

"You  astonish  me  !  By  Jove,  but 
he  had  need  work  !  " 

"Shall  we  set  to  work,  Mr.  Tho- 
roughpace?" said  Weasel  suddenly, 
looking  at  his  watch  lying  on  his  desk. 
"  I've  promised  to  let  them  have  this 
plea  by  six  o'clock — or  the  other  side 
will     be     signing    judgment ; "     and 


plunging  his  pen  into  the  inkstand, 
to  work  he  went,  more  suo,  as  if  such 
a  man  as  his  pupil  Mr.  Aubrey  had 
never  existed.  He  was  not  at  all  a 
hard-hearted  man  ;  but  I  believe  that 
if  a  capias  ad  satisfaciendum  (i.e.  final 
process  to  take  the  body  into  custody) 
against  Charles  Aubrey,  Esquire,  had 
come  into  Mr.  Weasel's  chambers  to 
settle,  as  requiring  special  accuracy — 
after  humming  and  hawing  a  bit — 
and  taking  an  extra  pinch  of  snuff,  he 
would  have  settled  it,  marked  his 
scvcn-and-sixpcncc  in  the  corner,  and 
seut  it  out  with  other  papers,  consoling 
himself  with  this  just  reflection,  that 
the  thing  vutst  be  done  by  somebody ! 
and  he  might  as  well  have  the  fee  as 
auy  one  else  ! 

On   Mr.  Aubrey's  return  home   to 
dinner,  he   found  that  his  sister  had 
received  another  long  letter  from  Dr. 
Tatham,    to   wbieh   was   appended    a 
postscript   mentioning    Mr.    Gammon 
in  such  terms  a3  suggested   to    Mr. 
Aubrey  a  little  scheme  which  he  re- 
solved   to  cany  into   effect    on    the 
morrow — namely,    to    call   himself  at 
the  office  of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap,  and  seek  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Gammon,  who,  Dr.  Tatham  stated, 
had  quitted  Yatton  for  town  only  the 
day  before  the  Doctor  had  written  to 
Miss   Aubrey.     After   a   very  restless 
and  unhappy  night,  during  which  he 
was  tormented  with  all  kinds  of  dismal 
dreams,   Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap   figuring    in  each  as   the   stern 
and  mysterious  arbiters  of  his  earthly 
destiny,  he  resolved  to  put  an  end  to 
his  present  insupportable  suspense — to 
learn  at  once  the  extent  of  what  be 
had  either  to  hope  or  to   fear  —  by 
calling  that  very  afternoon  at  Saffron 
Hill.     For  that  purpose,  he   quitted 
Mr.  Weasel's  at  the  early  hour  of  three 
o'clock  ;  and  straightway  bent  his  steps 
through  Fetter  Lane  to  Hatton  Garden, 
and  thence  enquiring  his  way  to  Saff- 
ron Hill.     He  was  not  long  in  finding 
the  House  of  which  he  was  in  quest, 
his  eye  being  soon   attracted   by  the 
great,     gleaming     brass  -  plate     with 
"Quirk,    Gammon,    and  SNAr,"   as 
prominent    and   threatening   as    ever 
those  names  had  appeared  to  Titmouse 

AA 


354 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAi;. 


in  the  day  of  his  agony  and  suspense. 
He  had  stood  gazing  at  them  with 
idiot  longing  and  vulgar  apprehension, 
as  the  reader  has  seen.  How  very 
different  a  person  now  looked  at  them 
with  feelings  of  intense  interest  and 
over-mastering  anxiety,  as  at  the  names 
of  those  who  had  him  completely  in 
their  power — his  fortunes,  his  liberty, 
his  livelihood,  and  that  of  the  dear 
heings  whose  interests,  whose  all  on 
earth,  whose  personal  safety  were  bound 
up  in  his.  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a  jaded 
air,  dressed  in  a  buttoned  black  sur- 
tout,  and  with  an  umbrella  under  his 
arm,  entered  the  hall,  where  were  sit- 
ting and  standing  several  strange- 
looking  people — ono  or  two  suffering 
evidently  great  agitation  ;  in  fact, 
relatives  of  prisoners  whose  trials  for 
capital  offences  were  coming  on  the 
next  day  at  Newgate — and  made  his 
way  into  a  room,  on  the  door  of  which 
he  read  "  Clerk's  Iloom." 

"Now,  sir,  your  business?"  said  a 
showily  dressed  Jewish-looking  youth, 
lolling  at  a  desk  from  which  he  did 
not  move,  and  speaking  in  a  tone  of 
very  disagreeable  assurance. 

"Is  Mr.  Gammon  within  ? "  enquired 
Mr.  Aubrey,  taking  off  his  hat  ;  and 
there  was  a  certain  something  in  his 
voice,  countenance,  and  bearing,  that 
induced  the  personage  he  addressed  to 
slip  off  his  stool,  and  exhibit  as  court- 
eous an  air  as  he  could  possibly 
assume. 

"Mr.  Gammon  is  in  his  room,  sir, 
and  alone.  I  believe  he,  is  rather  busy 
— but  I've  no  doubt  you  can  see  him.  ' 

"  The  fact  was,  that  at  that  moment 
Mr.  Gammon  was  engaged  drawing  up 
'Instructions  to  prepare  I  '>  elaration ' 
in  an  action  for  mesne  profits,  against 
Mr.  Aubrey  I  He  had  only  the  day 
before  returned  from  Yatton,  where 
circumstances  had  occurred  which  had 
quickened  their  intended  proceeding 
against  Mr.  Aul  n  the firsl  quar- 

ter to  which,  at  .Mr.  Titmouse's 

tion,  they  were  to  look  for  a  con- 
siderable supply  of  ready  mom  y.  That 
morning!  in  the  very  room  into  which 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  to  be  presently  shown, 
had  taken  place  a  long  di  cu 
between  .Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr.  Gammon, 


on  the  subject  which  had  now  brought 
to  their  office  Mr.  Aubrey.  Mr.  Quirk 
was  for  making  short  work  of  it — for 
"  going  straight  a-head  ' — and  getting 
the  whole  £60,000,  or  security  for  the 
greater  portion,  and  £20,000  down  ! 
Gammon,  however,  was  of  opinion  that 
that  was  mere  madness  ;  that  by  at- 
tempting to  proceed  to  extremities 
against  so  unfortunate  a  sufferer  as 
Mr.  Aubrey,  they  could  not  fail  of 
drawing  down  on  themselves  and  their 
client  universal  execration  ;  and,  more- 
over, of  driving  Mr.  Aubrey  desperate, 
and  forcing  him  either  to  quit  tho 
country,  or  accept  the  protection  of 
the  insolvent  laws.  He  had,  at  length, 
satisfied  Mr.  Quirk  that  their  only 
chance  was  in  gentleness  and  moder- 
ation ;  and  the  old  gentleman  had,  as 
usual,  agreed  to  adopt  the  plan  of 
operations  suggested  by  Gammon.  The 
latter  personage  had  quite  as  keen  a 
desire  and  firm  determination  as  tho 
former,  to  wring  out  of  their  wretched 
victim  the  very  last  farthing  that  there 
was  the  slightest  probability  of  ob- 
taining; for  Titmouse  had  pointed  to 
that  quarter  for  the  discharge  of  his 
ten  thousand  pound  bond  to  the  firm, 
and  also  th  ir  bill  of  costs  to  him, 
(which  contained  some  three  hundred 
items,  slightly  varied  in  language, 
that  were  also  charged  in  their  bill  to 
Mr.  Aubrey;)  then  twenty — or  at  least 
fifteen  thousand  pounds,  were  to  bo 
handed  over  to  himself,  Titmouse  ; 
ami  all  the  rest  that  could  be  got,  Mr. 
Gammon  might  appropriate  to  his 
own  use.  His  enquiries  into  Mr. 
Aubrey's  circumstances,  had  com- 
pletely c  nvinced  him  that  it  would 
ipossible  to  i  xtract  any  consider- 
able sum  from  that  unfortunate  gentle- 
man ;  and  that  if  they  could  contrive 
to  gi  t  their  bill  paid,  perh  tan- 

tial  security  for  four  or  five  thousand 
of  the  me  ine  profits,  and  l1  a  ov  n 
pet  onal  security  for  the  payment  of 
any  j 'nit ion  of  the  remainder,  hereafter 
— they  had  better  n 
look  for  liquidation  of  their  own  heavy 
claim  to  a  mortgage  upon  the  Yatton 
estates.  Mr.  Gammon  had  also  pro- 
posed to  himself  certain  othci  objects, 
in  dealing  with  Mr.  Aubrey,  than  tho 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


355 


mere  extraction  of  money  from  him  ; 
and,  in  short,  prompted  by  consider- 
ations, such  as  those  above  intimated, 
he  had  come  to  the  determination,  an 
hour  or  so  before  Mr.  Aubrey's  most 
unexpected  visit,  to  be  at  once  pre- 
pared with  the  necessary  means  for 
setting  in  motion  legal  proceedings  for 
the  recovery  of  the  arrear  of  mesne 
profits. 

"  Have  I  the  honour  to  address  Mr. 
Gammon  ?  "  commenced  Mr.  Aubrey 
courteously,  on  being  shown  into  the 
room — not  announced  by  name — where 
Gammon  sat  busily  engaged  writing 
out  the  "Instructions"  for  framing 
the  rack  on  which  it  was  designed 
to  extend  the  as  yet  unconscious 
Aubrey. 

"Sir,  my  name  is  Gammon,"  he 
replied,  colouring  a  little- — rising  from 
his  chair,  with  an  expression  of  very 
great  surprise — "  I  believe  I  have  the 
honour  of  seeing  Mr.  Aubrey  ? — I  beg 
you  will  allow  me  to  offer  you  a  chair  " 
— he  continued,  placing  one  as  far  as 
he  could  from  the  table,  and  then, 
getting  another,  he  sat  down  between 
Mr.  Aubrey  and  the  table ;  expecting 
to  hear  his  visitor  at  once  open  the 
subject  of  their  bill,  which  they  had 
so  recently  sent  in. 

"Will  you  suffer  me,  Mr.  Aubrey," 
•ommenced  Gammon,  with  a  bland 
and  subdued  air,  not  fulsome,  but 
extremely  deferential,  "before  enter- 
ing on  any  business  which  may  have 
brought  you  here,  to  express  deep  and 
sincere  sympathy  with  your  sufferings, 
and  my  personal  regret  at  the  share 
we  have  had  in  the  proceedings  which 
have  ended  so  adversely  for  your 
interests  ?  But  our  duty  as  profes- 
sional men,  Mr.  Aubrey,  is  often  as 
plain  as  painful !  " 

"I  feel  obliged,  sir,  for  your  kind 
expressions  of  sympathy — but  I  cannot 
for  a  moment  conceive  any  apology 
necessary.  Neither  I  nor  my  advisers 
have  ever  had  cause  to  complain  of 
harsh  or  unprofessional  treatment  on 
your  part.  Your  proceedings  certainly 
came  upon  me — upon  all  of  us — like  a 
thunder-stroke,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  with 
a  subdued  sigh.  "I  trust  that  you 
nave  given  me  credit,  Mr.  Gammon, 


for  offering  no   vexations   or  uncon- 
scientious obstacles." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Aubrey!  on  the  con- 
trary, I  am  at  a  loss  for  words  to 
express  my  sense  of  your  straight- 
forward and  high-minded  conduct ; 
and  have  several  times  intimated  my 
sentiments  on  that  subject  to  Messrs. 
Runnington's," — Mr.  Aubrey  bowed — 
' '  and  again  anxiously  beg  that  you 
will  give  me  credit  for  feeling  the 
profoundest  sympathy" — he  paused, 
as  if  from  emotion  :  and  such  might 
well  have  been  excited  byr  the  appear- 
ance of  Mr.  Aubrey — calm  and  melan- 
choty — his  face  full  of  anxiety  and 
exhaustion,  and  his  figure,  naturally 
slender,  evidently  somewhat  emaciated. 

f "  1  wonder,"  thought  Gammon, 
"whether  he  has  any  iyisuranccs  on 
his  life. — He  certainly  has  rather  a 
consumptive  look :  how  could  one 
ascertain  whether  he  has  insured  ? 
And  where?"] 

"  I  trust,  most  sincerely,  Mr. 
Aubrey,  that  the  mental  sufferings 
you  must  have  undergone  have  not 
affected  your  health  ?  "  enquired  Gam- 
mon, with  an  air  of  infinite  concern. 

"A  little,  but,  thank  God,  not 
materially  ;  I  never  was  veiy  robust," 
he  replied,  with  a  faint  sad  smile. 

["How  lite  his  sinter/" — thought 
Gammon,  watching  his  companion's 
countenance  with  real  interest.] 

"I  am  not  quite  sure,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon," continued  Aubrey,  "that  I  am 
observing  etiquette  in  thus  coming  to 
you,  on  a  matter  which  you  may  con- 
sider ought  to  have  been  left  to  my 
attorneys,  and  who  know  nothing  of 
my  present  visit — but " 

"An  honourable  mind  like  yours, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  may  surely  act  according 
to  its  own  impulses  with  safety  !  As 
for  etiquette,  -I  know  of  no  professional 
rule  which  I  break,  in  entering  into  a 
discussion  with  you  of  any  topic  con- 
nected with  the  action  which  has 
recently  been  determined,"  said  Gam- 
mon, cautiously,  and  particularly  on 
his  guard,  as  soon  as  his  penetrating 
eye  had  detected  the  acuteness  which 
was  mingled  with  the  sincerity  and 
simplicity  of  character  beaming  in  the 
countenance  of  Mr.  Aubrey. 

AA    2 


35G 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


"  I  dare  say  you  can  guess  the  occa- 
sion of  my  visit,  Mr.  Gammon  ? " 

["There  goes  our  bill — whew! — 
"What  now?"  thought  Gammon.] 

Mr.  Gammon  bowed,  with  an 
anxious,  expectant  air. 

"  I  allude  to  the  question  yet  re- 
maining  between  your  client,  Mr,  Tit- 
mouse,and  me— the  mesne  profits " 

"I  feared — I  expected  as  much! 
It  gave  me  infinite  anxiety,  as  soon 
as  1  found  you  were  approaching  the 
subject!" 

"To  me  it  is  really  a  matter  of  life 
and  death,  Mr.  Gammon.  It  is  one 
pressing  me  on  almost  to  the  very 
verge  of  madness  !  " 

"  Do  not,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  said  Gam- 
mon, in  a  tone  and  with  a  look  which 
touched  the  heart  of  his  agitated  com- 
panion, "magnify  the  mischief.  Don't 
— I  beg — imagine  your  position  one  so 
hopeless  !  "What  is  there  to  stand  in 
the  way  of  an  amicable  adjustment  of 
these  claims?  If  I  had  my  way,  Mr. 
Aubrey — and  if  I  thought  I  should 
not  be  acting  the  part  of  the  unjust 
>;t,  ward  in  Scripture — 1  would  write 
sixty  thousand  farthings  for  sixty 
thousand  pounds ! " 

"You  have  named  the  sum  for 
which  1  believe  1  am  legally  liable  to 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  with 
faced  composure.;  "it  is  a  sum  as 
completely  out  of  my  power  to  pay, 
or  secure- — or  even  a  quarter  of  it — as 
i  e  him  one  of  the  stars." 

"I  am  aware,  Mr.  Aubrey,  that 
you  must  have  had  many  calls  upon 
yop,  which  must  have  temporarily 
crippled  your  resources " 

"  'Temporarily  !  "echoed Mr.  Aubrey 
with  a  sickening  smile. 

"J  devoutly  trust  that  it  is  only 
temporary  !  For  your  own  and  family's 
dd  sa  quickly,   observing 
the  watchfulness  with  which  his  every 
look  and  w  irdod   by  his 

companion.       "  Any    proposal,    M  p. 
Aubrt  y,"  hi  ted  w  ith  the 

app  i  of  manner,  but  v.  ith 

ins  deliber  ition,  "  which  you 

think  proper  to  make,  1  am  ready — 

r  -to  r  iceive  and  consider  iu   a 

libera]  spirit,     I  repeat     If  you  had 

mc  only  to   deal  with  —  you   would 


leave  this  room  with  a  lightened 
heart ;  but  to  be  plain  and  candid, 
our  client,  Mr.  Titmouse,  is  a  very 
difficult  person  to  deal  with.  I  pledge 
my  word  of  honour  to  you — [Oh  Hnm- 
'.  Gammon!  Gammon  f\ — that  I 
have  repeatedly  urged  upon  Mr  Tit- 
mouse  to  release  you  from  all  the  rents 
received  by  you  previously  to  your 
receiving  legal  notice  of  the  late  pro- 
ceedings." I  suppose  Gammon  felt 
that  tli is  declaration  was  not  received 
by  Mr.  Aubrey  as  implicitly  as  the 
former  desired  and  expected  ;  for  with 
a  slight  stillness,  he  added,  "  1  assure 
you,  sir,  that  it  is  a  fact.  I  have 
always  been  of  opinion  that  the  law  is 
harsh,  and  oven  faulty  in  principle, 
which,  in  such  a  case  as  yours— when 
the  possessor  of  an  estate,  to  which  ho 
believed  himself  born,  is  ousted  by  a 
title  of  which  he  had  no  previous 
knowledge,  nor  means  of  knowledge" 
— Gammon  uttered  this  very  pointedly, 
and  with  his  eye  fixed  searchingly 
upon  that  of  Mr.  Aubrey — "remiirea 
the  ousted  party  to  make  good  the 
rents  he  had  so  innocently  appro- 
priated to  his  own  use.  That  i-  my 
lion,  though  it  maybe  wrong.  I 
am  bom  d  to  say,  however,  that  as  the 
law  now  stands  —  if  Mr.  Titmouso 
should,  contrary  to  my  advice,  de- 
termine   to    stand    upon    his     strict 

rights "    Gammon  paused,  shook 

his  head,  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
looked  with  melancholy  significance  at 
Mr.  Aubrey. 

"  I  am  entirely  at  his  mercy !  I 
understand.  1  do  trust,  however, 
that  in  the  name  of  our  common 
humanity  he  will  have  some  consider* 
ation  for  the  helpless — the  miserable 
situation  in  which  1  am  so  unexpect- 
edly placed,"  said  Aubrey,  with  mourn- 
ful energy.  "  Never  having  imagined 
it  n<  cessary  to  Bave.  money " 

"Oh  no — nor,  with  such  an  income 

as  yours  was,  to  resort,  1  fear,  to  any 
of    the    ordinary   moi  arance, 

and  so  forth  I "  interposed  Gammon, 

with  an  easy  air. 

"No — no!  nothing  of  the  sort" — 

|". Mi!       the     deuce    you     have    not!" 

thoughl  Gammon]  -"and  I  confess  it 
was  improvident  of  me.    My  situation 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


357 


n  so  deplorable  and  desperate,  that 
disguise  would  bo  absurd,  even  could 
I  stoop  to  it ;  and  I  declare,  in  the 
presence  of  Heaven,  Mr.  Gammon, 
that  without  parting  with  the  little 
remnant  of  plate  I  have  preserved, 
and  my  books,  I  am  unable  to  make 
up  even  the  amount  of  your  bill  sent 
in  the  day  before  yesterday  " — Gam- 
mon gazed  at  Aubrey  earnestly,  but 
in  silence — "and  if  my  miserable 
remnant  of  means  be  so  appropriated, 
we  are  literally  beggars" — he  paused, 
and  his  voice  faltered. 

' '  Indeed—  indeed,  you  distress  me 
beyond  measure,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  said 
Gammon  in  a  low  tone. 

"  If  you  can  but  secure  me  a  merci- 
ful interval,  to  prepare  myself  for  the 
profession  which  I  have  entered — the 
Bar — whatever  earnings  I  might  ob- 
tain, after  saving  a  bare  maintenance 
for  myself  and  family,  shall  be  devoted 
faithfully  to  liquidate  the  heavy  claims 
upon  me  !  For  myself,  Mr.  Gammon, 
I  do  not  care  about  living  upon  bread 
and  water  for  the  next  ten  years  ;  but 
there  are  others" — his  voice  trembled. 
"Sir,  by  every  consideration  which  a 
gentleman  may  be  influenced  by,  I 
conjure  you  to  interfere  between  me 
anil  utter  immediate  ruin!"  This 
was  the  real  thrilling  language  of  the 
heart ;  but  it  failed  to  produce  the 
least  impression  upon  Gammon,  ex- 
citing only  intense  chagrin  and  disap- 
pointment. "  Oh,  that  it  were  but  in 
my  power,"  said  he,  with  great  energy, 
"  to  send  you  out  of  this  room  a  free 
man  !  If  I  alone  were  to  be  consulted, 
I  would  instantly  absolve  you  from  all 
demands — or  at  least  give  you  your 
own  time,  and  take  no  other  security 
than  your  honour." 

"Oh  !  what  a  happy — happy  man  ! 
what  a  happy  family  should  we  be  if 
only— — -"  he  could  not  finish  the 
sentence,  for  he  was  greatly  moved. 

["Here's  a  kettle  of  fish,"  thought 
Gammon  to  himself,  and  bending  down 
his  head,  he  covered  his  eyes  with  his 
hand-, ; — "worse,  far  worse  than  I  had 
suspected.  I  would  take  five  pounds 
for  all  my  residuary  interest  in  the 
sixty  thousand  pounds !  I've  not  the 
least  doubt    that   he's  speaking  the 


truth.  But  the  bill  part  of  the  busi- 
ness is  highly  unsatisfactory  !  I  should 
like  old  Quirk  to  be  here  just  now  1 
Surely  Mr.  Aubrey  must  be  able  to  get 
security  ?  "With  such  friends  and  con- 
nexions as  his  ! — If  one  could  only  get 
them  to  join  him  in  security  for  ten 
thousand  pounds  —  stay-— that  won't 
exactly  do  either  ;  I  must  have  my 
thumb  upon  him."] 

"  I  am  so  profoundly  affected  by  the 
situation  in  which  you  are  placed,  Mr. 
Aubrey,"  said  Gammon,  at  length  ap- 
pearing to  have  subdued  his  emotion, 
and  feeling  it  necessary  to  say  some- 
thing, "  that  I  think  I  may  take  upon 
myself  to  say  the  instructions  which 
we  have  received  shall  not  be  acted 
upon,  come  what  may.  Those  must 
be  really  monsters,  not  men,  who 
could  press  upon  one  in  your  position  ; 
and  that  such  should  be  attempted  by 
one  who  has  succeeded  to  your  former 
advantages,  is  inconceivably  shocking. 
Mr.  Aubrey,  you  shall  not  be  crushed — 
indeed  you  shall  not,  so  long  as  I  am 
a  member — perhaps  not  the  least  in- 
fluential one — in  this  firm,  and  have 
any  influence  with  your  formidable 
creditor,  Mr.  Titmouse.  I  cannot  do 
justice  to  my  desire  to  shelter  you  and 
yours,  Mr.  Aubrey,  from  the  storm 
you  dread  so  justly."  There  was  a 
warmth,  an  energy  in  Gammon's  man- 
ner, while  saying  all  this,  which 
cheered  the  drooping  heart  of  poor 
Mr.  Aubrey.  "What  I  am  about  to 
say,  Mr.  Aubrey,  is  in  complete  con- 
fidence," continued  Gammon  in  a  low 
tone.  Mr.  Aubrey  bowed,  with  a  little 
anxious  excitement  in  his  manner. 
"  May  I  rely  upon  your  honour  and 
secrecy  ? " 

"Most  implicitly,  sir.  What  you 
desire  me  to  keep  within  my  own 
breast,  no  one  upon  earth  shall  know 
from  me,." 

"There  are  serious  difficulties  in  tho 
way  of  serving  you.  Mr.  Titmouse  is 
a  weak  and  inexperienced  young  man, 
naturally  excited  to  a  great  pitch  by 
his  present  elevation,  and  already  em- 
barrassed for  want  of  ready  money. 
You  may  imagine,  sir,  that  his  liabili- 
ties to  us  are  of  considerable  magni- 
tude.    You  would  hardly  credit,  Mr. 


35S 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


Aubrey,  the  amount  of  mere  money 
out  of  pocket  for  which  ho  Btands  in- 
debted to  us  ;  our  outlay  during  the 
last  two  years  having  considerably 
crippled  our  pecuniary  resources,  in  an 
extensive  practice  like  ours,  and  driven 
us  to  incur  liabilities,  which  are  begin- 
ning to  occasion  my  partners  and  my- 
self considerable  anxiety.  Of  com-', 
Mr.  Aubrey,  we  must  look  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse to  be  speedily  reimbursed  :  he 
insists  upon  our  immediately  calling 
upon  you  ;  and  I  have  reason  to  sus- 
pect that  he  has  at  his  elbow  one  or 
two  very  heartless  advisers,  who  have 
suggested  this  to  him  ;  for  he  follows 
it  most  pertinaciously.  That  he  cannot 
meet  the  liabilities  I  have  alluded  to, 
out  of  his  annual  income,  without 
swallowing  it  up  entirely  for  eighteen 
months  or  two  years,  is  certain.  I 
regret  to  say  that  Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr. 
Snap  encourage  his  disposition  to  press 
you  ; — do  not  bo  alarmed,  my  dear 
Sir!"  he  continued,  observing  the 
deadly  paleness  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  whose 
eye  was  riveted  upon  thai  of  I  'amnion, 
"  for  I  declare  that  1  will  stand  be- 
tween you  and  them,  and  it  is  enough 
for  me  to  say  that  1  have  the  power  of 
doing  so.  I  am  the  only  person  living 
who  happens  to  possess  the  means  of 
influencing  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  and  I  am 
determined  to  avail  myself  <.f  them. 
Now,  bearing  in  mind  that  I  have  no 
legal  authority  from  him,  and  am,  at 
the  same  time,  only  one  of  a  firm,  and 
assuring  you  that  I  am  entailing  a 
serious  responsibility  upon  myself  in 
what  I  am  doing,  let  me  throw  out  for 
your  consideration  my  general  notion 
of  what  I  think  ought  to  be  done — 
merely  my  off-hand  notion." 

"  I  perfectlj  understand  ;  I  listen 
with  inexpressible  anxiety,"  said  .Mr. 
Aubrey. 

"Hid  I  been  consulted,  we  should 
have  proposed  to  von,  with  reference 
to  mi]-  bill,  (which  I  candidly  acknow- 
ledge contains  a  much  more  liberal 
entry  than  would  be  allowed  on  I 
tion,  and  which  is  none  of  my  doing,") 

i .  mm  tit.  .11  knew  the  credit  for 
dour  which  this  acknowledgment  • 
fact  of  which  Messrs.   Runnington's 
would  quickly  apprise  him  on  looking 


at  the  bill,   was  likely  to   obtain  for 
him    with    Mr.    Aubrey — "I    say,    I 
should  have  proposed  to  you,  in  the 
first  instance,  the  payment  of  our  bill 
by  instalments,  during  the  next  three 
or  four  years,  provided  you  could  have 
obtained   partial  security.     But  1  am 
only  one    of    three,    and   I    know  the 
determination  of  Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr. 
Snap,  not  to  listen  to  any  proposal  with 
reference  to  the  mesne  profits  which  is 
not  based  upon — in  short,   they  say, 
the  bill  must  be  paid  at  one-  without 
being  looked  into — I  mean,"  he  added 
quickly,  "  without  its  being  subjected 
to     the     harassing    and    protracted 
scrutiny  which  a  distrustful,  an  un- 
grateful client,  has  it  too  frequently  in 
his  power  to  inflict.      Oh,  let  me  dis- 
guise nothing  from  you,  my  dear  sir, 
in  a  conversation  of  this  kind  between 
two  gentlemen,"  continued  Gammon, 
with  an  admirable  air  of   frankness, 
for   he    perceived    that    Mr.    Aubrey 
Looked    slightly   staggered.      "I    am 
ash  imed  to  acknowledge  thai  that  bill 
does  contain  exorbitant  entries     entries 
which   have  led  to  very  frequent  and 
fierce  disputes  between  me  and  my 
partners.      But    what  is  to  be  donet 
Mr.  Quirk  is  the  monied  man  of  the 
firm  ;  and  if  you  were  to  glance  at  the 
articles  of  our  partnership  " — Gammon 
shrugged   his  shoulders  and  Bighed, — 
"  you  would  see  the  tyrannical  extent 
of  power  over  his  partners  which,  in 
virtue  of   that  circumstance,  he  has 
secured  !     You  observe  how  candid  I 
am — perhaps  foolishly  so."    • 

["  I've  not  quite  mastered  him — I 
can  tell  it  by  his  eye," — thought  Gam- 
mon— "is  this  a  game  of  chess  be- 
tween us?  1  wonder  whether,  after 
all,  Messrs.  Runnington's  are  aware  of 
his  being  here — knowing  and  trusting 
to  his  ability  — and  have  put  him 
thoroughly  on  his  guard  I  lie  is  eh. 
strong  feelings   incessantly,    and 

tttly  Wei  IV  Word    1    litter. 

Misery  has  sharpened  faculties  natur- 
ally acute."] 
"Pray  do  nol  say  so,  Mr.  Gammon, 

I  folly  appreciate  van-  motives.  1  am 
devoured  with  anxiety  for  an  intima- 
tion of  the  nature  of  the  terms  which 
you  were  about,  so  kindly,  to  specify." 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


353 


"  Specify  is  perhaps  rather  too  strong 
a  term — but  to  proceed.  Supposing, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  the  preliminary  matter 
which  I  have  alluded  to,  satisfactorily 
arranged,  I  am  disposed  to  say  that  if 
yo\i  could  find  security  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  within  a  year,  or  a  year  and  a- 
half" — [Mr.  Aubrey's  teeth  almost 
chattered  at  the  mention  of  it.] — "  I 
— I — that  is,  my  impression  is— but  it 
is  only  viine " — added  Gammon 
earnestly — ' '  that  the  rest  should  be 
left  to  your  own  honour,  giving  at  the 
same  time  a  personal  undertaking  to 
pay,  at  a  future — a  very  distant  day — 
in  the  manner  most  convenient  to 
yourself — the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  more — making  in  all  only  one- 
third  of  the  sum  due  from  you  ;  and 
receiving  an  absolute  release  from 
Mr.  Titmouse  in  respect  of  the  re- 
maining two-thirds,  namely,  forty 
thousand  pounds." 

Mr.  Aubrey  listened  to  all  this  with 
his  feelings  and  faculties  strung  to  the 
utmost  pitch  of  intensity  ;  and  when 
Gammon  had  ceased,  experienced  a 
transient  sense,  as  of  the  fearful 
mountain  that  had  pressed  so  long  on 
his  heart,  moving. 

"  Have  I  made  myself  intelligible, 
Mr.  Aubrey  ?  "  enquired  Gammon  with 
a  kind  but  serious  air. 

"  Perfectly — but  I  feel  so  oppressed 
and  overwhelmed  with  the  magnitude 
of  the  topics  we  are  discussing,  that  I 
scarcely  at  present  appreciate  the 
position  in  which  you  would  place  me. 
I  must  throw  myself,  Mr.  Gammon, 
entirely  upon  your  indulgence  !  " 

Gammon  looked  a  little  disap- 
pointed. 

"  1  can  imagine  your  feelings,  sir," 
said  he,  as  he  took  a  sheet  of  paper 
and  a  pencil ;  and  while  he  made  a 
few  memoranda  of  the  arrangement 
which  he  had  been  mentioning,  he 
continued — "You  see — the  great  re- 
sult of  what  I  have  been  hastily 
sketching  off  is — to  give  you  ample 
time  to  pay  the  sums  which  I  have 
named,  and  to  relieve  you,  at  once, 
absolutely  from  no  less  a  sum  than 
Forty  Thousand  Pounds,"  said  he, 
with  emphasis  and  deliberation,  "for 


which — and  with  Interest — you  would 
otherwise  remain  liable  to  the  day  of 
your  death  ; — there  could  be  no  escape 
— except,  perhaps,  into  banishment, 
which  with  your  feelings  would  be 
worse  than  death — for  it  would  be  a 
dishonourable  exile,  to  avoid  just 
liabilities  : — and  those  who  bear  your 
name  would,  in  such  an " 

"Pray,  sir,  be  silent!"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Aubrey,  in  a  tone  that  electrified 
Gammon,  who  started  from  his  chair. 
Mr.  Aubrey's  face  was  whitened  ;  his 
eye  glanced  lightning  at  his  com- 
panion. Dagon-like,  Gammon  had 
put  forth  his  hand  and  touched  the 
ark  of  Aubrey's  honour.  Gammon 
lost  hi"  colour,  and  for,  perhaps,  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  quailed  before  the 
majesty  of  man ;  'twas  also  the  majesty 
of  suffering;  for  he  had  bev-n  torturing 
a  noble  nature.  Neither  of  them  spoke 
for  some  time — Mr.  Aubrey  continuing 
highly  excited— Gammon  gazing  at 
him  with  unfeigned  amazement.  The 
paper  which  he  held  in  his  hand 
rustled,  and  he  was  obliged  to  lay  it 
down  on  his  lap,  lest  Mr.  Aubrey 
should  notice  this  evidence  of  his 
agitation. 

"I  am  guilty  of  great  weakness, 
sir,"  said  at  length  Mr.  Aubrey — his 
excitement  only  a  little  abated.  He 
stood  erect,  and  spoke  with  stern  pre- 
cision ;  "but  you,  perhaps  uncon- 
sciously, provoked  the  display  of  it. 
Sir,  I  am  ruined  ;  I  am  a  beggar  ;  we 
are  all  ruined  ;  we  are  all  beggars  :  it 
is  the  ordering  of  God,  and  I  bow  to 
it.  But  do  you  presume,  sir,  to  think 
that  at  last  my  honour  is  in  danger  ? 
and  consider  it  necessary,  as  if  you 
were  warning  one  whom  you  saw  about 
to  become  a  criminal,  to  expatiate  on 
the  nature  of  the  meditated  act  by 
which  I  am  to  disgrace  myself  and 
my  family  ? "  Here  that  family  seemed 
suddenly  standing  around  him :  his  lip 
quivered,  his  eyes  filled,  and  he 
trembled  with  excessive  emotion. 

"This  is  a  sally  equally  unexpected, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  and,  permit  me  to  add, 
unwarrantable,"  said  Gammon  calmly, 
having  recovered  his  self-possession. 
"You  have  entirely  misunderstood 
me ;  or  I  have  ill  explained  myself. 


300 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Your  evident  excitement  and  distress 
touch  my  very  soul,  Mr.  Aubrey. " 
Gammon's  voice  trembled.  "Suffer 
me  to  tell  you  that  I  feel  an  inex- 
pressible respect  and  admiration  for 
you  ;  and  am  miserable  at  the  thought 
of  one  word  of  mine  having  occasioned 
you  an  instant's  uneasiness."  "When 
a  generous  nature  is  thus  treated,  it  is 
apt  to  feel  an  excessive  contrition  for 
any  fault  or  extravagance  which  it  may 
have  committed — an  excessive  appreci- 
ation of  the  pain  it  may  have  inflicted 
on  another.  Thus  it  was,  that  by  the 
time  Gammon  had  done  speaking,  Mr. 
Aubrey  felt  ashamed  and  mortified  at 
himself,  and  conceived  an  admiration 
of  the  dignified  forbearance  of  Gam- 
mon, which  quickly  heightened  into 
nspect  for  his  general  character,  as  it 
appeared  to  Aubrey,  and  fervent  grati- 
tude for  the  disposition  which  he  had 
evinced,  from  first  to  last,  so  disinter- 
estedly to  serve  a  ruined  man.  He 
seemed  now  to  view  all  that  Gammon 
had  proposed  in  quite  a  now  light — 
through  quite  another  medium  ;  and 
his  excitable  feelings  were  in  some 
danger  of  disturbing  hhs  judgment. 

"As  I  am  a  man  of  business,  Mr. 
Aubrey,"  said  Gammon  shortly  after- 
wards, with  a  very  captivating  smile — 
how  frank  and  forgiving  seemed  his 
temper  to  Aubrey  I — "and  this  is  a 
place  for  business,  .-hall  we  resume  our 
conversation?  "With  reference  to  the 
first  ten  thousand  pounds,  it  can  be  a 
matter  of  future  arrangement  as  to  the 
instruments  by  which  its  payment  is 
to  be  secured  ;  and  as  for  the  remain- 
ing ten  thousand,  if  I  were  not  afraid 
of  rendering  myself  liable  to  Mr.  'bit- 
mouse  for  neglecting  his  interests,  I 
should  !"•  content  with  jour  verbal 
promise — your  mere  word  of  honour, 
1..  pay  it,  as  and  when  you  conveniently 
could,     lint,  iii  justice  to  myself,  1 

■  urity 

from    you,        Say,     for     i:  two 

promi    ory  notes,  for  £500 
able  to  Mr.  Titmouse.    N  i 

ird  them  i    of  mere  form  ; 

for,  when  you  Bhall  have  given  them 
to  me,  they  will  be  deposited  there," 
(pointing  to  an  iron  sit,,)  "and  not 
again  be  heard  of  until  you  may  have 


enquired  for  them.  The  influcnco 
which  1  happen  to  have  obtained  over 
Mr.  Titmouse,  you  may  rely  upon  my 
exercising  with  some,  energy,  if  ever 
lie  should  be  disposed  to  press  you  for 
payment  of  either  of  the  instrumi 
1  have  mentioned.  1  tell  you  candidly 
that  they  must  be  negotiable  in  point 
of  form  ;  but  1  assure  you,  as  sincerely, 
that  I  will  not  permit  them  to  be 
negotiated.  A'oir,  may  I  venture  to 
hope  that  we  understand  each  other?" 
added  Gammon  with  a  cheerful  air; 
"and  that  if  this  be  an  arrangement 
which  I  shall  be  able  to  carry  into 
elicit,  it  is  a  sufficient  evidence  of  my 
desire  to  serve  j'ou,  and  will  have  the 
effect  of  relievingyou  from  an  immense 
load  of  anxiety  and  liability?" 

"An  immense  —  a  crushing  load, 
indeed,  sir,  if  Providence  shall  in  any 
manner  (to  me  at  present  undiscovor- 
able)  enable  me  to  perforin  my  part  of 
the  arrangement,  and  if  you  have  but 
power  to  carry  your  views  into  effect," 
replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  a  sigh  of 
anxiety,  and  a  look  of  gratitude. 

"Leave  that  to  me,  Mr.  Aubrey;  I 
will  undertake  to  do  it  ;  I  will  move 
heaven  and  earth  to  do  it— and  the 
mi, re  eagerly  and  anxiously,  for  that  I 
may  thereby  hope  to  establish  a  kind 
of  Bet-off  against  the  misery  and  loss 
which  my  professional  exertions  havo 
contributed  to  occasion  you  !  " 

"  i  feel  very  deeply  sen:  ible  of  your 
very  great — your  unexpected  kindness, 
Mi-.  Gammon;  but  still,  the  arraii 
men!  ted,  is  one  which  occasions 

me  dreadful  anxiety  as  to  my  being 
able  to  carry  out  my  part  of  it." 

"  Never,  never  despair,  Mr.  Aubrey  ! 
Heaven  helps  those  who  help  them- 
selves;  and  I  really  imagine  1  Bee  your 
powerful  cinr  ies  already  be  innin  ;  to 
surmount  your  prodigious  difficult!  I 
Win  n  you  have  Blepl  over  the  matter, 

you  will    feel  the    full  le'i,  f  \\hi,  h   this 

m  rangi  ment  is  so  calculated  to  afford 
your  spirits.      <  >f  cow  ,  you  will 

lose  no  time  in  commui  ;  al  ing  to 
Mi  is.  Runningtou  I  lie  rial  ure  of  the. 
arrangement  win,  h  1  have  proposed. 
1  can  pri  dicl  thai  they  w  ill  he  not  a 
little  disposed  to  urge  you  to  complete 
it.    1  cannot,  however,  help  once  more 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


301 


reminding  you,  in  justice  to  myself, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  that  it  is  but  a  proposition, 
in  making  which,  I  hope  it  will  not 
prove  that  I  have  been  carried  away 
by  my  feelings  much  further  than  my 
duty  to  my  client  or  his  interests " 

Mr.  Aubrey  was  afraid  to  hear  him 
finish  the  sentence,  lest  the  faint  dawn 
of  hope  should  disappear  from  the  dark 
and  rough  surface  of  the  sea  of  trouble 
upon  which  he  was  being  tossed.  "  I 
will  consult,  as  you  suggest,  sir,  my 
professional  advisers  ;  and  am  strongly 
inclined  to  believe  that  they  will  feel 
as  you  predict.  I  am  bound  to  consult 
them " 

"Oh,  certainly!  certainly!  I  am 
very  strict  in  the  observance  of  pro- 
fessional etiquette,  Mr.  Aubrey,  I 
assure  you ;  and  should  not  think  of 
going  on  with  this  arrangement,  ex- 
cept with  them,  acting  on  your  behalf. 
One  thing  I  have  to  beg,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
that  either  you  or  they  will  communi- 
cate the  result  of  your  deliberations  to 
vie,  personally.  I  am  very  desirous 
that  the  suggested  arrangement  shou'd 
be  broken  to  them  by  me.  Jiy  the 
way,  if  you  would  favour  me  with  your 
address,  I  would  make  a  point  of 
calling  at  your  house  either  late  in  the 
evening  or  early  in  the  morning." 

[As  if  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  had  not  kept  eagle  eyes  upon  his 
every  movement  since  quitting  Yatton, 
with  a  view  to  any  sudden  application 
for  a  writ  of  JVe  Exeas,  which  a  sus- 
picious movement  of  his  towards  the 
sea-coast  might  render  necessary  !] 

"  I  am  infinitely  obliged  to  you,  sir 
— but  it  would  be  far  more  convenient 
for  both  of  us,  if  you  could  drop  me  a 
line,  or  favour  me  with  a  call  at  Mr. 
Weasel's,  in  Pomegranate  Court  in  the 
Temple." 

Gammon  blushed  scarlet:  but  for 
this  accidental  mention  of  the  name 
of  Mr.  Weasel,  who  was  one  of  the 
pleaders  occasionally  employed  by 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  in 
heavy  matters— in  all  probability  Mr. 
Aubrey  might,  within  a  day  or  two's 
time,  have  had  to  exercise  his  faculties, 
if  so  disposed,  upon  a  declaration  of 
Trespass  for  Mesne  Profits,  in  a  cause 
of  "Titmouse  v.  Aubrey  !  " 


"As  you  like — as  you  like,  Mr. 
Aubrey,"  replied  Gammon,  with  diffi- 
culty concealing  his  feelings  of  pique 
and  disappointment  at  losing  the  op- 
portunity of  a  personal  introduction 
to  Mr.  Aubrey's  family.  After  a  few 
words  of  general  conversation,  Gammon 
enquiring  how  Mr.  Aubrey  liked  his 
new  profession,  and  assuring  him,  in 
an  emphatic  manner,  that  he  might 
rely  upon  being  supported,  from  the 
moment  of  his  being  called  to  the  bar, 
by  almost  all  the  common-law  business 
of  the  firm  of  "  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap" — they  parted.  It  had  been  to 
Mr.  Aubrey  a  memorable  interview — 
and  to  Gammon  a  somewhat  arduous 
affair,  taxing  to  an  unusual  extent  his 
powers  of  self-command  and  of  dis- 
simulation. As  soon  as  he  was  left 
alone,  his  thoughts  instantly  recurred 
to  Aubrey's  singular  buist  of  hauteur 
and  indignation.  Gammon  had  a 
stinging  sense  of  submission  to  supe- 
rior energy — and  felt  indignant  with 
himself  for  not  having  resented  it. 
Setting  aside  this  source  of  exquisite 
irritation  to  the  feelings  of  a  proud 
man,  he  felt  a  depressing  consciousness 
that  he  had  not  met  with  his  usual 
success,  in  his  recent  encounter  with 
Mr.  Aubrey,  who  had  been  throughout 
cautious,  watchful,  and  courteously 
distrustful.  He  had  afforded  occasional 
glimpses  of  the  unapproachable  pride 
of  his  nature  —  and  Gammon  had 
crouched !  AVas  there  anything  in 
their  interview — thought  he,  walking 
thoughtfully  to  and  fro  in  his  room — - 
which,  when  Aubrey  came  to  reflect 
upon  —  for  instance  —  had  Gammon 
disclosed  too  much  about  the  extent 
of  his  influence  over  Titmouse  ?  His 
cheek  slightly  flushed ;  a  sigh  of 
fatigue  and  excitement  escaped  him  ; 
and  gathering  together  his  papers,  he 
began  to  prepare  for  quitting  the  office 
for  the  day. 

Mr.  Aubrey  quitted  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap's  office  with  feel- 
ings of  mingled  exhaustion  and  de- 
spondency. As  he  walked  down  Saffron 
Hill — a  dismal,  deplorable  neighbour- 
hood !  what  scenes  did  he  witness  ? 
Poverty  and  profligacy  revelling  on  all 
hands  in  their  wild  and  filthy  excesses ! 


3G2 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


JTrr-,  was  an  Irishman,  half-stupefied 
with  liquor  and  bathed  in  blood,  having 
just  been  rescued  from  a  dreadful  fight 
in  a  low  underground    public-house 

cellar,  by  his  squalid  wife,  with  dis- 
hevelled hair  and  a  filthy  infant  in 
her  amis  —  who  walked  beside  him 
cursing,  pinching,  and  striking  him — 
reproaching  him  with  the  knowledge 
that  Bhe  and  her  Beven  children  were 
lying  starving  at  home  ;  presently  he 
fell  down  into  the  gutter,  and  she  with 
her  infant  fell  down  over  him  ! 

There,  was  a  woman — as  it  were  a 
bloated  mass  of  filth  steeped  in  gin — 
standing  with  a  drunken  smile,  at  an 
old  clothes-stall,  pawning  for  a  glass 
of  gin  a  dirty  little  shirt,  which  she 
had  a  few  minutes  before  stripped  from 
the  baek  of  one  of  her  then  half-naked 
children  ! 

A  little  further  on,  was  a  noisy 
crowd  round  two  men  carrying  a  shut- 
ter, on  which  was  strapped  the  bleed- 
ing body  (a  handkerchief  spread  over 
the  face)  of  a  poor  bricklayer,  fallen  a 
few  minutes  before  from  the  top  of 
some  scaffolding  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  then  in  the  agonies  of  death — 
leaving  behind  him  a  wife  and  twelve 
children,  for  whom  he  had  long  si  tved 
from  morning  to  night,  and  who  were 
now  ignorant  of  the  frightful  fate 
which  had  befallen  him,  and  that  they 
Were  left  destitute. 

There,  was  a  skinny  little  terrified 
urchin,  about  eight  years  old,  with 
nothing  to  conceal  his  dirty,  half- 
starved  body,  but  a  tattered  man's 
coat,  pinned  round  him  ;  dying  with 
hunger,  he  had  stolen  a  villainous- 
looking  bare  bone — scarce  a  halfpenny 
Worth  of  meat  upon  it  ;  and  a  brawny 
constable,  his  knuckles  fiercely  dug 
into  the  poor  little  offender's  neck, 

(with  his  tight  grasp,)  was  leading 
him  oil'  to  tin'  police  office,  followed 
by    his    shrieking    mother;    from    the 

Solice  ofliee  he  would  be  eommittcd  to 
[ewgate,   and    thence,   after   two  or 
three  months'  impri  onrai  nt,  and  being 

tch  1 — by 

the    common    hangman,     (who 

hong  d    the   child's  fathi  r  some  six 

aths    before*)   he    would    be    di  i- 

I   -to  return  several  l i m  a  ai  d 


undergo  a  similar  process  ;  then  to  be 
transported ;  and  finally  be  hanged, 
as  had  been  his  father  before  him. 

These  startling  scenes  passed  before 
Mr.  Aubrey,  in  the  course  of  a  live 
minutes'  walk  down  Saffron  Hill — • 
during  which  period  he  now  and  then 
paused,  and  gazed  around  him  with 
feelings  of  pity,  of  astonishment,  of 
disgust,  which  presently  blended  and 
deepened  into  one  feeling  of  horror. 
These  scenes,  to  some  so  fatally  familiar 
—fatally,  1  mean,  on  account  of  the 
INDIFFERENCE  which  their  familiarity 
is  apt  to  induce — to  Mr.  Aubrey,  had 
on  them  all  the  frightful  glare  of 
Uy.  He  had  never  witnessed  any- 
thing of  the  sort  before  ;  and  had  no 
notion  of  its  existence.  The  peoplo 
on  each  side  of  the  Hill,  however, 
seemed  perfectly  familiar  with  such 
scenes,  which  they  seemed  to  view 
with  the  same  stupid  indifference  with 
which  a  lanb  led  to  the  slaughter  is 
beheld  by  one  that  has  spent  his  life 
next  door  to  the  slaughter-house.  The 
Jew  clothesman,  before  whose  door, 
arrested  by  the  horrifying  spectacle  of 
the  bleeding  wretch  borne  along  to  the 
hospital — he  stood  for  a  second  or  two 
— took  the  opportunity  to  assail  him 
with  insolent  importunity.  A  fat 
baker,  and  a  greasy  eating- house- 
keeper,  stood  each  at  his  door,  one 
with  folded  arms,  the  other  with  his 
hands  thrust  into  his  pockets — both 
of  them  gazing  with  a  grin  at  two  curs 
fighting  in  the  middle  of  the  street — 
oh,  how  utterly  insensible  to  the  raven- 
ous want  that  flitted  incessantly  past 
them!  The  pallid  spectres  haunting 
the  gin-palace  at  the  corner,  gazed  with 
sunken  lack-lustre  eye  and  drunken 
apathy  at  the  man  borne  by, 

What  scenes  wi  re  these  !  And  what 
other  hidden  seems  did  they  not  indi- 
cate the  existence  of!  "Gracious 
mercy!"  thought  Aubrey,  "what  a 
World    have    1    been   living    in?     And 

this  dismal  aspect  of  it  exposed  to  me 

just  when  J  have  lost  all  power  of 
relieving  its  wretchi  dne  I  "  here  a 
thrill  or  anguish  passed  through  bi3 
heart — "but,    woe,    woe    is    me  I    if  at 

this  moment  1   had  a  thousand  times 

ten  thousand  a-year,  how  far  would  it 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


363 


go  amidst  the  scenes  similar  to  this, 
which  abound  in  this  one  city  ?  Oh 
God  I  what  unutterable  horror  must 
be  in  store  for  those  who,  entrusted 
by  Thee  with  an  overflowing  abun- 
dance, disregard  the  misery  around 
them  in  guilty  selfishness  and  indo- 
lence, or" — he  shuddered — "expend 
it  in  sensuality  and  profligacy  !  Will 
Dives  become  sensible  of  his  mis- 
conduct, only  when  he  shall  have 
entered  upon  his  next  scene  of  existence 
and  punishment?  Oh,  merciful  Creator! 
how  is  my  heart  wrung  by  tbe  sight  of 
such  scenes  as  these  ?  Awful  and  mys- 
terious Author  of  existence,  Father  of 
the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  are  these  states 
of  being  which  Thou  hast  ordained  '( 
Are  these  thy  children  ?  Are  these 
my  fellow  creatures  ?  Oh,  help  me  ! 
help  me  !  my  weak  heart  faints ;  my 
clouded  understanding  is  confounded  I 
I  cannot — insect  that  I  am  ! — discern 
the  scope  and  end  of  thy  economy,  of 
thy  dread  government  of  the  world  ; 
yet  blessed  be  the  name  of  my  God  ! — 
I  know  that  thou  rcigncst !  though 
clouds  and  darkness  ai'e  around  thee  ! 
righteousness  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  thy  throne !  with  righteous- 
ness shalt  thou,  judge  the  world,  and 

THE  PEOPLE  WITH  EQUITY  !  " 

Like  as  the  lesser  light  is  lost  in  the 
greater,  so,  in  Aubrey's  case,  was  the 
lesser  misery  he  suffered,  merged  in 
his  sense  of  the  greater  misery  he 
witnessed.  What,  after  all,  was  his 
position,  in  comparison  with  that  of 
those  now  before  and  around  him  ? 
What  cause  of  thankfulness  had  he 
not,  for  the  merciful  mildness  of  the 
dispensation  of  Providence  towards 
him  and  his  ?  Such  were  his  thoughts 
and  feelings,  as  he  stood  gazing  at  the 
scenes  which  had  called  them  forth, 
when  his  eye  lit  on  the  figure  of  Mr. 
Gammon  approaching  him.  He  was 
threading  his  way,  apparently  lost  in 
thought,  through  the  scenes  which 
had  so  powerfully  affected  Mr.  Aubrey, 
who  stood  eyeing  him  with  a  sort  of 
unconscious  intensity,  as  if  secure  from 
his  observation,  till  he  was  actually 
addressed  by  him. 

"  Mr.    Aubrey  !  "   exclaimed    Gam- 
mon, courteously  saluting  him.     Each 


took  off  his  hat  to  the  other.  Though 
Aubrey  hardly  intended  it,  he  found 
himself  eugaged  in  conversation  with 
Gammon,  who,  in  a  remarkably  feeling 
tone,  and  with  a  happy  flattering 
deference  of  manner,  intimated  that 
he  could  guess  the  subject  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's  thoughts,  namely,  the  ab- 
sorbing matters  which  they  had  been 
discussing  together. 

"No,  it  is  not  so,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey 
with  a  sigh,  as  he  walked  on — Gam- 
mon keeping  easily  beside  him — "I 
have  been  profoundly  affected  by  scenes 
which  I  have  witnessed  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  your  office, 
since  quitting  it ;  what  misery  1  what 
horror  !  " 

"Ah,  Mr.  Aubrey  I  "  —  exclaimed 
Gammon  with  a  sigh,  as  they  very 
slowly  ascended  Holborn  Hill,  separ- 
ate, but  side  by  side — "  what  a  check- 
ered scene  is  life  !  Guilt  and  inno- 
cence— happiness  and  misery — wealth 
and  poverty  —  disease  and  health — ■ 
wisdom  and  folly — sensuality  and  re- 
finement— piety  and  irreligion — how 
slrangely  intermingled  we  behold 
them,  wherever  we  look  on  life — how 
difficult  to  the  philosopher  to  detect 

the  principle " 

' '  Difficult  ?  —  Impossible  1  Impos- 
sible !  "  —  exclaimed  Mr.  Aubrey 
thoughtfully. 

"Comparison,  I  have  often  thought," 
said  Gammon,  after  a  pause — "com- 
parison of  one's  own  misfortunes  with 
the  greater  misfortunes  endured  by 
others,  is  beneficial  or  prejudicial — 
consolatory  or  disheartening — accord- 
ing as  the  mind  of  him  who  makes  the 
comparison  is  well  or  ill  regulated — 
possessed  or  destitute  of  moral  and 
religious  principle  !  " 

"  It  is  so,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey ; 
though  not  particularly  inclined  to 
enter  into  conversation,  he  was  pleased 
with  the  tone  of  his  companion's  re- 
mark. 

"As  for  mo" — proceeded  Gammon 
with  a  slight  sigh — "the  absorbing 
anxieties  of  professional  life  ;  and,  too, 
a  branch  of  professional  life  which, 
infinitely  to  my  distaste,  brings  me 
constantly  into  scenes  such  as  you 
have  been  observing,  have  contributed 


3G-1 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


to  render  mo  less  sensible  of  their  real 
character  ;  yet  can  I  vividly  conceive 
the  effect  they  must,  when  fust  seen, 
produce  upon  the  mind  and  heart  of  a 
Compassionate,  an  observant,  a  reflect- 
ing man,  Mr.  Aubrey  I  " 

Gammon  look.d  a  gentleman;  Ins 
address  was  easy  ami  insinuating,  full 
of  delicate  deference,  without  the 
slightest  tendency  to  cant  or  syco- 
phancy ;  his  countenance  was  an  in- 
tellectual and  expressive  one ;  his 
conversation  that  of  an  educated  and 
thinking  man.  He  was  striving  his 
utmost  to  produce  a  favourable  im- 
pression on  Mr.  Aid  ire}-;  and,  as  is 
very  little  to  be  surprised  at,  ho  suc- 
ceeded. By  the  time  that  they  had 
got  about  twenty  yards  beyond  Fetter 
Lane,  they  might  have  been  seen 
walking  together  arm-in-arm.  As  they 
approached  Oxford  Street,  they  sud- 
denly stumbled  on  .Mr.  Runnington. 

"God  bless  me,  Mr.  Aubrey  !  "  said 
he  surprisedly — "and  Mr.  Gammon? 
How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Gammon?" — he 
continued,  taking  oil'  his  hat  with  a 
little  formality,  and  speaking  in  a 
corresponding  tone  ;  but  he  was  en- 
countered by  Gammon  with  greatly 
superior  case  and  distance,  and  was 
not  a  little  nettled  at  it ;  for  he  was  so 
palpably  foiled  with  his  own  weapons. 

"WCll— 1  shall  now  resign  you  to 
your  legitimate  adviser,  Mr.  Aubrey," 
said  Gammon  with  a  smile ;  then, 
addressing  Mr.  Hunnington,  in  whose 
countenance  pique  and  pride  were 
abundantly  visible, —  "Mr.  Aubrey 
has  favoured  me  with  a  call  to-day, 
and  we  have  had  some  little  discus  ion 
on  a  matter  which  lie  will  explain  to 
you.  As  for  me,  Mr.  Aubrey,  I  ought 
to  have  turned  olf  two  streets  ago — so 
1  wish  you  good  evening." 

Mr.  Aubrey  and  he  shook  hands  as 
they  exchanged  adieus.  Mr.  Running- 
ton  and  he  simply  raised  each  his  hit. 

and   bowed   to   the   other  with  cold 

teness.     As  Mr.  Runnington  aid 

Mr.  Aubrey  walked  westward  bog  tin  1, 

the    Corner,  who   was   a    very   cautious 

man,  diil  not  think  lit  to  expre  a  the 
uneasiness  be  felt  at  Mr.  Aubrey's 
ha i  in"  entered  into  anj  thing  like  con- 
fidential intercourse  with  one  whom 


he  believed  to  be  so  subtle  and  danger- 
ous a  person  as  Mr.  Gammon.  Ho 
was,  however,  very  greatly  surprised 

when  he  came  to  hear  of  the  proposal 
which  had  been  made  up  by  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, concerning  the  mesne  profits, 
which,  he  said,  was  so  unaccountably 
reasonable  and  liberal,  considering  the 
parties  by  whom  it  was  made,  that  he 
fared  Mr.  Aubrey  must  be  lying  under 
some  mistake.  He  would,  however, 
turn  it  anxiously  over  in  his  mind, 
and  consult  with  his  partners  ;  and, 
in  short,  do  whatever  they  conceived 
best  for  Mr.  Aubrey — that  he  might 
depend  upon.  "And,  in  the  mean 
time,  my  dear  sir,"  added  Mr.  Run- 
nington, with  a  smilo  d  signed  to 
disguise  considerable  anxiety,  "it  may 
1"  OS  well  for  you  not  to  have  any 
further  personal  communication  with 
these  parties,  whom  you  do  not  know 
as  well  as  we  do  ;  but  let  us  negotiate 
with  them  in  everything  !  "  Thus 
they  parted  ;  and  Mr.  Aubrey  entered 
Vivian  Street  with  a  considerably 
li;  bter  heart  than  he  had  ever  before 
carried  into  it.  A  vivid  recollection 
of  the  scenes  which  he  had  witnessed 
at  Saffron  Hill,  caused  him  exquisitely 
to  appreciate  the  comforts  of  his  little 
home,  ami  to  return  the  welcomes  and 
caresses  he  had  received  with  a  kind 
of  trembling  tenderness  and  energy. 
As  he  folded  his  still  blooming  but 
somewhat  anxious  wife  fondly  to  his 
bosom,  kissed  his  high-spirited  and 
lovely  sister,  and  fondled  the  prattling 

innocents  that  came  clambering  up 
upon  his  lap,  he  forgot,  for  a  while, 
the  difficulties,  but  remembered  tho 
lessons  of  the  day. 

But  1  must  return  toYatton,  where 
some  matters  had  transpired  which 
are  worth  noticing.  Though  Mr. 
Yahoo  paid  rather  anxious  court  to 
Mr.  Gammon,  who  was  very  far  too 
much  for  him  in  every  way,  'twas 
plain  that  he  dreaded  .and  disliked,  as 

much  as  In'  was  despised  by  that  gen- 
tleman. Mr.  Gammon  easily  extracted 
from  Titmouse  that  Yahoo  was  en- 
deavouring, from  time  to  time,  art- 
filly  to  set  him  ngainsl  his  protei  tor, 

Mi-.  Garni i.     This  was  ng ; 

but  mora    than   this-  Yahoo,   a  bold, 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


365 


dashing  scoundrel,    was   obtaining    a 
growing    ascendancy  over    Titmouse, 
whom  he  was  rapidly  initiating  into 
all  manner  of  vile  habits  and  practices  ; 
and,  in  short,  completely  corrupting. 
But,  above  all,   Gammon   ascertained 
that  Yahoo  had  already  commenced, 
with   great   success,    his   experiments 
upon  the  purse  of  Titmouse.     Before 
they  had  been  a  week  at  Vatton,  down 
came  a  splendid  billiard  table  with  its 
appendages  from  London,  accompanied 
by  a  man  to  fix  it — as  he  did — in  the 
library,  which  he  quickly  denuded  of 
all  traces  of  its  former  character  ;  and 
here    Yahoo,     Titmouse,     and     Fitz- 
Snooks  would  pass  a  good  deal  of  their 
time.     Then  they  would  have  tables 
and    chairs,    and    cards,    cigars,    and 
brandy  and  water,  out  upon  the  beau- 
tiful    "soft,    smooth-shaven    lawn," 
and  sit  there  playing  ecarte,  at  once 
pleasantly  soothed  and  stimulated  by 
their  cigars  and  brandy  and  water,  for 
half  a  day  together.     Then  Yahoo  got 
up  frequent    excursions    to    Grilston, 
and   even   to  York  ;   where,  together 
with    his    two    companions,    he    had 
"great  sport,"  as  the  newspapers  be- 
gan  to    intimate   with  growing    fre- 
quency and  distinctness.     Actuated  by 
that  execrable  licentiousness  with  re- 
ference to  the  female  sex,  by  which  he 
was  peculiarly  distinguished,   and   of 
which   he   boasted,   he  had  got   into 
several  curious  adventures  with  farm- 
ers' girls,  and  others  in  the  vicinity 
of  Yatton,  and  even  amongst  the  fe- 
male members  of  the  establishment  at 
the    Hall ;    in    which    latter    quarter 
Fitz-Snooks    and   Titmouse  began  to 
imitate   his    example.     Mr.    Gammon 
conceived    a     fearful,    a     shuddering 
loathing  and  disgust  for  the  miscreant 
leader  into  these  enormities  ;  and,  but 
for  certain  consequences,  would  have 
despatched  him  with  as  much  indiffer- 
ence as  he  would  have  laid  arsenic  in 
the  way  of   a   bold  voracious   rat,  or 
killed  a  snake.     As  it  was,  he  secretly 
caused  him  to  experience,  on  one  or 
two  occasions,  the  effects  of  his  good- 
will towards  him.     Yahoo  had  offered 
certain    atrocious    indignities   to   the 
sweetheart  of  a  strapping  young  farm- 
er ;  whose  furious  complaints  coming 


to  Mr.  Gammon's  ears,  that  gentle- 
man, under  a  pledge  of  secrecy,  gave 
him  two  guineas  to  be  on  the  look-out 
for  Yahoo,  and  give  him  the  best  taste 
he  knew  how  to   give,   of  a  pair  of 
Yorkshire  fists.     A  day  or  two  after- 
wards, the  Satyr  fell  in  with  his  un- 
suspected   enemy.       Yahoo     was     a 
strongly-built  man,  and  an  excellent 
bruiser ;  but  was  at  first  disposed  to 
shirk  the  fight,    on  glancing  at  the 
prodigious  proportions  of  Hazel,  and 
the   fury  flaming  in  his   eyes.     The 
instant,    however,   that    he    saw  the 
attitude  into  which  poor  Hazel  threw 
himself,  Yahoo  smiled,  stripped,  and 
set  to.     J  am  sorry  to  say  that  it  was 
a  good  while  before  Hazel  could  get 
one  single  blow  at  his  accomplished 
opponent ;    whom,    however,    he     at 
length  began  to  wear  out.     Then  he 
gave  him  a  miserable  pommeling,  to 
be  sure ;    and  finished    by  knocking 
out  five  of  his  front  teeth,  viz.  three 
in  the  upper,  and  two   in  the  under 
jaw — beautifully  white   and    regular 
teeth  they  certainly   were  ;   and   the 
loss  of  them  caused  him  great  affliction 
on  the  score  of  his  appearance,  and 
also  not  a  little  interfered  with  the 
process  of  cigar-smoking,  and  would, 
besides,  have  debarred  him  from  en- 
listing as  a  soldier,   inasmuch  as  he 
could   not   bite    off   the  end  of    his 
cartridge  :  wherefore,  it  would  seem, 
that  Hazel  had  committed  the  offence 
of  Mayhem.     Mr.  Gammon  condoled 
heartily  with  Mr.  Yahoo,  on  hearing 
of  the  brutal  attack  which  had  been 
made  upon  him,  and  as  the  assault 
had  not  been  committed  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  third  party,  strongly  recom- 
mended him   to  bring  an  action   of 
trespass    vi  et  armis  against   Hazel, 
which  Gammon  undertook  to  conduct 
for  him   to — a  nonsuit.     While  they 
were  conversing  in  this  friendly  way 
together,    it     suddenly    occurred    to 
Gammon  that  there  was  another  service 
he  could  render  Mr.  Yahoo,  and  with 
equally   strict  observance  of  the  in- 
junction, not  to  let  his  left  hand  know 
ivhat  his  right  hand  did ;  for  he  loved 
the  character  of  a   secret  benefactor. 
So    he   wrote   up    a    letter   to   Snap, 
(whom  he  knew  to  have  been  treated 


3G6 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


veiy  insolently  by  Yahoo,)  desiring 
him  to  go  to  two  or  three  flash  bill- 
brokers  and  money-lenders,  and  ascer- 
tain whether  they  had  any  paper  by 
them  with  the  name  of  "  Yahoo  "  on 
it : — and  in  the  event  of  such  being 
discovered,  he  was  to  act  in  the 
manner  pointed  out  by  Gammon.  Off 
went  Snap  like  a  shot,  on  receiving 
this  letter  ;  and  the  very  first  gentle- 
man he  applied  to,  viz.  a  Mr.  Suck'f.m 
Diiy,  proved  to  be  possessed  of  an 
acceptance  of  Yahoo's  for  .£200,  for 
which  Dry  had  given  only  five  pounds 
on  speculation.  He  readily  yielded  to 
Snap's  representation,  that  he  would 
give  him — Dry — a  shy  at  Mr.  Yahoo 
gratis — and  put  the  document  into  the 
hands  of  Snap  ;  who  forthwith  de- 
livered it,  confidentially,  to  Swindle 
Shark,  gent.,  one  &c,  a  little  .lew 
attorney  in  Chancery  Lane,  into  whose 
office  the  dirty  work  of  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap  was  swept — in  « 
where  they  did  not  choose  to  appear. 
I  wish  the  mutilated  Yahoo  could 
have  seen  the  mouthful  of  glittering 
teeth  that  were  displayed  by  the 
hungry  Jew,  on  receiving  the  above 
commission.     His  duties,  though  of  a 

Sainful,  were  of  a  brief  and  simple 
escription.  'Twas  a  plain  case  of 
Indorsee  v.  Acceptor.  The  affidavit  of 
debt  was  sworn  the  same  afternoon  ; 
and  within  an  hour's  time  afterwards, 
a  thin  slip  of  paper  was  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  the  Under-sheriff  of 
Yorkshire,  commanding  him  to  take 
the  body  of  l'imp  Yahoo,  if  he  should 
be  found  in  his  bailiwick,  and  him 
Bafely  keep — out  of  harm's  way — to 
enable  him  to  pay  £200  debt  to 
Suck'em  Dry,  and  £24,  6s.  lOd.  costs 
to  Swindle  Shark.  Down  went  that 
little  "infernal  machine"  to  York- 
shire by  that  night's  post. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  astonish- 
ment and  concern  v>ith  which  Mr. 
Gammon,  the  evening  but  one  after- 
wards,  on  returning  to  the  Hall  from 
a  ride  to  Grilston,  beard  Titmouse  and 
Fitz  Snooks  -  deserted  beings!  —  tell 
him  how,  an  hour  before,  two  big 
vulgar  fellows,  one  of  them  with  a 
long  slip  of  paper  in  his  hands,  bad 
called  at  (he  Hall,  asked  for  the 


cent  unsuspecting  Yahoo,  just  as  ho 
had  made  an  admirable  coup—  and 
insisted  on  his  accompanying  them  to 
the  house  of  one  of  the  aforesaid 
bailiffs,  and  then  on  to  York  Castle. 
They  had  brought  a  tax  cart  with 
them  for  his  convenience  ;  and  into  it, 
between  his  two  new  friends,  was 
forced  to  get  the  astonished  Yahoo — 
smoking,  as  well  as  he  could,  a  cigar, 
with  some  score  or  two  of  which  he 
had  filled  all  his  pockets,  and  swear- 
ing oaths  enough  to  last  the  whole 
ii:  ighbourhood  for  a  fortnight  at  least. 
Mr.  Gammon  was  quite  shocked  at 
the  indignity  which  had  been  perpe- 
trated, and  asked  why  the  villains  had 
not  been  kept  till  he  could  have  been 
sent  for.  Then,  having  the  melan- 
choly Titmouse  and  Frte-Snooks  to 
themselves  for  a  little  while,  he  took 
a  solitary  walk  in  the  elm  avenue, 
where — grief  has  different  modes  of 
expressing  itself — he  relieved  his  ex- 
cited feelings  by  reiterated  little 
hursts  of  gentle  laughter.  As  soon  as 
the  York  True  War  had,  amongst  other 
intimations  of  fashionable  movements, 
informed  the  public  that  "  The  Hon. 
Pimp  Yahoo"  had  quitted  Yattoii 
Hall  for  York  Castle,  where  he  in- 
tended to  remain  and  receive  a  large 
party  of  friends — it  was  astonishing 
how  soon  they  began  to  muster  and 
rally  round  him.  " Detainers" — .eo 
that  species  of  visiting  cards  is  called 
— came  fluttering  in  like  snow  ;  and, 
in  short,  there  was  no  end  of  Hie. 
messages  of  civility  and  congratulation 
which  he  received  from  those  whom 
he  had  obliged  with  his  valuable 
countenance  and  custom. 

Ah  me,  poor  Yahoo,  completely 
done  !  Oft  is  it,  in  this  infernal 
world  of  ours,  that  the  best  concerted 
schemes  are  thus  suddenly  defeated 
by  the-  envious  and  capricious  fates  ! 
Thus  were  thy  arms  suddenly  held 
back  from  behind, just  as  tiny  were 
encircling  as  pretty,  plump  a  pigeon 
as  ever  nestled  in  them  with  pert  and 
plaj  ful    confidence,    to    be    plucked  I 

Alas,    alas!      And    didst    thou    behold 

the  danger  to  which  it  was  exposed, 

as  it  fluttered   upward  unconsciously 
into  the  n  gion  w bore  thine  idle.  | 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


367 


ate  eye  detected  the  keen  hawk  in 
deadly  poise  ?  Ah  me  !  Oh  dear  ! 
What  shall  I  do?  What  can  I  say? 
How  vent  my  grief  for  The  Prema- 
turely Caged  ? — 

"  Qui3  desiderio  sit  pudor,  aufc  modus 
Tarn  chari  capitis  ? — 
Ergo  Yahoura  perpetuus  career 
Tenet  ?    Cui  Pudor,  et  Justit  iaj  soror, 
Incorrupta  Fides,  nudaque  Veritas, 
Quando  ullum  inveniet  parem? 

Multis  iile  bonis  flebilis  abfv.it/ 
Nulli  flebilior  quam  tibi,  TUUcbat  !  * 
Tu  frustra  pius,  lieu !  non  ita  creditum 
Poscis  Yahoum  creditoret — 
Quern  brevi  semel  horrido, 
Nigro  compulerit  Gamnuniius  gregi. 
Durum  I "  t 

Poor  Titmouse  was  very  dull  for 
some  little  time  after  this  sudden 
abduction  of  the  bold  and  brilliant 
spirit,  for  whom  I  have  above  poured 
out  the  deep  sorrows  of  my  soul,  and 
wished  to  bring  an  action,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Fitz-Snooks,  against  the 
miscreant  who  had  dared  to  set  the 
law  in  motion  at  Yatton,  under  the 
very  nose  of  its  lord  and  master.  As 
soon,  however,  as  Gammon  intimated 
to  him  that  all  those  who  had 
lent  Yahoo  money,  might  now  rely 
upon  that  gentleman's  honour,  and 
whistle  back  their  money  at  their 
leisure,  Titmouse  burst  out  into  a 
great  rage,  telling  Gammon  that  he, 
Titmouse,  had  only  a  day  or  two  before 
lent  Yahoo  £150,  of  good  and  lawful 
money  of  Great  Britain  ;  and  that  he 
was  a  "  cursed  scamp,"  who  had  known 
when  he  borrowed,  that  he  could  not 
repay  ;  and  a  Detainer,  at  the  suit  of 
"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq.,"  was  one 
of  the  very  earliest  that  found  its 
way  into  the  Sheriffs  office  ;  this  new- 
creditor  becoming  one  of  the  very  bit- 
terest and  most  relentless  against  the 
fallen  Yahoo,  except,  perhaps,  Mr. 
Fitz-Snooks.  That  gentleman  having 
lent  the  amiable  Yahoo  no  less  than 
thirteen  hundred  pounds,  remained 
easy  all  the  while,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  certain  precious  documents 
called  "I.O.U.'s"  of  the  said  Yahoo 
were  as  good  as  cash;  and  was  horribly 
dismayed  on  discovering  that  it  was 
otherwise  ;  that  he  was  not  to  be  paid 

*  Male,  nonnutti — "  Titmuscule." 
t  Hor.  Cairn.  I.  xxiv. 


before  all  other  creditors,  and  imme- 
diately ;  so  he  also  sent  a  very  special 
message  in  the  shape  of  a  Detainer, 
backed  by  a  great  number  of  curses. 

In  process  of  time  Mr.  Yahoo  be- 
thought himse'.f  of  getting  "white- 
washed ; "  but  when  he  came  to  be 
inspected,  it  was  considered  that  he 
was  not  properly  seasoned;  so  tha 
operation  was  delayed  for  two  years, 
under  a  very  arbitrary  statute,  which 
enacted,  "that  if  it  should  appear 
that  the  said  prisoner  had  contracted 
any  of  his  debts  fraudulently,  or  by 
means  of  false  pretences,  or  without 
having  had  any  reasonable  or  probable 
expectation,  at  the  time  when  con- 
tracted, of  paying  the  same,"  &c.  &c. 
&c,  "or  should  be  indebted  for 
damages  recovered  in  any  action  for 
criminal  conversation,  or  seduction,  or 
for  malicious  injuries,  &c.  &c,  such  pri- 
soner should  be  discharged  as  to  such 
debts  and  damages,  so  soon  only  as  he 
should  have  been  in  custody  at  the 
suit  of  such  creditors  for  a  period  or 
periods  not  exceeding  two  years." 
Such  is  the  odious  restraint  upon  the 
liberty  of  the  subject,  which  at  this 
day,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  is 
suffered  to  disgrace  the  statute  law  of 
England ;  for,  in  order  to  put  other 
Yahoos  upon  their  guard  against  the 
cruel  and  iniquitous  designs  upon 
them,  I  here  inform  them  that  the 
laws  under  which  Mr.  Yahoo  suffered 
his  two  years'  incarceration,  (every  one 
of  his  debts,  &c,  coming  under  one  or 
other  of  the  descriptions  above-men- 
tioned,) are,  proh  pudor!  re-enacted, 
and  at  this  moment  in  force,  as  several 
most  respectable  gentlemen,  if  you 
could  only  get  access  to  them,  would 
tell  you. 

Yahoo  having  been  thus  adroitly 
disposed  of,  Mr.  Gammon  had  the 
gratification  of  finding  that  mis- 
chievous simpleton,  Fitz-Snooks,  very 
soon  afterwards  take  his  departure. 
He  pined  for  the  pleasures  of  the 
town,  (which  he  had  money  enough 
to  enjoy  for  about  three  years  longer, 
with  economy  ;  after  which  he  might 
go  abroad,  or  to  the  dogs — wherever 
they  were  to  be  found.)  'Twas  indeed 
monstrous  dull  at  Yatton  ;  the  game, 


3^3 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


which  Yahoo  had  given  him  a  taste 
for,  was  so  very  strictly  pres 
there  !  and  the  birds  so  uncommon 
shy  and  wild,  and  strong  on  the  wing  ! 
Besides,  Gammon's  presence  was  a 
terrible  pressure  upon  him,  overawing 
and  benumbing  him,  in  spite  of  several 
attempts  which  he  had  made,  when 
charged  with  the  requisite  quantity 
of  wine,  to  exhibit  an  impertinent 
familiarity,  or  even  defiance.  As  soon 
as  poor  Titmouse  had  bade  him  good- 
by,  shaken  hands  with  him,  and  lost 
sight  of  him — he  was  at  Yatton,  alone 
with  Gammon,  and  felt  as  if  a  spell 
were  upon  him — he  was  completely 
cowed  and  prostrate.  Yet  Gammon 
laid  himself  out  to  the  very  utmost  to 
please  him,  and  re-assure  his  drooping 
spirits.  Titmouse  had  got  it  into  his 
head  that  the  mysterious  and  dreadful 
Gammon  had,  in  some  deep  way  or 
other,  been  at  the  bottom  of  Yahoo's 
abduction  and  the  disappearance  of 
Fitz-Snooks,  and  would,  by-and-by, 
do  the  same  for  him.  lie  had  no  feel- 
ing of  ownership  of  Yatton;  but  of 
being,  as  it  were,  only  tenant-at-wiil 
thereof  to  Mr.  Gammon.  Whenever 
he  tried  to  re-assure  himself,  by  re- 
peating to  himself  that  it  did  not 
signify — for  Yatton  was  his  own — and 
he  might  do  as  he  liked,  his  feelings 
might  be  compared  toa  balloon,  which, 
With  the  eye  of  eager  and  anxious  thou- 
sands upon  it,  yet  cannot  get  inflated 
sufficiently  to  rise  one  inch  from  the 
ground.  How  was  it?  Mr.  Gammon's 
manner  towards  him  was  most  uncom- 
monly respectful;  what  else  could  he 
wish  for?  Yet  he  would  have  given 
a  thousand  pounds  to  Mr.  Gammon  to 
take  himself  off,  and  never  show  his 
no  a  '  i  in  at  Yatton  !  Jt  anno 
him,  too,  more  than  he  could  express, 
to  perceive  the  d  and  respeci 

which ev<  iv  one  af  the  Hall  manifested 
towards  Mr.  Gammon.  Titmouse  would 
sometimes  tamp  his  foot,  whenalon* , 
with  childish  fury  on  the  ground, 
when  he  thought  of  it.  When 
dinner,  and  sitting  tojj  therafterw 
(.  immon  would  i  invention 

Titmouse 
-  who  would  certainly  give  a  kind  of 
laugh,   exclaim,    "  Bravo  I      Ha,   ual 


Ton  my  life! — capital! — Ivy  Jove  I 
Most  uncommon  good  !  you  don't  say 
so?"  and  go  on,  drinking  glass  after 
glass  of  wine,  or  brandy  and  water, 
and  smoking  cigar  after  cigar,  till  he 
felt  fuddled  and  sick,  in  which  con- 
dition he  would  retire  to  bed,  anil 
leave.  Gammon,  clear  and  serene  in 
head  and  temper,  to  his  meditations. 
When,  at  length,  Gammon  broached 
the  subject  of  their  bill — a  frightful 
amount  it  was  ;  of  the  monies  advanced 
by  Mr.  Quirk,  for  his  support  for 
eight  or  nine  months,  on  a  liberal 
scale  ;  and  which  mounted  up  to  a 
sum  infinitely  larger  than  could  have 
been  supposed  ;  and  lastly,  of  the  bond 
for  ten  thousand  pounds,  as  the  just 
reward  to  the  firm  for  their  long-con- 
tinued, most  anxious,  and  successful 
exertions  on  Titmouse's  behalf — Tit- 
mouse mustered  up  all  his  resolution, 
as  for  a  last  desperate  struggle  ;  swore 
tiny  wen;  robbing  him  ;  and  added, 
with  a  furious  snap  of  the  lingers, 
"they  had  better  take  the  estate  them- 
selves— allow  him  a  pound  a-week, 
and  send  him  back  to  Tag-rag's. 
Then  he  burst  into  tears,  and  cried 
like  a  child,  long  and  bitterly. 

"Well,  s'r,"  said  Gammon,  after 
remainii  g  silent  for  some  time,  look- 
ing at  Titmouse  calmly,  but  with  an 
expression  of  face  which  frightened 
him  out  of  his  wits,  "if  this  is  to  bo 
really  the  way  in  which  I  am  to  be 
treated  by  you— I,  the  only  real 
disinterested  friend  you  have  in  the 
World,  (as  you  have  had  hundreds  of 
opportunities  of  ascertaining,)  if  my 
dd vice  is  to  be  spurned,  and  my  mo- 
tives  suspected;  if  your  first  and 
deliberate  en  igi  m<  nts  to  our  firm  are 
to  be  wantonly  broken " 

"Ah,  but,  'pon  my  soul,  I  was 
humbugged  into  leaking  them,"  said 
Titmoui  e,  pas  ionately. 

"Why,  you  little  miscreant  I "  ac- 
claimed Gammon,  starting  up  in  his 

chair,  and  gazing  at  him  as  if  lie 
would  have  scorched  him  with  bis 
i  ye,  "  Do  you  D  \i:r.  to  say  bo  ?  If 
you  have  no  gratitude—  have  you 
moryt  What  were  you 
when  1  dug  you  out  of  your  filthy 
boh'  at  Closet  Court?     Did    you  not 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


repeatedly  go  down  on  your  knees  to 
us  ?  Did  you  not  promise  a  thousand 
times  to  do  infinitely  more  than  you 
are  now  called  upon  to  do  ?  And  is 
this,  you  insolent — despicable  little 
insect ! — is  this  the  return  you  make 
us  for  putting  you,  a  beggar — and 
very  nearly  too,  an  idiot " 

"You're  most  uncommon  polite," 
said  Titmouse,  suddenly  and  bitterly. 

"Sile'-ce,  sir  !  I  am  in  no  humour 
for  trilling  ! "  interrupted  Gammon 
sternly.  "I  say,  is  this  the  return 
you  think  of  making  us  ;  not  only 
to  insult  us,  but  refuse  to  pay  money 
actually  advanced  by  us  to  save 
you  from  starvation  —  money,  and 
days  and  nights,  and  weeks  and 
months,  and  many  months  of  intense 
anxiety,  expanded  in  discovering  how 
to  put  you  in  possession  of  a  splendid 
fortune  ? — Poh  !  you  miserable  little 
trifier  ! — why  should  I  trouble  myself 
thus  ?  Remember — remember,  Tittle- 
bat Titmouse,"  continued  Gammon, 
in  a  low  tone,  and  extern  ling  towards 
him  threateningly  his  tkiu  forefinger, 
"I  who  made  you,  will  in  one  day — 
one  single  day — unmake  you — will 
blow  you  away  like  a  bit  of  froth  ;  you 
shall  never  be  seen,  or  heard  of,  or 
thought  of,  except  by  some  small 
draper  whose  unhappy  shopman  you 
may  be !  " 

"  Ah  ! — 'pon  my  life  !  Dare  say  you 
think  I'm  uncommon  frightened  !  Ah, 
ha!  Monstrous  —  particular  good!" 
said  Titmouse. 

Gammon  perceived  that  he  trembled 
in  every  limb  ;  and  the  smile  which  he 
tried  to  throw  into  his  face  was  so 
wretched,  that,  had  you  seen  him  at 
that  moment,  and  considered  his  posi- 
tion, much  and  justly  as  you  now  des- 
pise him,  you  must  have  pitied  him. 
"  You're  always  now  going  on  in  this 
way  ! — It's  so  very  likely  !  "  continued 
he.  "Why,  'pon  my  soul,  am  not  I 
to  be  A  lord  one  of  these  days  ?  Can 
you  help  that  ?  Can  you  send  a  lord 
behind  a  draper's  counter  ?  Ton  my 
soul,  what  do  you  say  to  that  ?  I  like 
that,  uncommon " 

"  What  do  I  say  ?  "  replied  Gammon 
calmly,  "why,  that  I've  a  great  mind 
to  say  and  do  something  that  would 


make  you  —  make  you — fit   to  jump 
head  foremost  into  a  sewer  !  " 

Titmouse's  heart  was  lying  flutter- 
ing at  his  throat. 

"Tittlebat,  Tittlebat!"  continued 
Gammon,  dropping  his  voice,  and 
speaking  in  a  very  kind  and  earnest 
manner,  "if  you  did  but  know  the 
extent  to  which  an  accident  has  placed 
you  in  my  power  !  at  this  moment  in 
my  power  !  Really  I  almost  tremble, 
myself,  to  think  of  it !  "  He  rose, 
brought  his  chamber-candlestick  out 
of  the  hall — lit  it — bade  Titmouse 
good-night,  sadly  but  stendy  —  and 
shook  him  by  the  hand — "  I  may  rid 
you  of  my  presence  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, Mr.  Titmouse.  I  shall  leave  you 
to  try  to  enjoy  Yatton  !  May  you  find 
a  truer — -a  more  powerful  friend  than 
you  will  have  lost  in  me  !  "  Titmouse 
never  shrunk  more  helplessly  under 
the  eye  of  Mr.  Gammon  than  he  did 
at  that  moment. 

"  You — you — zcon't  stop  and  smoke 
another  cigar  with  a  poor  devil,  will 
you,  Mr.  Gammon  1 "  he  enquired 
faintly.  "It's  somehow — most  un- 
common lonely  in  this  queer,  large, 
old-fashioned " 

"Not  to-night,  thank  you,"  replied 
Gammon — and  withdrew,  leaving  Tit- 
mouse in  a  state  of  mingled  alarm  and 
anger — the  former,  however,  predom- 
inating. 

' :  By  jingo ! "  he  at  length  exclaimed, 
with  a  heavy  sigh,  after  a  reverie  of 
about  three  minutes,  gulping  down  the 
remainder  of  his  brandy  and  water, 
"  If  that  same  gent,  Mr.  Gammon,  a'n't 
the — the — devil — he's  the  very  best 
imitation  of  him  that  ever  I  heard 
tell  of !  "  Here  he  glanced  furtively 
round  the  room  ;  then  he  got  a  little 
flustered  ;  rang  his  bell  quickly  for  his 
valet,  and  followed  by  him,  retired  to 
his  dressing-room. 

The  next  morning  the  storm  had 
entirely  blown  over.  When  they  met 
at  breakfast,  Titmouse,  as  Gammon 
knew  would  be  the  case,  was  all  sub- 
mission and  respect ;  in  fact,  he  was 
evidently  thoroughly  frightened  by 
what  Gammon  had  said,  and  infinitely 
more  by  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
said  what  he  did  say  overnight.    Gam- 

B  1! 


370 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


mon,  however,  preserved  for  some  little 
time  the  haughty  air  with  which  he 
had  met  him  :  bat  a  fewworda  of  poor 
Titmouse's,  expressing  his  regret  for 
t  he  had  said  when  lie  had  drunk 
too  much — poor  little  soul!  —  over- 
night, and  unqualifyingly  submitting 
to  every  one  of  the  requisitions  which 
had  been  insisted  on  by  Mr.  Gammon 
— quickly  dispersed  the  cloud  that  was 
settled  on  Gammon's  brow. 

"Now,  my  dear  sir,"  said  he  very 
graciously,  "you. show  yourself  the 
gentleman  1  always  took  you  for — and 
I  forget,  for  ever,  all  that  passed  be- 
tween  us  so  unpleasantly  last  night. 
I  am  sure  it  will  never  be  so  again  : 
for  now  we  entirely  understand  each 
other  ? " 

"Oh  yes — 'pon  my  life — quite  en- 
tirely !  "  replied  Titmouse,  meekly. 

Soon  after  breakfast  theyadjonrned, 
at  Gammon's  request,  to  the  billiard- 
room  ;  where,  though  that  gentleman 
knew  how  to  handle  a  cue,  aud  Tit- 
mouse did  not,  lie  expressed  great 
admiration  for  Titmouse's  play,  and 
felt  great  interest  in  being  shown  by 
him  how  to  get  a  ball,  now  and  then, 
into  each  pocket  at  one  stroke,  a 
masterly  manoeuvre  which  Titmouse 
succeeded  in  two  or  three  times,  and 
Gammon  not  once,  during  their  hour's 
play.  'Twas  upon  that  occasion  that 
th'-y  had  the  friendly  conversation  in 
which  Titmouse  made  the  suggestion 
we  have  already  heard  of,  viz.,  that 
Gammon  should  immediately  clap  the 
screw  upon  Aubrey,  with  a  view  to 
squeezing  out  of  him  at  least  sufficient 
to  pay  the  £10,000  bond,  and  their 
bill  of  costs,  immediately  ;  and  Tit- 
mouse urged  Gammon  at  once  to  send 
Aubrey  packing  after  Yahoo  to  York 
Castle,  as  an  inducement  to  an  early 
settlement  of  the  remainder.  Gam- 
mon, however,  assured  Mr.  Titmouse 
that  in  all  probability  Mr.  Aubrey 
had   led  a  enuple  of  thousand  pounds 

ill  tie'  WO]  Id. 

"Well-  that  will  do  to  begin  with," 
said  Titmouse,  "and  the  rest  must 
iner  "i  later." 

"  Leave  him  i"  me,  my  dear  Tit- 
xnouse,  <>r  rather  to  .Mr.  Quirk—  who'll 
wring  him  before  he's  done  with  him, 


I'll  warrant  him  !  But,  in  the  mean 
while,  I'll  work  day  and  night,  but  I'll 
relieve  you  from  this  claim  of  Mr. 
Quirk,  fur,  in  fact,  I  have  little  or  no 
real  interest  in  the  matter." 

"  You'll  take  a  slapping  slice  out  of 
the  bond,  eh  ?  Aha,  Mr.  Gammon  !  — 
But  what  were  you  saying  you'd  do 
fur  me  ? " 

"  I  repeat,  that  I  am  your  only  dis- 
interested friend,  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  I 
shall  never  see  a  hundred  pounds  of 
what  is  going  into  Mr.  Quirk's  hands, 
who,  I  must  say,  however,  has  richly 
earned  what  he's  going  to  get,  by 
following  my  directions  throughout. 
But  I  was  saying  that  I  had  hit  upon 
a  scheme  for  ridding  you  of  your  diffi- 
culties. Though  you  have  only  just 
stepped  into  your  property,  and  con- 
sequently people  are  very  shy  of  ad- 
vancing money  on  mortgage,  if  you'll 
only  keep  quiet,  and  leave  the  affair 
entirely  to  me,  I  will  undertake  to 
get  you  a  sum  of  possibly  twenty 
thousand  pounds." 

"My  eyes!"  exclaimed  Titmouse, 
excitedly  ;  quickly,  however,  adding, 
with  a  s  id  air — "  but  then,  what  a  lot 
of  it  will  go  to  old  Quirk  ! " 

"He  ia  rather  a  keen  and  hard — 
ahem  !    1  own  ;  but " 

"  Ton  my  life — couldn't  we  do  tho 
old  gent  1  " 

"  On  no  consideration,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ;  it  would  be  a  fatal  step  for 
you — and  indeed  for  me." 

"  What !  and  can  he  do  anything, 
too?  I  thought  it  was  only  you." — 
The  little  fool  had  brought  a  glimpse 
of  colour  into  Gammon's  cheek — but 
Titmouse's  volatility  quickly  relieved 
bis  Prospero.  "  By  the  way — 'pon 
my  life — sha'n't  I  have  to  pay  it  all 
back  again  ?  There's  a  go  !  1  hadn't 
thought  of  that." 

"1  shall  first  try  to  get  it  out  of 
Mr.  Aubrey,"  said  Gammon,  "and 
then  out  of  another  friend  01  yours. 
In  the  mean  while  we  must  not  drop 
i:- -rags  just  yet."  They  then 
got  into  a  long  and  confidential  oon« 
\  ei  itioD  toj  ether ;  in  the  course  of 
which,  Titmouse  happened  t<>  pop  out 

a   little   secret  of  his,  which   till    tlv  U 

he  Lad  managed  to  keep  from  Gammon, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


371 


and  which  occasioned  that  gentleman 
a  great  and  sudden  inward  confusion — 
one  which  it  was  odd  that  so  keen  an 
observer  as  Titmouse  did  not  perceive 
indications  of  in  the  countenance  of 
Gammon  ;  viz.  his  —  Titmouse's  — 
fervent  and  disinterested  love  for  Miss 
Aubrey.  While  he  was  rattling  on 
with  eager  volubility  upon  this  topic, 
Gammon,  after  casting  about  a  little 
in  his  mind,  as  to  how  he  should  deal 
with  this  interesting  discovery,  re- 
solved for  the  present  to  humour 
the  notion,  and  got  out  of  Titmouse  a 
full  and  particidar  account  of  his 
original  "smite" — the  indelible  im- 
pression she  had  made  on  his  heart — 
the  letter  which  he  had  addressed  to 
her — [here  Gammon's  vivid  fancy  por- 
trayed to  him  the  sort  of  composition 
which  must  have  reached  Miss  Aubrey, 
and  he  nearly  burst  into  a  gentle  fit  of 
laughter] — and,  with  a  strange  can- 
dour, or  rather,  to  do  him  justice, 
with  that  frank  simplicity  which  is 
characteristic  of  noble  natures — he  at 
length  described  his  unlucky  encounter 
with  Miss  Aubrey  and  her  maid,  in 
the  winter  ;  whereat  Gammon  felt  a 
sort  of  sudden  inward  spasm,  which 
by  a  sort  of  sympathy  excited  a  twing- 
ing sensation  in  his  right  toe — but  it 
f>assed  away — 'twas,  after  all,  only  a 
ittle  juvenile  indiscretion  of  Tit- 
mouse's ;  but  Gammon,  with  rather 
a  serious  air,  assured  Titmouse  that 
he  had  probably  greatly  endangered 
his  prospects  with  Miss  Aubrey. 

"Eh?  "Why,  d— vil  take  it !  a'n't 
I  going  to  offer  to  her  though  she's  got 
nothing  ? "  interrupted  Titmouse,  with 
astonishment. 

"True!— Ah,  I  had  lost  sight  of 
that.  "Well — if  you  will  pledge  your- 
self to  address  no  more  letters  to  her, 
nor  take  any  steps  to  see  her,  without 
first  communicating  with  me — I  think 
I  can  promise  —  hem  1  "  he  looked 
archly  at  Titmouse. 

"She's  a  most  uncommon  lovely 
gal" — he  simpered,  sheepishly.  The 
fact  was  that  Gammon  had  conceived 
quite  another  scheme  for  Titmouse — 
wholly  inconsistent  with  his  pure, 
ardent,  and  enlightened  attachment 
to  Miss  Aubrey  ;    'twas   undoubtedly 


rather  a  bold  and  ambitious  one,  but 
Gammon  did  not  despair  ;  for  he  had 
that  confidence  in  himself,  and  in  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  which 
always  supported  him  in  the  most 
arduous  and  apparently  hopeless  un- 
dertakings. 

There  was  a  visible  alteration  for  the 
better  in  the  state  of  things  at  Yatton, 
as  soon  as  Messrs.  Yahoo  and  Fitz- 
Snooks  had  been  disposed  of.  Now 
and  then  a  few  of  the  distinguished 
people  who  had  honoured  Mr.  Titmouse 
by  going  out  in  procession  to  meet  and 
welcome  him,  were  invited  to  spend  a 
day  at  Yatton  ;  and  generally  quitted 
full  of  admiration  of  the  dinner  and 
wines  they  got,  the  unaffected  good- 
nature and  simplicity  of  their  hospit- 
able host,  and  the  bland,  composed, 
and  intellectual  deportment  and  con- 
versation of  Mr.  Gammon.  "When 
rent-day  arrived,  Mr.  Titmouse,  at- 
tended by  Mr.  Gammon,  made  his 
appearance,  from  time  to  time,  in  the 
steward's  room,  and  also  in  the  hall, 
where,  according  to  former  custom, 
good  substantial  fare  was  set  out  for 
the  tenants.  They  received  him  with 
a  due  respect  of  manner ;  but  where 
was  the  cheerfulness,  the  cordiality,  the 
rough,  honest  heartiness  of  days  gone 
by  ?  Few  of  them  stayed  to  partake 
of  the  good  things  prepared  for  them, 
which  greatly  affected  Mr.  Griffiths, 
and  piqued  Mr.  Gammon  ;  as  for  Tit- 
mouse, however,  he  said,  with  a  laugh, 
"  Curse  'em  !  let  'em  leave  it  alone  if 
a'n't  hungry  !  "  and  any  faint  feeling 
of  mortification  he  might  have  ex- 
perienced, was  dissipated  by  the  amount 
of  the  sum  paid  into  his  banker's. 
Gammon  was  sensible  that  the  scenes 
which  had  been  exhibited  at  Yatton 
on  the  first  night  of  his  protege's 
arrival,  had  seriously  injured  him  in 
the  neighbourhood  and  county,  and 
was  bent  upon  effacing,  as  quickly  as 
possible,  such  unfavourable  impres- 
sions, by  prevailing  on  Titmouse  to 
"purge  and  live  cleanly" — at  all 
events  for  the  present. 

Let  me  pause  now,  for  a  moment, 
to  enquire,  ought  not  this  favoured 
young  man  to  have  felt  happy  ?  Here 
he  was,  master  of  a  fine  estate,  pro- 

r  v.  2 


372 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


during  him  a  very  splendid  rent-roll  ; 
a  delightful  residence,  suggesting  in- 
numerable dear  and  dignified  associa- 
tions connected  with  old  English  feel- 
ing ;  a  luxurious  table,  with  the 
choicest  liqueurs  and  wines,  in  abund- 
B  ;  might  smoke  the  finest  cigars 
that  the  world  could  produce,  from 
morning  to  night,  if  so  disposed  ;  had 
unlimited  facilities  for  securing  a  dis- 
tinguished personal  appearance,  as  far 
as  dress  and  decoration  went  ;  had  all 
the  amusements  of  the  county  at  his 
command  :  troops  of  servants,  eager 
and  obsequious  in  their  attentions  ; 
horses  ami  carriages  of  every  descrip- 
tion which  he  might  have  chosen  to 
order  out — had,  in  short,  all  the  "ap- 
pliances and  means  to  hoot,"  which 
could  he  desired  or  imagined  by  a 
gentleman  of  his  station  and  affluence. 
Mr.  Gammon  was,  though  s  imewhat 
stern  and  plain-spoken,  still  a  most 
sincere  and  powerful  friend,  deeply 
and  disinterestedly  solicitous  about 
his  interests,  and  protecting  him  from 
villainous  and  designing  adventurers  ; 
then  lie  had  in  prospect  the  brilliant 
mazes  of  fashionable  life  in  town — oh, 
in  the  name  of  everything  that  this 
world  ean  produce,  and  of  the  feelings 
it  should  excite,  ought  not  Titmouse 
to  have  enjoyed  lift — to  have  been 
happy !  Yet  In;  was  not  ;  he  felt, 
quite  independently  of  any  constraint 
isioned  by  the  presence  of  Mr, 
Gammon,  full  of  deplorable  ennui, 
ami  wearisomeness  inexpressible,  and 
which  nol  hing  could  alleviate  but  the 
constant  use  of  cigars  and  brandy  and 
water.  On  the  first  Sunday  after  the 
departure  of  Fitz-Snooks,  he  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  accompany  the  devout 
and  exemplary  Gammon  to  church  ; 
where,  hairing  a  good  many  ill-con- 
i  led  yawns  and  constant  fidgettiness, 
he  conducted  himself  with  tolerable 
i.  Yet  still  the  style  of  his 
dr.  s,  his  air,  and  his  i  ountenance, 
filled  the  little  congregation  with  feel- 
nishment,  when  they 
thought  thai  that,  was  the  new  Squire 
of  Y  nd  P  r  a  mi  I  mo- 

il ted  him  \\  ith  his  pied. 

Bor,  Mr.   Aubrey.     As  for  the  worthy 
vicar,  Dr.  Tathum,  Gammon  resolved 


to  secure  his  good  graces,  and  suc- 
ceeded. He  called  upon  him  soon 
after  having  heard  from  Titmouse  of 
his,  Yahoo,  and  Fitz-Shooks'  encounter 
with  Dr.  Tatham,  and  expressed  pro- 
found concern  on  hearing  of  the  rude 
treatment  he  had  encountered.  There 
was  a  gentleness  and  affability — tem- 
pering at  once  and  enhancing  his  evi- 
dent acuteness  and  knowledge  of  the 
world — which  quite  captivated  the 
little  Doctor.  But,  above  all,  the 
expressions  of  delicate  sympathy  and 
regret  with  which  he  now  and  then 
alluded  to  the  late  occupants  of  Yat- 
ton,  and  towards  whom  the  .stern 
requisitions  of  professional  duty  had 
caused  him  to  play  so  odious  a  part, 
and  enquired  about  them,  drew  out 
almost  all  that  was  in  the  little  Doctor's 
heart  concerning  his  departed  friends. 
Gammon  gazed  with  deep  interest  at 
the  old  blind  stag-hound,  and  feeble 
old  Peggy,  and  Boomed  never  tired  of 
hearing  the  Doctor's  little  anecdotes 
concerning  them,  lie  introduced  Tit- 
mouse to  the  vicar  ;  and,  in  his  pre- 
e,  Gammon  declared  his  (Tit- 
mouse's) hatred  and  contempt  for  the 
two  fidlows  who  were  with  him  when 
first  he  saw  Dr.  Tatham  ;  who  there- 
upon banished  from  his  heart  all 
recollection  of  the  conduct  which  had 
SO  deeply  hurt  his  feelings.  Gammon, 
nil  anotheroccasion,  infinitely  delighted 
the  Doctor  by  calling  on  a  Monday 
morning,  and  alluding  with  evident 
interest  and  anxiety  to  certain  passages 
in  the  Doctor's  sermon  of  the  day 
before,  and  which  led  to  a  very  length- 
ened and  interesting  discussion.  In 
consequence  of  what  then  transpired, 
the  Doctor  suddenly  bethought  him- 
self of  routing  out  an  old  sermon, 
which  in'  had  once  preached  before 
the  judges  of  assizi — and,  dining  the 
week,  he  touched  it  up  with  a  good 
deal  of  care  for  the  ensuing  Sunday — 

when  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  ob- 
serving the  marked  and  Qndeviating 
attention  with  which  Mr,  Gammon 
sal  listening  to  him  ;  and  thai  candid 
enquirer  after  truth  afterwards  stepped 
into  the  little  vestry,  and  warmly 
complimented  the  Doctor  upon  his 
discourse.     Thus  it  was  that    Doctor 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


373 


Tatham  came  to  pen  a  postscript  to  one 
of  his  letters  to  Mrs.  Aubrey,  which  I 
have  formally  alluded  to,  and  of  which 
the  following  is  a  copy  : — 

"P.  S.  By  the  way,  the  altered 
state  of  things  at  the  Hall,  I  am  of 
opinion,  is  entirely  owing  to  the 
presence  and  the  influence  of  a  Mr. 
Gammon — one  of  the  chief  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's solicitors,  and  to  whom  he 
seems  very  firmly  attached.  I  have 
lived  too  long  in  the  world  to  form 
hasty  opinions,  and  am  not  apt  to  be 
deceived  in  my  estimate  of  character  ; 
hut  I  must  say,  I  consider  Mr.  Gam- 
mon to  be  a  very  superior  man,  both 
in  character,  intellect,  and  acquire- 
ments. He  possesses  great  acutencss 
and  knowledge  of  the  world,  general 
information,  a  very  calm  and  courteous 
address — and  above  and  beyond  all,  is 
a  man  of  very  enlightened  religious 
feeling.  He  comes  constantly  to 
church,  and  presents  a  truly  edifying 
example  to  all  around,  of  decorum  and 
attention.  You  would  be  delighted  to 
hear  the  discussions  we  have  had  on 
points  which  my  sermons  have  sug- 
gested to  him.  I  preached  one  lately, 
specially  aimed  at  him,  which,  thank 
God  !  I  have  every  reason  to  believe 
has  been  attended  with  happy  effects, 
and  allayed  some  startling  doubts 
which  had  been  for  years  tormenting 
him.  I  am  sure  that  my  dear  friend  " 
(i.e.  Mr.  Aubrey)  "would  be  delighted 
with  him.  I  had  myself,  I  assure  you, 
to  overcome  a  very  strong  prejudice 
against  him — a  thing  I  always  love  to 
attempt,  and  have  in  a  measure,  in 
the  present  instance,  succeeded.  He 
speaks  of  you  all  frequently,  with 
evident  caution,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
respect  and  sympathy." 

This  postscript  it  was,  which,  as  I 
have  already  intimated,  suggested  to 
Mr.  Aubrey  to  seek  the  interview  with 
Gammon  which  has  been  described, 
and  during  which  it  was  frequently 
present  to  his  mind. 

"While,  however,  under  the  pressure 
of  Mr.  Gammon's  presence  and  au- 
thority, Titmouse  was  for  a  brief  while 
leading  this  sober  retired  life  at  Yatton 
■ — why,  he  hardly  knew,  except  that. 
Gammon   willed   it  —  a   circumstance 


occurred  which  suddenly  placed  him 
on'  the  very  highest  pinnacle  of  popu- 
larity in  metropolitan  society.  I 
hardly  know  how  to  suppress  my 
feelings  of  exultation,  in  retracing  the 
rapid  steps  by  which  Mr.  Titmouse 
was  transformed  into  a  lion  of  the 
first  magnitude.  Be  it  known  that 
there  was  a  Me.  Bladdery  Pip,  a 
fashionable  novelist,  possessed  of  most 
extraordinary  versatility  and  power ; 
for  he  had,  at  the  end  of  every  nine 
months,  during  the  last  nine  years, 
produced  a  novel  in  three  volumes — 
each  succeeding  one  eclipsing  the 
splendour  of  its  predecessor,  (in  the 
judgment  of  the  most  able  and  dis- 
interested newspaper  critics) — in  the 
"masterly  structure  of  the  plot" — 
the  "vivid  and  varied  delineation  of 
character" — the  "profound  acquaint- 
ance with  the  workings  of  the  human 
heart" — ■  (t exquisite  appreciation  of 
life    in   all    its   endless   varieties "  — 


"  piercing  but  delicate  satire 


bold 


and  powerful  denunciations  of  popular 
vices" — "rich  and  tender  domestic 
scenes  " — "inimitable  ease  and  grace  " 
—  "consummate  tact  and  judgment " — 
"reflection  co-extensive  with  observa- 
tion"— "the  style  flowing,  brilliant, 
nervous,  varied,  picturesque, "etcetera, 
et  cetera,  ct  cetera.  We  have,  in  the 
present  day,  thank  Heaven  !  at  least 
a  hundred  such  writers ;  but  at  the 
time  about  which  I  am  writing,  Mr. 
Bladdery  Pip  was  pretty  nearly  alone 
in  his  glory.  Such  was  the  man,  to 
whom  it  suddenly  occurred,  on  glancing 
over  the  newspaper  report  of  the  trial 
of  Doe  on  the  Demise  of  Titmouse  v. 
Jolter,  to  make  the  interesting  facts 
of  the  case  the  basis  of  a  new  novel, 
on  quite  a  new  plan,  and  which  was 
infinitely  to  transcend  all  his  former 
works,  and,  in  fact,  occasion  quite  a 
revolution  in  that  brilliant  and  in- 
structive species  of  literature.  To 
work  went  Mr.  Pip,  within  a  day  or 
two  after  the  trial  was  over,  and  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time  had  got 
to  the  close  of  his  labours.  Practice 
had  made  him  perfect,  and  given  him 
infinite  facility  in  the  production  of 
first-rate  writing.  The  spirited  pub- 
lisher (Mr.  Bubble)  then  quickly  set 


371 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


to  work  to  "get  the  steam  up"  fully  ! 
ah  !  how  secretly  and  skilfully  !  For 
sonic  time  there  appeared  numerous 
intimations  in  the  daily  papers,  that 
"the  circles  of  ton"  were  "on  the 
guivivc"  with  expectation  of  a  certain, 
lie.  &c.  &c. — that  "disclosures  of  a 
very  extraordinary  character"  were 
being  looked  for — "attempts  made  to 
suppress,"  &c.  &c.  —  "compromising 
certain  distinguished,"  kc. ,  and  so 
forth  ;  all  these  paragraphs  being  in 
the  unquestionable  editorial  style,  and 
genuine  indications  of  a  mysterious 
under-current  of  curiosity  and  excite- 
ment, existing  in  those  regions  which 
Were  watched  with  reverential  awe  and 
constancy  by  those  in  the  lower  regions. 
As  time  advanced,  moro  frequent  and 
distinct  became  these  titillalions  of 
the  public  palate — theso  intimations  of 
What  was  going  forward,  and  what 
might  be  shortly  expected,  from  the 
appearance  of  the  long-promised  work. 
Take  for  instance  the  following,  which 
ran  the  round  of  every  newspaper,  and 
wrought  up  to  a  high  pitch  the 
curiosity  of  half  the  fools  in  the 
country : — 

"The  efforts  made  to  deprive  the 
public  of  the  interesting  and  peculiar 
scenes  contained  in  the  forthcoming 
novel,  and  to  suppress  it,  have  entirely 
failed,  owing  to  tbe  resolution  of  the 
gifted  author,  and  the  determination 
of  the  spirited  publisher  ;  and  their 
only  effect  lias  been  to  stimulate  and 
expedite  their  efforts.  It  will  bear  the 
iing  and  piquant  title — '  TlPPETI- 
"wink  ;'  and  is  said  to  bo  founded  on 
the  remarkable  circumstances  attending 
the  recent  trial  of  a  great  ejectment 
cause  at  York.  More  than  one  noble 
family's  history  is  believed  to  be  in- 
volved in  some  of  the  details  which 
will  be  found  in  the  forthcoming  pub- 
lication, fur  which,  we  are  assured, 
there  are  already  symptoms  of  an  un- 
precedented d  niand.  The  'favoured 
h  ..- '  who  have  seen  it,  predict  that  it 
will  produce  a  prodigious  sensation, 
The  happy  audacity  with  which  facl 
are  adhered  to,  will,  we  dust,  not  lead 
to  the  disagreeable  consequences  that 
are  looked  for  in  certain  ipiartera  with 
some  anxiety.    When  we  announce  that 


its  author  is  the  gifted  writer  of  'Tub 
Silver  Spoons' — 'Spinnach  ' — 'Tub 
Pirouette'  —  'Tittle-Tattle'  — 
'  FiTz-GiBiarrs '  —  'Squint,'  &c.  &c. 
&c,  we  trust  we  are  violating  no 
literary  confidence." 

There  was  no  resisting  this  sort  of 
thing.  In  that  day,  a  skilfully  directed 
play  of  puffs  laid  prostrate  the  whole 
reading  and  fa  hionablo  world,  pro- 
ducing the  excitement  of  which  they 
affected  to  chronicle  the  existence.  The 
artilleryman,  in  the  present  instance, 
was  a  hack  writer,  hired  by  Mr.  Bubble 
— in  fact  kept  by  him  entirely — to  per- 
form services  of  this  degrading  descrip- 
tion— and  he  sat  from  morning  to  night 
in  a  back-room  on  Mr.  Bubble's  pre- 
mises, engaged  in  spinning  out  these 
villainous  and  lying  paragraphs  con- 
cerning every  work  published)  or  about 
to  be  published,  by  Mr.  Bubble.  Then 
he  hit  upon  another  admirable  device. 
He  had  seven  hundred  copies  printed 
oil* ;  and,  allowing  a  hundred  fur  a 
first  edition,  lie  varied  tin-  title-pages 
of  tho  remaining  six  hundred  by  the 
words— "  Second  Edition  "— "  Third 
Edition"— "Fourth  Edition  "—"Fifth 
Edition"  —  "Sixth  Edition"  —  and 
"Seventh  Edition." 

By  the  time  that  the  fourth  edition 
had  been  announced,  there  existed  a 
real  rage  for  the  book  ;  the  circulating 
libraries  at  the.  West  End  of  the  Town 
were  besieged  by  applicants  for  a  pe- 
rusal of  the  work;  and  "notices," 
"reviews,"  and  "extracts,"  began  to 
make  their  appearance  with  increasing 
frequency  in  the  newspapers.  Tho 
idea  of  the  work  was  admirable.  Tip- 
l>:  tiwink,  the  hero,  was  a  young  gentle- 
man of  ancient  family— an  only  child 
— kidnapped  away  in  his  infancy  by 
the  malignant  agency  of  "the  demon 
Mowbray,"  a  dl  tant  relative,  of  a 
fierce  temper  and  wicked  character, 
who  by  these  means  succeeded  to  the 

enjoyment  of  the  i  state,  and  would 
cmiie,  in  time,  to  the  honours 
and  estates  of  tho  most  ancient,  and 
Doble  family  in  the  kingdom,  the  Earl 
of  Frit  leton.  Poor  Tippetiwink  was 
at  length,  however,  discovi  red  by  his 
illustrious  kinsman,  by  mere  accident, 
in  an  obscure  capacity,  in  the  employ 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR, 


375 


of  a  benevolent  linen-draper,  Black- 
bag,  who  was  described  as  one  of  the 
most  amiable  and  generous  of  linen- 
drapers  ;  and,  after  a  series  of  wonder- 
ful adventures,  in  which  the  hero  dis- 
played the  most  heroic  constancy,  the 
Earl  succeeded  in  reinstating  his  op- 
pressed  and  injured  kinsman  in  the 
lofty  station  which  he  ought  always  to 
have  occupied.    His  daughter — a  para- 
gon of  female  loveliness  —  the  Lady 
Sapphira  Sigh-away  —  evinced  the 
deepest  interest  in  the  success  of  Tip- 
petiwinlc  ;   and  at  length — the  happy 
result  may  be  guessed.     Out  of  these 
few  and  natural  incidents,  Mr.  Blad- 
dery Pip  was  pronounced  at  length, 
by  those  (i.  c.  the  aforesaid  newspaper 
scribes)  who  govern,  if  they  do  not 
indeed   constitute   public  opinion,  to 
have  produced  an  imperishable  record 
of  his  genius,  avoiding  all  the  faults, 
and  combining  all  the  excellences,  of 
all  his  former  productions.     The  iden- 
tity between   Titmouse   and   Tippcti- 
wink,   Lord   Dreddlington   and    Lord 
Frizzlcton,    Lady   Cecilia    and    Lady 
Sapphira,  and  Mr.  Aubrey  and  "the 
demon  Mowbray,"  was  quickly  estab- 
lished.  The  novel  passed  speedily  into 
the  tenth  edition  ;  an  undoubted,  and 
a  very  great  sensation  was  produced  ; 
extracts  descriptive   of    the    persons, 
particularly  that  of  Titmouse,  and  the 
Earl,  and  Lady  Cecilia,  figuring  in  the 
story,  were  given  in  the  London  papers, 
and  thence  transferred  into  those  all 
over  the  country.     The  very  author, 
Mr.  Bladdery  Pip,  became  a  resusci- 
tated lion,  and  dressing  himself  in  the 
most  exquisite  style,  had  his  portrait, 
looking    most    intensely   intellectual, 
prefixed  to  the  tenth  edition.     Then 
came  portraits  of  "Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
Esq.,"  (for  which  he  had  never  sat,) 
giving  him  large  melting  eyes,  and  a 
very  pensive  face,  and  a  most  fashion- 
able dress.     The  Earl  of  Dreddlington 
and  Lady  Cecilia  became  also  a  lion 
and  lioness.  Hundreds  of  opera-glasses 
were  directed,  at  once,  to  their  box ; 
innumerable  were  the  anxious  saluta- 
tions they  received  as  they  drove  round 
the  Park — and  they  drove   round  it 
three  or  four  times  as  often  as  they 
had  ever  done  before.  'Twas  whispered 


that  the  King  had  read  the  book,  and 
drank  the   Earl's   health,    under  the 
name  of  Lord   Frizzleton — while  the 
Queen  did  the  same  for  Lady  Cecilia 
as  Lady  Sapphira.     Their  appearance 
produced  a  manifest  sensation  at  both 
the  levee  and  drawing-room — Majesty 
looked  blander  than  usual  as  they  ap- 
proached.     Poor   Lord   Dreddlington 
and  Lady  Cecilia  mounted  in  a  trice 
into  the  sev  nth  heaven  of  rapturous 
excitement ;  for  there  was  that  buoyant 
quality  about  their  heads  which  secured 
them   a   graceful    and  rapid    upward 
motion.     They  were  both  unutterably 
happy,  living   in   a  gentle,  delicious 
tumult  of  excited  feelings.    Irrepress- 
ible exultation  glistened  in  the  Earl's 
eyes ;  he  threw  an  infinite  deal  of  bland- 
ness  and  courtesy  into   his  manners 
wherever  he  was  and  whomsoever  he 
addressed,  as  if  he  could  now  easily 
afford  it,  confident  in  the  inaccessible 
sublimity   of    his    position.      It   was 
slightly  laughable    to   observe,    how- 
ever, the  desperate  efforts  he  made  to 
maintain  his  former  frigid  composure 
of  manner — but  in  vain  ;  his  nervous- 
ness   looked    almost    like    a    sudden, 
though  gentle,  accession  of  St.  Vitus's 
dance.  Innumerable  were  the  enquiries 
made  after  Titmouse — his  person — his 
manners — his  character — his  dress,  by 
her  friends,  of  Lady  Cecilia.     Young 
ladies  tormented  her  for  his  autograph. 
'Twas  with  her  as  if  the  level  surface 
of  the  Dead  Sea  had  been  stirred  by 
the  freshening  breeze. 

"When  a  thing  of  this  sort  is  once 
fairly  set  going,  where  is  it  to  end  ? 
When  fashion  does  go  mad,  her  mad- 
ness is  wonderful ;  and  she  very  soon 
turns  the  world  mad.  Presently  the 
young  men  appeared  everywhere  in 
black  satin  stocks,  embroidered,  some 
with  flowers,  and  others  with  gold,  and 
which  went  by  the  name  of  "  Titmouse- 
Ties;  "  and  in  hats,  with  high  crowns 
and  rims  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  depth, 
called  "  Tittlebats."  All  the  young 
blades  about  town,  especially  in  the 
city,  dressed  themselves  in  the  most 
extravagant  style  ;  an  amazing  im- 
petus was  given  to  the  cigar  trade — 
whose  shops  were  crowded,  especially 
at  nights,  and  every  puppy  that  walked 


37G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIL 


the  streets  puffed  cigar-smoke  in  your 
eyes.  In  short,  pert  and  lively  Tit 
might  lie  seen  hopping abont  the  stn  ets 
in  all  directions.  As  for  Tag-rag,  won- 
ders befell  him.  A  paragraph  in  a 
paper  pointed  him  out  as  the  original 
of  Black-bag,  ami  his  shop  in  Oxford 
Street,  as  the  scene  of  Titmouse's  serv- 
ice. Thither  quickly  poured  the  tide 
of  fashionable  curiosiy  and  custom. 
His  business  was  soon  trebled.  He 
wore  his  best  clothes  every  day,  ami 
smirked  and  smiled,  and  bustled  about 
amidst  the  crowd  in  his  shop,  in  a 
fever  of  excitement.  He  began  to 
think  of  buying  the  adjoining  pre- 
mises, and  adding  them  to  his  own  ; 
and  set  his  name  down  as  a  subscriber 
ofhalf-a-guineaa-ycarto  the  "Decayed 
Drapers'  Association."  These  were 
glorious  times  for  Mr.  Tag-rag.  He 
had  to  engage  a  dozen  extra  hands  ; 
thi  re  were  seldom  less  than  fifty  or  a 
hundred  persons  in  his  shop  at  once  ; 
strings  of  carriages  before  his  door, 
sometimes  two  deep,  and  stragglings 
between  the  coachmi  n  for  precedence  ; 
in  fact,  he  believed  that  the  MILLEN- 
NIUM (about  which  he  had  often  hi  aid 
wonders  from  Mr.  Dismal  Horror,  who, 
it  seemed,  knew  all  about  it — a  fact  of 
which  he  had  fust  persuaded  his  con- 
gregation, and  thcnhimseli)  was  coming 
in  earnest. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Tiik  undulations  of  the  popular  ex- 
citement in  town,  were  not  long  in 
reaching  the  calm  retreal  of  Titmouse 
in  Yorkshire.  To  say  nothing  of  his 
having  on  several  occasions  observed 
artists  busily  engaged  in  sketching 
dill',  re,. t  views  of  the  Hall  and  its 
surrounding  scenery,  anil,  on  enquiry, 
discovered  that  they  wire  sent  from 
town  f<>r  the  express  purpose  of  pre- 
senting to  the  public  sketches  of  the 
"  re  idence  of  Mr.  Titmouse,"  a 
of  tin-  inimitable  ; 

Idi  ry  Pip — viz.  "Tin  i.iiw  [NX," 
(tenth  edition)— was  sent  down  to 
Jlr.  Titmouse  by  Gammon  j  who 


forwarded  to  him,  from  time  to  time, 
newspapers  containing  thoso  para- 
graphs which  identify  d  Titmouse  with 
the  hero  of  the  novel,  and  also  testi- 
fied the  profound  impression  which  it 
was  making  upon  the  thinking  ela  see 
of  the  community.  "Was  Titmouse's 
wish  to  witin  ss  the  ferment  he  had  so 
unconsciously  produced  in  the  metro- 
polis unreasonable?  Yatton  was  be- 
ginning to  look  duller  daily,  even 
before  the  arrival  of  this  stimulating 
intelligence  from  town  ;  Titmouse  fad- 
ing quite  out  of  his  element.  So — 
Gammon  non  coniradiccnte — up  came 
Titmouse  to  town.  If  he  had  not 
been  naturally  a  fool,  the  notice  he 
attracted  in  London  must  soon  havo 
made  him  one.  He  had  been  for 
coming  up  in  a  post-chaise  and  four; 
but  Gammon,  in  a  letter,  succeeded 
iu  dissuading  him  from  incurring  so 
useless  an  expense,  assuring  him  that 
men  of  as  high  com  ideiation  as  him- 
self, constantly  availed  themselves  of 
the  safe  and  rapid  transit  afforded  by 
the  royal  mail.  His  valet,  on  being 
iled  to,  corroborated  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's representations;  adding,  that 
tli"  late  hour  in  the  evi  ning  at  which 
the  mail  arrived  in  town,  would  effect- 
ually shroud  him  from  public  observa- 
tion. Giving  strict  and  repeated  orders 
to  his  valet  to  deposit  him  at  once 
"in  a  first-rate  West-End  hotel,"  the 
haughty  lord  of  Yatton,  plentifully 
provided  with  cigars,  stepp  d  into  the 
mail,  his  valet  perched  upon  the  box- 
it.  That  functionary  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  town,  and  resolved  on 
his  master's  taking  up  his  quarters  at 
the  Harcourt  Hotel,  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Bond  Street;  The  mail 
passed  the  Peacock,  at  Islington,  about 
half-past  eight  o'clock  ;  and  long  before 
they  had  reached  even  that  point,  the 
C  and  anxious  eye  of  Titnn  U8e  had 
bci  n  on  the  look-out  lor  indications  of 
1m  .  celebrity.  He  was,  however,  com- 
pelled to  own  that  both  people  and 
places  se»  med  mm  h  as  usual—  wearing 
i  ii  particular  air  of  excitement.  I  le 
was  a  little  eha;  lined,  till  he  reflect  d 
■  •ii  tin-  vulgar  ignorance  of  the  move- 
ments of  t lie  great  for  which  the  east- 
ern regions  of   the  metropolis  were 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


377 


proverbial,  and  also  on  the  increasing 
duskiness  of  the  evening,  the  rapid 
pace  at  which  the  mail  rattled  along, 
and  the  circumstance  of  his  being 
concealed  inside.  When  his  humble 
hackney  coach  (its  driver  a  feeble  old 
man,  with  a  wisp  of  straw  for  a  hat- 
band, and  sitting  on  the  rickety  box 
like  a  heap  of  dirty  old  clothes,  and 
the  flagging  and  limping  horses  look- 
ing truly  miserable  objects)  had  rum- 
bled slowly  up  to  the  lofty  and  gloomy 
door  of  the  Harcourt  Hotel,  it  seemed 
to  excite  no  notice  whatever.  A  tall 
waiter,  in  a  plain  suit  of  black  evening 
dress,  with  his  hands  stuck  behind  his 
coat-tails,  continued  standing  in  the 
ample  doorway,  eyeing  the  plebeian 
vehicle  which  had  drawn  up,  with 
utter  indiiference — conjecturing,  pro- 
bably, that  it  had  come  to  the  wrong 
door.  "With  the  same  air  of  provoking 
superciliousness  he  stood,  till  the  valet, 
having  jumped  down  from  his  seat  be- 
side "the  driver,  ran  up,  and  in  a  pe- 
remptory sort  of  way  exclaimed,  "  Mr. 
Titmouse,  of  Yatton  !  "  This  stirred 
the  waiter  into  something  like  energy. 

"Here,  sir!"  called  out  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse from  within  the  coach  ;  and  on 
the  waiter's  slowly  approaching,  he 
enquired  in  a  sufficiently  swaggering 
manner — "Pray,  has  the  Earl  of 
Drcddlington  been  enquiring  for  me 
here  to-day  ?  "  The  words  seemed  to 
operate  like  magic,  converting  the 
person  addressed,  in  a  moment,  into 
a  slave — supple  and  obsequious. 

"His  lordship  has  not  been  here 
to-day,  sir,"  he  replied  in  a  low  tone, 
with  a  most  courteous  inclination, 
gently  opening  the  door,  and  noiselessly 
letting  down  the  steps.  "Do  you 
alight,  sir  ? " 

"  Why — a — have  you  room  for  me, 
and  my  fellow  there  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  sir  !  certainly. — Shall  I 
show  you  into  the  coffee-room,  sir  ?" 

"  The  coffee-room  ?  Curse  the  cof- 
fee-room, sir !  Do  you  suppose  I'm  a 
commercial  traveller  ?  Show  me  into 
a  private  room,  sir  !  "  The  waiter 
bowed  low  ;  and  in  silent  surprise  led 
Mr.  Titmouse  to  a  very  spacious  and 
elegantly  furnished  apartment — where, 
amidst  the  blaze  of  six  wax  candles, 


and  attended  by  three  waiters,  he  sup- 
ped, an  hour  or  two  afterwards,  in 
great  state  —  retiring  about  eleven 
o'clock  to  his  apartment,  overcome 
with  fatigue — and  brandy  and  water  : 
having  fortunately  escaped  the  indig- 
nity of  being  forced  to  sit  in  the  same 
room  where  an  English  nobleman,  one 
or  two  members  of  Parliament,  and  a 
couple  of  foreign  princes,  were  sitting 
sipping  their  claret,  some  writing  let- 
ters, and  others  conning  over  the 
evening  papers.  About  noon,  the 
next  day,  he  called  upon  the  Earl  of 
Drcddlington  ;  and  though,  uuder 
ordinary  circumstances,  his  lordship 
would  have  considered  the  visit  rather 
unseasonable,  he  nevertheless  received 
his  fortunate  and  now  truly  distin- 
guished kinsman  with  the  most  urbane 
cordiality.  At  the  Earl's  suggestion, 
and  with  Mr.  Gammon's  concurrence, 
Titmouse,  within  about  a  week  after 
his  arrival  in  town,  took  chambers  in 
the  Albany,  together  with  the  elegant 
furniture  which  had  belonged  to  their 
late  tenant,  a  young  officer  of  distinc- 
tion, who  had  shortly  before  suddenly 
gone  abroad  upon  a  diplomatic  mission. 
Mr.  Titmouse  soon  began  to  feel,  in 
various  ways,  the  distinction  which 
was  attached  to  his  name — commenc- 
ing, as  he  did  at  once,  the  gay  and 
brilliant  life  of  a  man  of  high  fashion, 
and  under  the  august  auspices  of  the 
Earl  of  Drcddlington.  Like  as  a  cat, 
shod  with  walnut-shells  by  some  merry 
young  scapegrace,  doubtless  feels  more 
and  more  astonished  and  excited  at 
the  clatter  it  makes  in  scampering  up 
and  down  the  bare  echoing  floors  and 
staircases  ;  so,  in  some  sort,  was  it 
with  Titmouse,  and  the  sudden  and 
amazing  eclat  with  which  .all  his  ap- 
pearances and  movemen  ts  were  attended 
in  the  regions  of  fashion.  'Tis  a  matter 
of  indifference  to  a  fool,  whether  y  u 
laugh  with  him  or  at  him  ;  so  as  that 
you  do  but  laugh  —  an  observation 
which  will  account  for  much  of  the 
conduct  both  of  Lord  Drcddlington 
and  Titmouse.  In  this  short  life,  and 
dull  world,  the  thing  is — to  create  a 
sensation,  never  mind  how ;  and  every 
opportunity  of  doing  so  should  be 
gratefully  seized  hold  of,  and  improved 


378 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


to  tho  uttermost,  l>y  those  who  have 
nothing  else  to  do,  and  have  an  inclin- 
ation to  distinguish  themselves  from 
the  common  herd  of  mankind.  Lord 
Dreddlington  had  got  so  inflated  by 
the  attention  he  excited,  that  he  set 
down  everything  he  witnessed  to  the 
score  of  deference  and  admiration. 
His  self-conceit  was  so  intense,  that  it 
consumed  every  vestige  of  sense  he 
had  about  him.  He  stood  in  solitary 
grandeur  upon  the  lofty  pillar  of  his 
pride,  inaccessible  to  ridicule,  and  in- 
sensible indeed  of  its  approach,  like 
vanity  "on  a  monument  smiling  at  " 
scorn.     Indeed, 

"Ilia  soul  was  like  a  star,  and  dwelt  apart." 

He  did  not  conceive  it  possible  for 
any  one  to  laugh  at  him,  or  anything 
he  might  choose  to  do,  or  any  one  he 
might  think  fit  to  associate  with  and 
introduce  to  the  notice  of  society — 
which  kind  office  he  forthwith  per- 
formed for  Titmouse,  with  whose  odd 
person,  and  somewhat  eccentric  dress 
and  demeanour,  his  lordship  (who 
imagined  that  the  same  operation  was 
going  on  in  the  minds  of  other  people) 
was  growing  daily  more  familiar.  Thus, 
that  which  bad  at  first  bo  shocked  him, 
he  got  at  length  thoroughly  reconciled 
to,  and  began  to  suspect  whether  it 
was  not  assumed  by  Titmouse  out  of  a 
daring  scorn  for  the  intrusive  opinions 
of  the  world,  which  showed  a  loftiness 
of  spirit  akin  to  his  own.  Besides,  in 
another  point  of  view — suppose  the 
manner  and  appearance  of  Titmouse 
were  ever  so  absurd,  so  long  as  his 
lordship  choose  to  tolerate  them,  who 
should  venture  to  gainsay  them  ?  So 
the  Karl  asked  him  frequently  to 
dinner,  took  him  with  them  when  his 
lordship  and  Lady  <  lecilia  went  out  in 
the  eveninj  ;  gave  him  a  seat  in  his 
carriage  in  going  down  to  the  Hon  -  ; 
and  invited  him  to  accompany  him 
and  Lady  Cecilia  when  they  either 
drove  or  rode  round  the  Park;  as  to 
which  latter  Titmouse's  assiduous 
attenl ion  ;it  t he  ridinj  chool  enabled 
him  to  app<  ar  on  hoi  eback  v.  it  hunt 
being  glaringly  unequal  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  horse,  which,  bow< 
he  once  or  twice  contrived  to  give  an 


inclination  towards  backing  upon  those 
of  Lady  Cecilia  ami  the  Earl.  Titmouse 
happening  to  let  fall,  at  the  Karl's 
table,  that  he  had  that  day  ordered  an 
i  i  ;ant  chariot  to  be  built  for  him,  his 
lordship  intimated  that  a  cab  was  the 
usual  turn-out  of  a  bachelor  man  of 
fashion  ;  whereupon  Titmouse  the  next 
day  countermanded  his  order,  and 
was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  cab 
which  had  just  been  completed  for  a 
young  nobleman  who  was  unable  to  pay 
for  it,  and  whom,  consequently,  the 
builder  did  not  care  about  disappoint- 
ing. He  soon  provided  himself  with 
a  great  horse  and  a  little  tiger.  "What 
pen  can  do  justice  to  the  feelings  with 
which  he  first  sat  down  in  that  cab, 
yielding  upon  its  well-balanced  springs, 
took  the  reins  from  his  little  tiger,  and 
then  heard  him  jump  up  behind  !  As 
it  was  a  trille  too  early  for  the  Park, 
he  suddenly  bethought  himself  of  ex- 
hibiting his  splendours  before  the 
establishment  of  Mr.  Tag-rag;  so  he 
desired  his  little  imp  behind  to  run 
and  summon  his  valet,  who  in  a  trice 
came  dowu  ;  and  in  answer  to  a  ques- 
tion, "  whether  there  wasn't  something 
wanting  from  a  draper  or  hosier,"  was 
informed  glibly,  that  six  dozen  of  best 
cambric  pocket  handkerchiefs,  a  dozen 
or  two  pair  of  white  kid  gloves,  half- 
a-dozen  stocks,  and  various  other  items 
were  "wanting" — (i.e.  by  the  valet 
himself,  for  Titmouse  was  already 
sufficiently  provided.)  Off,  however, 
he  drove,  and  succeeded  at  length  in 
reaching  the  Oxford  Street  establish- 
ment, before  the  door  of  which  five  or 
six  carriages  were  standing.  1  should 
say  that,  at  the  moment  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's strutting  into  that  scene  of  his 
former  mL  ei  ible  •  i  n  il  tide,  he  experi- 
I  n  d  a  gush  of  delight  winch  was 
I  to  efface  all  rec  Election  of 
the  misery,  privation,  and  opj  n 
endured  in  Ids  early  days.  There  was 
an  evident  flutter  anion;;  tho 
gentlemen  engaged  behind  the  counter 
I'll,  il:  v      it  must  lie  "  the 

Mr.  Tit ii!.>:i  e !  "   Tag  ra  '.  c  itch- 
ing sight  of  him,  bounced  out  of  his 

Little  i n,  and   bustled  up  to  him 

through  the  crowd  of  customers,  bow- 
ing, scraping,  blushing,  and  rubbing 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


379 


his  hands,  full  of  pleasurable  excite- 
ment, and  exhibiting  the  most  profound 
obsequiousness.  "Hope  you're  well, 
sir,"  he  commenced  in  a  low  tone,  but 
instantly  added,  in  a  louder  tone, 
observing  that  Titmouse  chose  to 
appear  to  have  come  upon  business, 
"what  can  I  have  the  honour  to  do 
for  you,  sir,  this  morning?"  And 
handing  him  a  stool,  Tag-rag,  with  a 
respectful  air,  received  a  very  liberal 
order  from  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  minuted 
it  down  in  his  memorandum  book. 

"Dear  me,  sir,  is  that  your  cab?" 
said  Tag-rag,  as,  having  accompanied 
Titmouse,  bowing  every  step,  to  the 
door,  they  both  stood  there  for  a 
moment,  "I  never  saw  such  a  beautiful 
turn-out  in  my  life,  sir " 

"Ya — a — s.  Pretty  well  —  pretty 
Well ;  but  that  young  rascal  of  mine's 
dirtied  one  of  his  boots  a  little — dem 
him  ! "  and  he  looked  terrors  at  the 
tiger. 

"Oh dear !—  so  he  has  ;  shall  I  wipe 
it  ofT,  sir  ?     Do  let  me — " 

"No,  it  don't  signify  much.  By 
the  way,  Mr.  Tag-rag,"  added  Mr. 
Titmouse  in  a  drawling  way,  "all  well 
at — at — demme  if  I've  not  this  mo- 
ment forgot  the  name  of  your  place  in 
the  country " 

"Satin  Lodge,  sir,"  said  Tag-rag 
meekly,  but  with  infinite  inward  un- 
easiness. 

"Oh — ay,  to  be  sure.  One  sees, 
'pon  my  soul,  such  a  lot  of  places — but 
—all  well  ? " 

"All  very  well,  indeed,  sir;  and 
constantly  talking  of  you,  sir." 

"Ah — well!  My  compliments — " 
here  he  drew  on  his  second  glove,  and 
moved  towards  his  cab,  Tag-rag  accom- 
panying him — "glad  they're  well.  If 
ever  I'm  driving  that  way — good  day ! " 
In  popped  Titmouse — crack  went  his 
Whip — away  darted  the  horse — Tag- 
rag  following  it  with  an  admiring  and 
anxious  eye. 

As  Mr.  Titmouse  sat  in  his  new 
vehicle,  on  his  way  to  the  Park,  dressed 
in  the  extreme  of  the  mode,  his  glossy 
hat  perched  sideways  on  his  bushy, 
well-oiled,  but  somewhat  mottled  hair ; 
his  surtout  lined  with  velvet ;  his  full 
Batin  stock,  spangled  with  inwrought 


gold  flowers,  and  with  two  splendid 
pins,  connected  together  with  delicate 
double  gold  chains ;  his  shirt-collars 
turned  down  over  his  stock  ;  his  chased 
gold  eyeglass  stuck  in  his  right  eye ; 
the  still"  wristbands  of  his  shirt  turned 
back  over  his  coat-cuffs  :  and  his  hands 
in  snowy  kid  gloves,  holding  his  whip 
and  reins :  when  he  considered  the 
exquisite  figure  he  must  thus  present 
to  the  eye  of  all  beholders,  and  gave 
them  credit  for  gazing  at  him  with  the 
same  sort  of  feelings  which  similar 
sights  had,  but  a  few  months  before, 
excited  in  Ms  despairing  breast,  his 
little  cup  of  happiness  was  full,  and 
even  brimming  over.  This,  though  I 
doubt  whether  it  was  a  just  reflection, 
was  still  a  very  natural  one ;  for  ho 
knew  what  his  own  feelings  were, 
though  not  how  weak  and  absurd  they 
were  ;  and  of  course  judged  of  others 
by  himself.  If  the  Marquis  of  Whig- 
borough,  with  his  £200,000  a-year, 
and  5000  independent  voters  at  his 
command,  were  on  his  way  down  to 
the  House,  absorbed  with  anxiety  as 
to  the  effect  of  the  final  threat  he  was 
going  to  make  to  the  Minister,  that, 
unless  he  had  a  few  strawberry  leaves 
promised  him,  he  should  feel  it  his 
duty  to  record  his  vote  against  the 
great  bill  for  "  Giving  Every  Body 
Every  Thing,"  which  stood  for  a  third 
reading  that  evening  ;  or  if  the  great 

Duke  of  ,  a  glance  of  whose  eye, 

or  a  wave  of  whose  hand,  would  light 
up  an  European  war,  and  who  might 
at  that  moment  be  balancing  in  his 
mind  the  fate  of  millions  of  mankind, 
as  depending  upon  his  fiat  for  peace  or 
war — I  say  that  if  both  or  either  of 
these  personages  had  passed  or  met 
Titmouse,  in  their  cabs,  (which  they 
were  mechanically  urging  onward,  so 
absorbed  the  while  with  their  own 
thoughts,  that  they  scarce  knew  whether 
they  were  in  a  cab  or  a  haudbarrow,  in 
which  latter,  had  it  been  before  their 
gates,  either  of  them  might  in  his 
abstraction  have  seated  himself;)  Tit- 
mouse's superior  acquaintance  with 
human  nature  assured  him  that  the 
sight  of  his  tip-top  turn-out  could  not 
fail  of  attracting  their  attention,  and 
nettling  their  pride.    Whether  Milton, 


3S0 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


if  cast  on  a  desolate  island,  hut  with 
the  means  of  writing  Paradise  Lost, 
would  have  done  bo,  hud  he  been  cer- 
tain that  no  human  eye  would  ever 
peruse  a  line  of  it  ;  or  whether  Mr. 
Titmouse,  had  he  been  suddenly  de- 
posited, in  his  splendid  cab,  in  the 
midst  of  the  desert  of  Sahara,  with 
not  one  of  his  species  to  fix  an  envying 
eye  upon  him,  would  nevertheless  have 
experienced  a  great  measure  of  satis- 
facti  m,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  As, 
however,  every  condition  of  life  has  its 
mixture  of  good  and  evil,  so,  if  Tit- 
mouse had  been  placed  in  the  midst  of 
the  aforesaid  desert  at  the  time  when 
lie  was  last  before  the  reader,  instead 
of  dashing  along  Oxford  Street,  he 
would  have  escaped  certain  difficulties 
and  dangers  which  he  presently  en- 
countered. Had  an  ape,  not  acquainted 
witli  the  science  of  driving,  been  put 
into  Titmouse's  place,  he  would  pro- 
babiy  have  driven  much  in  the  same 
style,  though  he  would  have  had  greatly 
the  advantage  over  his  rival  in  respect 
of  his  simple  and  natural  appearai  cc  : 
being,  to  the  eye  of  correct  taste, 
"when  unadorned,  adorned  the  most." 
Mr.  Titmouse,  in  spite  of  the  assistance 
to  his  sight  which  he  derived  from  his 
neutral  glass,  was  continually  coming 
into  collision  witli  the  vehicles  which 
met  and  passed  him,  on  his  way  to 
Cumberland  Gate.  Ho  got  into  no 
fewer  than  four  distinct  rows  (to  say 
nothing  of  the  flying  curses  which  he 
received  in  passing)  between  the  point 
1  have  named  and  Mr.  Tag-rag's  pre- 
mises. But  as  he  was  by  no  means 
destitute  of  spirit,  he  sat  in  his  cab,  on 
these  hair  occasions,  cursing  and  bl as- 
pheming  like  a  little  fiend,  till  he 
almost  brought  tears  of  vexation  into 
the  eyes  of  one  or  two  of  his  opponents, 
(eail  ,  cab-drivers,  watermen,  hackney- 

chmen,    carters,    stage  -  coachmen, 

market-gardi       1  draymen,)  who 

unexpectedly  found  their  own  weapon 
— i.  ■  Led  with  i  uch  su- 

pei  ior  power  and  effect,  for  once  in  a 
way,  by  a  swell — an  ari  itocrat.  The 
more  manly  of  his  opponents  were 
filled  with  secret  respect  for  the  i  i 

or  of   such    mi  uapected    powers. 
Still  it  was  unpleasant  for  a  p  n  on  of 


Mr.  Titmouse's  distinction  to  be  en- 
gaged  in  these  conflicts  ;  and  he  would 
have  given  the  world  to  he  aide  to 
conquer  his  conceit  so  far  as  to  summon 
his  little  tiger  within,  ami  surrender 
to  him  the  reins.  Such  a  ridiculous 
confession  of  his  own  incapacity,  how- 
ever, he  could  not  think  of,  and  he  got 
into  several  little  disturbances  in  the 
Park  ;  after  which  he  drove  home : 
the  battered  cab  had  to  be  taken  to 
the  maker's,  where  tin;  injuries  it  had 
ined  were  r  paired  for  the  trilling 
sum  of  forty  pounds. 

The  eminent  position  secured  for 
Titmouse  by  the  masterly  gonitis  of 
Mr.  Bladdery  Tip,  was  continued  to 
him,  and  strengthened  by  much  more 
substantial  claims  upon  the  respect  of 
society,  possessed  by  the  first-named 
gentleman.  Rumour  is  a  dame  that 
always  looks  at  objects  through  very 
strong  mngnifying-glasscs  ;  and,  guided 
by  what  she  saw,  she  soon  gave  out 
that  Titmouse  was  patron  of  three 
boroughs,  had  a  (dear  rent -roll  of  thirty 
thousand  a-year,  and  had,  already  re- 
ceived nearly  a  hundred  thousand 
pounds  in  hard  cash  from  the  previous 
proprietor  of  his  c  states,  as  a  compen- 
sation for  the  hack  rents,  which  that 
usurper  had  been  for  so  many  years  in 
the  receipt  of.  Then  he  was  very  near 
in  succession  to  the  ancient  and  dis- 
tinguished Barony  of  Drelincourt,  and 
the  extensive  estates  thereto  annexed, 
lie  was  young  ;  by  no  means  ill-look- 
ing ;  ami  \v;t;- — unmarried.  Under 
the  mask  of  iui'ir<t>!  and  eccentricity, 
it  was  believed  that  he  concealed  great 

natural  acutencss,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  who  were  his  real  ami 
who  only  his  pretended  friends  and 
well-wishers;  and  that  his  noble  rela- 
tives had  given  in  to  his  lit  lie  Bcheme 
for  the  purpose  of  aiding  him  in  the 
important  uiscovi  m   which    !"■ 

was  bent.  Infinite  elicit  wis  thus 
given     to     the      Karl's     in  I  roditct  ions. 

VVherevi  r    Tit use   went    he   found 

new  and  delightful  acquaintanc  j 
■  w\<\  invitations  to  dinners,  balls,  routs, 
v,  came  Bhowering  da  ly  into  his 
room  i  at  tie-  Albany .  whin-  also  were 
hit.  innumerable  cards,  bearing  names 

of  very    high    fashion.       All   who   had 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


331 


daughters   or  sisters   in   the   market, 
paid  eager  and  persevering   court  to 
Mr.  Titmouse,  and  still  more  so  to  the 
Earl  of  Dreddlington  and  Lady  Cecilia, 
his  august  sponsors;    so  that  —  such 
being  the  will  of  that  merry  jade  For- 
tune—  they  who   had   once  regarded 
him  as  an  object  only  of  shuddering 
disgust   and   ineffable   contempt,    and 
had  been  disposed  to  order  their  serv- 
ants to  show  him  out  again  into  the 
streets,  were  now,  in  a  manner,  magni- 
fied and  made  honourable  by  means  of 
their  connexion  with  him  ;  or  rather, 
society,  through  his  means,  had  become 
suddenly  sensible  of  the  commanding 
qualities  and  pretensions  of  the  Earl 
of  Dreddlington  and  the  Lady  Cecilia. 
In  the  ball-room — at  Almack's  even — 
how  many  3'oung  men,  handsome,  ac- 
complished, and  of  real  consequence, 
applied    in    vain    for    the    hand    of 
haughty  beauty,  which  Mr.  Titmouse 
had  only  to  ask  for,  and  have  !    Whoso 
was  the  opera-box  into  which  he  might 
not  drop  as  a  welcome  visitor,  and  be 
seen    lounging   in   envied  familiarity 
with   its   fair  and   brilliant   inmates  ? 
Were  there  not  mothers  of  high  fashion, 
of  stately   pride,    of    sounding  rank, 
who  would  have  humbled  themselves 
before  Titmouse,  if  thereby  he  could 
have  been  brought  a  suitor  to  the  feet 
of  one  of  their  daughters  ?     But  it  was 
not  over  the  fair  sex  alone  that  the 
magic   of  Mr.    Titmouse's  name   and 
pretensions   had   obtained    this   great 
and  sudden  ascendancy  ;  he  excited  no 
small  attention  among  men  of  fashion 
— great  numbers  of  whom  quickly  re- 
cognised in  him  one  very  fit  to  become 
their  butt  and   their    dupe.      What 
signified  it  to  men  secure  of  their  own 
position  in  society,  that  they  were  seen 
openly  associating  with   one   so  out- 
rageously  absurd   in    his   dress  —  and 
vulgar   and   ignorant   beyond   all  ex- 
ample ?     So  long  as  he  bled  freely  and 
trotted  out  briskly  and  willingly,  his 
eccentricities    could     be    not    merely 
tolerated,  but  humoured.      Take,   for 
instance,  the  gay  and  popular  Mar- 
quis Gants-Jaunes  pe  Millefleurs  ; 
but  he  is  worth  a  word  or  two  of  de- 
scription, because  of  the   position  he 
had  contrived  to  acquire  and  retain, 


and  the  influence  which  he  managed 
to  exercise  over  a  considerable  portion 
of  London  society.     The  post  he  was 
anxious  to  secure  was  that  of  the  leader 
of  ton  ;  and  he  wished  it  to  appear  that 
that  was  the  sole  object  of  his  ambition. 
While,  however,  he  all'ected  to  be  en- 
tirely  engrossed   by   such  matters  as 
devising  new  and  exquisite  variations 
of    dress   and    equipage,    he   was,    in 
reality,   bent   upon  graver  pursuits — 
upon    gratifying    his    own   licentious 
tastes   and   inclinations   with   secrecy 
and    impunity.      He   despised    folly, 
cultivating  and  practising  only  vice, 
in  which  he   was,    in  a  manner,    an 
epicure.     He  was  now  about  his  forty- 
secoud  year,  had  been  handsome,  was 
of  bland  and  fascinating  address,  vari- 
ously accomplished,  of  exquisite  tact, 
of  most  refined   taste  ;    there  was  a 
slight  fulness  and  puffiness  about  his 
features,  an  expression  in  his  eye  which 
spoke  of  satiety — and  the  fact  was  so. 
He  was  a  very  proud,  selfish,  heartless 
person ;    but   these   qualities   he  con- 
trived to  disguise  from  many  of  even 
his  most  intimate  associates.     An  ob- 
ject of  constant  anxiety  to  him,  was  to 
ingratiate  himself  with   the  younger 
and  weaker  branches  of  the  aristocracy, 
in  order  to  secure  a  distinguished  status 
in  society  ;  and  he  succeeded.    To  gain 
this  point,  he  taxed  all  his  resources  ; 
never  were  so  exquisitely  blended,  as 
in  his  instance,  with  a  view  to  securing 
his  influence,  the  qualities  of  dictator 
and  parasite  ;  he  always  appeared  the 
agreeable  equal  of  those  whom,  for  his 
life,  he   dared  not  seriously  have  of- 
fended.   He  had  no  fortune  ;  no  visible 
means  of  making  money  —  did   not 
sensibly  sponge  upon  his  friends,  nor 
fill  into  conspicuous  embarrassments, 
yet  he  always  lived  in  luxury — without 
money,  he  in  some  inconceivable  man- 
ner  always   contrived   to   be   in    the 
possession  of  money's  worth.     He  had 
a  magical  power  of  soothing  querulous 
tradesmen.    He  had  a  knack  of  always 
keeping  himself,  his  clique,  his  sayings 
and  doings,  before  the  eye  of  the  public, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  satisfy  it  that 
he   was    the   acknowledged    leader  of 
fashion  ;    yet   it  was  really   no  such 
thing ;   it  was   a   false  fashion,  there 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


being  all  the  difference  between  him 
and  a  man  of  real  consequence  in 
society,  that  there  is  between  mock 
and  real  pearl,  between  paste  and 
diamond.  It  was  true  thai  young  men 
of  sounding  name  and  title  were  ever 
to  be  found  in  his  train,  thereby  giving 
real  countenance  to  one  from  whom 
they  fancied  that  they  themselves  de- 
rived celebrity  ;  thus  enabling  him  to 
effect  a  lodgement  in  the  outskirts  of 
aristocracy  ;  but  he  could  not  penetrate 
inland]  so  to  speak,  any  more  than 
foreign  merchants  can  advance  further 
than  to  Canton,  in  the  dominions  of 
the  Emperor  of  China.  He  was  only 
tolerated  in  the  regions  of  real  aristoc- 
racy— a  fact  of  which  ho  had.  a  very 
galling  consciousness,  though  it  did 
not  apparently  disturb  his  equanimity, 
or  interrupt  the  systematic  and  refined 
sycophancy  by  which  alone  he  could 
secure  his  precarious  position. 

With  some  sad  exceptions,  I  think 
that  Greal  Britain  has  reason  to  lie 
proud  of  her  aristocracy.  1  do  not 
speak  now  of  those  gaudy  flaunting 
personages,  of  either  sex,  who,  by  their 
excesses  or  eccentricitii  s,  are  eternally 
obtruding  themselves,  their  manners, 
(!]i  s,  and  equipage, upon  the  offended 
car  and  eye  of  the  public  ;  but  of  those 
Who  occupy  their  exalted  sphere  in 
simplicity,  in  calmness,  and  in  unob- 
trusive dignity  and  virtue.  I  am  no 
flatterer  or  id. 'Liter  of  the  aristocracy. 
I  have  a  profound  sense  of  the  necessity 
and  advantage  of  the  ion:  but 

I  shall  ever  pay  its  m<  mbers,  person- 
ally, an  honest  homage  only,  after  a 
stern  and  keen  scrutiny  into  their 
per  onal  pretensions ;  thinking  of  them 
in  the  spirit  of  those  memorable 
words  of  Scripture — "  Unto  whomsoi  vt  r 
is  gi  en,  of  him  shall,  be  much 
required," and  that  not  hereafter  only, 
but  here  al  10.  No  one  v.  iuld  visit 
their  faults  and  follies  with  a  more 
uie  |  fthan  I ;  yet,  making 

all  ju  i  allowance  for  their  peculiar 
penis  and  tcmptatioi 
are,  especially  at  the  p  riod  of  their 
entrance  upon  life,  to  Bedulous  and 
systematic  sycophancy,  too  often 
id  artful  and  designing  profligacy. 
( !an,  howevi  r,  anything  i  reater 


indignation  and  disgust  in  the  mind 
of  a  thoughtful  and  independent  ob- 
server, than  the  instances  occasionally 
exhibited  of  persons  of  rank  presump- 
tuously imagining  that  they  enjoy  a 
sort  of  prescriptive  immunity  from  the 
consequences  of  misconduct  ?  An  in- 
solent or  profligate  nobleman  is  a 
spectacle  becoming  every  day  more 
dangerous  to  exhibit  in  this  country  : 
of  that  he  may  be  assured. 

Such  arc  my  sentiments — those  of  a 
contented  member  of  the  middle  classes, 
with  whom  are  all  his  best  and  dearest 
sympathies,  and  who  feels  as  stern  a 
pride  in  his  "Order,"  and  determina- 
tion to  "stand  by  it,"  too,  as  ever  was 
felt  or  avowed  by  the  haughtiest  aristo- 
crat for  his;  of  one  who  with  very 
little  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
aristocracy,  has  yet  had  opportunities 
of  observing  their  conduct ;  and  sin- 
cerely and  cheerfully  expresses  his  be- 
lief, that  very,  very  many  of  them  are 
worthy  of  all  that  they  enjoy — are 
bright  patterns  of  honour,  generosity, 
loyalty,  and  virtue;  that,  indeed,  of 
by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  them 
it  may  be  said  that  they 

"  Have  borne  their  faculties  so  meek— have 

been 
So  clear  in  their  great  office,  that  their 

virtues 
"Will  plead  liko  angels." 

And  finally,  I  say  these  are  the  senti- 
ments of  one  who,  if  their  order  were 
in  jeopardy,  would,  with  the  immense 
majority  of  his  brethren  of  the  middle 
classes,  freely  shed  his  blood  in  defence 
of  that  order;  for  its  preservation  is 
essential  to  the  well-being  of  society, 
and  its  privilegi  a  are  really  ours. 

To  return,  however,  to  the  Marquis. 
The  means  to  which,  as  1  have  above 
explained,  he  resorted  for  the  purpose, 
secured  him  a  certain  spoi  ies  of  per- 
manent popularity.  In  matters  ( f 
dress  ana  equipage,  he  could  re. ill}' 
set  the  fashion  ;  at  1  :  imething 

of  a  practical  humourist,  and  desirous 
of  frequent  exhibitions  of  his  powi  r, 
in  order  to  enhance  his  nn  tensions 
with  his  patrons  —  and  also  greatly 
applauded  and  indulged  by  the  trades- 
people profiting  by  the  vagaries  of 
ion,  he  was  very  capricious  in  tha 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


383 


exercise  of  his  influence.  He  seized 
the  opportunity  of  the  advent  of  my 
littie  hero,  to  display  his  powers  very 
decisively  !  He  waved  his  wand  over 
Titmouse,  and  instantly  transformed  a 
little  ass  into  a  great  lion.  'Twas 
the  Marquis,  who  with  his  own  hand 
sketched  off,  from  fancy,  the  portrait 
of  Titmouse,  causing  it  to  be  exhibited 
in  almost  every  bookseller's  shop  win- 
dow. He  knew  that,  if  he  chose  to 
make  his  appearance  once  or  twice  in 
the  Parks,  and  leading  streets  and 
squares,  in  —  for  instance  —  the  full 
and  imposing  evening  costume  of  the 
clown  at  the  theatre,  with  painted 
face,  capacious  white  inexpressibles, 
and  tasteful  cap  and  jacket  —  within 
a  few  days'  time  several  thousands  of 
clowns  would  make  their  appearance 
about  town,  turning  it  into  a  vast 
pantomime.  Could  a  more  striking  in- 
stance of  the  Marquis's  power  in  such 
matters  have  been  exhibited,  than 
that  which  had  actually  occurred  in 
the  case  of  Titmouse  ?  Soon  after  the 
novel  of  Tippetiwink  had  rendered 
our  friend  an  object  of  public  interest, 
the  Marquis  happened,  somewhere  or 
other,  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  pre- 
posterous little  ape.  His  keen  eye 
caught  all  Titmouse's  personal  pecu- 
liarities at  a  glance  ;  and  a  day  or  two 
afterwards  appeared  in  public,  a  sort 
of  splendid  edition  of  Titmouse — with 
quizzing-glass  stuck  in  his  eye  and 
cigar  in  his  mouth  ;  taper  ebony  cane ; 
tight  surtout,  with  the  snowy  corner 
of  a  white  handkerchief  peeping  out 
of  the  outside  breast-pocket ;  hat  with 
scarce  any  rim,  perched  slantingly  on 
his  head  ;  satin  stock  bespangled  with 
inwrought  gold  flowers ;  shirt-collar 
turned  down ;  and  that  inimitable 
strut  of  his  !  —  'Twas  enough  ;  the 
thoughtful  young  men  about  town 
were  staggered  for  a  moment ;  but 
their  senses  soon  returned.  The  Mar- 
quis had  set  the  thing  going ;  and 
within  three  days'  time,  that  bitter 
wag  had  called  forth  a  flight  of  Tit- 
mice that  would  have  reminded  you, 
for  a  moment,  of  the  visitation  of 
locusts  brought  upon  Egypt  by  Moses. 
Thus  was  brought  about  the  slate  of 
things  recorded  towards  the  close  of 


the  preceding  chapter  of  this  history. 
As  soon  as  the  Marquis  had  seen  a  few 
of  the  leading  fools  about  town  fairly 
in  the  fashion,  he  resumed  his  former 
rigid  simplicity  of  attire,  and,  accom- 
panied by  a  friend  or  two  in  his  con- 
fidence, walked  about  the  town  enjoying 
his  triumph  ;  witnessing  his  trophies 
—"Tittlebats"  and  " Titmouseties " 
filling  the  shop  windows  on  the  week- 
days, and  peopling  the  streets  on 
Sundays.  The  Marquis  was  not  long 
in  obtaining  an  introduction  to  tho 
quaint  little  millionnaire,  whose  re- 
putation he  had,  conjointly  with  his 
distinguished  friend  Mr.  Bladdery 
Pip,  contributed  so  greatly  to  extend. 
Titmouse,  who  had  often  heard  of 
him,  looked  upon  him  with  incon- 
ceivable reverence,  and  accepted  an 
invitation  to  one  of  the  Marquis's 
recherche  Sunday  dinners,  with  a  sort 
of  tremulous  ecstasy.  Thither,  on 
the  appointed  day,  he  went  accord- 
ingly, and,  by  his  original  humour, 
afforded  infinite  amusement  to  tho 
Marquis's  other  guests.  'Twas  lucky 
for  Titmouse  that,  getting  dreadfully 
drunk  very  early  in  the  evening,  ho 
was  quite  incapacitated  from  accom- 
panying his  brilliant  and  good-natured 
host  to  one  or  two  scenes  of  fashionable 
entertainment,  as  had  been  arranged, 
in  St.  James's  Street. 

Now,  do  let  us  pause  to  ask  whether 
this  poor  little  creature  was  not  to  bo 
pitied  ?  Did  he  not  seem  to  have 
been  plucked  out  of  his  own  sphere 
of  safe  and  comparatively  happy  ob- 
scurity, only  in  order  to  become  every 
one's  game — an  object  of  everybody's 
cupidity  and  cruelty  ?  May  he  not  bo 
compared  to  the  flying  fish,  who, 
springing  out  of  the  water  to  avoid, 
his  deadly  pursuer  there,  is  instantly 
pounced  upon  by  his  ravenous  assail- 
ants in  the  air  ?  In  the  lower,  and 
in  the  upper  regions  of  society,  was 
not  tins  the  condition  of  poor  Tittle- 
bat Titmouse  ?  "\Va3  not  his  long 
coveted  advancement  merely  a  transi- 
tion from  scenes  of  vulgar  to  refined 
rapacity?  Had  he,  ever  since  "luck 
had  happened  to  him,"  had  one  singlo 
friend  to  whisper  in  his  car  one  word 
of  pity  and  of  disinterested  counsel  ? 


3S4 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAll. 


In  the  splendid  regions  which  lie  had 
entered,  who  regarded  him  otherwise 
than  as  a  legitimate  object  for  plunder 
or  ridicule,  the  latter  disguised  by  the 

1 7  only  ?  "Was  not  even  his 
dignified  and  exemplary  old  kinsman, 
the  Karl  of  Dreddlington,  Right  Hon- 
ourable as  he  was,  influenced  solely  by 
considerations  of  paltry  self-interest  ? 
Had  he  not  his  own  ridiculous  and 
mercenary  designs  to  accomplish, 
amidst  all  the  attentions  lie  vouch- 
safed to  bestow  upon  Titmouse  ?  "f  was, 
I  think,  old  Hobbes  of  Malinesbury 
who  held,  that  the  natural  state  of 
mankind  was  one  of  war  with  each 
other.  One  really  sees  a  good  deal  in 
life,  especially  after  tracing  the  progress 
of  society,  that  would  seem  to  give 
some  colour  to  so  strange  a  notion, 
'Twas,  of  course,  at  first  a  matter  of 
downright  listiculfs — of  physical  strife, 
occasioned,  in  a  gnat  measure,  by  our 
natural  tendencies,  according  to  him  of 
Malmesbury  ;  ami  aggravated  by  tin- 
desire  everybody  had,  to  take  away 
from  everybody  else  what  he  had.  In 
the  progress  of  society  we  have,  in  a 
measure,  dropped  the  physical  part  of 
the  business  ;  and  instead  of  punch- 
ing, scratching,  kicking,  biting,  and 
knocking  down  one  another,  still  true 
to  the  original  principles  of  our  nature, 
we  are  all  endeavouring  to  circumvent 
one  another  ;  everybody  is  trying  to 
take  everybody  in;  the  moment  that 
one  of  us  has  got  together  a  thing  or 
two,  he  is  pounced  upon  by  his  neigh- 
bour, who  in  his  turn  falls  a  prey  to 
another,  ami  so  on  in  endless  succes- 
sion. We  cannot  effectually  help  our- 
selves, though  we  are  splitting  our 
heads  to  discover  devices,  by  way  of 
laws,  In  restrain  this  prujensity  of  our 
nature:  it  will  not  do;  we  are  all 
overreaching,  cheat  Lng,  - ;.» bulling,  rob- 
bing one  another,  and,  if  necessary, 
an-  ready  to  maim  and  murder  one 
another  in   the  tion    of    our 

i  nations  as  with 
individuals,  and  minor  collections  of 
\  [duals.      Truly,   truly,  we  are  b 

J:et,     whether     the     sage     of 
'  dm  isbury  bo  right  or  wrong  in  bis 
speculations ! 

•'at.  the  Eari  and  Lady 


Cecilia  perceived  of  Titmouse's  popu- 
larity, the  more  eager  were  they  in 
parading  their  connection  with  him, 
and  openly  investing  him  with  the 
character  of  a  protege.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  Lady  Cecilia  had  begun  to  have 
now  and  then  a  glimmering  no'ion  of 
the  objects  which  the  Earl  was  con- 
templating. If  the  Karl  took  him 
down  to  the  House  cf  Lords,  and 
having  secured  him  a  place  at  the  bar, 
would,  immediately  on  entering,  walk 
up  to  him,  and  be  seen  for  some  time 
condescendingly  pointing  out  to  him 
the  different  peers  by  name,  as  they 
entered,  and  explaining  to  his  intelli- 
gent auditor  the  period,  and  mode,  and 
cause,  of  the  creation  and  accession  of 
many  of  them  to  their  honours,  and 
also  the  forms,  ceremonies,  and  routine 
of  business  in  the  House;  so  Lady 
('ecilia  was  not  remiss  in  availing 
herself,  in  her  way,  of  the  little  oppor- 
tunities which  presented  themselves. 
She  invited  him,  for  instance,  one 
day  early  in  the  week  to  accompany 
them  to  church  on  the  ensuing  Sun- 
day, and  during  the  interval  gave 
out  amongst  her  intimate  friends 
that  they  might  expect  to  see  Air. 
Titmouse  in  her  papa's  pew.  lie 
accepted  the  invitation  ;  and,  on  the 
arrival  of  the  appointed  hour,  might 
have  been  seen  in  the  Karl's  carria 
driving   to    afternoon    service    at    the 

Reverend  Morphine  Velvet's  chapel 
Kiisemary  Chapel,  near  St.  James's 
Square.  'Twas  a  fashionable  chapel, 
a  chapel  of  Ease  ;  rightlyso  called,  for 
it  was  a  very  easy  mode  of  worship, 
discipline,  and  doctrine  that  was  there 
practised  ami  inculcated.  If  I  may  not 
irreverently  adopt  the  language  of  scrip- 
ture, but  apply  it  very  differently,  I 
should  Bay  that  Mr,  Morphine  Velvet's 
ry  "easy,"  his  burden 
very  "  light."  He  \va  i  a  popular 
preacher;  mil  lie-aged  ;  sleek,  sen  • 
Milium  in  his  person  and  demeanour. 
He  had  a  very  gentlemanlike  appear- 
ance in  the  pulpit  and  reading-desk. 

Tin  le  was  a  Mill   of   soothing,  wilil'.i 

elegance  and  tenderni  js   in  the  tone 

ana  manner  in  which   he  prayed  and 
iii!  his  dearly-beloved  bn  thren, 

as  many  as  were  there   |  I     ent,  to  ae- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


385 


company  him,  their  bland  and  grace- 
ful   pastor,    to    the    throne    of    the 
heavenly  grace.     Fit  leader  was  he  of 
such  a  flock !      He  read  the  prayers 
remarkably  well,  in  a  quiet  and  subdued 
tone,  very  distinctly,  and  with  marked 
emphasis  and  intonation,  having  sedu- 
lously studied  how  to  read  the  service 
under  a   crack  theatrical  teacher  of 
elocution,  who  had  given  him  several 
"  points " — in    fact,    a    new    reading 
entirely  of  one  of  the  clauses  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  and  which,  he  had  the 
gratification  of  perceiving,  produced  a 
striking,  if    not,  indeed,    a  startling 
effect.      On   the  little  finger  of    the 
hand  which  he  used  most,  was  to  be 
observed  the  sparkle    of   a    diamond 
ring  ;  and  there  was  a  sort  of  careless 
grace  in  the  curl  of  his  hair,  which  it 
had  taken  his  hair-dresser  at  least  half 
an  hour,  before  Mr.  Velvet's  leaving 
home  for  his  chapel,  to  effect.     In  the 
pulpit  he  was  calm  and  fluent.     He 
rightly   considered    that    the    pulpit 
ought  not  to  be  the  scene  for  attempt- 
ing intellectual  display  ;  he  took  care, 
therefore,  that  there  should  be  nothing 
in    his   sermons   to  arrest  the  under- 
standing, or  unprofitably  occupy  it, 
addressing    himself    entirely    to    the 
feelings  and  fancy  of  his  cultivated 
audience,    in    frequently    interesting 
imaginative  compositions.     On  the  oc- 
casion I  am  speaking  of,  he  took  for 
his  text  a  fearful  passage  of  Scripture, 
2  Cor.  iv.  3. — "  But  if  our  Gospel  be 
hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost."    If 
any  words  were  calculated  to  startle 
such  a  congregation  as  was  arrayed 
before  Mr.  Velvet,  out  of  their  guilty 
and   fatal  apathy,    were  not    these  ? 
Ought   not    their    minister    to  have 
looked  round  him  and  trembled  ?     So 
one  would  have,  thought;  but  "dear 
Mr.   Velvet "   knew  his  mission  and 
his  flock  better.     He  presented  them 
with  an  elegant  description  of  heaven, 
with  its  crystal  battlements,  its  jasper 
walls,  its  buildings  of  pure  gold,  its 
foundations   of    precious   stones  ;    its 
balmy  air,   its   sounds  of   mysterious 
melody,    its    overflowing    fulness    of 
everlasting  happiness — amidst  which 
friends,  parted  upon  earth  by  the  cruel 
6troke   of    death,    recognize    and  are 


re-united  to  each  other,  never  more 
to  pronounce  the  agonizing  word 
"  adieu  !  "  And  would  his  dear  hearers 
be  content  to  lose  all  this — content  to 
enjoy  the pleasurcsjof  sin  for  a  season? 
Forbid  it,  eternal  mercy  !  But  lest  a 
strain  like  this  should  disturb  or  dis- 
tress his  hearers,  he  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  enforce  and  illustrate  tho 
consolatory  truth  that — 

"  Religion  never  was  design'd 
To  make  our  pleasures  less  ; " 

and  presently  resuming  the  thread  of 
his  discourse,  went  on  to  speak  of  tho 
really  serious  consequences  attending  a 
persevering  indifference  to  religion ;  and 
proceeded  to  give  striking  instances  of 
it  in — the  merchant  in  his  counting- 
house,  and  on  'change  ;  the  lawyer  in 
his  office  ;  the  tradesman  in  his  shop  ; 
the  operative  in  the  manufactory ; 
showing  how  each  was  absorbed  in  his 
calling — labouring  for  the  meat  which 
perisheth,  till  he  had  lost  all  appetito 
and  relish  for  spiritual  food,  and  never 
once  troubled  himself  about  "tho 
momentous  concerns  of  hereafter !  " 
Upon  these  topics  he  dwelt  with  such 
force  and  feeling,  that  he  sent  his 
distinguished  congregation  away — 
those  of  them,  at  least,  who  could 
retain  any  recollection  of  what  they 
had  heard  for  five  minutes  after  enter- 
ing their  carriages — fearing  that  there 
was  a  very  black  look-out,  indeed,  for 
— the  kind  of  persons  that  Mr.  Velvet 
had  mentioned — tailors,  milliners,  mer- 
cers, jewellers,  and  so  forth  :  and  who 
added  graver  offences,  and  of  a  more 
positive  character,  to  the  misconduct 
which  had  been  pointed  out — in  their 
extortion  and  their  rapacity !  "Would 
that  some  of  them  had  been  present !  — 
Tims  was  it  that  dear  Mr.  Velvet  sent 
away  his  hearers  overflowing  with 
Christian  sympathy  ;  very  well  pleased 
with  Mr.  Velvet,  but  infinitely  better 
pleased  with  themselves.  The  deep 
impression  which  he  had  made  was 
evidenced  by  a  note  he  received  that 
evening  from  the  Duchess  of  Broad- 
acre,  most  earnestly  lagging  per- 
mission to  copy  his  "beautiful  ser- 
mon," in  order  to  send  it  to  her  sister, 
Lady  Belle  Almacks,   who  (through 

cc 


386 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


early  dissipation)  was  ill  of  a  decline 
at  Naples.  About  that  time,  I  may 
as  well  here  mention,  there  came  out 
an  engraved  portrait  of  "  the  Rev. 
Morphine  Velvet,  M.  A.,  Minister  of 
Rosemary  Chapel,  St.  James's " — a 
charming  picture  it  was,  representing 
the  aforesaid  Mr.  Velvet  in  pulpit 
costume  and  attitude,  Avith  hands 
gracefully  outstretched,  and  his  face 
directed  upward  with  a  heavenly  ex- 
pression ;  suggesting  to  you  the  pos- 
sibility that  some  fine  day,  when  his 
hearers  least  expected  it,  he  might 
gently  rise  out  of  his  pulpit  into  the 
air,  like  Stephen,  with  heaven  open 
before  him,  and  be  no  more  seen  of 
men  ! 

Four  or  five  carriages  had  to  set 
down  before  that  containing  the  Earl 
of  Dreddlington,  Lady  Cecilia,  and 
Mr.  Titmouse,  could  draw  up;  by 
which  time  there  had  accumulated  as 
many  in  its  rear,  so  eager  were  the 
pious  aristocrats  to  get  into  this  holy 
retreat.  As  Titmouse,  holding  his  hat 
and  cane  in  one  hand,  while  with  the 
other  he  arranged  Ids  hair,  strutted  up 
the  centre  aisle,  following  the  Earl 
and  Lady  Cecilia,  he  could  hardly 
repress  the  exultation  with  which  he 
thought  of  a  former  visit  of  his  to  that 
very  chape]  some  two  years  before. 
Then,  on  attempting  to  enter  the  body 
of  the  chapel,  the  vergers  had  politely 
but  firmly  repulsed  lain  ;  on  which, 
swelling  with  vexation,  he  had  as- 
cended to  the  gallery,  where,  after 
being  kept  Btanding  for  ten  minutes 
at  least,  he  had  been  beckoned  by  the 
pew-opener  towards,  and  squeezed  into, 
the  furthermost  pew,  close  at  the  baci 
of  the  organ,  and  in  which  said  pew 
wi  re  only  four  footmen  besides  him- 
■  ;  and  if  he  was  di  i   with  his 

mere  contiguity,  guess  what  must  have 
been  his  feelings  when  the  footi 
nearest  to  him  good-naturedly  forced 
upon  him  a  pari  of  his  prayer-book, 
which  Titmou  •-,  re  idy  to  pit  in  his 
far,-,  held  \  1   thumb, 

as  though  it  had  been  the  tail  of  a 
snake.  Nino,  how  changed  was  all  ! 
lie  ha>l  become  an  aristocrat ;  in  his 
Veins  ran  some  of  (he,  richest  and 
oldest  blood  in  the  country  ;  his  brow 


]  might  erelong  be  graced  by  the  coronet 
which  King  Henry  II.  had  placed 
upon  the  brow  of  the  founder  of  his 
family,  some  seven  hundred  years 
before ;  and  a  tall  footman,  with 
powdered  head,  glistening  silver  shoul- 
der-knot, and  sky-blue  livery,  and 
carrying  in  a  bag  the  gilded  imple- 
ments of  devotion,  was  humbly  follow- 
ing behind  him  !  What  a  remarkable 
and  vivid  contrast  between  his  present 
and  his  former  circumstances,  was 
present  at  that  moment  to  his  reflect- 
ing mind !  As  he  stood,  his  hat 
covering  his  face,  in  an  attitude  of 
devotion — "I  wonder,"  thought  he, 
"what  all  these  nobs  and  swells  would 
say,  if  they  knew*  how  I  had  wor- 
shipped hereon  the  last  time?"  and 
again — "Ton  my  life,  what  would  I 
give  for — say  Huckaback — to  see  me 
just  now !  "  "What  an  elegant  and 
fashionable  air  the  congregation  wore  ! 
Surely  there  must  be  something  in 
religion  when  people  such  as  wen; 
anmnd  him  came  so  punctually  to 
church,  and  behaved  so  seriously  ! 
The  members  of  that  congregation 
were,  indeed,  exemplary  in  their  strict 
discharge  of  their  public  religious 
duties  !  Scarce  one  of  them  was  there. 
that  had  not  been  at  the  opera  till 
half-past  twelve  overnight  ;  the  dulcet 
notes  of  the  singers  still  thrilling  in 
their  ears,  the  graceful  attitudes  of 
the  dancers  still  present  to  their  eyes  ; 
every  previous  night  of  the  week  had 
they  been  engaged  in  the  brilliant 
ball-room,  and  whirled  in  the  mazes 
of  the  voluptuous  waltz,  or  glittering 
in  the  picturesque  Bplendour  of  fai 
dress,  till  three,  four,  or  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning:  yet  here  they  were  in 
the  house  of  God,  in  spite  of  all  their 
>n,  1  '  ified  1  y  the  heavy  eye, 
the  ill-suppressed  yawn,  the  languor 
and  ennui  visible  in  their  counte- 
e  ,  prepared  t<>  accompany  their 
polite  pastor,  "  with  a  pure  heart  and 
humble  voice  unto  the  throne  of  the 
heavenly  grace,"  to  acknowledge,  with 

lively  emotion,  that,  tiny  "  had  fal- 
lowed too  much  the  devices  and  desires 
of  their  own  hearts;"  praying  for 
"  mercy  upon  them,  mi  erablc  of- 
fendors,"   (hat    God   would   "restore 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


387 


them,  being  penitent,"  so  that  "  they 
might  thereafter  lead  a  godly,  right- 
eous, and  sober  life."  Here  they 
were,  punctual  to  their  time,  decor- 
ous in  manner,  devout  in  spirit,  ear- 
nest and  sincere  in  repentance  and 
good  resolutions — knowing,  neverthe- 
less the  while,  how  would  be  spent 
the  remainder  of  the  season — of  their 
lives ;  and  yet  resolving  to  attend  to 
the  affectionate  entreaties  of  Mr.  Vel- 
vet, to  be  "not  hearers  only,  out  doers 
of  the  word."  Generally,  I  should  say, 
that  the  state  of  mind  of  most,  if  not 
all  of  those  present,  was  analogous  to 
that  of  persons  who  go  and  sit  in  the 
pump-room,  to  drink  the  Bath  or 
Cheltenham  waters.  Everybody  did 
the  same  thing  ;  and  each  hoped  that, 
while  sitting  in  his  pew,  what  he 
heard  would,  like  what  he  drank  at 
the  pump-room,  in  some  secret  mode 
of  operation,  insensibly  benefit  the 
hearer,  without  subjecting  him  to  any 
unpleasant  restraint  or  discipline — 
without  requiring  active  exertion,  or 
inconvenience,  or  sacrifice.  This  will 
give  you  a  pretty  accurate  notion  of 
Lord  Dreddlington's  state  of  mind 
upon  the  present  occasion.  With  his 
gold  glasses  on,  he  followed  with  his 
eye,  and  also  with  his  voice,  every 
word  of  the  prayers,  with  rigid  ac- 
curacy and  unwavering  earnestness  ; 
but  as  soon  as  Mr.  Velvet  had  mounted 
the  pulpit,  and  risen  to  deliver  his 
discourse,  the  Earl  quietly  folded  his 
arms,  closed  his  eyes,  and,  in  an 
attentive  posture,  dignifiedly  com- 
posed himself  to  sleep.  Lady  Cecilia 
sat  beside  him  perfectly  motionless 
during  the  whole  sermon,  her  eyes 
fixed  languidly  upon  the  preacher. 
As  for  Titmouse,  he  bore  it  pretty 
well  for  about  five  minutes  ;  then  he 
pulled  his  gloves  off  and  on  at  least 
twenty  times ;  then  he  twisted  his 
handkerchief  round  his  fingers  ;  then 
he  looked  with  a  vexed  air  at  his 
watch  ;  then  he  stuck  his  glass  in  his 
eye,  and  stared  about  him.  By  the 
time  that  Mr.  Velvet  had  ceased, 
Titmouse  had  conceived  a  very  great 
dislike  to  him,  and  was  indeed  in  a 
fretful  humour.  But  when  the  organ 
struck  up,  and  they  rose  to  go  ;  when 


he  mingled  with  the  soft,  crushing, 
fluttering,  rustling  satin-clad  throng 
— nodding  to  one,  bowing  to  another, 
and  shaking  hands  with  a  third,  he 
felt  "himself  again."  The  only  differ- 
ence between  him  and  those  around 
him  was,  that  they  had  learned  to 
bear  with  calm  fortitude  what  had  so 
severely  tried  his  temper.  All  were 
glad  to  get  out :  the  crash  of  carriages 
at  the  door  was  music  in  their  ears — 
the  throng  of  servants  delightful  ob- 
jects to  their  eyes — they  were,  in  short, 
in  the  dear  world  again,  and  breathed 
as  freely  as  ever. 

Mr.  Titmouse  took  leave  of  the  Earl 
and  Lady  Cecilia  at  their  carriage- 
door,  having  ordered  his  cab  to  be  in 
waiting — as  it  was  ;  and  entering  it, 
he  drove  about  leisurely  till  it  was 
time  to  think  of  dressing  for  dinner. 
He  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  dine 
with  a  party  of  officers  in  the  Guards, 
.and  a  merry  time  they  had  on't.  Tit- 
mouse in  due  time  got  blind  drunk  ; 
and  then  one  of  his  companions,  rapidly 
advancing  towards  the  same  happy 
state,  seized  the  opportunity,  with  a 
burned  cork,  to  blacken  poor  Tit- 
mouse's face  all  over — who,  therefore, 
was  pronounced  to  bear  a  very  close 
resemblance  to  one.  of  the  black  boys 
belonging  to  the  band  of  the  regiment, 
and  thus  afforded  as  much  fun  to  his 
friends  when  dead  drunk  as  when 
sober.  As  he  was  quite  incapable  of 
taking  care  of  himself,  they  put  a 
servant  with  him  into  his  cab,  (judging 
his  little  tiger  to  be  unequal  to  the 
responsibility.) 

Titmouse  passed  a  sad  night,  but 
got  better  towards  the  middle  of  the 
ensuing  day  ;  when  he  was  sufficiently 
recovered  to  receive  two  visitors.  One 
of  them  was  young  Lord  Frederic 
Feather,  (accompanied  by  a  friend,) 
both  of  whom  had  dined  in  company 
with  Titmouse  overnight ;  and  his 
lordship  it  was,  who,  having  decorated 
Titmouse's  countenance  in  the  way  I 
have  described — so  as  to  throw  his 
valet  almost  into  fits  on  seeing  him 
brought  home — imagining  it  might 
possibly  come  to  his  ears  who  it  was 
that  had  done  him  such  a  favour,  had 
come    to  acknowledge   and  apologize 

CC2 


388 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAH. 


for  it  frankly  and  promptly.  When, 
however,  he  perceived  what  a  fool  he 
had  got  to  deal  with,  he  suddenly 
changed  his  course  —  declared  that 
Titmouse  had  not  only  done  it  him- 
self, but  had  then  presumed  to  act 
similarly  towards  his  lordship,  whose 
friend  corroborated  the  charge — and 
they  had  called  to  receive,  in  private, 
an  apology.  Titmouse's  breath  seemed 
taken  away  on  first  hearing  this 
astounding  version  of  the  affair.  He 
swore  he  had  done  nothing  of  the  sort, 
but  had  suffered  a  good  deal ;  drop- 
ping, however,  a  little  on  observing 
the  stern  looks  of  his  companions,  he 
protested  that  "he  did  not  recollect" 
anything  of  the  sort  ;  on  which  they 
smiled  good-naturedly,  and  said  that 
that  was  very  possible.  Then  Titmouse 
made  the  requisite  apology  ;  and  thus 
this  "awkward  affair "  ended.  Lord 
Frederic  continued  for  some  time  with 
Titmouse  in  pleasant  chat ;  for  he 
foresaw  that,  "hard-up"  as  he  fre- 
quently was,  Mr.  Titmouse  was  a 
friend  who  might  be  exceedingly 
serviceable.  In  fact,  poor  Lord 
Frederic  could,  on  that  very  occa- 
sion, have  almost  gone  on  his  knees 
for  a  cheque  of  Mr.  Titmouse  upon 
his  bankers,  for  three  or  four  hundred 
pounds.  Oh,  thought  that  "noble" 
young  spark — what  would  he  have 
given  to  be  in  Titmouse's  position, 
with  his  twenty  thousand  a-year,  and 
a  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  hard 
cash  !  But  as  the  reader  well  knows, 
poor  Titmouse's  resources,  amplo  as 
they  were,  were  upon  a  far  less  splen- 
did scale  than  was  supposed.  Partly 
from  inclination,  and  partly  through 
a  temporary  sense  of  embarrassment, 
occasioned  by  the  want  of  ready  money. 
Titmouse  did  not  spend  a  tenth  part 
of  tin-  Bum  which  it  had  been  ev<  ry- 
where  supposed  he  could  disburse 
I  d    all    hands  :    and  this  occa- 

sioned him  to  he  given  crcdil  for 
possessing  .'ill  thai  rumoui  led  to 

him  ;  ami,  moreon  r,  for  a  disposition 
not  to  squander  it.  He  had  on  several 
occasions  hern  induced  to  try  his  hand 
at  eoarte,  rouge  et  noir,  ami  hazard  ; 
ami  had,  on  tin-  first  occasion  or  two, 
been   a   little   hurried   away  through 


deference  to  his  distinguished  associ- 
ates, and  bled  rather  freely  ;  but  when 
he  found  that  it  was  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness—that he  must  pay — and  felt  his 
purse  growing  lighter,  and  his  pocket- 
book,  in  which  he  kept  his  bank-notes, 
rapidly  shrinking  in  dimensions  as  the 
evening  wore  on,  he  experienced  vivid 
alarm  and  disgust,  and  an  increasing 
disinclination  to  be  victimized  ;  and 
his  aversion  to  play  was  infinitely 
strengthened  1  >y  the  frequent  cautions 
of  his  distinguished  and  disinterested 
monitor,  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington. 

But  there  was  one  step  in  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's upward  progress  which  he 
presently  took,  and  which  is  worthy 
of  special  mention  ;  I  mean  his  pre- 
sentation at  court  by  the  Karl  of 
Dreddlington.  The  necea  ity  for  such 
a  step  was  explained  to  Titmouse,  by 
his  illustrious  kinsman,  a  day  or  two 
after  the  appearance  of  ihe  ordinary 
official  announcement  of  the  next 
levee.  This  momentous  affair  was 
broached  by  the  Karl,  one  day  after 
dinner,  with  an  air  of  deep  anxii  fy 
and  interest.  Indeed,  had  that  stati  ly 
and  solemn  old  simpleton  been  in- 
structing his  gaping  protege  in  the 
minutely-awful  etiquettes  requisite  for 
the  due  discharge  of  his  duties  as  an 
ambassador  sent  upon  a  delicate  and 
embarrassing  mission  to  the  court  of 
his  Sacred  -Majesty  the  King  of  Sulky- 
punctilio,  he  could  not  have  appeared 
more  penetrati  d  1  y  a  sense  of  the  re- 
sponsibility he  was  incurring.  He 
commenced  by  giving  Titmouse  a  very 
long  history  of  the  origin  and  progress 
of  raeh  ceremonies,  and  a  minuto 
account  of  the  practical  manner  of 
their  observance,  all  of  which,  how- 
ever, was  to  Titmouse  only  like  breath- 
ing upon  a  mirror — passing  as  quickly 
out  of  one  ear  as  it  had  entered  into 
the  other.  When,  however,  Ihe  Karl 
c  .ne  to  the  point  of  dress,  Titmouse 
was  indeed  "a  thing  all  car,  all  eye," 

bis  facultii  a  being  stimulated  to  their 

utmost.  The  next  morning  he  hurried 
off  to  his  tailor,  to  order  a  court  dress. 
When    it  had   been   brou  ht  to  his 

rooms,  and  he  had  put  it  on,  upon 
returning  to  his  room  in  his  new  and 

imposing  costume,  and  glancing  at  his 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


389 


figure  In  the  glass,  his  face  fell ;  he 
felt  infinitely  disappointed.  Jt  is  to 
be  remembered  that  he  had  not  on 
lace  ruffles  at  his  coat  cuffs,  nor  on 
his  shirt  front.  After  gazing  at  him- 
self for  a  few  moments  in  silence,  he 
suddenly  snapped  his  fingers,  and  ex- 
claimed to  the  tailor,  who,  with  the 
valet,  was  standing  beside  him,  "  Curse 
me  if  I  like  this  thing  at  all !  " 

"Not  like  it,  sir!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Clipclose  with  astonishment. 

"No,  I  don't,  demme !  Is  this  a 
court  dress  ?  1  t's  a  quaker's  made 
into  a  footman's !  'Pon  my  soul,  I 
look  the  exact  image  of  a  footman  ; 
and  a  devilish  vulgar  one,  too  !  "  The 
two  individuals  beside  him  turned 
suddenly  away  from  him,  and  from 
one  another,  and  from  their  noses 
there  issued  the  sounds  of  ill-sup- 
pressed laughter. 

"Oh,  sir — I  beg  a  thousand  par- 
dons !  "— quickly  exclaimed  Mr.  Clip- 
close,  "what  can  I  have  been  thinking 
about?  There's  the  sword  —  we've 
quite  forgot  it !  " 

"Ah — 'pon  my  life,  I  thought  there 
was  something  wrong!"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse, as  Mr.  Clipclose,  having 
brought  the  sword  from  the  other 
end  of  the  room,  where  he  had  laid  it 
upon  entering,  buckled  it  on. 

"I  flatter  myself  that  nou;  sir" — 
commenced  he. 

"  Ya — as— Quite  the  correct  thing  ! 
Ton  my  soul,  most  uncommon  strik- 
ing !  "—exclaimed  Titmouse,  glancing 
at  his  figure  in  the  glass  with  a  triumph- 
ant smile.  "Isn't  it  odd,  now,  that 
Ibis  sword  should  make  all  the  differ- 
ence between  me  and  a  footman,  by 
Jove  ? "  Here  his  two  companions 
were  seized  with  a  simultaneous  fit  of 
coughing. 

"Ah,  ha — it's  so,  a'n't  it?"  con- 
tinued Titmouse,  his  eyes  glued  to  the 
glass. 

"Certainly,  sir:  it  undoubtedly 
gives — what  shall  I  call  it  ?  a  grace — 
a  finish — a  sort  of  commanding — ■ 
especially  to  a  figure  that  becomes  it  " 
— he  continued,  with  cool  assurance, 
observing  that  the  valet  understood 
him.  "  But — may  I,  sir,  take  so 
great  a  liberty  ?     If  you  arc  not  accus- 


tomed to  wear  a  sword — as  I  think 
you  said  you  had  not  been  at  court 
before— I  beg  to  remind  you  that  it 
will  require  ] 'articular  care  to  man- 
age it,  and  prevent  it  from  getting 

between " 

"Demme,  sir!"  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse, starting  aside  with  an  offended 
air — "d'ye  think  I  don't  know  how 
to  manage  a  sword  ?  By  all  that's 
tremendous  " — and  plucking  the  taper 
weapon  out  of  its  scabbard,  he  waved 
it  over  his  head  ;  and  throwing  him- 
self into  the  first  position — he  had 
latterly  paid  a  good  deal  of  attention 
to  fencing — and  with  rather  an  excited 
air,  he  went  through  several  of  the 
preliminary  movements.  'Twas  a  sub- 
ject for  a  pointer,  and  exhibited  a  very 
striking  spectacle — as  an  instance  of 
power  silently  concentrated,  and  ready 
to  be  put  forth  upon  an  adequate 
occasion.  The  tailor  and  the  valet, 
who  stood  separate  from  each  other, 
and  at  a  safe  and  respectful  distance 
from  Mr.  Titmouse,  gazed  with  silent 
admiration  at  him. 

When  the  great  day  arrived — Tit- 
mouse having  thought  of  scarce  any- 
thing else  in  th :  interval,  and  teased 
every  one  he  met  with  his  endless 
questions  and  childish  observations 
on  the  subject — he  drove  up,  at  the 
appointed  hour,  to  the  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington's,  whose  carriage,  with  an 
appearance  of  greater  state  than 
usual  about  it,  was  standing  at  the 
door.  On  alighting  from  his  cab, 
he  skipped  so  nimbi)'  up-stairs,  that 
he  could  not  have  had  time  to  observe 
the  amusement  which  his  figure  occa- 
sioned even  to  the  well -disciplined 
servants  of  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington. 
Much  allowance  ought  to  have  been 
made  for  them.  Think  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's little  knee  -  breeches,  white 
silks,  silver  shoe-buckles,  shirt-ruffles 
and  frills,  coat,  bag,  and  sword  ;  and 
his  hair,  plastered  up  with  bear's 
grease,  parted  down  the  middle  of  his 
head,  and  curling  out  boldly  over  each 
temple ;  and  his  open  countenance 
irradiated  with  a  subdued  smila  of 
triumph  and  excitement !  On  entering 
the  drawing-room,  he  beheld  a  re^Jly 
striking   object  —  the    Earl  in  court 


390 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


costume,  wearing  his  general's  uni- 
form, with  all  his  glistening  orders, 
standing  in  readiness  to  set  off,  and 
holding  in  his  hand  his  hat,  with  its 
snowy  illume.  His  posture  was  at 
once  easy  and  commanding.  Had  he 
been  standing  to  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence, 
he  could  ni>t  have  disposed  himself 
more  effectively.  Lady  Cecilia  was 
sitting  on  the  sofa,  leaning  hack,  and 
languidly  talking  to  him  ;  and,  from 
the  start  they  both  gave  on  Titmouse's 
entrance,  it  was  plain  that  they  could 
not  have  calculated  upon  the  extra- 
ordinary transmogrification  he  must 
have  undergone,  in  assuming  court 
costume.  For  a  moment  or  two,  each 
was  as  severely  shocked  as  when  his 
absurd  figure  had  first  presented  itself 
in  that  drawing-room.  "Oli,  heavens!  " 
murmured  Lady  Cecilia:  while  the 
Ear]  seemed  struck  dumb  by  the  ap- 
proaching figure  of  Titmouse.  That 
gentleman,  however,  was  totally 
changed  from  the  Titmouse  of  a  former 
day.  He  had  now  acquired  a  due 
sense  of  his  personal  importance,  a 
just  confidence  in  himself.  Greatness 
had  lost  its  former  petrifying  influence 
over  him.  And,  as  for  his  appearance 
on  the  present  occasion,  he  had  grown 
so  familiar  with  it,  as  reflected  iu  his 
glass,  that  it  never  occurred  to  him  as 
Being  different  with  others  who  beheld 
him  for  the  first  time.  At  the  same 
time,  that  candour  upon  which  I  pride 
myself  urges  me  to  state,  that  when 
Titmouse  beheld  the  military  air  and 
superb  equipments  of  the  Earl — not- 
withstanding that  Titmouse,  too,  wore 
a  sword — he  felt  himself  done.  He 
advanced,  however,  pretty  confidently 
—bobbing  about,  first  to  Lady  Cecilia, 
and  then  to  the  Ear]  ;  and  after  a 
hasty  salutation — "Tun  my  life,  my 
lord,  I  hope  it's  no  offence,  but  your 
lordship  does  look  most  particular 
fine."  The  Earl  made  no  reply,  but 
inclined  towards  him  magnificently — 
not  seeing  the  meaning  and  intention 
of  Titmouse,  but  affronted  by  his 
won 

"Way  I  ask  what  your  lordship 
thinks  of  met  Firs!  time  J  ever  ap- 
peared in  this  kind  of  tiling,  IDT  had 
— ha  1  ha,  your  lordship  Becsl  '     -\ 


he  spoke,  his  look  and  voico  betrayed 
the  overawing  effects  of  the  Earl's 
splendid  appearance,  which  was  rapidly 
freezing  up  the  springs  of  familiarity, 
if  not,  indeed,  of  llippancy,  which  were 
bubbling  up  within  the  little  bosom  of 
Titmouse,  on  his  entering  the  room. 
His  manner  became  involuntarily  sub- 
dui  d  and  reverential.  The  Ear]  of 
Dreddliugton  in  plain  clothes,  and  in 
full  court  costume,  were  two  very 
different  persons  j  though  his  lordship 
would  have  been  mortally  affronted  if 
he  had  known  that  any  one  thought 
so.  However  he  now  regretted  having 
offered  to  take  Titmouse  to  the  levee, 
there  was  no  escape  from  the  calamity  ; 
so,  after  a  few  minutes'  pause,  lie  rang 
the  bell,  and  announced  his  readiness 
to  setoff.  Followed  by  Mr.  Titmouse, 
his  lordship  slowly  descended  the 
stairs;  and  when  lie  was  within  two 
or  three  steps  of  the  hall  floor,  it 
distresses  me  to  relate,  that  he  fell 
nearly  flat  upon  his  face,  and,  hut  for 
his  servants'  rushing  up,  would  have 
been  seriously  hurt,  l'oor  Titmouse 
had  been  the  occasion  of  this  disaster ; 
for  his  sword  getting  between  his  legs, 
down  he  went  against  the  Earl,  who 
went  naturally  down  upon  the  lloor, 
as  I  have  mentioned.  Titmouse  was 
notmuch  hurt,  but  terribly  frightened, 
and  went  as  pale  as  death  when  lie 
looked  at  the  Earl,  who  appeared  a 
little  agitated,  but,  not  having  been 
really  injured,  soon  recovered  his  sclf- 
possession.  Profuse  were  poor  Tit- 
mouse's apologies,  as  may  be  supposed  ; 
hut  much  as  he  was  distressed  at  what 
had  taken  place,  a  glance  at  the  angry 
countenances  with  width  the  servants 
regarded  him,  as  if  inwardly  cursing 
his  stupidity  ami  clumsiness,  stirred 
up  his  spirit  a  little,  and  restored  him 
to  a  measure  of  self-possession.  Ho 
would  have  given  a  hundred  pounds 
to  have  been  able  to  discharge  every 
one  of  tin  in  on  the  spot. 

"Sir-  enough  has  been  said," quoth 
i  he  EarL  rather  coldly  and  haughtily, 
in.  d  of  the  multiplied  rjioIoj  i<  a  and 
excuses  of  Titmouse.  "1  thank  God, 
sir,  that  I  am  not  hurt  though,  at  my 
time  of  life,  a  fall  is  not  a  slight 
matter.      »Sir,"    continued    the    Earl 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


)91 


bitterly,  "you  are  not  so  much  to 
blame  as  your  tailor  ;  he  should  have 
explained  to  you  how  to  wear  your 
sword  !  "  With  this,  having  cut  Tit- 
mouse to  the  very  quick,  the  Earl 
motioned  him  towards  the  door  :  they 
soon  entered  the  carriage  ;  the  door 
was  closed  ;  and,  with  a  brace  of  foot- 
men behind,  away  rolled  these  two 
truly  distinguished  subjects  to  pay 
their  homage  to  majesty — which  might 
well  be  proud  of  such  homage.  They 
both  sat  in  silence  for  some  time.  At 
length — "Beg  your  lordship's  pardon," 
quoth  Titmouse,  with  some  energy  ; 
"  but  I  wish  your  lordship  only  knew 
how  I  hate  this  cursed  skewer  that's 
pinned  to  me  ;  "  and  he  looked  at  his 
sword,  as  if  he  could  have  snapped  it 
into  halves,  and  thrown  them  through 
the  window. 

"  Sir,  I  can  appreciate  your  feelings. 
The  sword  was  not  to  blame  ;  and  you 
have  my  forgiveness,"  replied  the  still 
ru filed  Earl. 

"Much  obliged  to  your  lordship," 
replied  Titmouse,  in  a  somewhat  dif- 
ferent tone  from  any  in  which  he  had 
ever  ventured  to  address  his  august 
companion  ;  for  he  was  beginning  to 
fuel  confoundedly  nettled  at  the  bitter 
contemptuous  manner  which  the  Earl 
ohserved  towards  him.  He  was  also 
not  a  little  enraged  with  himself ;  for 
he  knew  he  had  been  in  fault,  and 
thought  of  the  neglected  advice  of  his 
tailor.  So  his  natural  insolence,  like 
a  reptile  just  beginning  to  recover  from 
its  long  torpor,  made  a  faint  struggle 
to  show  itself — but  in  vain ;  he  was 
quite  cowed  and  overpowered  by  the 
presence  in  which  he  was,  and  he 
wished  heartily  that  he  could  have 
recalled  even  the  few  last  words  he 
had  ventured  to  utter.  The  Earl  had 
observed  it,  though  without  appealing 
to  do  so.  He  was  accustomed  to  con- 
trol his  feelings  ;  and  on  the  present 
occasion  he  exerted  himself  to  do  so, 
for  fear  of  alienating  Titmouse  from 
him  by  any  display  of  offended  dignity. 

"Sir,  it  is  a  very  fine  day,"  he 
observed  in  a  kind  manner,  after  a 
stern  silence  of  at  least  five  minutes. 

"Remarkable  fine,  my  lord.  I  was 
just  going  to  say  so,"  replied  Titmouse, 


greatly  relieved  ;  and  presently  they 
fell  into  their  usual  strain  of  con- 
versation. 

' '  We  must  learn  to  bear  these  little 
annoyances  calmly,"  said  the  Earl 
graciously,  on  Titmouse's  again  allud- 
ing to  his  mishap  : — "as  for  me,  sir, 
a  person  in  the  station  to  which  it  has 
pleased  Heaven  to  call  me,  for  pur- 
poses of  its  own,  has  his  peculiar  aud 
very  grave  anxieties  —  substantial 
anx 

He  ceased  suddenly.     The  carriage 
of  his   old  rival,    the   Earl   of  Fitz- 
Walter,  passed  him  ;  the  latter  waved 
his  hand  courteously  ;  the  former,  with 
a  bitter  smile,  was  forced  to  do  the 
i  ame  ;  and  then,  relapsing  into  silence, 
showed  that  the  iron  was  entering  his 
very  soul,  affording  a  striking  illustra- 
tion of  the  truth  of  the  observation  he 
had  been  making  to  Titmouse.     Soon, 
however,  they  had  entered  the  scene 
of  splendid   hubbub,   which   at   onco 
rccupied  and  excited  both  their  minds. 
Without,  was  the  eager  crowd,  gazing 
with    admiration   and    awe    at    each 
equipage,  with  its  brilliant  occupants, 
that    dashed   past  them:  —  then   the 
life-guardsmen,  in  glittering  and  for- 
midable  array,    their    long   gleaming 
swords  and  polished  helmets  glancing 
and  flashing  in  the  sunlight.    Within, 
were  the  tall  yeomen  of  the  guard,  in 
velvet  caps  and  scarlet  uniforms,  and 
with  ponderous  partisans,  lining  each 
side  of  the  staircase — and  who,  being 
in  the  exact  military  costume  of  the 
time    of  Henry  the    Eighth,  forcibly 
recalled  those  days  of  pomp  and  page- 
antry to   the  well  informed  mind  of 
Mr.  Titmouse.     In  short,  there  were 
all  the  grandeur,  state,  and  ceremony 
that  fence  in  the  dread  approaches  to 
majesty.     Fortunately,  Titmouse  was 
infinitely  too   much    bewildered  and 
flustered  by  the  novel  splendour  around 
him,  to  be  aware  of  the  ill-concealed 
laughter  which  his  appearance  excited 
on  all  hai.ds.     In  due  course  he  was 
borne  on,  and  issued  in  due  form  into 
the  presence  chamber — into  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  majesty.     His  heart 
palpitated  :  his  dazzled  eye  caught  a 
hasty  glimpse   of  a   tall   magnificent 
figure  standing  before  a  throne.     Ad« 


392 


TEN  THOUSAND  A -YEAR 


vanclng — scarco  aware  whether  on  his 
head  or  his  libels — ho  reverently  paid 
hishomagi — t lien  rising,  was  promptly 
ushered  out  through  a  different  door  ; 
villi  mi  distinct  impression  of  any- 
thing that  In-  had  witnessed  ! — 'twas 
all  a  dazzling  blaze  of  glory — a  dim 
vision  of  awe!     Little  was  he  aware, 

!ioor  soul,  that  the  king  had  required 
lim  to  be  pointed  out  upon  his  ap- 
proach, Laving  heard  of  Ids  celebrity 
in  s  iciety  ;  and  that  he  had  had  the 
distinguished  honour  of  occasioning  to 
majesty  a  very  gi\at  effort  to  keep  its 
countenance.  It  was  not  till  after  he 
hail  quitted  the  palace  for  some  time, 
that  he  breathed  freely  again.  Then 
he  began  to  feel  as  if  a  vast  change 
had  been  effected  in  him  by  some 
mysterious  and  awful  agency — that  he 
was  penetrated  and  pervaded,  as  it 
were,  by  the  subtle  essence  of  royalty 
■ — like  one  that  had  experienced  the 
sudden,  strange,  thrilling,  potent,  in- 
fluence of  electricity.  He  imagined 
that  now  the  stamp  of  greatness  had 
been  impressed  upon  him  ;   thai   his 

intensions  had  been  ratified  by  the 
dghest  authority  upon  earth.  'Twas 
as  if  wine  had  been  poured  into  a 
stream,  intoxicating  the  tittlebats 
swimming  about  in  it. — As  for  me, 
however,  Beriously  speaking,  I  ques- 
tion whether  it  was  anything  more 
than  an  imaginary  change  that  had 
mine  over  my  tiieml.  Though  1  should 
be  si.ny  to  cite  against  him  an  author- 
ity, couched  in  a  language  w  ith  whii  h 
1  have  reason  to  believe  he  was  not 
critically  acquainted,  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  Horace  must  have  had 
in  his  eye  a  Roman  Titmouse,  when  he 
pi'inn  d  those  bitter  lines — 
"Licit  euperbua  ambulcs  pecunia 

-   \  ill  -ne  Sacram  metieute  te  Viam 

(  una  bis  t<  t  ulnarum  ti 
Ut  ora  vcH.it  hue  1 1  hue  euntium, 

Liberrim  il  Lot 

— • '  Si  triumviralibufl 

'.in, 
Aral  Fall 

Et  Appiam  mannia  torit  I'"* 

•  Hor.  farm.  V.,  iv. 


While   Titmouse  was  making  this 
splendid  figure  in  the  upper  regions  cf 
society,  aud  forming  there  every  hour 
new  and  brilliant  connexions  and  as- 
sociations —  in    a    perfect    whirl    of 
pleasure  from  morning  to   night — he 
did  not  ungratefully  manifest  a  total 
forgetfulneas  of  the  amiable  persons 
with  whom   he  had   been   so  familiar, 
and    from    whom  he   had  received   so 
many  good  offices  in  his  earlier   days 
and  humbler  circumstances,      flail   it 
not,  however — to   give    the    devil   ht3 
due — been  for  Gammon,  (who  was  ever 
beside  him,  like   a   mysterious   pilot, 
secretly  steering  his  little  bark  amidst 
tho  strange,  splendid,  but  dangerous 
seas  which  it  had  now  to  navigate,)  I 
fear  that,    with   Titmouse,    it   would 
have  been — out  of  sight  out  of  mind. 
But  Gammon,  ever  watchful  over  tho 
real   interests  of  his  charge,  and  also 
delighted  to   become  tho   medium   of 
conferring  favours  upon   others,  con- 
veyed  from  time  to  time,  to  the  in- 
ti  resting  family  of  the  Tag-rags,  spe<  ial 
marks  of  Jlr.  Titmouse's  courtesy  and 
gratitude.     At  one  time,  a  haunch  of 
doe  venison   would    find    its  way   to 
Mr.  Tag-rag,  to  whom  Gammon  justly 
considered  that  the  distinction  betwei  n 
buckand  doe  was  unknown;  at  another, 
a  fine  work-box  and  a  beautifully  hound 
Bible  found  its  way  to  good  Mrs.  Tag- 
rag  ;  and  lastly,  a  gay  guitar  to  Miss 
Tag-rag,  who  forthwith  began  twang- 
twang,    tang-a-tang-tanging-it,     from 
morning  to  night,  thinking  with  ecs- 
tasy of  its  dear  distinguished   donor; 
who,  together  with  Mr.  Gammon,  had, 
some  time  afterwards,  the  unspeakable 
gratification,  on  occasion  oftheii  being 
invited  to  dine  at   Satin    Lodge,   of 
hearing  her  accompany   herself  with 
lur  beautiful  instrument  while  singing 
the   follow  in  r  exquisite  co    p       ion, 
for  both  the  words  and  nir  of  which 
.  be   had  been  itdel  ted   to  hi  r  music- 
master,  a  youth  wit  h  black  m<  ustaches, 
long   dark   hair  parted    on   Ids  head, 
shirt  collars  a-la- Byron,  and  eyes  full 
of  inspiration  ! 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


303 


AJt'ettuosamente. 


TO  HIM  I  LOVE. 
l. 

Ah  me  !  I  feel  the  smart 
Of  Cupid's  cruel  dart 
Quivering  in  my  heart, 

Heigho,  ah !  whew  ! 


Allegro. 


With  him  I  love 
Swiftly  time  would  move ; 
With  his  cigar, 
And  my  guitar, 
We'd  smoke  and  play 
The  livelong  day, 

Merrily,  merrily ! 

Puff— puff— puff, 
Taug-a  tang,  tang-a  tang  ! 


Adagio,  H  on  molto 
tapressione. 


Tcncramentt. 


When  he's  not  near  me, 
O  !  of  life  I'm  weary — ■ 
The  world  is  dreary — 

Mystic  spirits  of  song, 

Wreathed  with  cypress,  come  along  I 
And  hear  me  1  hear  me  ! 

Singing, 

Heigho,  heigho— 
Tootle,  tootle,  too, 
A — lackaday  1 


Such  were  the  tender  and  melting 
strains  which  this  fair  creature  (her 
voice  a  little  reedy  and  squeaking,  to 
be  sure)  poured  into  the  sensitive  ear 
of  Titmouse  ;  and  such  are  the  strains 
by  means  of  which,  many  and  many 
a  Miss  Tag-rag  has  captivated  many 
and  many  a  Titmouse  ;  so  that  senti- 
mental compositions  of  this  sort  have 
become  deservedly  popular,  and  do 
honour  to  our  musical  and  poetical 
character  as  a  nation.  I  said  that  it 
was  on  the  occasion  of  a  dinner  at 
Satin  Lodge,  that  Mr.  Titmouse  and 
Mr.  Gammon  were  favoured  by  hearing 
Miss  Tag-rag's  voice,  accompanying 
her  guifar  ;  for  when  Mr.  Tag-rag  had 
sounded  Mr.  Gammon,  and  found  that 
both  he  and  Titmouse  would  be  only 
too  proud  and  happy  to  partake  of  his 
hospitality,  they  were  invited.  A  very 
crack  affair  it  was,  (though  I  have  not 
time  to  describe  it) — given  on  a  more 
splendid  scale  than  Mr.  Tag-rag  had 
ever  ventured  upon  before.  He  brought 
a  bottle  of  champagne  all  the  way 
from  town  with  his  own  hands,  and 
kept  it  nice  and  cool  in  the  kitchen 
cistern  for  three  days  beforehand  ;  and 
there  was  fish,  soup,  roast  mutton,  and 


roast  ducks,  roast  fowls,  peas,  cabbage, 
cauliflowers,  potatoes,  vegetable  mar- 
rows ;  there  was  an  apple-pie,  a  plum- 
pudding,  custards,  creams,  jelly,  and 
a  man  to  wait,  hired  from  the  tavern 
at  the  corner  of  the  hill.  It  had  not 
occurred  to  them  to  provide  themselves 
with  champagne  glasses,  so  they  man- 
aged as  well  as  they  could  with  tho 
common  ones — all  but  Titmouse,  who 
with  a  sort  of  fashionable  recklessness, 
to  show  how  little  he  thought  of  it, 
poured  out  his  champagne  into  his 
tumbler,  which  he  two-thirds  filled, 
and  drank  it  off  at  a  draft,  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  trying  to  disguise  the  inward  spasm 
it  occasioned  him,  by  a  grievous  smile. 
He  and  Mrs.  Tag-rag  exchanged  anxious 
looks ;  the  whole  of  their  sole  bottle 
of  champagne  was  gone  already — al- 
most as  soon  as  it  had  been  opened  ! 

' '  I  always  drink  champagne  out  of 
a  tumbler  ;  1  do — 'pon  my  life,"  said 
Titmouse  carelessly;  "it's  a  devilish 
deal  more  pleasant. " 

"Ye-e-s — of  course  it  is,  sir,"  said 
Mr.  Tag-rag  rather  faintly.  Shortly 
afterwards,  Titmouse  offered  to  taki?a 
glass  of  champagne  with  Miss  Tag- 
rag  : — Her  father's  face  flushed  :  and 


394 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


at  length,  with  a  bold  effort,  "Why, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  he,  trying  des- 
perately to  look  unconcerned — "the 
— the  fact  is,  I  sever  keep  more  than 

a  '1  zen  or  so  in  my  cellar — and  most 
unfortunately  I  found  this  afternoon 
that  six  bottles  had — burst — I  assure 

you." 

"Ton  my  soul,  sorry  to  bear  it," 
quoth  Titmouse;  "must  send  you  a 
dozen  of  my  own — I  always  keep  about 
fifty  or  a  hundred  dozen.  Oh,  I'll 
eend  yon  half-a-dozen  ! 

Tag-rag  scarcely  knew,  for  a  moment, 
whether  he  felt  pleased  or  mortified 
at  this  stroke  of  delicate  generosity. 
Thus  it  was  that  Titmouse  evinced  a 
disposition  to  shower  marks  of  bis 
favour  and  attachment  upon  the  Tag- 
rags,  in  obedience  to  the  injunctions  of 
Gammon,  who  assured  him  that  it  was 
of  very  great  importance  for  him  to 
secure  the  good  graces  of  Mr.  Tag-rag. 
So  Mr.  Titmouse  now  drove  up  to 
Satin  Lodge  in  his  cab,  and  then  rode 
thither,  followed  by  his  stylish  groom; 
and  on  one  occasion,  artful  little  scamp! 
happening  to  find  no  one  at  home  but 
Miss  Tag-rag,  he  nevertheless  alighted, 
and  stayed  for  nearly  ten  minutes,  be- 
having precisely  in  the  manner  of  an 
accepted  suitor,  aware  that  be  might 
do  so  with  impunity  since  there  was  no 
witness  present ;  a  little  matter  which 
had  been  suggested  to  him  by  Mr. 
Gammon,  Poor  Miss  Tag-rag's  cheek 
he  kissed  with  every  appearance  of 
ardour,  protesting  that  she  was  a 
monstrous  lovely  creature  ;  and  he  left 
her  in  a  state  of  delighted  excitement, 
imagining  herself  the  fated  mistress  of 
ten  thousand  a-year,  and  the  blooming 
bride  of  tin-  gay  and  fashionable  Mr. 
Titmouse.  When  her  excellent  parents 
heard  of  what  bad  that  day  occurred 
between  Mr.  Titmouse  and  their 
liter,  thi  y  also  looki  d  upon  the 
tiling  as  quite  settled.  In  the  mean 
while,  the  i  tream  of  prosperi  y  flov  i  d 
lily  in  upon  Mr.  Tag-rag,  his  Bhop 
continuing  crow  led  ;  his  shopmen 
Med  in  number : — in  fact,  be  at 
li  •  gth  actn  illy  n  1 1  i\  ed,  it  ;<  ad  <>f 
giving  payment,  for  allowing  young 
men  to  serve  a  short  time  in  bo  & 
brated  an  establishment,  in  order  that 


they  might  learn  the  first-rate  style  of 
doing  business,  and  when  established 
on  their  own  account,  write  up  over 
their  doors —  "Timothy  Tape,  late 
from  Tag-rag  d:  Co.,  Oxford  Street." 

Determined  to  make  hay  while  the 
sun  shone,  be  resorted  to  several  little 
devices  for  that  purpose,  such  as  a  shirt 
front  with  frills  in  the  shape  of  a  capi- 
tal "  T,"and  of  which,  under  the  name 
of  "  Tillies,"  be  sold  immense  numbers 
amongst  the  inferior  swells  of  London. 
At  length  it  occurred  to  Gammon  to 
suggest  to  Titmouse  a  mode  of  con- 
ferring upon  his  old  friend  and  master 
a  mark  of  permanent,  public,  and  sub- 
stantial distinction  ;  and  this  was,  the 
obtaining  for  him,  through  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington,  an  appointment  as  one 
of  the  royal  trad<  smen — namely,  dra]>er 
and  hosier  to  the  KinL,'.  When  Mr. 
Tag-rag's  disinterested  and  indefati- 
gable benefactor,  Gammon,  called  one 
day  in  Oxford  Street,  and  calling  him 
for  a  moment  out  of  the  bustle  of  his 
crowded  shop,  mentioned  the  honour 
which  Mr.  Titmouse  was  bent  upon 
doing  bis  utmost,  at  Mr,  Gammon's 
instance,  to  procure  for  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
that  respectable  person  was  quite  at  a 
loss  for  terms  in  which  adequately  to 
express  his  gratitude.  Tit  mouse  readily 
consented  to  name  the  thing  to  the 
great  man,  and  urge  it  in  the  best  way 
he  could  ;  and  he  performed  bis  pro- 
mise. The  Marl  listened  to  bis  appli- 
cation with  an  air  of  anxiety.  "  Sir," 
said  In',  "  the  world  is  acquainted  with 
my  reluctance  to  ask  favours  of  those 
in  office.  When  1  was  in  office  myself, 
I  felt  the  inconvenience  of  such  appli- 
cations abundantly.  Besides,  the  ap- 
pointment you  have  named,  happens 
to  be  one  of  considerable  importance) 
and  requiring  great  influi  nee  to  pro- 
cure it.  Consider,  sir,  the  immense 
number  of  tradesmen  their  are  of  every 
description,  of  whom  drapers  and 
hosiers  (according  to  the  last  returns 
laid  before  Parliament,  at  the  instance 
of  my  friend  Lord  Goose)  are  by  far 
the  most  numerous.  All  of  them  aro 
naturally  ambitious  of  so  high  a  dis- 
tinction: yet,  sir,  observe,  that  there 
i  ly  ono  king  and  one  royal  family 

to  serve.    My  Lord  Chamberlain  is,  1 


TEN  thousand  a- year. 


395 


have  no  doubt,  harassed  by  applicants 
for  such  honours  as  you  have  men- 
tioned." 

Hereat  Titmouse  got  startled  at  the 
unexpected  magnitude  of  the  favour 
he  had  applied  for ;  and,  declaring 
that  he  did  not  care  a  curse  for  Tag- 
rag,  begged  to  withdraw  his  application. 
But  the  Earl,  with  a  mighty  fine  air, 
interrupted  him—"  Sir,  you  are  not  in 
the  least  presuming  upon  your  relation- 
ship with  me,  nor  do  I  think  you  over- 
rate the  influence  I  may  happen — in 
siiort,  sir,  I  will  make  it  my  business  to 
see  my  Lord  Ko-too  this  very  day,  and 
sound  him  upon  the  subject." 

That  same  day  an  interview  took 
place  between  the  two  distinguished 
noblemen,  Lord  Dreddlington  and 
Lord  Ko-too.  Each  approached  the 
other  upon  stilts.  After  a  display  of  the 
most  delicate  tact  on  the  part  of  Lord 
Dreddlington,  Lord  Ko-too,  who  made 
a  mighty  piece  of  work  of  it,  promised 
to  consider  the  application. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Within  a  day  or  two  afterwards 
Mr.  Tag-rag  received  a  letter  from  the 
Lord  Chamberlain's  office,  notifying 
that  his  Majesty  had  been  graciously 
pleased  to  appoint  him  draper  and 
nosier  to  his  Majesty  !  It  occasioned 
him  feelings  of  tumultuous  pride  and 
pleasure,  similar  to  those  with  which 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  would  have 
received  tidings  of  his  long-coveted 
marquisate  having  been  conferred  upon 
him.  He  started  off,  within  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  after  the  receipt  of  the  letter, 
to  a  carver  and  gilder  a  few  doors  off, 
and  gave  orders  for  the  immediate  pre- 
paration of  a  first-rate  cast,  gilded,  of 
the  royal  arms  ;  which,  in  about  a 
week's  time,  might  be  seen,  a  truly 
resplendent  object,  dazzlingly  con- 
spicuous over  the  central  door  of  Mr. 
Tag-rag's  establishment,  inspiring  awe 
into  the  minds  of  passers-by,  and  envy 
into  Mr.  Tag-rag's  neighbours  and 
rivals.    He  immediately  sent  off  letters 


of  gratituda  to  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  to 
"the  Right  Honourable,  the  Most 
Noble  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  ; "  to 
the  latter  personage,  at  the  same  time, 
forwarding  a  most  splendid  crimson 
satin  flowered  dressing-gown,  as  "an 
humble  token  of  his  gratitude  for  his 
lordship's  mark  of  condescension." 

Loth  the  letter  and  the  dressing- 
gown  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the 
Earl's  valet,  (than  whom  they  never 
got  any  further,)  and  who,  having 
tried  on  the  dressing-gown,  forthwith 
sat  down  and  wrote  a  very  fine  reply, 
in  his  lordship's  name,  to  the  note 
which  had  accompanied  it,  taking  au 
opportunity. to  satisfy  his  conscience, 
by  stating  to  the  Earl  the  next  morning 
that  a  Mr.  Tag-rag  had  "called"  to 
express  his  humble  thanks  for  his  lord- 
ship's goodness.  He  was,  moreover, 
so  well  satisfied  with  this  specimen  of 
Mr.  Tag-rag's  articles,  that  ho  forth- 
with opened  an  account  with  him,  and 
sent  a  very  liberal  order  to  start  with. 
The  same  thing  occurred  with  several 
of  the  subordinate  functionaries  at  the 
palace  ;  and — to  let  my  reader,  a  little 
prematurely,  however,  into  a  secret — 
this  was  the  extent  of  the  additional 
custom  which  Mr.  Tag-rag's  appoint- 
ment secured  him  ;  and,  even  for  these 
supplies,  I  never  heard  of  his  getting 
paid.  But  it  did  wonders  with  him 
in  the  estimation  of  the  world.  'Twas 
evident  that  he  was  in  a  fair  way  of 
becoming  the  head  house  in  the  trade. 
His  appointment  caused  no  little  fer- 
ment in  that  nook  of  the  city  with 
which  he  was  connected.  The  wor- 
shipful Company  of  Squirt-makers 
elected  him  a  member ;  and  on  a 
vacancy  suddenly  occurring  in  the  ward 
to  which  he  belonged,  for  he  had  a 
considerable  shop  in  the  city  also,  he 
was  made  a  common  council-man. 
Mr.  Tag-rag  soon  made  a  great  stir  as 
a  champion  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 
As  for  church  and  county  rates,  in 
particular,  he  demonstrated  the  gross 
injustice  and  absurdity  of  calling  upon 
one  who  had  no  jxrsonal  occasion  for 
the  use  of  a  church,  of  a  county  bridge, 
a  county  jail,  or  a  lunatic  asylum,  to 
be  called  upon  to  contribute  to  the 
support  of  them.     A  few  speeches  in 


306 


TEN.  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


this  strain  attracted  so  much  attention 
to  him,  that  several  leading  men  in 
the  ward  (a  very  "liberal*  one)  in- 
timated to  him  that  lie  stood  the  best 
chance  of  succeeding  to  the  honour  of 
alderman  on  the  next  vacancy ;  and 
when  he  and  Mrs.  Tag-rag  were  alone 
together,  he  would  start  the  subject  of 
the  expenses  of  the  mayoralty  with 
no  little  anxiety.  He  went  to  the 
chapel  no  longer  on  foot,  hut  in  a 
stylish  sort  of  covered  gig,  with  a  kind 
of  coal-scuttle-shaped  box  screwed  on 
behind,  into  which  was  squeezed  his 
foothoy,  (who,  by  the  way,  had  a  thin 
stripe  of  crimson  let  into  each  leg  of 
his  trousers,  on  Mr.  Tag-rag's  appoint- 
ment to  an  office  under  the  crown  ;) 
he  was  also  a  trifle  later  in  arriving  at 
the  chapel  than  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  be.  He  had  a  crimson  velvet 
cushion  running  along  the  front  of  his 
pew,  and  the  bibles  and  hymn-books 
were  smartly  gilded.  He  was  presently 
advanced  to  the  honoured  post  of  chief 
deacon  ;  and  on  one  occasion,  in  the 
unexpected  absence  of  the  central  lu- 
minary of  the  system,  was  asked  to 
occupy  the  chair  at  a  "great  meeting  " 
of  the  Society  foe  the  Promotion 
ov  Civil  and  Religious  Discoud  ; 
when  he  took  the  opportunity  of  de- 
claring his  opinion,  which  was  enthusi- 
astically cheered,  that  the  principles 
of  free  trade  ought  to  be  applied  to 
religion  ;  and  that  the  voluntary  sys- 
tem was  that  which  was  designed  by 
God  to  secure  the  free  blessings  of 
competition.  As  for  Satin  Lodge,  he 
stuck  two  little  wings  to  it ;  and  had 
one  of  the  portraits  of  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse (as  Tippetiwink)  hung  over  his 
drawing-room  mantelpiece,  splendidly 
framed  and  glazed. 

Some  little  time  after  Tag-rag  had 
obi  lined  the  royal  appointmi  at,  which 
1  have  been  bo  particular  in  recording, 
Gammon,  happening  to  be  passing  Lis 
Bhop,  stepped  in,  and  observing  Mr. 
Tag-rag,  very  cordially  greeted  him  ; 
ana  then,  as  if  it  had  been  a  thoughl 
of  the  moment  only,  without  I  il  inj 
him  from  the  shop,  inl imatctl  thai  he 
had  been  we.  tw and,  i  ed  in  com- 
pleting the  formal  details  of  a  re- 
ig(  ment  of  the  gr<  ater  portion  of 


Mr.  Titmouse's  estates,' upon  which 
that  gentleman  had  recently  deter- 
mined, and  the  sight  of  Mr.  Tag-rag's 
establishment  had  suggested  to  Air. 
Gammon,  that  possibly  Mr.  Tag-rag 
would  feel  gratified  at  being  made  a 
formal  party  to  the  transaction  ;  as 
Air.  Gammon  was  sure  that  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse would  feel  delighted  at  having 
associated  with  the  Karl  of  Dreddling- 
ton,  and  one  or  two  other  persons  of 
distinction,  in  the  meditated  arrange- 
ment, the  name  of  so  early  and  sincere 
a  friend  as  Mr.  Tag-rag;  "one  who, 
moreover"  —  here  Gammon  paused, 
and  gave  a  smile  of  inexpressible  signi- 
ficance, "but  it  was  not  for  him  to 
hint  his  suspicious- " 

"Sir — I — I — will  you  come  into  my 
room  ? "  interrupted  Tag-rag,  rather 
eagerly,  anxious  to  have  a  more  definite 
indication  of  Mr.  Gammon's  opinion  ; 
but  that  gentleman,  looking  at  his 
watch,  pleadi  d  want  of  time,  and, 
suddenly  shaking  Mr.  Tag-rag  by  tho 
hand,  moved  towards  the  door. 

"  You  were  talking  of  signing,  sir — 
Have  you  got  with  you  what  you 
want  signed  ?  I'll  sign  anything  ! — 
anything  for  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  only  too 
proud — it's  an  honour  to  be  any  way 
connected  with  him  !  "  Gammon,  on 
hearing  this,  felt  in  his  pockets,  as  if 
he  supposed  that  he  should  find  there 
what  he  perfectly  well  knew  had  been 
lying  ready,  cut  and  dried,  in  his  safe 
at  Saffron  Hill  for  months. 

"I  find  1  haven't  got  the  little  docu- 
ment with  me,"  said  he  carelessly; 
"I  suppose  it's  lying  about  with  other 
loose  papers  at  the  oilice,  or  may  have 
Keen  left  at  the  Karl's"  —  [thoi 
Gammon's  objects  required  him  lure 
to  allude  to  the  Karl  of  Dreddling- 
ton,  I  think  it  is  only  fair  to  say 
that  lie  had  never  been,  for  one  in- 
stant in  his  life,  in  that  great  man's 
presence.  | 

"I'll  tell  yon  what,  Mr.  Gammon," 
said  Tag-rag,  considering — "Your 
oflice  is  at  Saffron  Hill!  Well,  I  shall 
be  passing  \  onr  waj  to-morrow,  on  my 
way  to  my  city  i  ment,  about 

noon,  and  will  look  in  and  do  all  you 

v,i    h." 

"Could  you  arrange  to  mi  el  the  Earl 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


397. 


there  ?  —  or,  as  his  lordship's  move- 
ments are — ah,  ha ! — not  very " 

"  Should  be  most  proud  to  meet  his 
lordship,  sir,  to  express  my  personal 
gratitude " 

"Oh,  the  Earl  never  likes  to  be 
reminded,  Mr.  Tag-rag,  of  any  little 
courtesy  or  kindness  he  may  have  con- 
ferred !  But  if  you  will  be  with  us 
about  twelve,  we  can  wait  a  little 
while  ;  and  if  his  lordship  should  not 
be  punctual,  we  must  even  let  you 
sign  first,  ah,  ha ! — and  exp'ain  it  to 
his  lordship  on  his  arrival,  for  I  know 
your  time's  very  precious,  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  !  Gracious  !  Mr.  Tag-rag,  what  a 
constant  stream  of  customers  you 
have  ! — I  heard  it  said,  the  other  day, 
that  you  were  rapidly  absorbing  all 
the  leading  business  in  your  line  in 
Oxford  Street." 

"  You're  very  polite,  Mr.  Gammon  ! 
Certainly,  I've  no  reason  to  complain. 
I  always  keep  the  best  of  everything, 
both  here  and  in  the  city,  and  sell  at 
the  lowest  prices,  and  spare  no  pains 
to  please  ;  and  it's  hard  if " 

"Ah! — how  do  you  do?"  quoth 
Gammon,  suddenly  starting,  and  bow- 
ing to  some  one  on  the  other  side  of 
the  way,  whom  he  did  not  see.  "  Well, 
good-day,  Mr.  Tag-rag  —  good-day  ! 
To-morrow  at  twelve,  by  the  way  ? " 

"  I'm  yours  to  command,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon," replied  Tag-rag;  and  so  they 
parted.  Just  about  twelve  o'clock  the 
next  day,  the  latter,  in  a  great  bustle, 
saying  he  had  fifty  places  to  call  at  in 
the  city,  made  his  appearance  at  Saffron 
Hill. 

' '  His  lordship  a'n't  here,  I  sup- 
pose ?  "  quoth  he,  after  shaking  hands 
with  Mr.  Quirk  and  Mr.  Gammon. 
The  latter  gentleman  pulled  out  his 
watch,  and,  shrugging  Iris  shoulders, 
said  with  a  smile,  "  No — we'll  give 
him  half-an-hour's  grace." 

"  Half-an-hour,  my  dear  sir  !  "  ex- 
claimed Tag-rag,  "  I  couldn't  stay  so 
long,  even  for  the  high  honour  of 
meeting  his  lordship.  I  am  a  man  of 
business,  he  isn't ;  first  come  first 
served,  you  know,  eh  ?  All  fair  that !  " 
There  were  a  good  many  recently  en- 
grossed parchments  and  writings  scat- 
tered over  the  table,  and  from  smong 


them  Gammon,  after  tossing  them 
about  for  some  time,  at  length  drew 
out  a  sheet  of  foolscap.  It  was 
stamped,  and  there  was  writing  upon 
the  first  and  second  pages. 

' '  Now,  gentlemen,  quick's  the  word 
—  time's  precious !  "  said  Tag-rag, 
taking  up  a  pen,  and  dipping  it  into 
the  inkstand.  Gammon,  with  an  un- 
concerned air,  placed  before  him  the 
document  he  had  been  looking  for. 
' '  Ah,  how  well  I  know  the  signature  ! 
That  flourish  of  his — a  sort  of  bold- 
ness about  it,  a'n't  there  ? "  said  Tag- 
rag,  observing  the  signature  of  Tit- 
mouse immediately  above  the  spot  on 
which  he  was  going  to  place  his  own  ; 
there  being  written  in  pencil,  under- 
neath, the  word  "Dreddlington,"  evi- 
dently for  the  intended  signature  of 
the  Earl.  "I'm  between  two  good 
ones,  at  any  rate,  eh  ? "  said  Tag-rag. 
Gammon  or  Quirk  said  something 
about  a  "term  to  attend  the  inherit- 
ance " — "trustee  of  an  outstanding 
term" — "legal  estate  vested  in  the 
trustees" — "too  great  power  to  be 
put  in  the  hands  of  any  but  thoso  of 
the  highest  honour." 

"Stay!"  quoth  Gammon,  ringing 
his  little  hand-bell — -"nothing  like 
regularity,  even  in  trifles."  He  was 
answered  by  one  of  the  clerks,  a  veiy 
dashing  person — "We  only  wish  you 
to  witness  a  signature,"  said  Gammon. 
"Now,  we  shall  release  you,  Mr.  Tag- 
rag,  in  a  moment.  Say,  '  I  deliver 
this  as  my  act  and  deed  '  —  putting 
your  finger  on  the  little  wafer 
there." 

So  said  and  so  did  Mr.  Tag-rag  as 
he  had  been  directed  ;  the  clerk  wrote 
his  name  under  the  witnessing  clause 
"Abominable  Amminadab ; "  and  from 
that  moment  Mr.  Tag-rag  had  uncon- 
sciously acquired  an  interest  in  the 
future  stability  of  Mr.  Titmouse's 
fortunes,  to  the  extent  of  some  forty 

THOUSAND  POUNDS ! 

"Now,  gentlemen,  you'll  make  my 
compliments  to  his  lordship,  and  if  ha 
asks  how  I  came  to  sign  before  him, 
explain  the  hurry  I  was  in.  Time  and 
tide  wait  for  no  man.  Good-morning, 
gentlemen  ;  good-morning  ;  best  re- 
gards to  our  friend,  Mr.  Titmouse." 


393 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Gammon  attended  him  to  the  door, 
cordially  shaking  him  by  the  hand, 
and  presently  returned  to  the  room  he 
had  just  quitted,  where  he  found  Mr. 
Quirk  holding  in  his  hand  the  docu- 
ment just  signed  by  Tag-rag  ;  which 
was.  in  (act,  a  joint  and  several  bond, 
conditioned  in  a  penalty  of  forty  thou- 
sand pounds,  for  the  due  repayment, 
by  Titmouse,  of  twenty  thousand 
pounds,  and  interest  at  five  per  cent., 
about  to  be  advanced  to  him  on  mort- 
gage of  a  portion  of  the  Yatton  pro- 
perty. Gammon,  sitting  down,  gently 
took  the  instrument  from  Mr.  Quirk, 
and  with  a  bit  of  India-rubber  calmly 
effaced  the  pencilled  signature  of 
"  Dreddlington." 

"You're   a   d d    clever    fellow, 

Gammon  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Quirk  pre- 
sently, with  a  sort  of  sigh,  and  after, 
as  it  were,  holding  his  breath  for  some 
time.  Gammon  made  no  reply.  His 
face  was  slightly  pale,  and  wore  an 
anxious  expression.  "  It  will  do  noio," 
continued  Mr.  Quirk,  rubbing  his 
hands,  and  with  a  gleeful  expression 
of  countenance. 

"That  remains  to  be  seen,"  replied 
Gammon  in  a  low  tone. 

"Eli?  What?  Does  anything  oc- 
cur— eh  ?  By  Jove,  no  screw  loose,  I 
hope  ? " 

"No — but  we're  in  very  deep  water 
now,  Mr.  Quirk " 

"  Well — devil  only  cares,  so  long  as 
you  keep  a  sharp  look-out,  Gammon. 
I'll  trust  the  helm  to  you." 

As  Gammon  did  not  seem  in  a  talk- 
ative mood,  Quirk  shortly  afterwards 
left  him. 

Now,  though  Mr.  Tag-rag  is  no 
favourite  of  mine,  I  begin  to  feel  a 
good  deal  of  anxiety  on  his,  beh  tlf. 
1  wish  he  had  not  been  in  so  vast  a 
"hurry,"  in  a  matter  which  required 
such  grave  deliberation,  as  "signing, 
sealing,  and  delivering."  When  a  m  in 
is  called  on  to  go  through  so  serious  a 
ceremony,  it  would  1m.  well  if  he  conld 
bo  apprised  of  the  significance  of  the 
formula — "  /  deliver  th  ■/  act 

•     ■'  da  d."   Thus  hath  expres  ed  him- 
self upon  thi  i  point,  authority 
in  the  law,  old  M  i  ter  Plowd  a.     '  I 
a  passage  somewhat  quaint  in  four, 


but  not  the  less  forcible  and  important 
in  substance  : — 

"Words  are  often  spoken  unad- 
visedly, and  pass  from  men  lightly 
and  inconsiderately  :  but,  where  the 
agreement  is  by  tlccd,  there  is  more 
time  for  deliberation  ;  for  when  a  man 
passes  a  thing  by  deed,  first  there  is 
the  determination  of  the  mind  to  do 
it,  and  upon  that  he  causes  it  to  be 
written,  which  is  one  part  of  deliber- 
ation ;  and,  afterwards,  he  puis  hit 
seal  to  it,  which  is  another  part  of 
deliberation;  and,  lastly,  he  delivers 
tlic  writing  as  his  deed,  which  is  the 
consummation  of  his  resolution.  So 
that  there  is  great  deliberation  used 
in  the  making  of  deeds,  for  which 
reason  they  are  received  as  a  lien,  final 
to  the  party,  and  are  adjudged  to 
bind  the  party,  without  examination 
upon  what  cause  or  consideration  they 
were  made."* 

Possibly  some  one  now  reading  these 
pages  hath  had  most  dismal  experience 
in  the  matter  above  mentioned  ;  and  I 
hope  that  such  dismal  experience,  a 
duo  reflection  will  avert  from  many  a 
reader.  As  for  Tag-rag,  it  may  turn 
out  that  our  fears  for  him  are  ground- 
less :  nevertheless,  one  hales  to  see  men 
do  important  things  in  a  hurry  : — and, 
as  wo  shall  lose  sight  of  Mr.  Tag-rag 
for  some  time,  there  can  be  no  harm 
in  wishing  him  well  out  of  what  ho 
has  just  done. 

"  If  'twero  done  when  'tis  dorio — 
Then  'tworo  well 'twere  dono  quicllt/" — 

and  not  otherwise. 

The  London  season  was  now  ad- 
vancing  towards  its  close.  Fine 
ladies  were  getting  sated  and  ex- 
hausted with  operas,  concerts,  balls, 
i,  soirees,  assemblies,  bazaars, 
I -tes,  and  the  Park.  Their  lords 
wen;  getting  tired  of  their  clubs 
during  the  day,  and  hurried  dinners, 
late  hours,  foul  air,  and  long  speeches, 

at  the  two  Bouses j  where,  however 
they  might  doze  away  the  time,  they 
c  mid  Beldom  get  the  luxury  of  a 
downright  nap  lor  more  than  an  hour 
or   two  together     always    waking,  and 

*  Plowden'a    Oommentanet,  :i(!8,  a,  (Shar- 
trotton.) 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


309 


fancying  themselves  in  the  tower  of 
Babel,  and  that  it  was  on  fire,  so 
strange  and  startling  were  the  lights 
and  the  hubbub  !  The  very  whippers- 
in  were  looking  jaded  and  done — each 
being  like  a  Smithfield  drover's  dog 
on  a  Monday  night,  that  at  length  can 
neither  bark  nor  bite  in  return  for 
a  kick  or  a  blow ;  and,  hoarse  and 
wearied,  falls  asleep  on  his  way  home 
— a  regular  somnambulist.  Where 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  and  Lady 
Cecilia  were  to  pass  their  autumn,  was 
a  question  which  they  were  beginning 
to  discuss  rather  anxiously.  Any  one 
glancing  over  their  flourishing  list  of 
residences  in  England,  Scotland, 
Wales,  and  Ireland,  which  were 
paraded  in  the  Peerages  and  Court 
Guides,  would  have  supposed  that 
they  had  an  ample  choice  before  them  : 
but  the  reader  of  this  history  knows 
better.  The  mortifying  explanation — 
mortifying  to  the  poor  Earl — having 
been  once  given  by  me,  I  shall  not 
again  do  so.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
Poppleton  Hall,  Hertfordshire,  had 
its  disadvantages  ;  there  they  must 
keep  up  a  full  establishment,  and 
receive  county  company  and  other 
visitors — owing,  as  they  did,  much 
hospitality.  Twas  expensive  work, 
also,  at  the  watering-places ;  and  ex- 
pensive and  also  troublesome  to  go 
abroad  at  the  Earl's  advanced  period 
of  life.  Pensively  ruminating  on 
these  matters  one  evening,  they  were 
interrupted  by  a  servant  bringing  in  a 
note,  which  proved  to  be  from  Tit- 
mouse— inviting  them,  in  terms  of 
profound  courtesy  and  great  cordiality, 
to  honour  Yatton,  by  making  a  stay 
there  during  as  great  a  portion  of  the 
autumn  as  they  could  not  better 
occupy.  Mr.  Titmouse  frankly  added, 
that  he  could  not  avoid  acknow- 
ledging some  little  degree  of  selfish- 
ness in  giving  the  invitation — namely, 
in  expressing  a  hope  that  the  Earl's 
presence  would  afford  him,  if  so  dis- 
posed, an  opportunity  of  introducing 
him — Titmouse — to  any  of  the  leadirg 
members  of  the  county  who  might  be 
honoured  by  the  Earl's  acquaintance  ; 
that,  situated  as  Titmouse  was,  he  felt 
an  increasing  anxiety  on  that  point. 


He  added,  that  he  trusted  the  Earl 
and  Lady  Cecilia  would  consider  Yat- 
ton, while  they  were  there,  as  in  all 
respects  their  ovwi  residence,  and  that 
he,  Titmouse,  would  spare  no  exertion 
to  render  their  stay  as  agreeable  as 
possible.  The  humble  appeal  of  Tit- 
mouse prevailed  with  his  great  kins- 
man, who,  on  the  next  day,  sent 
him  a  letter,  saying  that  his  lord- 
ship fully  recognized  the  claims 
which  Mr.  Titmouse  had  upon  him 
as  the  head  of  the  family,  and  that 
his  lordship  should  feel  very  glad  in 
availing  himself  of  the  opportunity 
which  offered  itself,  of  placing  Mr. 
Titmouse  on  a  proper  footing  of  inter- 
course with  the  people  of  the  county. 
That,  for  this  purpose,  his  lordship 
should  decline  any  invitations  they 
might  receive  to  pass  their  autumn 
elsewhere,  &c.  &c.  &c.  In  plain  Eng- 
lish, they  jumped  at  the  invitation. 
It  had  emanated  originally  from  Gam- 
mon, who,  from  motives  of  his  own, 
had  suggested  it  to  Titmouse,  bade 
him  act  upon  it,  and  drew  up  the 
letter  conveying  it.  I  say,  from 
motives  of  his  own,  Gammon  was  bent 
upon  becoming  personally  acquainted 
with  the  Earl,  and  fixing  himself,  if 
possible,  thoroughly  in  his  lordship's 
confidence.  He  had  contrived  to  as- 
certain from  Titmouse,  without  that 
gentleman's  being,  however,  aware  of 
it,  that  the  few  occasions  on  which 
his  (Gammon's)  name  had  been  men- 
tioned by  the  Earl,  it  had  been  accom- 
panied by  slighting  expressions — by 
indications  of  dislike  and  suspicion. 
Give  him,  however,  thought  he,  but 
the  opportunity,  and  he  could  very 
soon  change  the  nature  of  the  Earl's 
feelings  towards  him.  As  soon,  there- 
fore, as  the  Earl's  acceptance  of  the 
invitation  had  been  communicated  to 
Gammon,  he  resolved  to  be  one  of  the 
guests  at  Yatton  during  the  time  of 
the  Earl's  stay — a  step,  into  the  pro- 
priety of  which  he  easily  brought  Mr. 
Quirk  to  enter,  but  which  he  did  not, 
for  the  present,  communicate  to  Tit- 
mouse, lest  he  should,  by  prematurely 
disclosing  it  to  the  Earl,  raise  any 
obstacle,  arising  out  of  an  objection  on 
the  part  of  his  lordship,  who,  if  ha 


400 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


but  found  Gammon  actually  there, 
must  sulimit  to  tho  infliction  with 
what  grace  he  might.  In  due  time  it 
was  notified  on  the  part  of  the  Earl, 
by  his  man  of  business,  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, (who  had  gone  down  to 
Yatton,)  through  his  man  <  f  business, 
that  the  Earl,  and  a  formidable  por- 
I  i  of  his  establishment,  would  make 
their  appearance  at  Yatton  by  a  named 
day.  The  Earl  had  chosen  to  extend 
the  invitation  to  Miss  Macspleuchan, 
and  also  to  as  many  attendants  as  he 
thought  fit  to  take  with  him,  instead 
of  letting  them  consume  their  board 
wages  iu  entire  idleness  in  town  or  at 
l'oppleton.  Heavens !  what  accom- 
modation was  required,  for  the  Earl, 
for  the  Lady  Cecilia,  each  of  their 
personal  attendants,  Miss  Macspleu- 
chan, and  five  servants  !  Then  there 
were  two  other  guests  invited,  in  order 
to  form  company  and  amusement  for 
the  Earl — tho  Marquis  Gants-Jannes 
dc  Millefleurs,  and  a  Mr.  Tuft.  Ac- 
commodation must  be  had  for  these  ; 
and,  to  secure  it,  Mr.  Titmouse  and 
Mr.  Gammon  were  driven  to  almost 
the  extremities  of  the  house.  Eour 
servants,  in  a  sort  of  baggage-waggon, 
pn  ceded  the  arrival  of  the  Earl  and 
Lady  Cecilia  by  a  day  or  two,  in  order 
to  "arrange  everything  ;"  and,  some- 
how or  another,  one  of  the  first  things 
that  was  done  with  this  view,  was  to 
install  his  lordship's  chief  servants  in 
the  quarters  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  serv- 
ants, who,  it  was  suggested,  should 
endeavour  to  make  themselves  as  com- 
fortable as  they  could  in  some  little  un- 
furnished rooms  over  the  stables  !  And, 
in  a  word,  before  Mr.  Titmouse's  grand 
guests  had  been  at  the  Hall  four-and- 
twenty  hours,  thero  was  established 
there  the  sumo  freezing  state  ami 
solemn  ceremony  which  prevailed  in 
the  Earl's  own  establishment.  Down 
came  at  length,  thundering  through 
tho  village,  the  Earl's  dusty  travelling- 
carriage  and  four;  himself,  Lady 
'  '  in  with- 

in, his  valet  and  Lady  <  '<   ilia's  i 
behind  :  pre  lenl ly  it  wound  round  the' 
park    road,  5    and     flashing 

through  the  gravel,  and  rattling  under 
the  <•:  I  gateway,  and  at  length  stood 


before  the  Hall  door — the  reeking 
horses  pulled  up  with  a  sudden  jerk, 

which  almost  threw  them  all  upon 
their  haunches.  Mr.  Titmouse  was  in 
readiness  to  receive  his  distinguished 
visitors  ;  the  carriage-door  was  opened 
— down  went  the  steps — and  in  a  few 
moments'  time  the  proud  old  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  and  his  proud  daughter, 
having  entered  the  Hall,  had  become 
the  guests  of  its  flustered  and  ambi- 
tious little  proprietor.  While  all  the 
guests  are  occupied  in  their  dressing- 
rooms,  recovering  themselves  from  the 
cramp  and  fatigue  of  a  long  journey, 
and  are  preparing  to  make  their  ap- 
pearance at  dinner,  let  mo  take  the 
opportunity  to  give  you  a  sketch  of 
the  only  one  of  the  guests  to  whom 
vou  are  at  present  a  stranger  :  I  mean 
Mr.  Tuft— Mr.  Venom  Tuft. 

Oft  hath  an  inexperienced  mush- 
room hunter,  deceived  at  a  distance, 
run  up  to  gather  what  seemed  to  he  a 
fine  cluster  of  mushrooms,  growing 
under  the  shade  of  a  stately  tree,  hut 
which,  on  stooping  down  to  gather 
them,  he  discovers  with  disappoint- 
ment and  disgust  to  he  no  mushrooms 
at  all,  but  vile,  unwholesome — even 
poisonous  funguses,  which,  to  prevent 
their  similarly  deluding  others,  ho 
kicks  up  ami  crushes  under  foot. 
And  is  not  this  a  type  of  what  often 
happens  in  society  ?  Under  the  "cold 
shade  of  aristocracy,"  how  often  is 
to  bo  met  with — THK  SYCOPHANT? — 
Mr.  Venom  Tuft  was  one  of  them. 
rlis  character  was  written  in  his  face. 
Disagreeable  to  look  at — though  lie 
thought  far  otherwise — he  yet  con- 
trived to  make  himself  pleasant  to  be 
listened  to,  by  the  languid  and  en- 
nuyeed  fashionable.     He  spoke  ever — 

"  In  a  toady't  key, 
Witli  bated  breath  and  wtaiapsriug  huniblo- 

liess." 

His  person  was  at  once  effeminate  and 
coarse  ;  his  gesture  and  address  were 
cringing —there     was    an     intolerable 

■  1  gentleness  about  t ! 
at  all  times,  but  especially  while 
labouring  in  his  vocation.  He  had 
the  art  of  administering  delicate  and 
approprial  flatfa  ry  by  a  look  only, 
deferential  and  insinuating    as  well  84 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


401 


by  words.  He  had  always  at  com- 
mand a  copious  store  of  gossip,  highly 
seasoned  with  scandal ;  which  he  col- 
lected and  prepared  with  industry  and 
judgment.  Clever  toadies  are  gene- 
rally hitter  ones.  With  sense  enough 
to  perceive,  but  not  spirit  enough  to 
abandon  their  odious  propensities,  they 
are  aware  of  the  ignominious  specta- 
cle they  exhibit  before  the  eyes  of 
men  of  the  least  degree  of  indepen- 
dence and  discernment,  and  whose 
open  contempt  they  have  not  power 
or  manliness  enough  to  resent.  Then 
their  smothered  rage  takes  an  inward 
turn ;  it  tends  to,  and  centres  in  the 
tongue,  from  which  it  falls  in  drops  of 
scalding  virus ;  and  thus  it  is,  that 
the  functions  of  sycophant  and  slan- 
derer are  so  often  found  united  in  the 
same  miserable  individual.  Does  a 
sycophant  fancy  that  his  patron — if 
one  may  use  such  a  term  —  i3  not 
aware  of  his  degrading  character  and 
position  ?  Would  that  he  could  but 
hear  himself  spoken  of  by  those  to 
whom  he  has  last  been  cottoning/  If 
he  could  but  for  one  moment  "  see 
himself  as  others  see  him  " — surely  he 
would  instantly  wriggle  out  of  the 
withering  sight  of  man !  But  Mr. 
Tuft  was  not  an  every-day  toady. 
Being  a  clever  man,  it  occurred  to 
him  as  calculated  infinitely  to  enhance 
the  value  of  his  attentions,  if  he  could 
get  them  to  be  regarded  as  those  of  a 
man  of  some  ability  and  reputation. 
So  reasonable  a  wish,  as  thus  to  rise 
to  eminence  in  the  calling  in  life  to 
which  he  lu  il  devoted  himself — viz. 
toadyism  —  stimulated  him  to  con- 
siderable exi  rtion,  which  was  in  time 
rewarded  bj  a  measure  of  success ; 
for  ho  began  to  be  looked  on  as  some- 
thing of  a  literary  man.  Then  he 
would  spend  his  mornings  in  reading 
up,  in  those  quarters  whence  he  might 
cull  materials  for  display  in  society  at 
a  later  period  of  the  day ;  when  he 
would  watch  Jus  opportunity,  or,  if 
none  presented  itself,  make  one,  by 
diverting  the  current  of  conversation 
into  the  channel  on  which  was  the  gay 
and  varied  bordering  of  his  very  recent 
acquisitions.  All  hi3  knowledge  was 
pf  this  gossiping  pro  hue  vice  character. 


Ho  was  very  skilful  in  administer- 
ing his  flattery.  Did  he  dine  with 
his  Grace,  or  his  Lordship,  whose 
speech  in  the  House  appeared  in  that 
or  the  preceding  day's  newspapers  ? 
Mr.  Tuft  got  it  up  carefully,  and  also 
the  speech  in  answer  to  it,  with  a 
double  view  —  to  show  himself  at 
home  in  the  question  !  and  then  to 
differ  a  little  with  his  Grace,  or  his 
Lordship,  in  order  to  be  presently  set 
right  by  them,  and  convinced  by 
them  !  Or  when  conversation  turned 
upon  the  topics  which  had,  overnight, 
called  up  his  Grace  or  his  Lordship  on 
his  legs,  Mr.  Tuft  would  softly  break 
in  by  observing  that  such  and  such  a 
point  had  been  "put  in  the  debate 
with  admirable  point  and  force  by 
some  one  of  the  speakers — he  did  not 
recollect  whom  ; "  and  on  being  ap- 
prised of,  and  receiving  a  courteous 
bow  from,  the  great  man  entitled  to 
the  undesigned  compliment,  look  so 
surprised  —  almost,  indeed,  piqued  ! 
Carefully,  however,  as  he  managed 
matters,  he  was  soon  found  out  by 
men,  and  compelled  to  betake  himself, 
with  tenfold  ardour,  to  the  women, 
with  whom  he  lasted  a  little  longer. 
They  considered  him  a  great  literary 
man  ;  for  he  could  quote  and  criticize 
a  great  deal  of  poetry,  and  a  good 
many  novels.  He  could  show  that 
what  everybody  else  admired  was  full 
of  faults  ;  what  all  condemned  wa3 
admirable  :  so  that  the  fair  creatures 
were  forced  to  distrust  their  own 
judgment  in  proportion  as  they  de- 
ferred to  his.  He  would  allow  no  one 
to  be  entitled  to  the  praise  of  literary 
excellence  except  individuals  of  rank, 
and  one  or  two  men  of  established 
literary  reputation,  who  had  not 
thought  it  worth  their  while  to  repel 
his  obsequious  advances,  or  convenient 
not  to  do  so.  Then  he  would  polish 
the  poetry  of  fine  ladies,  touch  up 
their  little  tales,  and  secure  their  in- 
sertion in  fashionable  periodicals.  On 
these  accounts,  and  of  his  piquant 
tittle-tattle,  no  soiree  or  conversazione 
was  complete  without  him,  any  mora 
than  without  tea,  coffee,  ice,  or  lemon- 
ade. All  toadies  hate  one  another; 
but  his  brethren  both  hated  and  feared 

D  D 


402 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Mr.  Tuft ;  for  he  was  not  only  so  suc- 
cessful himself,  but  possessed  and  used 
such  engines  for  depressing  them.  Mr. 
Tuft,  had  hoped  to  succeed  in  being 
popped  in  by  one  of  his  patrons  for  a 
snug  little  Whig  borough,  (for  Tuft 
happened  to  be  a  "Whig — though,  for 
that  matter,  he  might  have  been,  more 
advantageously,  a  Tory;)  but  the  great 
man  got  tired  of  him,  and  turned  him 
oil',  though  the  ladies  of  the  family 
stiil  secured  him  access  to  the  dinner- 
table.  He  did  not,  however,  make  a 
very  grateful  return  for  such  good- 
natured  condescensions.  Ugly  and 
ungainly  as  he  was,  he  yet  imagined 
himself  possessed  of  personal  attrac- 
tions for  the  ladies,  and  converted 
their  innocent  and  unsuspecting  fami- 
liarities, which  had  emanated  from 
those  confident  in  their  purity  and 
their  greatness,  into  tokens  of  the 
ascendancy  he  had  gained  over  them  ; 
and  of  which,  with  equal  cruelty, 
folly,  and  presumption,  he  would 
afterwards  boast  pretty  freely.  Till 
this  came,  however,  to  be  SUspecl  >I 
and  discovered,  Mr.  Tuft  visited  a 
good  many  Lading  houses  in  town, 
and  spent  no  inconsiderable  portion  of 
each  autumn  at  some  one  or  other  of 
the  country  mansions  of  his  patrons 
■ — from  whose  "castles,"  "halls," 
"abbeys,"  "priories,"  and  "seats," 
lie  took  great  pride  in  dating  his 
letters  to  his  friends.  I  must  not 
forget  to  mention  that  he  kept  a 
book,  very  gorgeously  bound  and  em- 
bellished, with  silver-gilt  clasps,  and 
bearing  on  the  back  the  words 
— "  llook  of  Autographs;"  but  I 
should  hive  written  it — "Trophies 
of  Toadyism."  This  book  contained 
autograph  notes  of  the  leading  nobil- 
ity, addressed  familiarly  to  himself, 
thus  : — 

"The  Duke  of  Walworth  presents 
his  compliments  to  Mr.  Tuft,  and  feels 
particularly  obliged  by,"  kc. 

"The  Duchess  of  Diamond  ho  pes 
Mr.  Tuft  will  not  forget  to  bring  with 
him  thi  |,"  &c. 

"The   Marquis  of  M "has   the 

honour  to  assure  Mr.  Tuft  that,"  &c. 


"  Dear  Mr.  Tuft, 

"Why  wero  you  not  at    • 

House  last  night  ?  "We  were  dread- 
fully dull  without  you!     X just 

as  stupid  as  you  always  say  he  is. 

[This  was  from  a  very  pretty  and 
fashionable  countess,  whose  initials  it 
bore.] 

"  If  Mr.  Tuft  is  dead,  Lady  Dulci- 
mer requests  to  be  informed  when  his 
funeral  will  take  place,  as  she,  to- 
gether with  a  host  of  mourners,  intends 
to  sho\\r  him  a  last  mark  of  respect." 

"Dear  Mr.  Tuft, 

"  The  poodle  you  brought  me  has 
got  the  mange,  or  some  horrid  com- 
plaint or  other,  which  is  making  all 
his  hair  fall  off.  Do  come  and  tell  mo 
what  is  to  be  done.  Where  can  1  send 
the  sweet  suffering  angel? — Yours, 

Arabella  D ." 

[This  was  from  the  eldest  and  love- 
liest daughter  of  a  very  great  duke.] 

"The  Lord  Chancellor  presents  his 
compliments,    and    begs    to    acknow- 
ledge the  receipt  of  .Mr.  Venom  Tuft's 
Lng  present  of  his  little  'Essay 
on  Greatness.' " 

These  are  samples,  taken  at  random, 
of  the  contents  of  Mr.  Tuft's  book  of 
autographs,  evidencing  abundantly  the 
satisfactory  terms  of  intimacy  upon 
which  he  lived  with  the  great  ;  and  it 
was  ecstasy  to  him,  to  see  this  glitter- 
ing record  of  his  triumphs  glanced 
over  by  the  envious  admiring  eyes  of 
those  in  his  own  station  iu  society. 
Sow  he  delighted  to  be  asked  about 
the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  exclusive 
circles  !  How  confidentially  would  ho 
intimate  the  desperate  condition  of  a 
sick  peer — an  expected  ■  <ieni 

of  some  fashionable  folly  and  crime — 
or  a  move  to  be  made  in  the  House 
that  evening  ! — poor  Tuft  little  sus- 
pecting (lying  so  snug  in  his  shell  of 
self-conceit)  how  frequently  he  fell,  on 
these  occasions,  among  the  Philistines 
— and  was,  unconsciously  to  himself, 
being  trotted  out  by  a  calm  sarcastic 
hypocrite,   for  the  amusement  of    the 

iders-by,  just  as  a  little  monkey  is 
poked  with  a  Btick  t"  get  up  and  ex- 
hibit himself   and   hit    tricks.     Such 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


403 


was  Mr.  Tuft,  a  great  friend  and  ad- 
mirer of  "the  Marquis,"  through 
whose  influence  he  had  procured  the 
invitation  from  Titmouse,  in  virtue  of 
which  he  was  now  dressing  in  a  nice 
little  room  at  the  back  of  the  Hall, 
overlooking  the  stables ;  being  bent 
upon  improving  his  already  tolerably 
familiar  acquaintance  with  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  and  Lady  Cecilia,  and 
also  extracting  from  the  man  whose 
hospitality  he  was  enjoying,  materials 
for  merriment  among  his  great  friends 
against  the  next  season. 

When  the  party  had  collected  in  the 
drawing-room  in  I'eadiness  for  dinner, 
you  might  have  seen  Mr.  Tuft  in 
earnestly  respectful  conversation  with 
the  Lady  Cecilia  ;  Mr.  Gammon  stand- 
ing talking  to  Miss  Macspleuchan,  with 
an  air  of  courteous  ease  and  frankness 
— having  observed  her  sitting  neglected 
by  everybody ;  the  Earl  conversing 
now  with  the  Marquis,  then  with  Tit- 
mouse, and  anon  with  Tuft,  with 
whom  he  appeared  to  be  particularly 
pleased.  Happening  at  length  to  be 
standing  near  Gammon  —  a  calm, 
gentlemanlike  person,  of  whom  he 
knew  nothing,  nor  suspected  that  his 
keen  eye  had  taken  in  his  lordship's 
true  character  and  capacity  at  a  glance  ; 
nor  that  he  would,  in  a  few  hours' 
time,  acquire  as  complete  a  mastery 
over  his  said  lordship,  as  ever  the 
present  famous  higpodamist  at  Wind- 
sor, by  touching  a  nerve  in  the  mouth 
of  a  horse,  reduces  him  to  helpless 
docility,  and  submission — the  Earl  and 
he  fell  into  casual  conversation  for  a 
moment  or  two.  The  air  of  deference 
with  which  Gammon  received  the 
slight  advances  of  the  great  man,  was 
exquisite  and  indescribable.  It  gave 
him  clearly  to  understand  that  his 
lofty  pretensions  were  known  to,  and 
profoundly  appreciated  by,  the  indi- 
vidual he  was  addressing.  Gammon 
said  but  little  ;  that  little,  however, 
how  significant  and  decisive  !  He 
knew  that  the  Earl  would  presently 
enquire  of  Titmouse  who  the  unknown 
visitor  was ;  and  that  on  being  told 
in  the  conceited  and  probably  dis- 
paraging manner  which  Gammon  knew 
Titmouse  would  adopt,  if  he  supposed 


it  would  please  the  Earl,  that  "it  was 
only  Mr.  Gammon,  one  of  his  solicit- 
ors," he  would  sink  at  once  and  for 
ever  beneath  the  notice  of  the  Earl. 
He  resolved,  therefore,  to  anticipate — 
to  contrive  that  it  shoidd  ooze  out 
easily  and  advantageously  from  him- 
self, so  that  he  could  see  the  effect  it 
had  upon  the  Earl,  and  regulate  his 
movements  accordingly.  Gammon  sat 
down  before  the  fortress  of  the  Earl's 
pride,  resolved  that,  for  all  it  appeared 
so  inaccessible  and  impregnable,  it 
should  fall,  however  his  skill  and 
patience  might  be  taxed  in  the  siege. 
Till  he  had  cast  his  piercing  eye  upon 
the  Earl,  Gammon  had  felt  a  little  of 
the  nervousness  which  one  may  imagine 
would  be  experienced  by  Van  Am- 
burgh,  who,  on  being  called  into  the 
presence  of  majesty  to  give  a  specimen 
of  his  skill  upon  an  animal  concealed 
from  him — of  whose  name  and  qualities 
he  was  ignorant — should  summon  all 
his  terrors  into  his  eye,  and  string  his 
muscles  to  their  highest  tension  ;  and, 
on  the  door  being  opened,  turn  with 
smiling  scorn — if  not  indignation — 
from  a  sucking-pig,  a  calf,  an  ass,  or  a 
chicken.  Something  similar  were  the 
feelings  experienced  by  Gammon,  as 
soon  as  he  had  scanned  the  counten- 
ance and  figure  of  the  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington. He  quickly  perceived  that 
the  dash  of  awe  which  he  had  thrown 
into  his  manner  was  producing  its  due 
effect  upon  that  most  magnificent 
simpleton.  W'atching  his  opportunity, 
he  gently  introduced  the  topic  of  the 
recent  change  of  ownership  which  Yat- 
ton  had  undergone  ;  and  in  speaking 
of  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Titmouse 
had  borne  his  sudden  prosperity  — 
"Yes,  my  lord,"  continued  Gammon, 
with  apparent  carelessness,  ' '  J  recol- 
lect making  some  such  observation  to 
him,  and  he  replied,  '  very  true,  Mr. 
Gammon '  "  —  Gammon  finished  his 
sentence  calmly ;  but  he  perceived 
that  the  Earl  had  withdrawn  himself 
into  his  earldom.  He  had  given  a 
very  slight  start ;  a  little  colour  had 
mounted  into  his  cheek  ;  a  sensible 
hauteur  had  been  assumed,  and  by  tho 
time  that  Gammon  had  done  speaking, 
the  space  between  them  had  been — a3 

D  D   2 


40-1 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


Lord  Dreddlington  imagined,  nnob- 
aervedly — increased  by  two  or  three 
inclu-s.  Gammon  was  amm) — an  able 
and  a  proud  man — and  he  felt  galled  ; 
hut,  "let  it  pan,"  he  presently  re- 
flected— "let  it  pass,  you  pompous  old 
idiot  ;  I  will  one  day  repay  it  with 
interest."  The  Karl  separated  from 
him,  Gammon  regarding  him  as  a 
gaudy  craft  sheering  off  for  a  while, 
but  doomed  to  be  soon  sunk.  Mr. 
Tuft,  (who  was  the  son  of  a  respect- 
able retired  tobacconist,)  having  ascer- 
tained  that  Gammon  was  only  Mr. 
Titmouse's  attorney,  conducted  him- 
B<  If  for  a  while  us  though  there  were 
in  i  such  person  in  the  room  ;  but  being 
a  quick  observer,  and  catching  once  or 
twice  the  faint  sarcastic  smile  with 
which  Gammon's  eye  was  settled  on 
him,  he  experienced  a  very  galling 
and  uneasy  consciousness  of  his  pre 
Bence.  The  Marquis's  superior  tact,  anil 
perception  of  character,  led  him  to 
treat  Gammon  very  differently — with 
a  deference  and  anxiety  to  please  him, 
which  Gammon  understood  thoroughly 
—  in  fact  he  and  the  Marquis  had 
7 1 1  iny  qualities  in  common,  but  Gam- 
mon was  the  man  of  power.  During 
dinner  lie  sat  beside  Miss  Macspleu- 
chan,  and  was  almost  the  only  person 
who  spoke  to  her' — in  fact,  he  said  hut 
little  to  any  one  else,  lie  took  wine 
with  Titmouse  witli  a  marked  but 
guarded  air  of  confidence.  The  Mar- 
quis took  wine  with  Gammon  with  an 
air  of  studied  courtesy.  The  Earl's 
attention  was  almost  entirely  engrossed 
by  Mr.  Tuft,  who  sat  next  to  him, 
chattering  in  hia  car  like  a  little 
i  ;pie  perched  upon  his  shoulder. 
The  Marquis  sat  next  to  the  Lady 
<  li  ■■.  ;  It  whose  amusement,  as  fai- 
ns his  cautious  tact  would  allow  him, 
lie  from  time  to  time  drew  out  their 
little  lvst.     At  l'H  rili,  in  answer  to  a 

Siimi  by  the  M  irquis,  the  Marl  let 
ill  some  pompous  observation,  which 
the  Marquis,  who  was  getting  very 
tired  ef  tin:  vapid    i  iy  whi  h 

pervaded  the  table,  ventun  d  t'>  . 
from  pretty  decisively.     Tufl  instantly 
sided  with  the  Earl,  and  spoke  with 

infinite    flu  n  iy  for    b minutes  : 

Gammon  BaW  iu    u,    moment    that  he 


was  an  absurd  pretender  ;  and  watch* 
in;'  his  opportunity,  for  the  first  time 
(hut  he  had  interchanged  a  syllable 
with  him,  witli  one  word  exposing  a 
palpable  historical  blunder  of  poor 
Tuft's,  overthrew  him  as  completely 
as  a  bullet  from  a  crossbow  dislodges  a 
tomtit  from  the  wall  on  which  lie  is 
hopping  about,  unconscious  of  his  dan- 
ger. 'Twas  a  thing  that  there  could 
be  no  mistake  ah, nit  whatever. 

"That's,  a  settler,  Tuft,"  said  the 
Marquis,  after  a  pause  :  Tuft  reddened 
violently,  and  gulped  down  a  glass  of 
wine  ;  and  presently,  witli  the  slightly 
staggered  Earl,  became  a  silent  listener 
to  the  discussion  into  which  the 
Marquis  and  Gammon  had  entered. 
Obtuse  as  was  the  Earl,  Gammon  con- 
trived to  let  him  see.  how  effectually 
ho  was  supporting  his  lordships 
opinion,  which  Mr.  Tuft  had  so  ridi- 
culously failed  in.  The  Marquis  got 
slightly  the  worse  of  the  encounter 
with  Gammon,  whose  object  ho  saw, 
and  whose  tact  he  admired  ;  and  with 
much  judgment  permitted  <  lammon  to 
appear  to  the  Earl  as  his  successful 
defender,  in  order  that  he  might  him- 
self make  a  friend  of  Gammon.  More- 
over, he  was  not  at  all  annoyed  at 
witnessing  the.  complete  and  unex- 
pected discomfiture  of  poor  Tuft, 
whom,  for  all  his  intimacy  with  that 
gentleman,  the  Marquis  thoroughly 
despised. 

However  it  might  possibly  be  that 
his  grand  guests  enjoyed  themselves, 
it  was  far  otherwise  with  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ;  who,  being  compelled  to  keep 
sob  r,  was  quits  miserable.  None  of 
those  around  him  were  di  inking  men: — ■ 
and  the  consequence  was,  that  he  would 
retire  early  to  his  bedroom,  and  amuse 
himself  with  brandy  and  water,  and 
cigars,  while  his  guests  amused  them- 
selves with  cards,  billiards,  or  other- 
wise, as  best  tiny  might.  He  did,  in- 
deed, "stand  like  a  cipher  in  the  great 
account;"  instead  of  feeling  himself 
the  Earl  of  Dp  ddlington's  host,  lie 
f  H  himself  as  one  of  his  lordi  lap's 
'  in  vain  against  the 
ii"  i  tate  and  el  Iquel  te  h  hich  tho 
Earl  carried  with  him  wherever  ho 
went,  like  a  Bort  of  atmosphere.     In 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


405 


this  extremity  he  secretly  clung  to 
Gammon,  and  reposed  upon  his  power- 
ful support  and  sympathy  more  im- 
plicitly than  ever  he  had  done  before. 
As  the  shooting  season  had  commenced, 
and  game  was  plentiful  at  Yatton, 
the  Marquis  and  Tuft  found  full  oc- 
cupation during  the  day,  as  occasion- 
ally did  Mr.  Gammon.  Mr.  Titmouse 
once  accompanied  them  ;  but  having 
contrived  once  or  twice  very  nearly  to 
blow  his  own  hand  off,  and  also  to  blow 
out  the  eyes  of  the  Marquis,  they 
intimated  that  he  had  better  go  out 
alone  for  the  future — as  he  did  once  or 
twice,  but  soon  got  tired  of  such  solitary, 
sport.  Besides  —  hares,  pheasants, 
partridges — old  and  young,  cock  or 
hen  —  'twas  all  one — none  of  them 
seemed  to  care  one  straw  for  him  or 
his  gun,  let  him  pop  and  blaze  away 
as  loud  and  as  long,  as  near  or  as  far 
oil',  as  he  liked.  The  only  thing  he 
hit — and  that  plump — was  one  of  his 
unfortunate  dogs,  which  he  killed  on 
the  spot ;  and  then  coming  up  with  it, 
stamped  upon  the  poor  creature's 
bleeding  caixass,  saying  with  a  furious 
oath — "Why  didn't  you  keep  out  of 
the  way,  you  brute?" 

The  Earl  was  really  anxious  to  per- 
form his  promise  of  introducing,  or 
procuring  Titmouse  to  be  introduced, 
to  the  leading  nobility  and  gentry  of 
the  county  ;  but  it  proved  a  more 
difficult  task  than  his  lordship  had 
anticipated — for  Titmouse's  early 
doings  at  Yatton  had  not  yet  been 
forgotten  :  some  of  the  haughty  Whig 
gentry  joined  with  their  Tory  neigh- 
bours in  manifesting  their  open  con- 
tempt, and  dislike,  for  one  who  could 
so  disgrace  the  name  and  station  to 
which  he  had  been  elevated  in  the 
county  ;  and  the  Earl  had  to  encounter 
one  or  two  somewhat  mortifying  re- 
buffs, in  the  course  of  the  eilbrts 
which  he  was  making  for  the  establish- 
ment of  his  young  kinsman.  There 
were  some,  however,  whom  mere 
political  considerations — some  whom 
deference  for  the  Earl's  rank,  and  un- 
willingness to  hurt  his  feelings,  and 
others  from  considerations  of  political 
interest — induced  to  receive  the  new 
Squire  of  Yatton  on  a  footing  of  formal 


intimacy  and  equality ;  so  that  his 
lordship's  numerous  drives  were  not 
entirely  useless.  The  whole  party  at 
the  Hall  attended  the  Earl  to  church 
on  the  Sundays — entirely  ft. ling  the 
Squire's  pew  and  the  adjoining  one  ; 
their  decorous  conduct  presenting  a 
very  edifying  spectacle  to  the  humblo 
congregation,  and  suggesting  a  striking 
contrast  between  the  present  and  the 
former  visitors  at  the  Hall.  Worthy 
Dr.  Tatham  was  asked  several  times 
to  dinner,  at  the  Earl's  instance,  who 
treated  him  on  such  occasions  with 
great  though  stately  courtesy.  The 
only  persons  with  whom  the  little 
Doctor  felt  at  his  ease,  were  Mr.  Gam- 
mon and  Miss  Macspleuchan,  who 
treated  him  with  the  utmost  cordiality 
and  respect.  What  became  during 
the  day  of  the  two  ladies,  I  hardly 
know.  There  was  no  instrument  at 
Yatton  :  bagatelle-board,  and  novels 
from  a  circulating  library  at  York, 
frequent  rides  and  drives  through  the 
grounds  and  about  the  country,  and 
occasional  visits  to  and  from  one  or 
two  families  with  whom  Lady  Cecilia 
had  a  town  acquaintance,  occupied 
their  day ;  and  in  the  evening,  a 
rubber  at  whist,  or  ecarte,  with  the 
Earl — sometimes,  too,  with  the  Marquis, 
and  Mr.  Tuft,  both  of  whom  lost  no 
opportunity  of  paying  marked  atten- 
tion to  Lady  Cecilia,  with  a  view  of 
dissipating  as  far  as  possible  the  inevit- 
able ennui  of  her  situation— would 
while  away  the  short  evenings,  very 
early  hours  being  now  kept  at  the 
Hall.  'Twas  wonderful  that  two 
such  men  as  the  Marquis  and  Mr. 
Tuft  could  stay  so  long  as  they  did  at 
so  very  dull  a  place,  and  with  such 
dull  people.  Inwardly,  they  both 
voted  the  Earl  an  insufferable  old 
twaddler ;  his  daughter  a  piece  of 
languid  insipidity;  and  one  would  have 
thought  it  daily  more  irksome  for  them 
to  keep  up  their  courtly  attentions. 
They  had,  however,  as  may  presently 
be  seen,  their  objects  in  view. 

As  Gammon,  a  little  to  the  Earl's 
surprise,  continued  apparently  a  per- 
manent guest  at  the  Hall,  where  he 
seemed  ever  engaged  in  superintending 
and  getting  into  order  the  important 


40G 


ten  thousand  a- year. 


affairs  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  it  could  hardly 
be  lmt  that  he  and  the  Earl  should  he 
occasionally  thrown  together;  for  as 
the  Karl  did  not  shoot,  and  never 
read  books,  even  had  there  been  any 
to  read,  he  had  little  to  do,  when  not 
engaged  upon  the  expeditions  I  have 
alluded  to,  but  saunter  about  the 
house  and  grounds,  and  enter  into 
conversation  with  almost  any  one  he 
met.  The  assistance  which  Gammon 
had  rendered  the  Earl  on  the  occasion 
of  their  first  meeting  at  dinner,  had 
not  been  forgotten  by  his  lordship,  but 
had  served  to  take  oil'  the  edge  from 
his  preconceived  contemptuous  dislike 
for  him.  Gammon  steadily  kept  in 
the  background,  resolved  that  all  ad- 
vances should  come  from  the  Earl. 
"When,  once  or  twice,  his  lordship  en- 
quired, with  what  Gammon  saw  to  be 
only  an  affected  carelessness,  into  the 
state  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  affairs,  Mr. 
Gammon  evinced  a  courteous  readiness 
ti>  give  him  general  information  ;  but 
with  an  evident  caution  and  anxiety, 
not  unduly  to  expose,  even  to  the 
Earl,  Mr.  Titmouse's  distinguished 
kinsman,  the  state  of  his  property. 
lie  would,  however,  disclose  sumcienl 
to  satisfy  the  Earl  of  Mr.  Gammon's 
zeal  and  ability  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's interests,  his  consummate 
qualifications  as  a  man  of  business  ; 
and  from  time  to  time  perceived  that 
his  display  was  not  lost  upon  the  Earl. 
Mr.  Gammon's  anxiety,  in  particular, 
to  prevent  the  borough  of  Yatton  from 
being  a  second  time  wrested  out  of  the 
hands  of  its  proprietor,  and  returning, 
by  a  corrupt  and  profligate  arm. 
ment  with  Ministers,  a  Tory  to  Parlia- 
ment, gave  the  Earl  peculiar  .satisfac- 
tion. He  was  led  into  a  long  con- 
versation with  Mr.  Gammon  upon 
]•  litical  matters;  and,  at  its  close,  was 
greatly  struck  with  the  soundness  of 
his  views,  the  strength  of  his  liberal 
principles,  and  the  vigour  and  ncute- 
with  which  he  had  throughout 

ed  with  everything  the  Karl  had 
s  i  1,  and  fortified  every  position  hi 
had  taken;  evincing,  at  the  same  time, 
a  profound  appreciation  of  his  lord- 
ship's luminous  (■■•.position  of  polil 

ciples.    The  Earl  was  f ore*  3  to  own 


to  himself,  that  he  had  never  before  met 
with  a  man  of  Mr.  Gammon's  strength 

of  intellect,  wdiose  views  and  opinions 
had  so  intimately  and  entirely  coin- 
cided— were,  indeed,  identical  with 
his  own.  'Twas  delightful  to  listen  to 
them  upon  these  occasions — to  observe 
the  air  of  reverence  and  admiration  with 
which  Gammon  listened  to  the  lessons 
of  political  wisdom  that  fell,  with  in- 
creasing length  and  frequency,  from 
the  lips  of  his  lordship. 

"  Toi/      KCll      CITTO     yXo)(TT7JC     /jtXiroc, 

yXvKitov  ptiv  audi)." 

Nor  was  it  only  when  they  were 
alone  together,  that  Gammon  would 
thus  sit  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel  :  he 
was  not  ashamed  to  do  so  openly 
at  the  dinner-table  ;  but,  ah !  how 
delicately  and  dexterously  did  he  con- 
ceal from  the  spectators  the  game  ho 
was  playing — more  difficult  to  do  so 
though  it  daily  became — because  the 
more  willing  Gammon  was  to  receive, 
the  moie  eager  the  Earl  was  to  com- 
municate instruction!  If,  on  any  of 
these  occasions,  oppressed  by  the. 
multifariousness  of  his  knowledge,  and 
its  sudden  overpowering  confluence, 
he  would  pause  in  the  midst  of  a  series 
of  half-formed  sentences,  Gammon 
would  be  at  hand,  to  glide  in  easily 
and  finish  what  the  Earl  had  begun, 
out  of  the  Earl's  own  ample  materials, 
of  which  Gammon  had  caught  a 
glimpse,  and  only  worked  out  the 
Earls  own,  somewhat  numerous,  half- 
formed  illustrations.  The  Marquis  and 
Mr.  Tuft  began,  however,  at  length  to 
feel  a  little  impatient  at  observing  the 
way  Gammon  was  making  with  the 
Kill  ;  but  of  what  use  was  it  for  them 
to  interfere  ?  Gammon  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly awkward  person  to  meddle 
with  ;  for,  having  once  got  fair  play, 
by  gaining  the  Earl's  ear,  his  accu- 
racy, readiness  extent  of  information 
upon  political  topics,  and  admirable 
temper,  told  very  powerfully  against 
his  two  opponents,  who  at  length  in- 
terfered less  and  less  with  him  :  the 
Marquis  only  feeling  pique,  but  Tuft 
howing  it.  I  fad  it  be<  o  other- 
wise, indeed,  with  the  latter  gi  nth -man, 
it  would  have  been  odd  ;  for  Gammon 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


407 


seemed  to  feel  a  peculiar  pleasure  in 
demolishing  him.  The  Marquis,  how- 
ever, once  resolved  to  show  Gammon 
how  distinctly  he  perceived  his  plan  of 
operations,  hy  waiting  till  he  had  ac- 
companied the.  poor  Earl  to  a  climax 
of  absurdity ;  and  then,  with  his  eye 
on  Gammon,  bursting  into  laughter. 
Seldom  had  Gammon  been  more  ruffled 
than  by  that  well-timed  laugh  ;  for  he 
Hit  found  out ! 

When  the  Earl  and  he  were  alone, 
he  would  listen  with  lively  interest, 
over  and  over  again,  never  wearied,  to 
the  Earl's  magnificent  accounts  of 
what  he  had  intended  to  do,  had  he 
only  continued  in  office,  in  the  im- 
portant department  over  which  he 
had  presided,  viz.  the  Board  of  Green 
Cloth  ;  and  more  than  once  put  his 
lordship  into  a  sort  of  flutter  of  excite- 
ment, by  hinting  at  rumours  which, 
he  said,  were  rife — that,  in  the  event 
of  a  change  of  ministers,  which  was 
looked  for,  his  lordship  was  to  be  Pre- 
sident of  the  Council.  "Sir,"  the 
Earl  would  say,  "I  should  not  shrink 
from  the  performance  of  my  duty  to 
my  sovereign,  to  whatever  post  he 
might  be  pleased  to  call  me.  The  one 
you  mention,  sir,  has  its  peculiar 
difficulties  ;  and  if  I  know  anything 
of  myself,  sir,  it  is  one  for  which — I 
should  say — I  am  peculiarly  qualified. 
Sir,  the  duty  of  presiding  over  the 
deliberations  of  powerful  minds,  re- 
quires signal  discretion  and  dignity, 
because,  in  short,  especially  in  affairs 
of  state — Do  you  comprehend  me,  Mr. 
Gammon  ? " 

"  I  understand  your  lordship  to  say, 
that  where  the  occasion  is  one  of  such 
magnitude,  and  the  disturbing  forces 
are  upon  so  vast  a  scale,  to  moderate 
and  guide  conflicting  interests  and 
opinions " 

"Sir,  it  is  so;  tantas  conqmncre 
litcs,  hie  labor,  hoc  ojms,"  interrupted 
the  Earl,  with  a  desperate  attempt  to 
fish  up  a  fragment  or  two  of  his  early 
scholarship  ;  and  his  features  wore  for 
a  moment  a  solemn  commanding  ex- 
pression, which  satisfied  Gammon  of 
the  sway  which  his  lordship  would 
have  had  when  presiding  at  the  coun- 
cil-board.    Gammon  would  also  occa- 


sionally introduce  the  subject  of  her- 
aldry, asking  questions  concerning  that 
science,  and  also  concerning  the  gene- 
alogies of  leading  members  of  the 
peerage,  with  which  he  safely  pre- 
sumed that  the  Earl  would  be,  as  also 
he  proved,  perfectly  familiar  ;  and  his 
lordship  would  go  on  for  an  hour  at 
once  upon  these  interesting  and  vividly 
exciting  subjects. 

Shortly  after  luncheon  one  day,  of 
which  only  Gammon,  the  Earl,  and 
the  two  ladies,  were  in  the  Hall  to 
partake,  Mr.  Gammon  had  occasion  to 
enter  the  drawing-room,  where  he 
found  the  Earl  sitting  upon  the  sofa, 
with  his  massive  gold  spectacles  on, 
leaning  over  the  table,  engaged  in  the 
perusal  of  a  portion  of  a  work  then  in 
course  of  periodical  publication,  which 
had  only  that  day  been  delivered  at 
the  Hall.  The  Earl  asked  Gammon  if 
he  had  seen  it,  and  was  answered  in 
the  negative. 

"Sir,"  said  the  Earl,  rising  and 
removing  his  glasses,  "it  is  a  remark- 
ably interesting  publication,  showing 
considerable  knowledge  of  a  very  dif- 
ficult and  all-important  subject,  and 
one,  in  respect  of  which  the  lower 
orders  of  the  people — nay,  I  lament  to 
be  obliged  to  add,  the  great  bulk  of 
the  middle  classes  also,  are  woefully 
deficient  —  I  mean  heraldry,  and  the 
history  of  the  origin,  progress,  and 
present  state  of  the  families  of  the  old 
nobility  and  gentry  of  this  country." 
The  work  which  had  been  so  fortunate 
as  thus  to  meet  with  the  approbation 
of  the  Earl,  was  the  last  monthly 
number  of  a  History  of  the  County  of 
York,  and  of  which  work,  as  yet,  only 
thirty-eight  seven-and-sixpenny  quarto 
numbers  had  made  their  appearance. 
'Twas  an  admirable  and  instructive 
work,  every  number  of  which  had  con- 
tained a  glorification  of  some  different 
Yorkshire  family.  The  discriminating 
patronage  of  Mr.  Titmouse  for  this 
inestimable  performance,  had  been 
secured  by  a  most  obsequious  letter 
from  the  learned  editor  — but  more 
especially  by  a  device  of  his  in  the 
last  number,  which  it  would  have 
been  strange  indeed  if  it  could  have 
failed   to  catch  tho  eye,  and  interest 


408 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


the  feelings,  cf  the  new  aristocrat- 
ical  owner  of  Yatton.  0]>posite  to 
an  engraving  of  the  Hall,  was 
placed  a  magnificent  genealogical 
tree,  surmounted  by  a  many-quar- 
tered shield  of  armorial  bearings, 
both  of  which  purported  to  be  an  ac- 
curate record  of  the  ancestral  glories 
of  the  house  of  "Titmouse  of  Yat- 
ton! "  A  minute  investigation 
might  indeed  have  detected  that  the 
recent  (light  of  Titmice,  which  were 
perched  on  the  lower  branches  of  this 
imposing  pedigree,  bore  nearly  as  small 
a  proportion  to  the  long  array  of  chival- 
rous Drelincourts  and  Dreddlingtons 
which  constituted  the  massive  trunk, 
as  did  the  paternal  coat*  (to  which 

*  Per  bend  Ermino  and  Term,  two  lions 
rampant  combatant,  counterchanged,  armed 
and  langued  Gales;  surnioxmted  by  three 
bcndletsundee  Argent,  on  each  three  fleurs- 
de-lis  Azure  ;  on  a  chief  Or,  three  Titmice 
volant  proper;  all  within  a  borduro  gobo- 
nated  Argent  and  Sable. 

Crest.— On  a  cap  of  maintenance  a  Tit- 
mouse proper,  ducally  gorged  or,  holding 
in  his  beak  a  woodlouso  .embowed  Azure. 
Blotto — "  Je  le  tiens." 

Note.— The  Author  was  favoured,  on  the 
first  appearance  <>f  this  portion  of  the  work, 
with  Beveral  complimentary  commui 
tions  on  the  subject  of  Sir  Gorgeous  Tin- 
tack's  feats  in  heraldry:  and  one  gentleman 
really  eminent  in  that  science,  has  requested 
the  author  to  annex  to  the  separate  edition, 
as  he  now  does,  the  two  following  very  curi- 
ous extracts  from  old  heraldic  writers:— the 
first,  supporting  the  author's  ridicule  of  tho 
prevalent  [oily of  devising  complicated  coats 
of  arms;  and  the  second  being  a  very  re- 
markable specimen  of  the  extent  to  which 
nn  enthusiast  in  tho  Bt-ienco  was  earned  on 
half. 

Pint—"  An  other  thing  that  is  amissc,  as 
1    take   it,  and    hath   gve.it   need,:   to  bl     ' 

formed,  is  the  quartering  "f  manymarkes 
in  one  shield,  coate,  or  banner;  forsithence 

it  hi  true  that  sueh  market  Berne  to  no  other 

but  for  a  commander  to  lead  by,  or  I  o 

be  known  by,  it  is  of  necessitie  that,  the 

game  should  i  t,faire,  and  "<  ii<  to  >■■ 

lit:  80  that  the  quartering  of  many 
of  tl.,  in   together,   doth   hinder  the  vse  for 

!t    they  are  provided.— Aa  how  Is  it 
]. .    [hie  for  a  plains  unlearnt  d  man  to  dis- 

■  r   and    know  a   sunder.    MX    0T    I  ' 
sometimes    thirty   or    forty    Bl  ver.d    marks 

I        her  in  "in!  sliii  Id  or  ban- 
nay  thou 
H,,i„  ;  t  dead  is, 

and  the  i  lea  of  an  i  ;le,  ami  i  I  icha 
f  i  ion  of  things,  v  t  should  he  ni  <r«t  1 1 
to  decipher  the  errors  that  an    dalio  com- 

,    |        ,1    in   (his   one    point,    HOT    diflCOVOT    or 

know  one  banner  or  Btandardfrom  another, 


the  profound  research  and  ingenuity 

of  Gorgeous  Tintack,  the king- 

at-arms,  had  succeeded  in  demonstrat- 
ing the  inalienable  right  of  Tittlebat) 
to  the  interminable  series  of  quarter* 
ings,  derived  from  the  same  source, 
which  occupied  the  remainder  of  '.he 
escutcheon.  At  these  mysteriously 
significant  symbols,  however,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, though  quite  ready  to  believe 
that  they  indicated  some  just  cause  or 
other  of  family  pride,  had  looked  with 
the  same  appreciating  intelligence 
which  you  may  fancy  you  see  a  chicken 
displaying,  while  hesitatingly  clapping 
its  foot  upon,  and  quaintly  cocking 
its  eye  at,  a  slip  of  paper  lying  in  a 
yard,  covered  over  with  algebraic 
characters  and  calculations.  Far  other- 
wise, however,  was  it  with  the  Karl, 
in  whose  eyes  the  complex  and  recon- 
dite character  of  the  production  in- 
finitely enhanced  its  value,  and  struck 
in  his  bosom  several  deep  chords  of 
genealogical  feeling,  as  he  proceeded, 
in  answer  to  various  anxious  enquiries 
of  Gammon,  to  give  him  a  very  full 
and  minute  account  of  the  unrivalled 

be  the  same  neucr  so  largo  ? — Treatise  on  the 
Ute  of  Armet—by  Mr.  Sampton  Erdt- 
tcickc,  [a  famous  antiquary  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizaboth.] 

[Secondly.—  An  extract  from  tho  Book  of 
St.  Alban's,  written  lato  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  by  Dame  Juliana  limiers,  Abbess  of 
St.  Albans.]— 

"  Can'  and  all  his  offspring  became  cliurls 
both  by  the  curse  of  God,  and  hi-  own  father. 
Seth  was  made  a  gentleman,  through  his 
father  and  mothers  blessing,  from  wl 
loins  issued  Noah,  a  gentleman  by  kind  and 
lineage.    <>f  Noah's  sons,  CAnu  became  a 

Churl  by  his  father's  curse,  on  aecount  of  his 

bai  ku-;  iii  toward;;  his  father.     J- 
and  .vac..',   Noah  made  gentlemen.    From 
the  offspring  of  gentlemanly  Japhet  came 
Abraham,   Moyses,  and   the  Prophets,  and 
also  the  Kin,:  of  the  right  line  of  Mary,  of 

Whom  that,  only  ao  '    I 

Was  borne  ;  pertite  God  Bl  d    pertite  man  ae- 

i  i  his  manhood,  King  of  the  land  of 
Juda,  and  tho  Jewes,  and  gentleman  by  Ids 
Mother  Mary ,  princet    i  of  coal  Armour." 


*  Onoof  our  oldest  dramatists, also, whose 
author  di 

I  peaks  of   our  Saviour  as—' 

that  ever  lived."     1!  Is  to  the 

same  obliging  correspondent  thai  the  ai 

,  the  spiril  I   Mr. 

Titmouse's  creel  and  coat  of  anus  which  are 
prefixed  to  this  edition. 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


4oa 


6plendour  and  antiquity  of  his  lord- 
snip's  ancestry.  Now  Gammon — while 
prosecuting  the  researches  which  had 
preceded  the  elevation  of  Mr.  Titmouse 
to  that  rank  and  fortune  of  which  the 
united  voice  of  the  fashionable  world 
had  now  pronounced  him  so  eminently 
worthy — had  made  himself  pretty  well 
acquainted  with  the  previous  history 
and  connexions  of  that  ancient  and 
illustrious  house,  of  which  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  was  the  head  ;  and  his 
familiarity  with  this  topic,  though  it 
did  not  surprise  the  Earl,  because  he 
conceived  it  to  be  every  one's  duty  to 
acquaint  himself  with  such  momentous 
matters,  rapidly  raised  him  in  the 
good  opinion  of  the  Earl,  to  whom,  at 
length,  it  occurred  to  view  him  in 
quite  a  new  light ;  viz.  as  the  chosen 
instrument  by  whose  meins  (under 
Frovidence)  the  perverse  and  self- 
willed  Aubrey  had  been  righteously 
cast  down  from  that  high  place  which 
his  rebellious  opposition  to  the  wishes 
and  political  views  of  his  liege  lord, 
had  rendered  him  unworthy  to  occupy  ; 
while  a  more  loyal  branch  had  been 
raised  from  obscurity  to  his  forfeited 
rank  and  estates.  In  fact,  the  Earl 
began  to  look  upon  Gammon  as  one 
whose  just  regards  for  his  lordship's 
transcendant  position  in  the  aristoc- 
racy of  England,  had  led  him  even  to 
anticipate  his  lordship's  possible 
wishes  ;  and  proceeded  accordingly  to 
rivet  this  spontaneous  allegiance,  by 
discoursing  with  the  most  condescend- 
ing affability  on  the  successive  noble 
and  princely  alliances  which  had, 
during  a  long  series  of  generations, 
refined  the  ancient  blood  of  the  Drelin- 
courts  into  the  sort  of  super-sublimated 
ichor  which  at  present  flowed  in  his 
own  veins.  Mr.  Gammon  marked  the 
progress  of  the  Earl's  feelings  with 
the  greatest  interest,  perceiving  t'.ie 
increasing  extent  to  which  respect  for 
him  —  Gammon  —  was  mingling  with 
his  lordship's  sublime  self-satisfaction  ; 
and,  watching  his  opportunity,  struck 
a  spark  into  the  dry  tinder  of  his  vain 
imagination,  blew  it  gently — and  saw 
that  it  caught,  and  spread.  Confident 
in  his  knowledge  of  the  state  of  the 
Earl's  feelings,  and  that  his  lordship 


had  reached  the  highest  point  of 
credulity,  Gammon  intimated  in  a 
hesitating  but  highly  significant  man- 
ner, his  impression  that  the  recent 
failure  in  the  male  line  of  the  princely 
house  of  Hoch-Stiffelhausen  Naii- 
rensteinDummleinberg*  had  placed 
his  lordship,  in  right  of  the  marriage 
of  one  of  his  ancestors,  during  tho 
thirty  years'  war,  with  a  princess  of 
that  august  line,  in  a  situation  to 
claim,  if  such  were  his  lordship's  plea- 
sure, the  dormant  honours  and  sove- 
reign rank  attached  to  tho  possession 
of  that  important  principality.  Tho 
Earl  appeared  for  a  few  moments  trans- 
fixed with  awe.  The  bare  possibility 
of  such  an  event  seemed  too  much  for 
him  to  realize  ;  but  when  further  con- 
versation with  Gammon  had  familiar- 
ized his  lordship  with  the  notion,  his 
mind's  eye  glanced  to  his  old  rival,  tho 
Earl  of  Fitz- Walter :  what  would  lie  say 
to  all  this  ?  How  would  his  little  hon- 
ours pale  beside  the  splendours  of  his 
Serene  Highness  the  Prince  of  Hoch- 
Stiffelhausen  Narrenstein  Dummlein- 
berg  !  He  was  not  sorry  when  Mr. 
Gammon  soon  afterwards  left  him  to 
follow  out  unrestrainedly  the  swelling 
current  of  his  thoughts,  and  yield 
himself  up  to  the  transporting  ecstasies 
of  anticipated  sovereignty.  To  such 
a  pitch  did  his  excitement  carry  him, 
that  he  might  shortly  afterwards  have 
been  seen  walking  up  and  down  tho 
Elm  Avenue,  with  the  feelings  and 
the  air  of  an  old  King. 

Not  satisfied,  however,  with  tho 
success  of  his  daring  experiment  upon 
the  credulity  and  inflammable  imagin- 
ation of  the  aspiring  old  nobleman — ■ 
whom  his  suggestion  had  set  upon 
instituting  extensive  enquiries  into  tho 
position  of  his  family  with  reference 
to  the  foreign  alliances  which  it  had 
formed  in  times  past,  and  of  which  so 
dazzling  an  incident  might  really  bo 
in  existence — it  occurred  to  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, on  another  occasion  of  his  being 
left  alone  with  the  Earl,  and  who,  he 

*  I  vehemently  suspect  myself  guilty  of 
a  slight  anachronism  here  ;  this  ancient  and 
illustrious  monarchy  having  been  media- 
tized by  the  Congress  of  Vienna  in  1815— 
its  territories  now  forming  part  of  the  parish 
of  Hahnrooat,  in  tho  kingdom  of -. 


410 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


saw,  was  growing  manifestly  more 
phased  with  the  frequent  recurrence 
of  them,  to  sink  a  shaft  into  a  new 
mine.  He  therefore,  on  mere  specula- 
tion, introduced,  as  a  subject  of  casual 
conversation,  the  imprudence  of  per- 
sons of  rank  ami  large  fortune  devolv- 
ing the  management  of  their  pecuniary 
aflairs  so  entirely  upon  others — and 
thus  leaving  themselves  exposed  to  all 
the  serious  consequences  of  employing 
incompetent,  indolent,  or  mercenary 
agents.  Mr.  Gammon  proceeded  to 
observe  that  he  had  recently  known 
an  instance  of  a  distinguished  noble- 
man, (whose  name  he  for  very  obvious 
reasons  suppressed,)  who,  having  occa- 
sion to  raise  a  large  sum  of  money 
by  way  of  mortgage,  left  the  sole 
negotiation  of  the  affair  to  an  agent, 
who  was  afterwards  proved  to  have 
been  in  league  with  the  lender,  (the 
mortgagee,)  and  permitted  Ins  em- 
ployer to  pay,  for  ten  or  twelve 
years,  an  excess  of  interest  over  what 
he  might,  with  a  little  exertion,  have 
obtained  money  for,  which  actually 
made  a  difference  in  his  income  of  a 
thousand  a-year.  Here,  looking  out 
of  the  north-east  corner  of  his  eye,  the 
placid  Bpeaker,  continuing  unmoved, 
ob»  rved  the  Earl  start  a  little,  gla 
somewhat  anxiously  at  him,  but  in 
silence,  and  slightly  quicken  the  pace 
at  which  he  had  been  walking. 
Gammon  presently  added,  in  a  care- 
less sort  of  way,  that  accident  had 
brought  him  into  professional  inter- 
course with  that  nobleman — [Oh,  Gam- 
mon !  Gammon  !] — whom  he  was  ulti- 
mately instrumental  in  saving  from 
the  annual  robbery  that  was  being  in- 
flicted  upon  him.  It  was  enough ; 
Gammon  Baw  that  what  he  had  been 
Baying  liad  sunk  like  lead  into  the 
mind  of  his  companion,  who,  for  the 
of  the  day,  seemed  burdened  and 
oppres  i  d  with  it—  oi 
or  ana  1,  from  an  occa  nonal 

imea  y  and  wistful  eye  which  the  Earl 
fixed  npon  him  at  dinner,  he  fit  con- 
i-.  ioua  i  hai  noi  long  would  i  |  a  be- 
fore he  Bhould  hear  somethin  ;  from 
the  Eai  1  connected  with  Ihe  topic  in 
question — and  he  was  not  mi.' taken. 
The  very  next  day  they  met  in    the 


park  ;  and,  after  one  or  two  casual 
observations,  the  Earl  remarked  that, 
by  the  way,  with  reference  to  their 
yesterday's  conversation,  it  "did  so 
happen,' — very  singularly — that  the 
Earl  had  a  friend  who  was  placed  in  a 
situation  very  similar  to  that  which 
had  been  mentioned  by  Mr.  Gammon 
to  the  Earl  ;  it  was  a  very  intimate 
friend — and  tho  Eirl  would  like  to 
hear  what  was  Mr.  Gammon's  opinion 
of  the  case.  Gammon  was  scarcely 
able  to  refrain  from  a  smile,  as  the 
Earl  went  on,  evincing  every  moment 
a  more  vivid  interest  in  behalf  of  his 
mysterious  "friend,"  who  at  last  stood 
suddenly  confessed  as  the  Earl  ofDred- 
dlington  ;  for,  in  answer  to  a  question 
of  Mr.  Gammon,  his  Lordship  unwit- 
tingly spoke  in  (ho  Jirst  person  !  On 
perceiving  this,  he  got  much  confused  ; 
but  Gammon  passed  it  oil'  very  easily  ; 
and  by  his  earnest  confidential  tone 
and  manner,  soon  soothed  and  recon- 
ciled the  Earl  to  the  vexatious  dis- 
closure he  had  made — vexatious  only 
because  the  Earl  had  thought  fit,  so 
very  unnecessarily,  to  make  a  mystery 
of  an  every-day  matter.  He  rather 
loftily  enjoined  Mr.  Gammon  to 
secrecy  upon  the  subject,  to  which 
Gammon  readily  pledged  himself,  and 
then  they  entered  upon  an  unre- 
strained discussion  of  the  matter. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  the  end 
Gammon  assured  the  Earl  that  he 
would  without  any  difficulty  under- 
take to  procure  a  transfer  of  the  mort- 
gage at  present  existing  on  his  lord- 
ship's property,  which  should  lower 

his  annual  payments  by  at  least  onc- 
and-a-half  per  cent  ;  and  which,  on  a 
rough  calculation,  would  make  a  differ- 
ence of  very  nearly  five  hundred  a- 
in  the  Earl's  favour.  But  Gammon 
explicitly  informi  I  the  Earl  that  he 
was  not  to  sup]"" ,•  that  liis  inter 
had  be.-n  in  any  way  neglei  ted,  or  ho 
ovem  ached,  in    tl  rial  trai 

t i< in  ;  thai  i'  had  bi  en  conducted 
his  lordship's  behalf,  by  his  solicitor, 
Mr.  Mudge,  one  of  the  must  respect- 
able men  in  the  |  D  ;  ami  that 
a  few  years  made  all  the  difference  in 
matters  of  this  description  :  and  before 
he,  Mr.  Gammon,  would  interfere  any 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


411 


further  in  the  business,  he  requested 
his  lordship  to  write  to  Mr.  Mudge, 
enclosing  a  draft  of  the  arrangement 
proposed  by  Mr.  Gammon,  and  desir- 
ing Mr.  Mudge  to  say  what  he  thought 
of  it.  This  the  Earl  did ;  and  in  a 
few  days'  time  received  an  answer  from 
Mr.  Mudge,  to  the  effect  that  he  was 
happy  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  so 
favourable  an  arrangement  as  that 
proposed,  to  which  he  could  see  no 
objection  whatever ;  and  would  co- 
operate with  Mr.  Gammon  in  any 
way,  and  at  any  time,  which  his  lord- 
ship might  point  out.  Mr.  Gammon 
was,  in  fact,  rendering  here  a  real  and 
very  important  service  to  the  Earl ; 
being  an  able,  acute,  and  energetic  man 
of  business  —  while  Mr.  Mudge  was 
very  nearly  superannuated— had  grown 
rich  and  indolent,  no  longer  attending 
to  business  with  his  pristine  energy, 
but  •pottering  and  dozing  over  it,  as  it 
were,  from  day  to  day  ;  unable,  from 
his  antiquated  style  of  doing  business, 
and  the  constantly  narrowing  circle  of 
his  connexions,  to  avail  himself  of  those 
resources  which  were  open  to  younger 
and  more  energetic  practitioners,  with 
more  varied  resources.  Thus,  though 
money  was  now  much  more  plentiful, 
and  consequently  to  be  got  for  a  less 
sum  than  when,  some  ten  years  before, 
the  Earl  had  been  compelled  to  borrow 
a  large  sum  upon  mortgage,  old  Mr. 
Mudge  had  suffered  matters  to  remain 
all  the  while  as  they  were,  and  so  they 
would  have  remained  but  for  Gam- 
mon's accidental  interference  ;  for  the 
Earl  was  not  a  man  of  business — could 
not  bear  to  talk  to  any  one  about  the 
fact  of  his  property  being  mortgaged 
■ — did  not  like  even  to  think  of  it ;  and 
concluded  that  good  old  Mr.  Mudge 
kept  a  sufficiently  sharp  eye  upon  his 
noble  client's  interest.  The  Earl  gave 
Mr.  Mudge's  letter  to  Mr.  Gammon, 
and  requested  him  to  lose  no  time  in 
putting  himself  into  communication 
with  Mr.  Mudge,  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  the  suggested  transfer.  This 
Gammon  undertook  to  do  ;  and  per- 
ceiving that  he  had  fortunately  made 
so  strong  a  lodgement  in  the  Earl's 
good  opinion,  whose  interests  now 
bound    him,    in   a    measure,    to    Mr. 


Gammon,  he  thought  that  he  might 
safely  quit  Yatton  and  return  to  town, 
in  order  to  attend  to  divers  matters 
of  pressing  exigency.  Before  his  de- 
parture, however,  he  had  a  very  long 
interview  with  Titmouse,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  gave  that  now  submissive, 
personage  a  few  simple,  perspicuous, 
and  decisive  directions,  as  to  the  line 
of  conduct  he  was  to  pursue,  which 
alone  could  conduce  to  his  permanent 
interests,  and  which  he  enjoined  him 
to  pursue,  on  terror  of  the  consequences 
of  failing  to  do  so.  The  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington,  in  taking  leave  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, evinced  the  utmost  degree  of 
cordiality  that  was  consistent  with  tha 
statcliness  of  his  demeanour.  He  felt 
real  regret  at  parting  with  a  man  of  such 
superior  intellect,  such  a  fascinating 
deference  towards  himself,  (the  Earl,) 
and  it  glanced  across  his  mind,  that 
he  would  be  the  very  fittest  man  that 
could  be  thought  of,  in  respect  of  tact, 
energy,  and  knowledge,  to  become 
prime  minister  to- — his  Serene  High- 
ness the  Prince  of  Hoch-Stiffelhausen 
Narrenstein  Dummleinberg ! 

The  longer  that  the  Earl  continued 
at  Yatton — in  which  he  could  not  have 
more  thoroughly  established  himself  if 
he  had  in  the  ordinary  way  engaged  it 
forthe  autumn — the  more  he  was  struck 
with  its  beauties  ;  and  the  oftener  they 
presented  themselves  to  his  mind's  eye, 
the  keener  became  his  regrets  at  the 
splitting  of  the  family  interests  which 
had  so  long  existed,  and  his  desire  to 
take  advantage  of  what  seemed  almost 
an  opportunity  specially  afforded  by 
Providence  for  reuniting  them.  As 
the  Earl  took  his  solitary  walks  he 
thought  with  deep  anxiety  of  his  own 
advanced  age,  and  sensibly  increasing 
feebleness.  The  position  of  his  affairs 
was  not  satisfactory.  Then  he  left 
behind  him  an  only  child — and  that  a 
daughter — on  whom  would  devolve  the 
splendid  responsibility  of  sustaining, 
alone,  the  honours  of  her  ancient 
family.  Then  there  was  his  newly 
discovered  kinsman,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
sole  and  unembarrassed  proprietor  of 
this  fine  old  family  property  ;  simple- 
minded  and  confiding,  with  a  truly 
reverential  feeling  towards  them,  the 


412 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


heads  of  the  family ;  also  the  mi- 
doubted,  undisputed  proprietor  of  the 
borough  of  Yatton  ;  who  entertained 
and  avowed  the  same  liberal  and  en- 
lightened political  opinions,  which  the 
Earl  had  ever  maintained  with  dignified 
consistency  and  determination;  aud 
who,  by  a  rare  conjunction  of  personal 
merit,  and  of  circumstance,  had  been 
elevated  to  Ihe  highest  pitch  of  popu- 
larity in  the  highest  regions  of  society  ; 
and  who  was,  moreover,  already  next 
in  succession,  after  himself  and  the 
Lady  Cecilia,  to  the  ancient  barony  of 
Drelincourt  and  the  estates  annexed  to 
it.  How  little  was  there,  in  reality, 
to  set  against  all  this  ?  An  eccentricity 
of  manner,  for  which  nature  only,  if 
any  one,  was  to  blame.  ;  a  tendency  to 
extreme  modishness  in  dress,  and  a 
slight  deficiency  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  etiquette  of  society — but  which 
daily  experience  and  intercourse  were 
rapidly  supplying;  and  a  slight  dis- 
position towards  the  pleasures  of  lie1 
table,  which  no  doubt  would  disappear 
on  the  instant  of  his  having  an  object 
of  permanent  and  elevating  attach- 
ment. Such  was  Titmouse,  lie  hail 
as  yet.  undoubtedly,  made  no  advances 
to  Lady  Cecilia,  nor  evinced  any  dis- 
position to  do  so;  numerous  and  fa- 
vourable had  been,  and  continued  to 
be,  the  opportunities  for  his  doing  so. 
Might  not  this,  however,  be  set  down 
entirely  to  the  score  of  his  excessive 
diffidence — distrust  of  his  pretensions 
to  aspire  after  so  august  an  alliance  as 
with  the  Lady  Cecilia?  Yet  there 
certainly  was  another  way  of  account- 
ing for  his  conduct  :  had  lie  got  already 
entangled  with  an  attachment  else- 
where ? — Run  after  in  society,  as  he 
had  been,  in  a  manner  totally  unpre- 
nted  during  his  very  first  season — 
had  his  affections  been  inveigled? — 

"Whell    the    1.  ill  dwelt    Upon  this   ill   ana] 

libility,  if  i*  were  v  Inn  he  was  lying 
awake  in  bed,  he  would  be  seized  with 
a  lit  of  intolerable  restlessness  and 
getting  up.  w  r •iphimseif  iii  his  drei 

.  n,  ami   ]  ace   his  chamber  for  an 
hour  together,  running  over,   in    hi 
mind,  the  name  i  of  all  the  women  he 
knew  who  would  be  likely  to  lay  snan 
for  Titmouse,  in  order  to  secure  him 


for  a  daughter.  Then  there  was  the 
Lady  Ceciha — but  she,  he  knew,  would 
not  run  counter  to  his  wishes,  and  he 
had  therefore  no  difficulty  to  apprehend 
on  that  score.  She  had  ever  been 
calmly  submissive  to  bis  will ;  had  the 
same  lofty  sense  of  family  dignity  that 
he  enjoyed  ;  and  had  often  concurred 
in  his  deep  regrets  on  account  of  the 
separation  of  the  family  interests.  She 
was  still  unmarried— and  yet,  on  her 
father's  decease,  would   be  a  peeress  in 

her  own  right,  ami  possessed  of  the 

family  estates.  The  fastidiousness 
which  alone,  thought  the  Earl,  had 
kept  her  hitherto  single,  would  not,  he 
Adt  persuaded,  be  allowed  by  her  to 
interfere  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
so  excellent  a  family  arrangement  as 
would  lie  effected  by  her  union  with 
Titmouse.  Once  married  —  and  he 
having  secured  for  her  suitable  settle- 
ments from  Titmouse — if  there  should 
prove  to  be  any  incompatibility  of 
temper  or  discrepancy  of  disposition, 

come  the  Worst   to  the  Worst,  there  was 

the  shell  sr  of  a  separation  and  separate 
maintenance  to  look  to  ;  a  thingwhich 
becoming  of   daily   oci  urrence 

W  hich     implied     no    reproach    to    either 

party— and  left  them  always  at  liberty 
to  return  to  each  other's  society  when 
so  disposed.  And  as  for  the  dress  and 
manners  of  Titmouse,  granting  them 
to  be  a  little,  extravagant,  would  not, 
in  all  probability,  a  word  from  her 
suffice  to  reduce  him,  or  elevate  him 
into  a  gentleman  ?    Thus  thought  hex 

fond  and  enlightened  parent,  and  thus 
thought  also  she  ;  from  which  it  is 
evident,  that  Titmouse  once  brought 

to  the  point — made  sensible  where  his 
duly  and  his  privilege  converged — it 
would  be  a  straightforward  plain* 
sailing  business.  To  bring  about  so 
desirable  a  state  of  thin  js  as  this — to 
give  the  young  people  an  opportunity 
of  thoroughiy  Knowing  one  another, 
and  endearing  themselves  to  ink 
other,  v.  re  among  1 1 
tin-  E  irl  had  propo  d  to  himself,  in 
accepting  the  Invitation  to  Yatton. 
Time  was  wearing  on,  how<  v.  r,  and 
\et  no  decisive  step  had  been  taken. 
Lady  Cecilia's  icy  coldness-  her  petri- 
fying indifference  of  manner,  her  phleg* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


413 


matlc  temperament  and  lofty  pride, 
were  qualities,  all  of  which  were  calcu- 
lated rather  to  check  than  encourage 
the  advances  of  a  suitor,  especially  such 
a  one  as  Titmouse  ;  hut,  though  the 
Earl  did  not  know  it,  there  were  others 
whose  ardour  and  impatience  to  possess 
themselves  of  such  superior  loveliness 
could  not  be  similarly  restrained  or 
discouraged.  "Would  the  reader  believe, 
that  Mr.  Venom  Tuft,  having  been 
long  on  the  look-oiit  for  an  aristocratic 
wile,  had  conceived  it  not  impossible 
to  engage  the  affections  of  Lady  Cecilia 
— to  fascinate  her  by  the  display  of  his 
brilliant  acquirements  ;  and  that  the 
comparative  seclusion  of  Yatton  would 
afford  him  the  requisite  opportunity 
for  effecting  his  wishes  ?  Yet  even  so 
it  really  was  :  intoxicated  with  vanity, 
which  led  him  to  believe  himself  pecu- 
liarly agreeable  to  women,  he  at  length 
had  the  inconceivable  folly  and  pre- 
sumption, on  the  morning  after  an 
evening  in  which  he  fancied  that  he 
had  displayed  peculiar  brilliance,  to 
intimate  to  her  that  his  affections  were 
no  longer  under  his  own  control,  having 
been  taken  captive  by  her  irresistible 
charms.  Vain  thought  !  as  well  might 
a  cock-sparrow  have  sought  to  mate 
himself  with  the  stately  swan  !  It  was 
for  some  time  rather  difficult  for  the 
Lady  Cecilia  to  understand  that  he  was 
seriously  making  her  a  proposal.  At 
length,  however,  he  succeeded  ;  and  as 
much  astonishment  as  her  drooping 
eyelids  and  languid  hauteur  of  manner 
would  permit  the  display  of,  she 
evinced.  "When  poor  Tuft  found  that 
such  was  the  case  his  face  burned  like 
fire. 

"  You  haven't  mistaken  me  for  Miss 
Macspleuchan,  Mr.  Tuft,  have  you?" 
said  she  with  a  faint  smile.  "You 
and  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  the  Marquis,  I 
hear,  sat  much  longer  after  dinner  last 
night  than  usual !  "  Tuft  was  utterly 
conftmnded.  "Was  her  ladyship  insin- 
uating that  he  was  under  the  influence 
of  wine  ?     He  was  speechless. 

"  I  assure  you,  Lady  Cecilia  " he 

stammered. 

"  Oh— now  I  understand  ! — You  are 
rehearsing  for  Lady  Tawdry's  private 
theatricals  ?    Do  you  play  there  next , 


month  ?  Well,  I  dare  say  you'll  make 
a  delicious  Romeo."  Here  the  Earl 
happening  to  enter,  Lady  Cecilia,  with 
a  languid  smile,  apprised  him  that 
Mr.  Tuft  had  been  rehearsing,  to 
admiration,  a  love-scene  which  he  was 
studying  against  Lady  Tawdry's  the- 
atricals ;  on  which  the  Earl,  with  a 
good-natured  smile,  said  that  he  should 
like  to  witners  it,  if  not  too  much 
trouble  to  Mr.  Tuft.  If  that  gentle- 
man could  have  crept  up  the  chimney 
without  being  observed,  he  would  have 
employed  the  first  moment  of  repose 
and  security  in  praying  that  the  Lady 
Cecilia  might  bring  herself  to  believe, 
that  he  hid  really  been  doing  what  at 
present  he  feared  she  only  affected  to 
believe.  He  resolved  to  out-stay  the 
Earl,  who,  indeed,  withdrew  in  a  few 
minutes'  time,  having  entered  only  for 
the  purpose  of  asking  Lady  Cecilia  a 
question  ;  and  on  her  ladyship  and  her 
would-be  lover  being  again  alone— 

"  If  I  have  been  guilty  of  presump- 
tion, Lady  Cecilia  " he  commenced 

with  tremulous  earnestness,  looking  a 
truly  piteous  object. 

"  Not  the  least,  Mr.  Tuft,"  said  she, 
calmly  smiling  ;  "  or,  even  if  you  hare, 
I'll  foigive  it  on  one  condition — " 

"Your  ladyship  has  only  to  in- 
timate  " 

"That  you  will  go  through  it  all 
with  Miss  Macspleuchan  ;  or,  couldn't 
we  get  up  a  sweet  scene  with  my  maid  ? 
Annette  is  a  pretty  little  thing,  and  her 
broken  English " 

"Your  ladyship  is  pleased  to  bo 
exceedingly  severe  ;  but  1  feel  that  I 
deserve  it.  Still,  knowing  your  lady- 
ship's good  nature,  I  will  venture  to 
ask  one  great  favour,  which,  if  you 
refuse,  I  will  within  an  hour  quit 
Yatton  ;  that  your  ladyship  will,  in 
mercy  to  my  feelings,  mention  this 
little  scene  to  no  one." 

"If  you  wish  it,  Mr.  Tuft,  I  will 
preserve  your  secret,"  she  replied,  in  a 
kinder  and  more  serious  manner  than 
he  had  ever  witnessed  in  her  ;  and, 
when  he  had  escaped  into  solitude,  he 
could  hardly  tell  whom  he  hated  most 
— himself  or  the  Lady  Cecilia.  Several 
days  afterwards,  the  Marquis  Gants- 
Jaunes    de   Millefleurs,   purposing  to 


414 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


quit  Yatton  on  his  way  northward, 
sought  a  favourable  opportunity  to  lay 
himself — the  brilliant,  irresistible 
Marquis— at  the  feet  of  the  all-con- 
quering 1.  dy  Cecilia,  the  future  Lady 
Drelini  •  art,  peeress  in  her  own  right, 
and  mistress  of  the  family  estates.  He 
had  done  the  same  kind  of  thing  half- 
a-dozen  times  to  as  many  women— all 
of  them  of  ample  fortune,  and  most  of 
them  also  of  rank.  His  manner  was 
exquisitely  delicate  and  winning  ;  but 
Lady  Cehcia,  with  a  slight  blush,  (for 
she  was  really  pleased,)  calmly  refused 
him.  He  saw  it  was  utterly  in  vain  ; 
for  a  few  moments  he  felt  in  an  un- 
utterably foolish  position,  hut  quickly 
recovering  himself,  assnmed  an  air  of 
delicate  raillery,  and  put  her  into  Buch 
good  humour,  that,  forgetful  in  the 
moment  of  her  promise  to  poor  Tuft, 
she,  in  the  strictest  confidence  in  the 
world,  communicated  to  the  Marquis 
lire  oiler  which  Mr.  Tuft  had  been 
beforehand  with  him  in  making  her  ! 
The  Marquis's  cheek  Unshed  and 
tingled  ;  ami,  without  being  aide  to 
analyse  what  passed  through  his  mind, 
the  result  was,  an  intolerable  feeling, 
as  if  he  and  Tuft  were  a  couple  « . t" 
sneaking  adventurers,  and  worse — of 
ridiculous  and  exposed  adventurers. 
For  almost  the  fust  time  in  his  life, 
lie  felt  an  embarrassment  amid  the. 
momentary  conflict  of  his  thoughts  and 
feelings,  which  kept  him  silent.  At 
length,  "J  presume,  Lady  Cecilia," 
.said  he  in  a  low  torn',  with  an  air  of 
distress,  and  a  glance  that  did  more  in 
his  behalf  with  Lady  Cecilia  than  a 
thousand  of  Ids  most  flattering  and 
eloquent  speeches,  "  I  shall,  in  like 
manner,  have  afforded  amusement  to 
your  ladyship  and  Mr.  Tuft?" 

"Sit,"  said  she  haughtily,  and 
colouring — "  Mr.  Tuft  ami  the  Marquis 
6ant8-Jaunes  de  Millefleurs,  are  two 
very  different  ;  I  am  Burprii  ed, 

Monsieur  le  Marquis,  that  you  should 
have  made  eu<  h  an  observation." 

Hereupon  In  fi  Li  greatly  consoled, 
and  pel  ly  secure  against  being  ex- 
po ed  to  Tuft,  as  Tult  had  been  ex- 
po  ■  d  t"  him.     Yet  he  v.  I. en. 

How    can    the    readi  c   forgive    I.  kdy 
Cecilia  l. :  her  double  breach  of  promise, 


when  he  is  informed  that  a  day  or  two 
afterwards,  Tuft  and  she  being  thrown 
together,  partly  out  of  pity   to  her 
rejected  and  bitterly  mortified  suitor, 
and  partly  from  an  impulse  of  womanly 
vanity,    and    partly    from    a    sort    of 
glimpse   of  even-handed    justice,    re- 
quiring  such    a    step   as   a    kind    of 
reparation  to  Tuft  for  her  exposure  of 
him    to   the   Marquis  —  she    (in    the 
strictest     confidence,     however,)     in- 
formed him  that  his  example  had  been 
followed  hy  the  Marquis,  forgetful  of 
that  excellent  maxim,  "  begin  nothing 
of  which  you  have  not  well  considered 
the  end."     It  had  not  occurred  to  her 
ladyship  as  being  a  thing  almost  cer- 
tain to  ensue  upon  lu  r  breach  of  faith, 
that  Tuft  would  ask  her  whether  she 
had  violated  his  confidence,     lie  did 
so:  she  blushed  scarlet— and  though, 
like  her  papa,  she  could  have  equivo- 
cated when  she  could  not  have  lied, 
here  she  was  in  u  dilemma  from  which 
nothing  hut  a  fib  could   possibly  ex« 
tricate  her;  and  in  a  confident  tone, 
but  with  a  burning  cheek,  she  simply 
told  a  falsehood,  and  had    the  pain  of 

being  conscious,  by  Mr.  Tuft's  look, 
that  he  did  not  believe  her. — Nothing 
could  exceed  the  comical  air  of  em- 
barrassment of  the  Marquis  and  Mr. 
Tuft,  whenever,  after  this,  they  were 
alone  together!  How  fearful  lest — 
how  doubtful  whether — each  knew  as 
much  as  the  other !  To  return,  how- 
ever, to  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington,  (who 
was  really  in  ignorance  of  the  Marquis 
and  Mr.  Tuft's  proposals  to  Lady 
Cecilia,)  the  difficulty  which  at  pre- 
sent harassed  his  lordship  was,  how 
he  could,  without  compromising  his 
own  dignity,  or  injuring  his  darling 
Bcheme  by  a  premature  development 
of  his  purpose,  sound  Titmouse  upon 
the  Bubject.  How  to  break  the  ice — 
to  broai  h  the  Bubject — was  the  gnat 
problem  which  the  Karl  turned  over 
and  over  again  in  his  mind.  Now,  be 
it  observed,  that  when  a  muddle- 
headed  man  is  i  ailed  111*11  at  length 
to  act,    however  long  beforehand    1  0 

may    l:a\e    had     lloliee    of   it — hoUeViT 

ai  urcd  of  the  oci  e  Ltj  there  will  be 
for  eventually  taking  one  course   ox 

anothi  r,  and  consequently  enjoying  an 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


415 


ample  opportunity  for  consideration, 
he  remains  confused  and  irresolute  up 
to  the  very  last  instant — -when  he  acts, 
after  all,  merely  as  the  creature  of 
caprice  and  impulse  !  'Twas  thus  with 
Lord  Dreddlington.  He  had  thought 
of  half-a-dozen  dilFerent  ways  of  com- 
mencing with  Titmouse,  and  decided 
upon  adopting  each  ;  yet,  when  the 
anxiously  looked  for  moment  had 
arrived,  he  lost  sight  of  them  all,  in 
his  inward  fluster  and  nervousness. 

'Twas  noon,  and  Titmouse,  smoking 
a  cigar,  was  walking  slowly  up  and 
down,  his  hands  stuck  into  his  surtout 
pockets,  and  resting  on  his  hips,  in 
the  fir-tree  walk  at  the  end  of  the 
garden — the  spot  to  which  he  seemed, 
during  the  stay  of  his  grand  guests,  to 
have  been  tacitly  restricted  for  the 
enjoyment  of  that  luxury.  When  the 
Earl  saw  that  Titmouse  was  aware 
that  his  lordship  had  observed  him, 
and  tossed  aside  his  cigar,  the  Earl 
"  begged"  he  would  go  on,  and  tried 
to  calm  and  steady  himself,  by  a 
moment's  reflection  upon  his  over- 
whelming superiority  over  Titmouse 
in  every  respect  ;  but  it  was  in  vain. 

Now,  what  anxiety  and  embarrass- 
ment would  the  Earl  have  been  spared 
had  he  been  aware  of  one  little  fact, 
that  Mr.  Gammon  was  unconsciously, 
secretly,  and  potently,  his  lordship's 
friend  in  the  great  matter  which  lay 
so  near  to  his  heart  ?  For  so  it  was, 
in  truth.  He  had  used  all  the  art  he 
was  master  of,  and  availed  himself  of 
all  his  mysterious  power  over  Tit- 
mouse, to  get  him  at  all  events  to 
make  an  advance  to  his  distinguished 
kinswoman.  Considering,  however, 
how  necessary  it  was  "to  be  off  with 
the  old  love  before  he  was  on  with  the 
new,"  he  had  commenced  operations 
by  satisfying  Titmouse  how  vain  and 
hopeless,  and,  indeed,  unworthy  of 
him,  was  his  passion  for  poor  Miss 
Aubrey.  Here,  however,  Gammon 
had  not  so  much  difficulty  to  contend 
with  as  he  had  anticipated ;  for  Miss 
Aubrey's  image  had  been  long  ago 
jostled  out  of  his  recollection,  by  the 
innumerable  brilliant  and  fashionable 
women  among  whom  he  had  been 
latterly    thrown.      "When,     therefore, 


Gammon  informed  him  that  Miss  Au- 
brey had  fallen  into  a  decline  ;  and 
that,  moreover,  when  he  (Gammon) 
had,  according  to  his  promise  to  Tit- 
mouse, taken  an  opportunity  of  press- 
ing his  wishes  upon  her,  she  had  scorn- 
fully scouted  the  bare  notion  of  such  a 
thing  ;  [all  which  was,  of  course,  Mr. 
Gammon's  pure  invention] — 

' '  Ton — my  soul !  The — devil — she 
did !  "  said  Titmouse,  with  an  air  of 
insolent  astonishment.  "  The  gal's  a 
devilish  pretty  gal,  no  doubt,"  ho 
presently  continued,  knocking  the 
ashes  off  his  cigar,  with  an  indifferent 
air  ;  "  but — it's  too  good  a  joke — 'pon 
my  soul  it  is  ;  but  d'ye  think,  Gammon, 
she  ever  supposed  I  meant  marriage  ? 
By  Jove  ! "  Here  he  winked  his  eye 
at  Gammon,  and  then  slowly  expelled 
a  mouthful  of  smoke.  Gammon  had 
grown  pale  with  the  conflict  excited 
within,  by  the  last  words  of  the  ex- 
ecrable little  miscreant.  He  controlled 
his  feelings,  however,  and  succeeded 
in  preserving  silence. 

"Ah — well!"  continued  Titmouse 
after  another  whiff  or  two,  with  an  air 
of  commiseration,  "if  the  poor  gal's 
booked  ■ — ■  eh  ?  it's  no  use  ;  there's  no 
harm  done.     Devilish  poor,  all  of  'em, 

I  hear !    It's  d d  hard,  by  the  way, 

Gammon,  that  the  prettiest  gals  are 
always  the  soonest  picked  off."  As 
soon  as  Gammon  had  completely 
mastered  his  feelings,  he  proceeded  to 
excite  the  pride  and  ambition  of  Tit- 
mouse, by  representations  of  the  splen- 
dour of  an  alliance  with  the  last  repre- 
sentative of  so  ancient  and  illustrious 
a  house  ;  in  fact,  when  Gammon  came, 
he  said,  to  think  of  it,  he  found  it  was 
too  grand  a  stroke,  and  that  she  would 
not  entertain  the  notion  for  a  moment ; 
that  she  had  refused  crowds  of  young 
lords ;  that  she  would  be  a  peeress  of 
the  realm  in  her  own  right,  with  an 
independent  income  of  £5000  a-year  ; 
mansions,  seats,  and  castles,  in  each 
of  the  four  quarters  of  the  kingdom  : 
— topics  such  as  these,  excited  and  in- 
flated him  to  the  full  extent  desired 
by  Mr.  Gammon,  who,  moreover — 
that  was  the  gre.it  topic  of  his  last 
interview  with  Titmouse,  before  leav- 
ing Yatton,  as  I  have  already  apprised 


41C 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


the  reader — with  great  solemnity  of 
manner,  gave  hire  distinctly  to  under- 
stand, that  on  his  being  able  to  effect 
an  alliance  v,'ith  the  Lady  Cecilia, 
lutely  depended  his  continuance 
in,  or  expulsion  from,  the  possession 
of  the  whole  Yatton  prop.  1 1 y.  Thus 
it  came  to  pass,  that  Titmouse  was 
penetrated  by  a  far  keener  desire  to 
ally  himself  to  the  Lady  Cecilia,  than 
ever  the  Karl  had  experienced  to  bring 
about  such  an  auspicious  event ;  and 
at  the  very  moment  of  Titmouse's 
catching  sight  of  the  Earl,  while  pac- 
ing up  and  down  the  fir-tree  walk, 
inhaling  the  soothing  influence  of  his 
cigar — as  I  a  short  time  ago  presented 
him  to  the  reader — he  was  tormenting 
himself  with  apprehensions  that  such 
a  prize  was  too  splendid  for  him  to 
draw,  and  asking  himself  the  constantly 
recurring  question,  how,  in  the  name 
of  all  that  was  funny,  could  he  set  the 
thing  a-going  %  —  When  Greek  met 
Greek,  then  came — it  was  said  —  the 
tuir  of  war :  and  when  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington  and  Titmouse — a  great 
foul  and  a  little  fool — came  to  encounter 
each  other,  each  impelled  by  the  same 
wishes,  and  restrained  by  similar  ap- 
prehensions, it  was  like  the  encounter 
of  two  wily  diplomatists,  Bitting  down 
with  the  intention  of  outwitting  each 
other,  in  obtaining  an  object,  in  respect 
of  which  their  aim  was,  in  fact,  un- 
known to  each  other,  precisely  coin- 
cident, this  hidden  coincidence  bei 
the.  exact  point  which  their  exquisite 
manoeuvres  had  succeeded  in  recipro- 
cally masking  :  it  being  quite  possible 
for  Talleyrand  and  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
pittcdagainst  each  other,  under  similar 
circumstances,  to  have  separated  after 
a  dozen  long  conferences,  each  having 
I  led  to  secure  their  common  object — 
pi  ice. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Titmouse" — comment  I 
the  Earl  blandly,  stepping  at  once, 
with  graceful  boldness,  out  of  the  mi  t, 
confusion,  and  perplexity  which  pre- 
vailed i ogsl   his  lordship's  ideas — 

"  what  are  you  think  ing  about  '  For 
you  seem  to  be  thinking!"  and  a 
courteous  little  laugh  accompanied  the 
last  words. 

"'Pon  —  'pou    my  life — I — I- — beg 


your  lordship's  pardon  —  but  it's — 
monstrous  odd  your  lordship  should 
havekuown  it" — stammered  Titmouse; 
and  his  face  suddenly  grew  of  a  scarlet 
colour. 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  Earl,  with  greater 
skill  than  he  had  ever  evinced  in  his 
whole  life  before — (such  is  the  effect  of 
any  one's  being  intensely  in  earnest) — 
"  it  is  not  at  all  odd,  when  it  happens 
that — the  probability  is — that — we  are, 
perhaps — mind,  sir,  I  mean  possibly — 
thinking  about  the  same  thing!" 
Titmouse  grew  more  and  more  con- 
fused, gazing  in  silence,  with  a  strange 
simpering  stare,  at  his  noble  companion, 
who,  with  his  hands  joined  behind 
him,  was  walking  slowly  along  with 
Titmouse. 

"Sir,"  continued  the  Earl,  in  a  low 
tone — breaking  a  very  awkward  pausa 
—  "it  gives  me  sincere  satisfaction  to 
assure  you,  that  I  can  fully  appreciate 
the  delicate  embarrassment  which  I 
perceive  you  are  now " 

"  My  lord  —  your  lordship's  most 
uncommon  polite" — quoth  Titmouse, 
suddenly  taking  off  his  hat,  and  bow- 
ing very  low.  The  Earl  moved  his 
hat  also,  and  slightly  bowed,  with  a 
proudly  gratified  air;  and  again  oc- 
curred a  little  pause,  which  was  broken 
by  Titmouse. 

"Then  your  lordship  thinks  it  will 
do  ? "  he  enquired  very  sheepishly,  but 
anxiously. 

"Sir,  I  have  the  honour  to  assure 
you,  that  as  far  as  /  am  concerned,  I 
see  no  obst " 

"Yes — but  excuse  me,  my  lord — 
your  lordship  sees—]  mean — my  lord, 
your  lordship  sees " 

"Sir,  1  think — nay,  1  believe  I  do" 

— interrupted  the  Earl,  wishing  to  re- 

t  be  evident  embarrassment  of  hi* 

companion — "but — I  see  nothing  that 

should      alai  in  J  mi," 

[How  interesting  to  watch  the  in  - 
terioua  process  by  which  these  two 
powerful  minds  were  gradually  approxi- 
mating towards  understanding  each 
other!  'Twasa  sort  of  equation  with 
an  unknown  quantity,  in  due  course  of 
elimination  !] 

"Doesn't  your  lordship,  indeed  I" 
enquired  Titmou  e  i    1  lit  r  briskly. 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


417 


"  Sir,  it  was  a  saying  of  one  of  the 
great — I  mean,  sir,  it  is — you  must 
often  have  heard,  sir — in  short,  nothing 
venture,  nothing  have  !  " 

"I'd  venture  a  precious  deal,  my 
lord,  if  I  only  thought  I  could  get 
what  I'm  after  !  " 

"Sir?"  exclaimed  the  Earl  conde- 
scendingly. 

"If  your  lordship  would  only  be  so 
particular — so  uncommon  kind — as  to 
name  the  thing  to  her  ladyship — by 
way  of — eh,  my  lord  ?  A  sort  of  break- 
ing the  ice,  and  all  that " 

"Sir,  1  feel  and  have  a  just  pride  in 
assuring  you,  that  the  Lady  Cecilia  is 
a  young  lady  of  that  superior  delicacy 
of " 

"Docs  your  lordship  really  think 
I've  a  ghost  of  a  chance  ?"  interrupted 
Titmouse  anxiously.  "  She  must  have 
named  the  thing  to  your  lordship,  no 
doubt — eh,  my  lord  ? " 

This  queer  notion  of  the  young  lady's 
delicacy  a  little  staggered  her  distin- 
guished father  for  a  moment  or  two. 
What  was  he  to  say  ?  She  and  he  had 
really  often  rained  the  thing  to  each 
other  ;  and  here  the  question  was  put 
to  him  plumply.  The  Earl  scorned  a 
flat  lie,  and  never  condescended  to 
equivocation  except  when  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary. 

"Sir,"  he  said  hesitatingly;  "un- 
doubtedly— if  I  were  to  say — that  now 
and  then,  when  your  attentions  have 
bet  n  so  pointed " 

"Ton  my  life,  my  lord,  I  never 
meant  it ;  if  your  lordship  will  only 
believe  me,"  interrupted  Titmouse  ear- 
nestly ;  "  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons — 
I  mean  no  harm,  my  lord." 

' '  Sir,  there  is  no  harm  done, "  said 
the  Earl  kindly.  "  Sir,  I  know  human 
nature  too  well,  or  I  have  lived  thus 
long  to  little  purpose,  not  to  be  aware 
that  we  are  not  always  master  of  our 
own  feelings." 

"  That's  exact1  y  it,  my  lord  !  Ex- 
cuse me,  but  your  lordship's  hit  the 
thing  !  " 

"l>o  not  imagine,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
that  I  think  your  attentions  may  have 
been  unpleasant  to  the  Lady  Cecilia — 
by  no  means  ;  I  cannot,  with  truth, 
eay  any  such  thing  !  " 


"  Oh,  my  lord  !  "  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse, taking  off  his  hat,  bowing,  and 
placing  his  hand  upon  his  breast, 
where  his  little  heart  was  palpitat- 
ing with  unusual  force  and  distinct- 
ness. 

"Faint  heart,  says  the  proverb, 
Mr.  Titmouse,  ah,  ah ! "  quoth  the 
Earl  with  gentle  gaiety. 

"Yes,  my  lord,  it's  enough  to  mako 
one  faint,  indeed !  Now,  if  your 
lordship — (I'm  not  used  to  the  sort  of 
thing,  my  lord  !) — would  just  make  a 
sort  of  beginning  for  me,  my  lord, 
with  the  Lady  Cicely — to  set  us  going, 
my  lord — the  least  shove  would  do, 
my  lord." 

"Well,  Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  the 
Earl  with  a  gracious  smile,  "since 
your  modesty  is  so  overpowering— I'll 
try — to — become  your  ambassador  to 
the  Lady  Cecilia.  If,  Mr.  Titmouse," 
his  lordship  presently  added,  in  a 
serious  tone,  "you  are  fortunate 
enough  to  succeed  in  engaging  the 
affections  of  the  Lady  Cecilia,  you 
will  discover  that  you  have  secured 
indeed  an  invaluable  prize." 

"To  be  sure,  my  lord!  And  con- 
sider, too,  her  ladyship's  uncommon 
high  rank — -it's  so  particular  conde- 
scending.— By  the  way,  my  lord,  will 
she — if  she  and  1  can  hit  it  off,  so  as 
to  marry  one  another — be  called  Mrs. 
Titmouse,  or  shall  I  be  called  Lord 
Titmouse?  I  wonder  how  that  will 
be,  my  lord  ?  'Tis  only,  your  lordship 
understands,  on  Lady  Cicely's  account 
I  ask,  because  it's,  in  course,  all  one  to 
me  when  once  we're  married." 

The  Earl  was  gazing  at  him  as  he 
went  on,  with  an  expression  of  mingled 
surprise  and  concern  :  presently,  how- 
ever, he  added  with  calm  seriousness, 
"Sir,  it  is  not  an  unreasonable  ques- 
tion, though  I  should  have  imagined 
that  you  could  hardly  have  been — but 
— in  short,  the  Lady  Cecilia  will  retain 
her  rank,  and  become  the  Lady  Cieilia 
Titmouse — that  is,  during  my  life  : 
but,  on  my  demise,  she  succeeds 
to  the  barony  of  Dreiincourt,  and 
then  will  be  called,  of  course,  Lady 
Dreiincourt." 

"  And  what  shall  /  be  then,  my 
lord  ?"  enquired  Titmouse  eagerly. 


418 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"  Sir,  you  will  of  course  continue 
Mr.  Titmouse " 

"Ton  my  life,  my  lonl — shall  I 
indeed  •  "  he  interrupted,  with  a  crest- 
fallen  air,  "Mr.  Titmouse  and  Lady 
l1  art!     Excuse    me,   my  lord, 

Lut  it  don't  sound  at  all  like  man  and 
wifi " 

"Sir,  so  it  always  has  been,  and 
will  be,  and  so  it  ever  ought  to  be," 
replied  the  Earl  gravely. 

"Will  hut,  my  lord,  (excuse  me, 
my  lord)  —  hut  marriage  is  a  very 
serious  thing,  my  lord,  your  lordship 
knows " 

"It  is,  sir,  indeed,"  replied  the 
Karl,  gloom  visibly  overspreading  his 
features. 

"Suppose,"  continued  Titmouse, 
"  Lady  Cicely  should  die  before 
me?"" 

The  Earl,  remaining  silent,  fixed  on 
Titmouse  the  eye  of  a  FATHER — a 
father,  though  a  very  foolish  one  ;  anil 

Iiresently,  with  a  sensible  tremor  in 
lis  voice,  replied,  "Sir,  these  arc 
rather  singular  questions — but,  in  such 
a  mournful  contingency  as  the  one  you 
have  hinted  at " 

"Oh,  my  lord!  I  humbly  beg 
pardon — of  course,  I  sin  uhl  be,  'pon 
my  soul,  my  lord,  most  uncommon 
sorry" — interrupted  Titmou.se,  with  a 
little  alarm  in  his  manner. 

"  I  was  saying,  sir — that  in  such  an 
event,  if  Lady  Drelinconrt  left  no 
issue,  you  would  succeed  to  the  barony; 
hut,  should  she  leave  issue,  they  will 
be  called  Honourable " 

"  What !— 'the  Honourable  Tittle- 
bat Titmouse,'  if  it's  a  boy,  and  the 
'  Honourable  Cecilia  Titmouse,'  if  it's 
a  girl  C 

"Sir,  it  will  he  so— unless  you 
should  choose  to  take  the  name  and 
arms  of  Dreddlington,  on  marrying 
the  sol,;  heiress   — " 

1,  my  lord  ?     Ton  my 

life,  my  lord,  th  it's  worl  b  considering 

— 1»  I  I'n't  ovi  rand  ased 

my  o\\ n   name.     What   will  it 

cost  t  ■  "it.  now,  my  lord  ?  " 

" Sir,"  said  the  Earl,  stru  k  with 
the  idea,  "that  is  really  a  mattei 
worth  considering.  In  a  matter  of 
that  magnitude,  sir,    I    presume  that 


expense  would  not  be  a  matter  of 
serious  consideration." 

After  some  further  conversation,  the 
Earl  came  plump  upon  the  great  pivot 
upon  which  the  whole  arrangement 
was  to  turn — settlements  and  jointures 
— oh,  as  to  them,  Titmouse,  who  was 
recovering  from  the  shock  of  the  dis- 
covery that  his  marriage,  however  it 
might  degrade  the  Lady  Cecilia,  would 
not  ennoble  him — promised  everything 
— would  leave  everything  in  the  hands 
of  his  lordship.  Soon  afterwards  they 
separated  ;  the  Earl  suggesting  to  him, 
that  probably  in  a  matter  of  infinite 
delicacy,  like  that  on  which  they  hail 
been  conversing,  he  would  keep  his 
own  counsel — to  which  al  o  Titmouse 
pledged  himself.  Soon  afterwards,  and 
Ik  fore  seeing  his  daughter",  with  an 
anxious,  hut  not  an  excited  air,  ho 
ordered  his  horse  and  took  a  long  ride, 
accompanied  only  by  his  groom  :  and 
if  ever  in  his  whole  life  he  had  at- 
tempted serious  REFLECTION,  it  was 
on  the  occasion  of  that  same  long,  slow, 
and  solitary  ride  ;  then,  for  the  first 
time,  he  forgot  his  peerage,  and  thought 
only  of  the  man — and  the  father. 

But  to  what  purpose  !  Shortly  after 
his  return  he  sought  Lady  Cecilia,  ami 
performed  las  promise,  by  preparing 
her  to  receive,  probably  on  the  ensuing 
day,  the  proposals  of  TITTLEBAT  TIT- 
MOUSE. 

The  desired  opportunity  occurred 
the  next  day.  Titmouse  had  ,-lept  liko 
a  top  all  night,  after  smoking  in  his 
bed-room  a  great  many  cigars,  and 
drinking  two  or  three  tumblers  of 
brandy  and  water;  but  Lady  Cecilia 

had  passed  a  very  uneasy,  and  almost 
a  sleepless  night,  and  did  not  make 
!  er  appearance  at  the  breakfast-table. 
Understanding,  however,  that  her 
ladyship  was  in  the  drawing-room  and 
,  about  Boon,  Titmouse,  «  ho  had 
owed  during  the  interval  more 
than  usual  pains  upon  his  dress,  gently 
opened   the  door,  and  ol  that 

she  was  i  lone,  reclinii  g  on  th  ■  Bofa, 
with  a  Budden  beating  of  the  heart, 
I  the  dour  and  approached  her, 
bow  in  •  profoundly.  Poor  Lady  Cecilia 
immediately  sat  up,  very  pale  and 
trciubliua. 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


419 


"  Good  -  morning,  good  -  morning, 
Lady  Cicely,"  commenced  Titmouse, 
taking  a  chair  and  sitting  down  in  it, 
plump  opposite  to  her. 

"You  aren't  well  this  morning,  are 
you,  Lady  Cicely  ? "  said  he,  observing 
how  pale  she  looked,  and  that  she  did 
not  seem  disposed  to  speak. 

"  1  am  quite  well,"  she  replied  in  a 
low  tone  ;  and  then  each  was  silent. 

"It's  beginning  to  look  like  winter 
a  little,  eh,  Lady  Cicely  ? "  said  he, 
after  an  embarrassing  pause,  looking 
through  the  windows.  'Twas  an  over- 
cast day ;  and  a  strong  wind  was 
stripping  the  sere  and  yellow  leaves  in 
great  numbers  from  the  lofty  trees  which 
were  not  far  distant,  and  which  gave 
forth  a  melancholy  rushing  moaning 
Bound  ;  and  another  paused  ensued. 

"  Certainly  it  is  getting  rather  cheer- 
less," replied  Lady  Cecilia.  Titmouse 
turned  pale  ;  and,  twirling  his  fingers 
in  his  hair,  fixed  upon  her  a  stupid 
and  most  embarrassing  look,  under 
which  her  eyes  fell  towards  the 
ground,  and  remained  looking  in  that 
direction. 

"I  —  I — hope  his  lordship's  heen 
saying  a  good  word  for  me,  Lady 
Cicely  ? " 

"  My  father  mentioned  your  name  to 
me  yesterday,"  she  replied,  trembling 
excessively. 

"Ton  my  soul,  monstrous  kind!" 
said  Titmouse,  trying  desperately  to 
look  at  his  ease.  "Said  he'd  break 
the  ice  for  me."  Here  ensued  another 
pause.  "  Everybody  must  have  a  be- 
ginning, you  know.  Ton  my  solemn 
honour,  all  he  said  about  me  is  quite 
true."  Profoundly  as  was  Lady  Cecilia 
depressed,  she  looked  up  at  Titmouse 
for  a  moment  with  evident  surprise. 
"Now,  Lady  Cicely,  just  as  between 
friends,  didn't  he  tell  you  something 
very  particular  about  me  ?  Didn't  he  ? 
Eh  ?  "     She  made  him  no  answer. 

"  I  dare  say,  Lady  Cicely,  though 
somehow  you  look  sad  enough,  you 
a'n't  vexed  to  see  me  here  ?  Eh  1 
There's  many  and  many  a  woman  in 
London  that  would — but  it's  no  use 
now.  Ton  my  soul  I  love  you,  I  do, 
Lady  Cicely  ;  "  she  trembled  violently, 
for  he  was  drawing  his  chair  iv  arer  to 


her.      She  felt  sick  —  sick  almost  to 
death. 

"  I  know  it's — it's  a  monstrous  un- 
pleasant piece  of  —  I  mean,  it's  an 
awkward  thing  to  do  ;  hut  I  hope  you 
love  me,  Lady  Cicely,  eh  !  a  little  ? " 
Her  head  hung  down,  and  a  very 
scalding  tear  oozed  out  and  trickled 
down  her  cheek.  "  Hope  you  aren't 
sorry,  dear  Lady  Cicely  ?  I'm  most 
uncommon  proud  and  happy  !  Come, 
Lady  Cicely."  He  took  the  thin 
white  hand  that  was  nearest  him,  and 
raised  it  to  his  lips  :  had  his  perception 
been  only  a  trifle  keener,  he  could  not 
have  failed  to  perceive  a  faint  thrill 
pervade  Lady  Cecilia  as  he  performed 
this  act  of  gillantry,  and  an  expression 
of  features  which  looked  very  much 
like  disgust.  He  had  seen  love  made 
on  the  stage  frequently,  and,  as  he 
had  seen  lovers  do  there,  he  now 
dropped  down  on  one  knee,  siill 
holding  Lady  Cecilia's  hand  in  his, 
and  pressing  it  a  second  time  to  his 
lips. 

"If  your  ladyship  will  only  make 
me — so  happy — as  to  he — my  wife — - 
'pon  my  life,  you're  welcome  to  all  I 
have  ;  and  you  may  consider  this  place 
entirely  your  own  !  Do  you  under- 
stand me,  dearest  Lady  Cicely  ?  Come  ! 
Ton  my  life — I'm  quite  distracted — 
do  j'ou  love  me,  Lady  Cicely  ?  Only 
say  the  word."  A  faint — a  very  faint 
sonnd  issued  from  her  lips  —  'twas 
"Yes."  Oh,  poor  Lady  Cecilia  !  Oh 
fatal — fatal  falsehood  ! 

"Then,  as  true  as  God's  in  heaven, 
dear  gal,  I  love  you,"  said  he,  with 
ardour  and  energy  ;  and  rising  from 
his  knee,  he  sat  down  beside  her  upon 
the  sofa — placed  an  arm  round  her 
waist,  and  with  his  other  hand  grasped 
hers — and — ir.  printed  a  kiss  upon  the 
pale  cheek  which  had  been  so  haughtily 
withdrawn  from  the  presumptuous  ad- 
vances of  the  Marquis  de  Millefleurs, 
and  from  some  half-dozen  others; 
several  of  whom  were  men  of  high  real 
pretensions  —  elegant  in  person  and 
manners — of  great  accomplishments — 
of  intellect — of  considerable  fortune — 
of  good  family  ;  but  in  her  opinion, 
and  that  of  the  Earl  her  father,  not  of 
family  good  enough,  nor  fortune  con- 

E  E  2 


420 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


sidcrablc  enough,  to  entitle  them  to  an 
alliance  with  her. 

"  Ton  my  life,  Lady  Cicely,  you 
are  a  most  Lovely  gal,"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse, with  increasing  energy — "and 
now  you're  all  my  own !  Though  1 
am  only  plain  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  you'll 
be  Lady  Cicely  still.  I'll  make  you  a 
good  husband  !  "  and  again  he  pressed 
her  hand  and  kissed  her  cold  cheek. 
Lut  slow  and  dull  as  were  the  Lady 
Cecilia's  feelings,  they  were  becoming 
too  much  excited  to  admit  of  her  con- 
tinuing much  longer  in  the  room. 

•'  I'm  sure  you'll  excuse  me,  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  said  she  rising,  and  speak- 
ing qui  kly  and  faintly.  When  she 
had  regained  her  room,  she  wept  bit- 
terly for  upwards  of  an  hour;  and 
Miss  Macspleuchan,  well  aware  of  the 
cause  of  it,  knew  not  how  to  console 
one  who  had  so  deliberately  immolated 
herself  before  the  hideous  little  image 
of  Mammon  ;  who,  in  degrading  her- 
self, had  also — and  Miss  Macspleuchan 
shed  bitter  and  scalding  tears,  and  her 
bos., in  swelled  with  wounded  pride 
and  indignation  at  the  thought  de- 
graded her  whole  Bex.  In  due  time, 
however,  the  Aurora,  a  morning  fash- 
ionable London  newspaper,  thus  an- 
nounced to  the  public  as  an  auspicious 
event  the  one  which  I  have  so  faith- 
fully, feeling  much  pain  the  while, 
described  to  the  r  oder  : — 

"  It  is  rumoured  that  Mr.  Titmouse, 
who  so  lately  recovered  the  very  large 
estates  of  V  itton,  in  Yorkshire,  and 
whose  appearance  in  the  fashionable 
world  has  cheated  so  gnat  a  sensation, 
and  who  i«  already  connected,  by  con- 
Banguinitv  with  the  ancient  and  noble 
family  of  Dreddlington,  is  about  to 
film  a  closer  alliance  with  it,  and  is 
now  the  accepted  suitor  of  the  lovely 
and  accomplished  Lady  Cecilia  l'hi- 
lippa  Leopoldina  Plantagenet,  sole 
liter  and  heiress  of  the  Right 
Hon.  the  Karl  of  Dreddlington,  and 
next  in  succession  to  the  barony  of 
In  lincourt,  the  most  ancient,  we  be- 
lieve, iu  the  kingdom." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Behold  now,  patient  and  reflecting 
reader— for  in  your  eyes  it  is  anxiously 
desired  that  this  history  may  find 
favour— the  dreadful  —  the  d<  sperate 
reverse  in  Mr.  Aubrey's  circumstances. 
He  has  suddenly  fallen  from  a  very 
commanding  position  in  society  :  from 
that  of  a  high-born  English  gentle- 
man, possessed  of  a  line  unencum- 
bered income,  and  all  of  luxury  and 
splendour,  and  of  opportunity  for 
gratifying  a  disposition  of  noble 
munificence,  that  it  can  secure— and 
whoso  qualifications  and  prospects 
justified  him  in  aspiring  to  the  highest 
senatorial  distinction  : — behold  him, 
I  say,  with  his  beloved  and  helpless 
family,  sunk — lower  than  into  strait- 
ened circumstances  —  beneath  even 
poverty  —  into  the  palsying  atmo- 
sphere of  debt — and  debt,  too.  of  a 
hopeless  description  !  Seeing  that  no 
one  can  be  so  secure,  but  that  all  this, 
or  something  of  the  like  kind,  may 
one  day  or  other  happen  to  him,  'tis 
hoped  that  it  will  be  found  neither  un- 
interesting nor  uninstructivc  to  watch 
carefully  and  closely  the  present  con- 
dition and  conduct  of  the  Aubreys. 

Bound  hand  and  foot — so  to  speak — 
as  Mr.  Aubrey  felt  himself,  and  en- 
tirely at  the  mercy  of  .Mr.  Titmouse, 
and  his  solicitors,  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  what  could  he 
do  but  submit  to  almost  any  terms  on 
which  they  chose  to  insist?  It  will 
be  recollected  that  Mr.  Gammon's 
proposal4  was,  that  .Mr.  Aubrey  should 
forthwith  discharge,  without  scrutiny, 
their  bill  of  £3LMt3,  Us.  6d.  ;  give 
sufficient  security  for  the  payment  of 
the  sum  of  £10,000  to  Mr.  Titmouse, 
within  twelve  or  eighteen  months' 
time,  and  two  promissory  notes  for  the 
sum  of  £5000  each,  payable  al  some 
future  period,  as  to  which  he  had  to 
rely  solely  on  the  sincerity  and  for- 
bearance  of  .Mr.  Gammon,  and  the 
ratification  of  his  acts  by  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse. This  proposal  was  duly  coiii- 
municated  by  the  unfortunate  Aubrey 
to  Messrs.  Runnington,  who  obtained 
•  Ante,  p.  309. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


421 


a  fortnight's  time  in  which  to  deliber- 
ate upon  it ;  at  the  end  of  which  period, 
he  was  advised  by  them  to  accept  the 
proposed  terms  as  unquestionably  fair, 
and,  under  circumstances,  much  more 
lenient  than  could  have  been  expected. 
This  might  be  so  ;  but  yet,  how  dis- 
maying and  hopeless  to  him  the  idea  of 
carrying  it  into  effect !  How,  indeed, 
was  it  to  be  done?  First  of  all,  how 
were  Messrs.  Kunnington's  and  Mr. 
Parkinson's  bills  to  be  got  rid  of — the 
former  amounting  to  £1070,  12s.,  the 
latter  to  £756  ?  And  how  were  Mr. 
Aubrey  and  his  family  to  live  in  the 
mean  while,  and  how,  moreover,  wt  re 
to  be  met  the  expenses  of  his  legal 
education  ?  As  was  intimated  in  a 
former  part  of  Ihis  history,  ail  that 
Mr.  Aubrey  had,  on  settling  in  Lon- 
don, was  £3000  stock  (equal  to  £2640 
of  money)  and  £423  in  his  banker's 
hands  ;— so  that  all  his  cash  in  hand 
was  £3063  ;  and  if  he  Mere  to  devote 
the  whole  of  it  to  the  discharge  of  the 
three  attorneys'  bills  which  he  owed, 
he  would  still  leave  a  gross  balance 
unpaid  of  £3310,  6s.  6d.  !  And  yet 
for  him  to  talk  of  giving  security  for 
the  payment  of  £10,000  within  eighteen 
months,  and  his  own  notes  of  hand  for 
£10,000  more  !  It  was  really  almost 
maddening  to  sit  down  and  contem- 
plate all  this.  But  he  must  not  fold 
his  arms  in  impotence  and  despair — 
he  must  look  bis  difficulties  straight 
in  the  face,  and  do  the  best  that  was 
in  his  power.  He  resolved  to  devote 
every  farthing  he  had,  except  £200, 
to  the  liquidation  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap's  account,  and  (in 
smaller  proportion)  of  those  also  of 
Messrs.  Runnington  and  Mr.  Parkin- 
son ;  if  necessary  he  resolved,  though 
his  heart  thrilled  with  anguish  at  the 
thought,  to  sell  his  books,  and  the 
remnant  of  old  family  plate  that  he 
had  preserved.  Then  he  would  strain 
every  nerve  to  contribute  towards  the 
support  of  himself  and  of  his  family 
• — poor  oppressed  soul ! — by  his  lite- 
rary exertions,  in  every  moment  that 
he  could  spare  from  his  legal  studies  ; 
and  practise  the  severest  economy  that 
was  consistent  with  health  and  the 
preservation  of  a  respectable  exterior. 


He  resolved  also,  though  with  a  shud- 
der, to  commit  himself  to  Gammon 
and  Titmouse's  mercy,  by  handing  to 
them  (though  a  fearful  farce  it  seemed) 
his  two  notes  of  hand  for  £10,000 — 
payable  on  demand — for  such  Gammon 
intimated  was  usual  in  such  a  case, 
and  would  be  required  in  the  present 
one.  But  whither  was  he  to  look  for 
security  for  the  payment  of  £10,000 
within  eighteen  months' time?  This 
was  a  matter  that  indeed  staggered 
him,  and  almost  prostrated  his  ener- 
gies whenever  he  directed  them  to  the 
subject ;  it  occasioned  him  inexpressi- 
ble agitation  and  anguish.  Individuals 
there  were,  he  believed — he  knew — 
who  would  cheerfully  enter  into  the 
desired  security  on  his  behalf;  but 
what  a  mockery — cruel  and  insulting! 
For  them  to  be  asked  to  secure  his 
payment  of  the  sum  at  the  time  men- 
tioned, was,  in  effect,  palpably  asking 
them  to  pay  the  mom  y  for  him,  and  in 
that  light  they  could  not  but  view  such 
an  application.  The  reader  will  easily 
understand  the  potency  of  such  con- 
siderations upon  so  sensitive  and  high- 
minded  a  person  as  Aubrey.  While 
revolving  these  distracting  and  harass- 
ing topics  in  his  mind,  the  name  of 
Lord  I)e  la  Zouch  always  presented 
itself  to  him.  Had  he  not  solemnly 
— repeatedly — pledged  himself  to  com- 
municate with  that  kind,  and  wealthy, 
and  generous  nobleman,  in  such  an 
emergency  as  the  present  ?  His  lord- 
ship's income  was  at  least  eighty  or  a 
hundred  thousand  pounds  a-year  ;  his 
habits  were  simple  and  unostentatious, 
though  he  was  of  a  truly  munificent 
disposition  ;  and  he  had  not  a  large 
and  expensive  family — his  only  child 
being  Mr.  Delamere.  He  had  ever 
professed,  and,  as  far  as  he  had  hither- 
to had  an  opportunity,  proved  himself 
to  be  a  devoted,  a  most  affectionate 
friend  to  Mr.  Aubrey : — did  not  Provi- 
dence, then,  seem  to  point  him  out 
distinctly  as  one  who  should  be  applied 
to,  to  rescue  from  destruction  a  fallen 
friend  ?  And  why  should  Aubrey  con- 
jure up  an  array  of  imaginary  ob- 
stacles, arising  out  of  excessive  and 
morbid  fastidiousness?  And  whom 
were  such  scruples  reducing  to  desti- 


422 


TEN   THOUSAND  A -YEAR. 


tution  along  vith  him  ! — his  wife,  his 
children,  his  devoted  and  noble-minded 
sister!  But,  alas!  the  thought  of 
sweet  Kate  suggested  another  source 
of  exquisite  pain  and  embarrassment 
to  Aubrey,  who  well  knew  the  ardent 
and  inextinguishable  passion  for  her 
entertained  by  young  Delamere.  'Twas 
true,  that  to  pacify  his  father,  and  also 
not  to  grieve  or  harass  Miss  Aubrey 
by  llit-  constant  attentions  with  which 
he  would  have  otherwise  followed  her, 
he  had  consented  to  devote  himself 
with  great  assiduity  and  ardour  to  his 
last  year's  studies  at  Oxford  ;  yet  was 
he  by  no  means  an  infrequent  visitor 
at  Vivian  Street,  resolutely  regardless 
of  the  earnest  entreaties  of  Miss  Au- 
brey, and  even  of  her  brother.  Not 
that  tlnre  was  ever  anything  indelicate 
or  obtrusive  in  his  attentions ;  —  how- 
could  it  be  ?  Alas  !  Kate  really  loved 
him,  and  it  required  no  very  great 
acuteness  in  Delamere  to  discover  it. 
He  was  as  fine,  handsome,  a  young 
fellow  as  you  could  see  any  where  ; 
frank,  high-spirited,  accomplished, 
with  an  exceedingly  elegant  deport- 
ment, and  simple,  winning  manners — 
and  could  ;  he  but  be  touched  with  a 
lively  sense  of  the  noble  disinterested- 
ness of  his  attachment  to  her !  ] 
declare  that  Kate  wrote  him  several 
let!  is  in  dissuasion  of  his  addre 
that  wore  such  a  genuine  and  de- 
termined air  of  repulsion  as  would 
have  staggered  most  men  ;  but  young 
Delamere  cared  not  one  straw  for  any 
of  them  :  let  Kate  vary  her  tone  as 
she  pleased,  he  simply  told  her  that 

he  had  sent  them  to  his  mother,  who 
said  they  were  very  good  letters  in- 
deed ;  so  he  would  make  a  point  of 
reading  all  she  would  Mini  him,  and 
bo  forth.  When  Kate,  with  too  solemn 
an  emphasis  to  be  mistaken  or  en- 
countered with  raillery,  assured  him 
that  nothing  upon  earth  should  pre- 
vail upon  n<  i  to  quit  her  pre  i  iil 
station  in  her  brother's  family,  at  all 
events  until  he  bad  compleb  ly  Bur- 
mounti  d  all  his  troubles,  Detain 
with  looks  of  fund  admiration,  would 

reply  that  it  signified  nothing,  as  lie 

was    prepared    to    wait    her    pleasure, 

and  submit  to  any  caprice  or  unkind- 


ness  which,  her  heart  would  let  her 
exhibit.  I  must  own  that  poor  Kate 
was,  on  more  than  one  occasion  of  his 
exhibiting  traits  of  delicate  generosity 
towards  her  brother,  so  moved  and 
melted  towards  her  lover,  that  she 
could — shall  1  say  it? — have  sunk  into 
his  arms  in  silent  and  passionate  ac- 
quiescence ;  for  her  heart  had,  indeed, 
long  been  really  his. — Now,  to  return, 
I  say,  that  when  Mr.  Aubrey  adverted 
for  a  moment  to  this  state  of  things, 
was  it  not  calculated  a  thousand-fold 
to  enhance  the  difficulty  of  his  apply- 
ing to  the  father  of  Delamere  t  So 
indeed  it  was;  and,  torn  with  con- 
flicting emotions  and  considerations 
of  this  kind,  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
fortnight  granted  to  him  for  deliber- 
ation had  elapsed,  before  he  could 
make  up  his  mind  to  apply  to  Lord 
I>e  la  Zouch.  At  length,  however, 
with  a  sort  of  calm  desperation,  he 
determined  to  do  so  :  and  when  he 
had  dropped  into  the  l'osi-OHice  his 
letter — one  in  every  line  of  which  the 
noble  and  generous  person  to  whom  it 
was  addressed  might  easily  detect  the 
writhings  of  its  writer's  wounded 
spirit  —  the  quiverings  of  a  broken 
I.e. irt — he  looked  indeed  a  melancholy 
object.  The  instant  that,  by  dropping 
his  letter  into  the  box,  he  had  irre- 
coverably parted  with  all  control  over 
it,  and  to  Lord  De  la  Zouch  it  must 
go,  Aubrey  felt  as  if  he  would  have 
given  the  world  to  recall  it.  Never 
had  he  heaved  so  many  profound  sighs, 
and  felt  so  utterly  miserable  and  desti- 
tute, as  during  his  walk  homeward 
that  afternoon.  There  they  did  not 
know  of  the  step  he  had  intended  to 
take,  nor  did  he  tell  them  that  he  had 
taken  it.  When  he  saw  his  sister  he 
felt  sick  at  heart  :  and  during  the 
whole  of  the  evening  was  so  oppressed 
and  subdued,  that  the  faint  anxious 
raillery  of  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate,  and 
the  unconscious  sportiveness  of  his 
children,  served  only  to  deepen    the 

g] i    that  was  around    his   spirit. 

lb'  had  request  d  Lord  De  la  Zouch 

to  address  his  answer  to  him  fit  the 
Temple  !  and  sure  enough,  by  return 
of  post,  Mr.  Aubrey  found  lying  on 
his    desk,    on    reaching    the   Temple 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


423 


three  or  four  mornings  afterwards,  a 
letter  addressed,  "  Charles  Aubrey, 
Esq.,  at  — —  Weasel's,  Esq.,  No.  3, 
Pomegranate  Court,  Temple,  London  ;" 
and  franked,  "  De  LA  Zouch." 

"I  shall  return  presently,"  said  Mr. 
Aubrey  to  the  clerk,  with  as  much 
calmness  as  he  could  assume,  having 
put  the  letter  into  his  pocket,  re- 
solving to  go  into  the  Temple  gardens 
and  there  read  it,  where  any  emotion 
which  it  might  excite  would  be  unob- 
served. Having  at  length  seated  him- 
self on  a  bench,  under  one  of  the  old 
trees  near  the  river,  with  a  somewhat 
tremulous  hand  he  took  out  and  opened 
the  letter,  and  read  as  follows  : — 

"  Folhcringham  Castle, 

"lSlhJuhj,  18—. 
"  My  very  dear  Auerey, 

"  If  you  really  value  my  friendship, 
never  pain  my  feelings  again  by  ex- 
pressions of  distrust  as  to  the  issue  of 
any  application  of  yours  to  me,  such 
as  are  contained  in  your  letter  now 
lying  before  me.  Has  anything  that 
has  ever  hitherto  passed  between  us 
justified  them  ?  For  Heaven's  sake, 
tell  your  attorneys  not  to  lose  a  mo- 
ment in  procuring  the  necessary  instru- 
ments, and  forwarding  them  to  me 
through  Messrs.  Framlingham,  my 
lawyers ;  I  will  then  execute  them 
immediately,  and  return  them  to  you 
by  the  next  post  or  mail.  If  you  will 
but  at  once  set  about  this  in  a  busi- 
ness-like way,  I  will  forgive  and  forget 
all  the  absurd  and  unkind  scruples 
with  which  your  letter  abounds.  Since, 
you  would  probably  make  a  mighty 
stir  about  it,  I  shall  not  at  present 
dwell  upon  the  inexpressible  pleasure 
it  would  give  me  to  be  allowed  to 
emancipate  you  at  once  from  the  vul- 
gar and  grasping  wretches  who  are  now 
harassing  you,  my  very  dear  Aubrey, 
and  to  constitute  myself  your  creditor 
instead  of  them.  But,  on  further  con- 
sideration, I  suppose  you  would  dis- 
tress yourself  on  the  ground  of  my 
restricted  means  rendering  it  so  much 
more  difficult  for  me  than  for  them  to 
give  you  time  for  the  payment  of  your 
debt ! !  Or  will  you  play  the  man, 
and  act  at  once  in  the  way  in  which, 


I  assure  you,  upon  my  honour,  I  would 
act  by  you,  on  a  similar  solicitation, 
were  our  situations  reversed  ?  By  the 
way,  I  intend  to  insist  on  being  your 
sole  surety ;  unless,  indeed,  your 
creditors  doubt  my  solvency,  in  which 
case  I  hope  we  shall  be  able,  amongst 
our  common  friends,  to  find  a  sufficient 
co-surety. 

"And  now,  dear  Aubrey,  how  get 
you  on  with  law  ?  Does  she  smile  or 
scowl  upon  you  ?  I  wonder  why  you 
did  not  go  to  the  fountain-head,  and 
become  at  once  a  pupil  to  your  friend, 
the  Attorney-General.  Who  is  the 
gentleman  whom  you  arc  reading  with  ? 
He  certainly  has  rather  a  curious 
name  !  Well,  my  dear  Aubrey,  Hea- 
ven in  its  own  good  time  crown  your 
virtuous  efforts — your  unconquerable 
resolution — with  success  !  Won't  it 
be  odd  if,  when  I  am  dead  and  gone, 
and  my  son  is  occupying  my  present 
place  on  the  benches,  you  should  be 
sitting  on  the  woolsack  ?  More  un- 
likely things  than  this  have  come  to 
pass  :  look  at ! 

"How  are  dear  Mrs.  Aubrey  and 
Miss  Aubrey,  and  your  little  ones  ? 
Though  we  are  going  in  a  fortnight's 
time  to  fill  this  old  place,  (the  — — s, 

the  — —  s,  and  the s,  and  others, 

are  coming,)  we  shall  be  till  then  quite 
deserted,  and  so  after  they  are  gone. 
Would  that  we  could  insist  on  all  of 
you  taking  up  your  abode  with  us ! 
Have  you  seen  Geoflry  lately?  He 
tells  me  that  he  is  working  very  hard 
indeed  at  Oxford  ;  and  so  says  his 
tutor.  It  is  more  than  ever  I  did. 
Pray  write  me  by  return.  I  am  ever, 
my  dear  Aubrey,  yours,  faithfully  and 
affectionately,  De  la  ZotTCH." 

"  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq. 

"P.S.  On  further  consideration, 
let  your  people  send  the  deeds,  &■;., 
at  once  on  to  me,  direct  from  them- 
selves ; — 'tis  a  private  matter,  which 
is  of  no  consequence  to  any  one  but 
ourselves.  No  one,  indeed,  except 
ourselves,  your  own  solicitors,  and 
your  opponents,  need  know  anything 
about  it.  Neither  Lad}-  De  la  Zouch 
nor  my  son  will  have  the  least  inkling 
|  of  the  matter." 


42k 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


No  language  of  mine  can  do  justice 
to  the  feelings  with  which  Mr.  Aubrey, 
after  many  pauses,  occasioned  by 
irrepressible  emotion,  perused  the 
foregoing  letter.  Its  generosity  was 
infinitely  enhanced  by  its  delicacy; 
and  both  were  most  exquisitely  appre- 
ciated by  a  man  of  his  susceptibility, 
and  in  his  circumstances.  His  eyes — 
his  heart  overflowed  with  unutterable 
gratitude  towards  the  Almighty,  and 
the  uoble  instrument  of  his  mercy. 
lie  would  have  flown  on  the  wings  of 
the  wind  to  the  dear  beings  in  Vivian 
Street,  with  joyous  face  and  light 
elastic  step,  to  make  them  partici- 
pators in  his  joy.  He  rose  and  walked 
to  and  fro  by  the  river  side  with  most 
exhilarated  spirits.  The  sky  was 
cloudless  ;  the  sun  shone  brilliantly  ; 
and  innumerable  brisk  and  busy  craft 
were  moving  to  and  fro  upon  the 
swelling  bosom  of  the  magnificent 
Thames.  Gladness  was  in  his  soul. 
The  light  without  was  typical  of  that 
within.  Several  times  he  was  on  Hie 
point  of  starting  olf  to  Vivian  Street ; 
hut,  on  consideration,  he  resolved  to 
go  to  Messrs.  Bunnington,  and  set 
them  into  instant  communication  with 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap; 
and  matters  having  been  set  in  train 
for  the  speediest  possible  settlement, 
Mr.  Aubrey  returned  to  chambers ; 
l>nt  quitted  them  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual,  to  brighten  the  countenances 
of  those  he  loved  by  the  joyous  intelli- 
gence he  bore.  But  he  found  that 
they  also  had  cheering  news  to  com- 
municate  ;  so  that  this  was  indeed  a 
memorable  day  to  them, 
old    Lady   Stratton,  an   early  and 

li n  friend  of  the  late  Mrs.  Aubrey, 

had,  it  may  easily  be  believed,  never 
I  lively  interest  in  the 

fiii!  the  unhappy  Aubreys.    She 

was  uow  far  advanced  iu  years;  and 
tho  an  ample  income, 

deii  vi  d  from  the  liberality  of  her  hus- 
band, Sir  Beryl  Stratton,  Baronet, 
who  had  died  ome  twenty  or  thirty 
years  before  ;  y<  i.  having  m>  children, 
and  seeing  do  neces:  ity  for  saving 
money,  Bhc   bad   followed   the  noble 

ople  of  her  d 1  friend   M  i  . 

Aubrey,  and  bestowed  annually  all  her 


surplus  income  in  the  most  liberal  and 
systematic  charily.  Many  years  be- 
fore, however,  she  had  resolved  u]K>n 
making  a  provision  for  Miss  Aubrey, 
whom  she  loved  as  if  she  had  been  her 
mother  ;  and  the  expedient  she  had 
resorted  to  (quite  unknown  to  the 
Aubreys)  was  to  insure  her  life  for  the 
sum  of  £15,000,  the  whole  of  which 
sum  she  had  intended  to  bequeath  to 
Miss  Aubrey.  The  premiums  on  so 
large  an  insurance  as  this  were  heavy 
annual  drains  upon  her  purse  ;  and, 
together  with  her  long-continued 
charities,  and  the  expenditure  neces- 
sary to  support  her  station,  left  her 
but  stinted  means  for  contributing  to 
the  relief  of  the  ruined  Aubreys.  With 
some  difficulty,  however,  the  old  lady, 
in  one  way  or  another,  principally  by 
effecting  a  loan  from  the  insurance 
company  upon  her  policy,  had  con- 
trived to  raise,  a  sum  of  £2000  ;  and 
Miss  Aubrey  had  that  morning  received 
a  letter  from  her,  full  of  tenderness, 
begging  her  to  present  the  sum  in 
question  (for  which  Lady  Stratton  had 
lodged  a  credit  with  her  bankers  in 
London)  to  her  brother  Mr.  Aubrey, 
to  dispose  of  as  he  pleased — trusting 
that  it  might  be  effectual  in  relieving 
him  from  the  difficulties  which  were 
more  immediately  pressing  upon  him. 
Never  had  they  spent  so  happy  an 
evening  together  since  they  had  quitted 
Yatton.  In  the  excitement  of  the 
hour,  even  Aubrey  felt  for  a  while  as 
if  they  now  saw  their  way  through  all 
their  embarrassments  and  dangers, 
('an  the  reader  imagine  what  must 
have  been  the  feelings  of  Miss  Aubrey 
when  shefirsl  heard  of,  and  afterwards 
reflected    upon,   the   princely   munifi- 

i  ace  of  l.oid  De  In  Zoucb  I     If  lie  can, 
it  is  well-    it  is  more  than  I  am  equal 

to  di     <  ibing.     They  kept  her  awake 

more  thin  half  the  night ;  and  when 
she  appeared  at  breakfast,  her  brother's 
quick  eye  detected  in  her  countenance 
the  traces  of  a  severe  conflict  of  feel- 
ings. With  him  also  mui  h  of  the 
excitement  occasioned  by  the  two 
occurrences  above  mentioned,  had  dis- 
appeared by  the  ti that   he  took  Ilia 

seat  in  his  little  study  at  his  usual  eai  ly 

hour.      First  of  all,  he  felt  very  uneasy 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


425 


in  receiving  so  large  a  sum  from  Lady 
Stratton,  whom   he  knew  not  to  be 
rich — at  all  events,  not  rich  enough  to 
part  with  so  considerable  a  sum  with- 
out   inconvenience  ;    and  he   resolved 
not  to  accept  of  her  proffered  kindness, 
unless  she  would  allow  him  to  trans- 
mit to  her  his  bond  for  the  amount, 
together   with   interest.      Surely  this 
was  an  unnecessary  step  ;  yet  where  is 
the  man  who,  on  all  occasions,  acts 
precisely  as  a  calm  and  reflecting  ob- 
server of  his  conduct,  long  afterwards, 
could  have  wished  him  to  act  ?     One 
must  make  allowance  for  the  feelings 
which    prompted    him  —  those   of    a 
highly   honourable   and    independent 
and  over-sensitive  man,  who  felt  him- 
self oppressed  already  by  the  weight 
of  pecuniary  obligation  which  he  had 
incurred,    and    sought    for   th'3   sem- 
blance of  relief  to  his  feelings  by  re- 
ceiving that  as  a  loan  only  which  had 
been  nobly  proffered   as   a  gift ;  and 
thus,    as   it    were,    in   point    of  fact 
destroying  all  the  grace  and  court  sy 
of  the  benefaction  ;  but   it  is  useless 
discussing  the  matter.     I  regret  that 
Mr.  Aubrey  should  have  allowed  him- 
self to  be  influenced  by  such  consider- 
ations ;  but  so  it  was — and  poor  old 
Lady  Stratton  was   informed  by  him 
in  a  letter  certainly  abounding  in  ex- 
pressions  of    heartfelt   gratitude    and 
affection,  that  he  had  availed  himself 
of  her  generous  assistance,  but  only  on 
the  terms  of  his  'ieing  allowed  to  de- 
posit his  bond  for  the  repayment  of  it, 
with    interest,    with    her    solicitors ; 
earnestly  trusting    that,    erelong,    he 
should  be  enabled  to  fulfil  his  engage- 
ments to  all  who  had  assisted  him. 

This  seasonable  assistance  enabled 
him  to  make  the  following  arrange- 
ment for  liquidating  the  sums  due  on 
account  of  the  tremendous  attorneys' 
bills  :— 

Messrs  Quirk,  Gammon, 

and  Snap's  bill  was     .  £3946  14  6 

Messrs.  Eunnington's     .     1670  12  0 

Mr.  Parkinson's   ...       756     0  0 


Money  in  the  funds  ....  £2640 
Money  at  his  banker's  .  .  .  423 
Advanced  by  Lady  Stratton     .     2000 

£5063 

As  soon  as  he  had  made  the  fore- 
going statement  on  a  slip  of  paper 
early  in  the  morning  in  his  study,  he 
averted  his  eye  from  it  for  a  moment 
with  a  sort  of  cold  shudder.  Were  he 
to  devote  every  farthing  of  assets  that 
he  had,  he  still  could  not  come  within 
£1310  odd  of  his  mere  attorneys'  bills. 
What  was  he  to  do  ?  The  result  of  a 
long  and  anxious  morning's  calculation 
and  scheming  was  to  appropriate  £4000 
of  his  assets  thus — (if  he  could  prevail 
upon  his  creditors  to  be  for  the  present 
content  with  it :) — 

To  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 

and  Snap £2500 

Messrs.  Ruunington  ....     1000 
Mr.  Parkinson 500 


£4000 


If  this  arrangement  could  be  effected, 
then  he  would  be  able  to  reserve  in  his 
own  hands  £1063,  and  retain  liabilities 
as  under : — 

Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon 

and  Snap's  (balance)  .  £1446  14  6 
Messrs.  Eunnington's 

(ditto) 670  12    0 

Mr.  Parkinson's  (ditto)    .     256     0     0 


£2373     6     6 


£6373     6     6 

These  were  his  liabilities.     Then  his 
assets  were  :— 


Heavy  was  his  heart  at  beholding 
this  result  of  even  the  most  favourable 
mode  of  putting  his  case :  but  he  placed 
the  memoranda  in  his  pocket-book,  and 
repaired  to  his  dressing-room ;  and  hav- 
ing completed  his  toilet,  appeared  at 
breakfast  with  as  cheerful  a  counten- 
ance as  he  could  assume.  Each  of  the 
three  assembled  perceived,  however, 
that  the  others  were  striving  to  ap- 
pear gay  and  happy.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  within  a  week's  time,  Messrs. 
Runnington  received  the  necessary 
security  from  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  who 
had  thereby  bound  himself  in  the 
penal  sum  of  £20,000  that  Mr.  Aubrey 
should,  on  or  before  the  24th  day  of 
January,   18 — ,  (that   is,  in   eighteen 


420 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


months'  time   from   the   date  of  the 
howl.)    pay    the    principal    sum    of 
£10, i»i0,  wiili  interest  at  5  per  cent  ; 
ami   this   instrument,    together   with 
Mr.    Aubrey's    two    promissory-notes 
for  £5000  each,  awl  also  cash  to  the 
amount  of  £2500  in  part  payment  of 
their   bill,   having   been  delivered   to 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap — 
who,  after  a  great  deal  of  reluctanee 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Quirk,  finally  con- 
sented to  allow  the  balance  of  £1446, 
14s.  Cd.  to  stand  over — they  delivered 
to  him,  first  a  receipt  for  so  much  on 
account  of  their  own  bill ;  and  secondly, 
an  instrument  by  which  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, for  the  considerations  therein 
expressed,  did  remise,  release,  and  for 
ever  quit  claim,  unto  Charles  Aubrey, 
his  heirs,  executors,  and   administra- 
tors, all  other  demands  whatsoever, 
[i.e.    other    than    the    said    sum    of 
£20,000.]     By  this  arrangement  Mr. 
Aubrey  was  absolutely  exonerated  from 
the  sum  of  £40,000,  in  which  he  stood 
indubitably  indebted  to  Mr.  Titmouse, 
and  so  far  he  had  just  cause  for  con- 
gratulation.   But  was  not  his  situation 
still  one  calculated  to  depress  and  alarm 
him  more  and  more  every  time  that  he 
contemplated  it  ?  "Where  was  he  to  find 
the  sum  requisite  to  release  Lord  De 
la  Zonch  from  any  part  of  his  dreadful 
liability?     Feu-  with  such  a  surety  in 
their  power  as  that  great  and  opulent 
peer,  was  it  likely  that  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  would  be  other- 
wise  than  peremptory  and  inflexible 
when  the  day  of  payment  arrived? 
And  if  so,  with   what  feelings  must 
Mr.  Aubrey  see  his  noble  and  gener- 
ous friend  called  upon  to  pay  down 
nearly  £11,000  for  him  ?     And  was  he 
nol  liable  at  any  moment  upon  his  own 
two  notes  for  S5000  each  !     And  were 
they   not   likely    to   insist   speedily  on 

the  discharge  of  their  own  serious 
balance  of  £1446  odds?  How  likely 
that  persons  Buch  as  they  and  their 
client  were  reprei cnted  to  be,  would, 
an  soon  a.  they  decently  could,  pro- 
ceed to  extremities  with  him,  in  tin' 
confidi  ice  th  ii  the  sight  and  the 
of  his  agonies  would  call  in  powerful 
awl  affluent  friends  to  his  assistance  I 
Still  pro  '  d,  as  indeed  he  was,  his 


spirit  had  by  no  means  lost  itselastioity, 
supported  as  he  was  by  a  powerful,  an 
unconquerable  will — and  also  by  a 
devout  reliance  upon  the  protection  of 
Providence.  Though  law  is  indeed  an 
exhausting  and  absorbing  study,  and  it 
was  pursued  by  Mr.  Aubrey  with  un- 
flagging energy,  yet  he  found  time 
(those  who  choose  may  find  timeenough 
fbreverything)  to  contribute  sensibly  to 
tin'  support  of  himself  and  his  family 
by  literary  labours,  expended  princi- 
pally upon  compositions  of  an  historical 
and  political  character,  and  which  were 
forwarded  from  lime  to  time  to  the 
distinguished  Review  which  has  been 
already  mentioned.  To  produce,  as  ho 
produced,  articles  of  this  description 
— of  considerable  length  and  frequency 
— requiring  ready,  extensive,  awl  ac- 
curate knowledge,  and  careful  compo- 
sition ;  original  awl  vigorous  in  their 
conception  and  their  execution,  and  by 
their  intrinsic  merit  arresting,  immedi- 
ately on  their  appearance,  the  attention 
of  the  public  ;  1  say,  to  do  all  this, 
awl  only  in  those  precious  intervals 
which  ought  to  have  been  given  to 
the  relaxation  of  his  strained  faculties 
awl  physical  powers — and  under  the 
pressure,  too,  of  such  overpowering 
anxieties  as  were  his — argued  surely 
the  possession  of  first-rate  energies — of 
a  perfectly  indomitable  resolution.  All 
this  while,  moreover,  lie  contrived  to 
preserve  an  unruffled  temper — which, 
with  a  man  of  such  sensibilities  as  his, 
afforded  indeed  a  signal  instance  of 
self-control  ;  and,  in  short,  on  all  these 
grounds,  Mr.  Aubrey  appears  entitled  to 
the  sympathy  awl  respect  of  all  reflect* 
ing  persons.     I  spoke  of  his  anxieties* 

Suppose,  thought  lie,  health  should 
fail  him,  what  was  to  become  of  him, 
and  of  those  absolutely  dependenl  upon 

him  !   Suppose  illn  ssshould  invadetho 

dear  members  of  his  family,  what  was  in 
prospect  but  destitution — or  surrender- 
ing  them  up— bitter  and  heart-break- 
ing contingency  !  to  the  precarious 
charity  of  others?  What  would  avail 
all  his  exhausting  labours  in  the  acq  ui* 
:i  of  professional  knowledge,  while 
his  liberty  was  entirely  at  the  com- 
mand id'  Mr.  Titmouse,  awl  Messrs. 
Quirk, Gammon,  awl  Snap, who  might, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


427 


at  any  moment,  actuated  by  mercenary 
motives  or  impelled  by  caprice,  blight 
all  his  prospects,  and  incarcerate  him 
in  a  prison  !  Yet,  under  this  burden — 
to  adopt  the  language  of  Sir  Henry 
Spelman  on  an  analogous  occasion, 
"non  ingentem  solum,  sccl  pcrpctuis 
humcris  sustinendum  " — Mr.  Aubrey 
stood  firmly.  He  felt  that  he  was 
called  upon  to  endure  it ;  a  blessed 
spirit  .ever,  as  it  were,  beside  him, 
whispering  the  consolatory  assurance, 
that  all  this  was  ordered  and  designed 
by  the  Supreme  Disposer  of  events,  as 
a  trial  of  his  constancy,  and  of  his 
faith,  and  that  the  issue  was  with  Him. 
It  is  mercifully  ordained,  that  "hope 
springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast," 
and  that,  too,  in  every  turn  and  variety 
of  mortal  misery.  It  was  so  with  Au- 
Irey.  So  long  as  he  felt  his  health 
unimpaired,  and  his  mental  energies 
in  full  vigour,  he  looked  on  these 
blessings  as  a  sort  of  guarantee  from 
Heaven  that  he  should  be  able  to  carry 
on  a  successful,  though  it  might  be  a 
long  and  wearisome  struggle  with  ad- 
verse circumstances.  Still  it  cost  him 
a  very  painful  effort  to  assume  and 
preserve  that  exterior  of  tranquillity 
which  should  calm  and  assure  the  be- 
loved beings  associated  with  him  in 
this  hour  of  peril  and  suffering  ;  and 
oftener  than  they  chose  to  let  him 
know  of  it,  did  the  keen  eye  of  a  wife's 
and  sister's  love  detect  the  gloom  and 
oppression  which  darkened  his  coun- 
tenance and  saddened  his  manner. 
Theirs  was,  after  all,  with  all  that  I 
have  said,  a  happy  little  home.  He 
was  almost  always  punctual  to  his 
dinner-hour,  to  a  minute,  knowing 
how  a  thousand  fears  on  his  account 
would  otherwise  assail  the  fond  beings 
who  were  counting  the  minutes  till 
his  arrival.  "When  they  had  once  thus 
met,  they  never  separated  till  bed- 
time. Sometimes  Miss  Aubrey  would 
sit  down  to  her  piano,  and  accompany 
herself  in  some  song  or  air,  which 
equally,  whether  merry  or  mournful, 
revived  innumerable  touching  and  ten- 
der recollections  of  former  days,  and 
she  often  ceased,  tremulously  and  in 
tears,  in  which  she  was  not  unfrequent- 
ly  joined  by  both  of  those  who  had 


been  listening  to  her.  Then  he  would 
betake  himself  to  his  labours  for  the 
rest  of  the  evening  (not  quitting  tho 
room),  they  either  assisting  him — fair 
and  eager  amanuenses  !  or  themselves 
reading,  or  engaged  at  needle-work. 
Oh  !  it  was  ecstasy,  too,  to  that  poor 
oppressed  father  to  enter  into  the  wild 
sports  and  gambols  of  his  light-hearted 
little  ones,  Charles  and  Agnes,  who 
always  made  their  appearance  for  about 
a  couple  of  hours  after  dinner  ;  to  tell 
them  "stories,"  to  listen  to  theirs,  to 
show  them  pictures,  to  hear  Charles 
read,  and  to  join  heartily  in  their 
frolics,  rolling  about  even  on  the  floor 
with  them.  But  when  he  paused  for 
a  moment,  and  his  wife  and  Kate  suc- 
ceeded him  as  their  playmates,  for  a 
short  interval,  when  his  eye  followed 
then  movements,  what  sudden  and 
sharp  pangs  would  pass  through  his 
heart,  as  he  thought  of  the  future  and 
what  was  to  become  of  them  ! — And 
when  their  maid  arrived  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  causing  all  sport  instant- 
ly to  cease,  and  longing  looks  to  be 
directed  to  papa  and  mamma,  saying  as 
plainly  as  could  be  said,  "only  a  few 
minutes  more,"  how  fondly  would  ho 
fold  them  in  his  arms  !  and  when  ho 
felt  their  little  arms  clasping  his  neck 
and  caressing  him,  and  their  kisses 
"all  over"  his  face,  feelings  were  ex- 
cited within  him,  which  were  too  deep 
for  utterance — which  defy  description. 
'Tis  said,  I  believe,  of  Robespierre,  as 
an  instance  of  his  fearful  refinement  in 
cruelty,  that  a  person  of  distinction  who 
had  become  obnoxious  to  him  he  form- 
ally condemned  to  death,  but  allowed 
to  remain  in  the  torturing,  the  excruci- 
ating presence  of  his  lovely  family ; 
lie  and  they  aware,  all  the  while,  that 
his  doom  was  irrevocable,  inevitable ; 
and  he  momentarily  liable  to  the  sum- 
mons to  the  guillotine,  and  which  in 
fact  came  at  length,  when  they  were 
all  seated  together  one  day  at  the 
breakfast- table  !  Oh,  the  feelings  with 
which  that  unfortunate  person  must 
have  daily  regarded  the  countenances 
of  those  around  him  !  How  applicable 
to  his  condition  tho  heart-breaking 
strains  of  Medea — 


428 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Qev,  $eu,  ti  irpocSepicecrQe  /x'  o/ip.a<jpn',  tIkvo.  ; 
Tt  7rpo<ryfAaT«  ihv  itavixnaTov  yi\uv  } 
AT,  at,  Ti  Spa<Th>  ;    Kapii'a  yap  oi^fTai, 
Tuvaticc?,  bfifjLO.  tpat&p'ov  (os  t~t£or  T€#cru>r.* 

The  above  passage  was  one  that 
very  frequently,  on  the  occasions  ] 
have  alluded  to,  occurred  to  the  mind 
of  Sir.  Aubrey  ;  for  lie  felt  himself 
indeed  every  moment  at  the  mercy  of 
those  to  whom  he  owed  such  tremend- 
ous sums  of  money,  and  for  which  lie 
was  liable  to  be,  at  any  moment  thai 
might  be  selected  by  malice  or  rapa- 
city, p'ueked  from  his  little  home, 
and  cast  into  prison  ! 

Oh,  happy  ye,  now  reading  these 
pages,  "  unto  whom  tlie  lines  are 
fallen  in  pleasant  places,  yea,  who 
have  a  good!;/  heritage  ;"  who  live,  as 
it  were,  in  a  "land flowing  with  milk 
and  honey;"  with  whom  life  glides 
away  like  a  tranquil  and  pleasant 
dream  ;  who  are  not  sternly  bidden 
"to  cat  your  bread  with  quaking,  and 
drink  i/our  water  witlo  trembling  and 
toith  eanfu/ncss,"f  nor  "in  vain  to 
rise  up  early,  to  sit  up  late,  to  eat  the 
tread  of  sorrows;  "  who  have,  indeed, 
"no  thought  for  the.  morroiv  ;" — oh, 
ye  who  have  leisure  and  ample  means 
to  pursue  the  objects  "fan  honourable 
ambition,  undisturbed  by  daily  fears 
for  daily  bread — by  terror,  lest  im- 
placable  creditors  should  at  length 
frustrate  all  your  efforts,  drive  you 
from  your  position  in  society,  and 
precipitate  you  and  yours  into  ruin; 
— I  say,  oh  ye !  do  I  appeal  to  you  in 
vain  1  Do  you  turn  from  this  painful 
portion  of  my  narrative  with  indiffer- 
i  nee,  or  contempt,  or  wearisomeness  '. 
If  the  mere  description,  brief  though 
it  may  he,  of  the  Bufferings  of  the 
Aubreys  be  trying  and  disagreeable  to 
you,  what  must  have  been  to  them 
the  actual  endurance?  Poor  Aubrey, 
as  he  walked  along  the  crowded  tho- 
roughfares,  morning  and  evening,  be- 
tween the  Temple  and  Vivian  81  reel , 
what  a  disheai  tening  i  om  i  iousness  he 
felt  of  his  personal  insignificance ! 
Which  of  the  pa  an  or 

plebeian,  that  met  or  passed  him,  cared 
one  straw  f>r  him,  or  would  have 
cared  a    1 1  aw  for  him,  had  tin  y  even 

•  m  I   Ezok.  xii.  I*. 


known  the  load  of  misery  and  mis- 
fortune under  which  he  staggered  past 
them  ?  Every  time  that  he  thus  passed 
between  the  scene  of  his  absorbing 
labours  at  the  Temple,  and  that  green 
spot — his  house  in  Vivian  Street — in 
the  world's  wide  desert,  where  only 
his  heart  was  refreshed  by  the  never- 
failing  spring  of  domestic  love  and 
tenderness,  he  felt,  as  it  were,  but  a 
prisoner  out  upon  parole  !  It  is  easy 
to  understand  that  when  a  man  walks 
alone  the  streets  of  London,  depressed 
in  spirit,  and  alarmed  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  increasing  pecuniary  em- 
barrassment, his  temper  is  likely  to 
become  irritable,  his  deportment  for- 
bidding, his  spirit  stern  and  soured, 
particularly  against  those  who  appeal 
to  his  charity,  which  then,  indeed,  he 
might  lie  pardoned  for  feeding,  and 
bitterly — to  brain  at  home.  It  was 
not  so,  however,  with  Aubrey,  whose 
constant  feeling  was — Hand  ignarus 
j  succicrrere  di '-1C0  :  and 
though  it  may  appear  a  small  thing  to 
mention,  I  feel  gratification  in  record- 
ing of  him,  that,  desperate  as  were 
his  circumstances,  infinitely  enhanced 
to  him  as  was  the  value  of  money,  he 
went  seldom  unprovided  with  the 
means  of  relieving  the  humbler  appli- 
cants for  charity  whom  he  passed  in 
the  streets — of  dropping  some  small 
token  of  his  love  and  pity  into  the 
trembling  and  feeble  hand  of  want — 
of  those  whose  necessities  he  felt  to  be 
greater  even  than  his  own.  Never, 
indeed,  did  the  timid  eye  of  the  m< 
t  liiered,  starved,  and  emaciated  obji 
that  is  suffered  to  crawl  along  the 
streets  catch  that  of  Aubrey,  without 
making  his  heart  acknowledge  the 
secret  bond  of  misery  which  hound 
i  together  —  that  he  beheld  a 
brother  in  bondage,  and  on  whom  he 
cheerfully  bestowed  the  humble  pit- 
tance' which  he  believed  that  Provi- 
dcncehadyel  Left  at  his  disposal.  Pro 
perity  and  advi  raity  have  equallj 
effect  up. in  an  inferior  mind  and  heat  (, 
of  generating  is.    The  one  en- 

courages, the  other  forces  it.      M 
is   apt    to    thin!;   its   own    sullen 
greater  than  those  of  any  one  else — 

an  I  n  iturally.     The  eye,  as  it  were,  is 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


429 


filled  with  the  object  distress  and 
danger — that  is  nearest  —  that  is  in 
such  fearful  contiguity,  obscuring 
from  view  all  remoter  objects,  at  once 
scaring  away  presence  of  mind,  and 
centring  its  hopes  and  fears  upon  self. 
Not  so,  however,  i3  it  when  a  noble 
nature  is  the  sufferer — and  more  espe- 
cially when  that  nature  is  strengthened 
and  brightened  by  the  support  and  con- 
solation derived  from  philosophy  — 
and,  above  all,  religion.  To  many  a 
strong  spirit,  destitute  of  such  assist- 
ance, alas !  how  often,  under  similar 
circumstances,  have  come  —  ghastly 
visitants  ! — Despair  and  Madness,  with 
their  hideous  attendant  Suicide,  to 
do  their  bidding  ? 

To  Mr.  Aubrey  the  Sabbath  was  in- 
deed not  only  a  day  for  performing  the 
iniblic  services  of  religion,  but  also  a 
day  of  real  rest  from  the  labours  of 
life.  It  was  not  one  to  him  of  puri- 
tanical gloom  or  excitement,  but  of 
sincere,  cheerful,  fervent,  enlightened 
devotion.  It  would  have  been  to  the 
reader,  I  think,  not  an  uninteresting 
sight  to  behold  this  unfortunate  aud 
harassed  family  at  church.  They  took 
almost  the  only  pew  that  was  vacant 
in  the  gallery — in  a  church  not  far 
distant  from  Vivian  Street — a  pew 
just  holding  themselves  and  little 
Charles,  who,  since  their  arrival  in 
town,  had  begun  to  accompany  them 
to  the  morning  service.  There  was 
something  in  their  appearance — punc- 
tual as  they  were  to  morning  and 
evening  service — that  could  hardly 
fail  to  interest  any  one  who  observed 
them.  Two  very  elegant  and  lovely 
women,  dressed  in  simple  half-mourn- 
ing—he of  calm,  gentlemanly  man- 
ners, an  intellectual  countenance,  but 
overshadowed  with  deep  seriousness, 
if  not  melancholy — as,  indeed,  was 
the  case  with  the  whole  of  the  little 
group,  except  the  beautiful  child, 
Charles.  If  their  mere  appearance 
was  thus  calculated  to  interest  those 
around,  who  beheld  them  so  punctual 
in  their  attendance,  how  much  would 
that  interest  have  been  increased  had 
the  beholder  possessed  an  inkling  of 
their  singular  and  melancholy  history  ? 
Here  were  individuals,  whose  coudition 


was  testing  the  reality  of  the  consola- 
tions of  religion,  exhibiting  humility, 
resignation,  faith,  a  deep  delight  in 
attending  the  house  of  Him  who  had 
permitted  such  dreadful  disasters  to 
befall  them,  and  whose  will  it  yet 
seemed  to  be  that  they  should  pass 
through  deepersufferings  than  they  had 
yet  experienced.  His  temple  seemed, 
indeed,  to  them  a  refuge  and  shelter 
from  the  storm.  To  Mr.  Aubrey 
eveiy  portion  of  the  church  service 
was  precious,  for  its  purity,  its  sim- 
plicity, its  solemnity,  its  fervour,  its 
truly  scriptural  character,  its  adapta- 
tion to  every  imaginable  condition  of 
feeling  and  of  circumstance,  indeed 
"  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men." 
There  was  a  little  circumstance, 
fraught  with  much  interest,  which 
occurred  to  them  shortly  after  they 
had  commenced  their  attendance  at 
the  church.  An  occasional  sermon 
was  preached  one  evening  by  a 
stranger,  from  the  words  "  Though  lie 
slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him,"  on 
behalf  of  a  neighbouring  dispensary. 
Mr.  Aubrey  was  soon  struck  by  the 
unusual  strength  and  beauty  of  the 
sermon  in  point  of  composition.  Its 
language  was  at  once  chaste,  pointed, 
and  forcible ;  its  reasoning  clear  and 
cogent ;  its  illustration  apt  and  vivid  ; 
its  pathos  genuine.  As  he  went  on, 
Mr.  Aubrey  became  more  and  more 
convinced  that  he  had  seen  or  heard 
the  preacher  before  ;  and  on  enquiring, 
afterwards,  his  name,  his  impressions 
proved  to  be  correct ;  the  preacher 
had  been  at  Oxford,  at  the  very  same 
college  with  him,  and  this  was  the 
first  time  that  they  had  since  come 
within  sight  of  each  other.  Mr. 
Aubrey  at  once  introduced  himself, 
and  was  recognised,  and  they  renewed 
their  early  friendship.  Mr.  Neville, 
poor  soul,  had  nothing  upon  earth  to 
support  himself  with  but  an  afternoon 
lectureship  in  one  of  the  city  churches, 
from  which  he  derived  about  £75 
a-year ;  and  on  this  sum  alone  he  had 
contrived,  for  the  last  four  or  five 
years,  to  support  both  himself  and  his 
wife — a  very  amiable  and  fond  woman. 
Fortunately  they  had  no  children ; 
but    they   hail   seen   much    affliction, 


430 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


each  of  thorn  being  in  but  middling 
health,  ami  a  Bad  proportion  of  his 
little  income  was,  consequently,  de- 
voted to  doctor^'  bills,  lie  was  an 
admirable  scholar ;  a  man  of  very 
powerful  understanding,  and  deeply 
read  in  metaphysics  and  divinity. 
Yet  this  wretched  pittance  was  all  ho 
could  procure  for  his  support ;  and 
pinching  work  for  them,  poor  souls,  it 
was  indeed,  to  "make  ends  meet." 
They  lived  in  very  small  but  creditable 
lodgings  ;  and  amid  all  their  priva- 
tions, and  with  all  the  gloom  of  the 
future  before  them,  they  were  as 
cheerful  a  little  couple  as  the  world 
ever  saw.  They  dearly  loved,  and 
would  have  sacrificed  everything  for 
each  other  ;  ami  so  long  as  they  could 
but  keep  their  chins  above  water,  and 
he  realize  the  stern  and  noble  feeling, 
"pauper,  sed  ,n  meo  cere,"  they  cared 
not  for  their  exclusion  from  most  of 
the  comforts  and  all  the  elegances  of 
life.  They  were,  both  of  them,  en- 
tirely resigned  to  the  will  of  Heaven 
as  to  their  position  —  nay,  in  all 
things,  she  generally  accompanied 
him  whithersoever  he  went ;  but  on 
the  present  occasion  the  good  little 
creature  was  lying  at  home  in  bed, 
enduring  great  suffering ;  and  the 
thought  of  it  made  the  preacher's 
heart  very  heavy,  and  his  voice  to 
falter  a  little,  several  times  during  his 
sermon. — He  was  perfectly  delighted 
when  Mr.  Aubrey  introduced  himself; 
and  when  the  latter  had  heard  all  his 
friend's  little  history — who  had  indeed 
a  child-like  simplicity  and  frankni 
and  told  Mr.  Aubrey  everything  he 
knew  about  himself  —  Mr.  Aubrey 
wrung  his  hand  with  great  emotion, 
almost  ton  great  for  expression.  It 
seemed  that  a  bishop,  before  whom 
poor  Neville  had  accidentally  preached 
seven  years  before,  had  sent  for  him, 
nnd  expressed  BUcb  a  very  high  opinion 
of  his  sermon,  as  led  him  reasonably 
to  look  for  some  little  preferment  at 
his  lordship's  ban. Is,  1  ut  in  vain. 
Poor  Neville  had  no  powerful  friends, 
nnd  the  biahi  < tu  helmed  with 

applicants  lor  everything  he  had  to 
givc>  away;  so  it  is  not   much  to   he 

wondered  at  that  in  time  he  totally 


lost  sight  of  Mr.  Neville,  and  of  the 
hopes  winch  had  blossomed  but  to  be 
blighted.  "What  touched  Mr.  Aubrey 
to  the  soul,  was  the  unaffected  cheer- 
fulness with  which  poor  Mr.  Neville 
— now  in  lus  fortieth  year — reconciled 
himself  to  his  unpromising  circum- 
stances, the  calmness  with  which  lie 
witnessed  the  door  of  preferment  evi- 
dently shut  upon  him  for  ever.  Mr. 
Aubrey  obtained  from  him  h's  add] 
ami  resolved  that,  though  for  reasons 
long  ago  mentioned  he  had  withdrawn 
from  almost  every  one  of  his  former 
friends  and  associates,  yet  with  this 
poor,  this  neglected  but  happy 
clergyman,  he  would  endeavour  to 
rnew  and  cement  firmly  their  early- 
formed  but  long-suspended  friend- 
ship. And  when,  on  his  return  to 
Vivian  Street,  (whither  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Aubrey  had  proceeded  alone,  at 
his  request,  while  be  walked  on  with 
Mr.  Neville.)  he  told  them  the.  little 
history  which  I  have  above  indicated 
to  the  reader,  how  the  hearts  of  all 
of  them  went  forth  towards  one  "ho 
was  in  ma'  y  respects  a  fellow-sufferer 
witli  themselves,  and,  practising  what 
lie,  preached,  was  really  a  pattern  of 
resignation  to  the  will  of  Cod;  of 
humble  but  hearty  faith  in  his  mercy 
and  loving-kindness ! 

Mr.  Aubrey  was  not  long  in  paying 
his  promised  visit  to  Mr.  Neville, 
accompanied  by  Mrs.  Aubrey.  'Twas 
a  long  and  not  very  agreeable  walk  for 
them,  towards  St  George's  in  the 
bast  ;  and  on  reaching  a  small  row  of 
neat  bouses,  only  one  Btory  high,  and 
being  shown  into  Mr.  Neville's  very 
little  sii  ting-room,  they  found  Mrs. 
Neville  lying  on  a  little  rickety  sofa 
near  the  iiie,  looking  very  ill,  ami  Mr. 
Neville  sitting  before  her,  with  a 
number  of  books  on  the  table,  and 
pen,  ink,  and  paper,  with  which  be 
was  occupied  preparing  his  next  Sun- 
day's Sermon  j  hut.  there  was  also  a 
Blip  of  paper  on  the  table  of  a  different 
description,  and  «  hich  had  occasioned 
both  of  them  great  distress;  vis.  a 
rather  peremptory  note  from  their 
medical  man,  touching  the  payment 
of  his  "trifling  account"  of £14  odd. 
Wh  re  poor  Neville  was  to  obtain  such 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


431 


a  sum,  neither  he  nor  his  wife  knew  : 
they  had  already  almost  deprived  them- 
selves of  necessary  food  and  clothing, 
to  enable  them  to  discharge  another 
account,  and  this  new  demand  of  an 
old  claim  had  indeed  grievously  dis- 
quieted them.  They  said  nothing 
about  it  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  who 
soon  made  themselves  at  home,  and 
by  their  unaifected  simplicity  and 
cordiality  of  manner,  relieved  their 
humble  hosts  from  all  anxiety.  They 
partook  of  tea,  in  a  sufficiently  homely 
and  frug  J  style  ;  and  before  they  rose 
to  go  they  exacted  a  promise,  that,  as 
soon  as  Mrs.  Neville  should  have 
recovered,  they  would  both  come  and 
spend  a  long  day  in  Vivian  Street. 
They  soon  became  very  intimate  ;  and, 
Mrs.  Neville's  health  at  length  being 
such  as  to  preclude  her  from  attending 
at  all  to  her  needle,  the  reader  will 
probably  think  none  the  less  of  Miss 
Aubrey  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  when  he 
hears  that  they  insisted  on  taking 
that  task  upon  themselves,  (a  matter 
in  which  they  were  becoming  some- 
what expert,)  and  many  and  many  an 
hour  did  these  two  charming  women 
spend,  both  in  Vivian  S:reet  and  at 
Mrs.  Neville's,  in  relieving  her  from 
her  labours— particularly  in  preparing 
their  winter  clothing.  And  now  that 
I  am  on  this  point,  I  may  as  well 
mention  another  not  less  amiable  trait 
in  Kate ;  that,  hearing  of  a  girl's 
school  about  to  be  founded  in  con- 
nexion with  the  church  which  they 
attended,  and  in  support  of  which 
several  ladies  had  undertaken  to  pre- 
pare various  little  matters,  such  as 
embroidery,  lace,  pictures,  and  articles 
of  fancy  and  ornament,  Kate  also  set 
to  work  with  her  pencil  and  brushes. 
She  was  a  very  tasteful  draughts- 
woman ;  and  produced  four  or  five 
such  delicate  and  beautiful  sketches,  in 
water  colour,  of  scenes  in  and  about 
Yatton,  as  made  her  a  very  distin- 
guished contributor  to  the  undertak- 
ing ;  each  of  her  sketches  producing 
upwards  of  two  guineas.  She  also 
drew  a  remarkably  spirited  crayon 
sketch  of  the  pretty  little  head  of 
Charles — who  accompanied  her  to  the 
place  where    her   contributions  were 


deposited,  and  delivered  it  in  with  his 
own  hand. — Thus,  in  short,  were  this 
sweet  and  amiable  family  rapidly  re- 
conciling themselves  to  their  altered 
circumstances — taking  real  pleasure  in 
the  new  scenes  which  surrounded  them, 
and  the  novel  duties  devolving  upon 
them  ;  and  as  their  feelings  became 
calmer,  they  felt  how  true  it  is  that 
happiness  in  this  world  depends  not 
upon  mere  external  circumstances,  but 
upon  the  wind  —  which,  contented 
and  well  regulated,  can  turn  everything 
around  it  into  a  source  of  enjoyment 
and  thankfulness — making  indeed  the 
wilderness  to  bloom  and  blossom  as  the 
rose. 

They  kept  up — especially  Kate — a 
constant  correspondence  with  good  old 
Doctor  Tatham  ;  who,  judging  from 
the  frequency  and  the  length  of  his 
letters,  which  were  written  with  a 
truly  old-fashioned  distinctness  and 
uniformity  of  character,  must  have 
found  infinite  pleasure  in  his  task.  So 
also  was  it  with  Kate,  who,  if  she  had 
even  been  writing  to  her  lover — nay, 
between  ourselves,  what  would  Mr. 
Delamere  have  given  to  have  had  ad- 
dressed to  himself  one  of  the  long 
letters,  crossed  down  to  the  very  post- 
script, full  of  sparkling  delicacy,  good 
nature,  and  good  sense,  which  so  often 
found  their  way  to  the  "Rev.  Dr. 
Tatham,  Yatton  Vicarage,  Yorkshire!" 
They  were  thus  apprised  of  everything 
of  moment  that  transpired  at  Yatton, 
to  which  their  feelings  clung  with 
unalienable  affection.  Dr.  Tatham's 
letters  had  indeed  almost  always  a 
painful  degree  of  interest  attached  to 
them.  From  his  frequent  mention  of 
Mr.  Gammon's  name  —  and  almost 
equally  favourable  as  frequent — it  ap- 
peared that  he  possessed  a  vast  as- 
cendancy over  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  was, 
whenever  he  was  at  Yatton,  in  a 
manner  its  moving  spirit.  The  Doc- 
tor represented  Titmouse  as  a  truly 
wretched  creature,  with  no  more  sense 
of  religion  than  a  monkey ;  equally 
silly,  selfish,  and  vulgar  —  unfeeling 
and  tyrannical  wherever  he  had  an 
opportunity  of  exhibiting  his  real 
character. 

It  exquisitely  pained  them,  more- 


432 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


over,  to  find  pretty  distinct  indications 
of  a  sterner  and  Btrictcr  rule  being 
apparent  at  Yatton,  tl  an  had  ever 
been  known  there  before,  so  far  as  the 
tenants  and  villagers  were  concerned. 
Benta  were  now  required  to  be  paid 
with  the  utmost  punctuality  ;  many 
of  them  were  raised,  and  harsher  terms 
introduced  into  their  leases  and  agree- 
ments. In  Mr.  Aubrey's  time  a  dis- 
tri  as  or  an  action  for  rent  was  literally 
a  thing  unheard  of  in  any  part  of  the 
estate  ;  but  nearly  a  dozen  had  oc- 
curred since  the  accession  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse. If  this  was  at  the  instance  of 
the  ruling  spirit,  Mr.  Gammon  had 
certainly  got  none  of  the  odium  of  the 
proceeding,  every  letter  announcing  a 
resort  to  those  extreme  proceedings, 
being  expressly  authorized  by  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse personally ;  Mr.  Gammon,  on 
most  of  such  occasions,  putting  in  a 
faint  word  or  two  in  favour  of  the 
tenant,  but  ineffect'  ally.  The  legal 
proceedings  were  always  conducted  in 
the  name  of  "Bloodsuck  and  Son," 
whose  town  agents  were,  "  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap ; "  but  their  names 
never  came  under  the  eye  of  the  de- 
fendants !  No  longer  could  the  poor 
villagers,  and  poorer  tenants,  reckon 
on  their  former  assistance  from  the 
Hall  in  the  hour  of  sickness  and  dis- 
tress: cowslip  wine,  currant  wine, 
elderberry  wine,  if  made,  were  con- 
sumed in  the  Hall.  In  short,  there 
was  a  discontinuance  of  all  those  in- 
numerable little  endearing  courtesies, 
and  charities,  and  hospitalities,  which 
render  a  good  old  country  mansion  the 
raj  heart  of  the  neighbourhood.  Tin- 
Doctor,  in  one  of  his  letters,  intimated, 
with  a  sort  of  agony,  that  he  had 
heard  it  mentioned  by  the  people  at 
Ihd  Hall,  as  probable  that  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse      the    little    Goth Would    pllll 

down  that  noble  ol<l  relic,  the  turreted 

gateway  ;  but  that  Mr.  Gammon  was 

vehemently  opposed  to  such  a  measure ; 
ami  that,  if  it  were  preserved  alter  all, 
it  would  be  entirely  ow  ing  to  the  I 
and  the  influence  of  that  gentleman. 
Had  Dr.  Tatham  chosen,  he  could 
have  added  n  fact  thai  would  indeed 

have    saddened     his    I'll.  I:  !—     t  Li.     that 

the  old  sycamore,  which  had  been  pre- 


served at  the  fond  entreaties  of  Kate, 
and  which  was  hallowed  by  so  many 
sad  and  tender  associations,  had  been 
long  ago  removed  as  a  sort  of  eyesore  ; 
Mr.  Gammon  had,  in  fact,  directed  it 
to  be  done  ;  hut  he  repeatedly  ex- 
pressed to  Dr.  Tatham,  confidential  y, 
his  regret  at  such  an  act  on  the  part  of 
Titmouse.  He  could  also  have  told 
them  that  there  had  been  a  dog-fight 
in  the  village,  at  which  Mr.  Titmouse 
was  present !  Persons  were  beginning 
to  make  their  appearance  in  the  vil- 
1  ige,  of  a  very  different  description 
from  any  that  had  been  seen  there  in 
the  time  of  the  Aubrey's — persons, 
now  and  then,  of  loose,  and  wild,  and 
reckless  characters.  Mr.  Titmouse 
would  often  get  up  a  fight  in  tho 
village,  and  reward  the  victor  with 
five  or  ten  shillings  !  Then  the  snug 
and  quiet  little  "  Aubrey  Arms  "  was 
metamorphosed  into  the  "Titmouse 
Arms  ;"  and  another  set  up  in  oppo- 
sition to  it,  and  called  "The  Toper's 
Arms;  "and  it  was  really  painful  to 
see  the  increasing  trade  driven  by 
eai  h  of  them.  They  were  both  full 
every  night,  and  often  during  the  day 
also  ;  and  the  vigilant,  and  affection- 
ate, and  grieved  eye  of  the  good  vicar 
noticed  several  seats  ill  the  church, 
which  had  formerly  been  occupied 
every  Sunday  morning  and  afternoon, 
to  be — empty  !  In  his  letters,  he  con- 
siderably sink  the  grosser  features  of 
Titmouse's  conduct,  which  would  have 
only  uselessly  grieved  and  disgusted 
his  beloved  correspondents.  He  in- 
formed them,  however,  from  time  to 
time,  of  the  different  visitors  at  the 
Hall,  particularly  of  the  arrival  and 
m  ivements  of  their  magnificent  kins- 
folk, the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  and 
Lady  Cecilia,  the  Marquis  Gants- 
.1  nines  de  MUlcfleUTS  and  Mr.  Tuft — 
the  novel  state  and  ceremony  which 
had  been  suddenly  introduci  d  there — 

at  which  they  all  ceased  reading  for  a 

moment,  and  laughed,  well  knowing 
the  character  of  Lord  Dreddlington. 
A  t  li  ngth,  some  considerable  time  alter 
M  r.  Titmouse's  grand  \  isitora  had  been 
at  the  Hall,  there  came  a  1<  tter  from 

Dr.  Tatham,  sent  ly  a  private  hand, 
and  not  reaching  Vivian  Street  till  the 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


433 


evening,  when  they  were  sitting  to- 
gether, after  dinner,  as  usual,  and 
which  contained  -intelligence  that  was 
received  in  sudden  silence,  and  with 
looks  of  astonishment ;  viz.  that  Mr. 
Titmouse  luul  become  the  acknowledged 
sui'or  of  the  Lady  Cecilia  ! !  Mr. 
Aubrey,  after  a  moment's  pause, 
laughed  more  heartily  than  they  had 
heard  him  laugh  for  many  months — 
getting  up,  at  the  same  time,  and 
walking  once  or  twice  across  the  room 
— Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey  gazed 
at  each  other  for  a  few  moments, 
without  speaking  a  word ;  and  you 
could  not  have  told  whether  their  fair 
countenances  showed  more  of  amuse- 
ment or  of  disgust  at  the  intelligence. 
"  Well !  it  is  as  1  have  often  told  you, 
Kate,"  commenced  Mr.  Aubrey,  after 
a  while  resuming  his  seat,  and  ad- 
dressing his  sister  with  an  air  of  good- 
humoured  raillery  ;  "You've  lost  your 
•hanee — you've  held  your  head  so  high. 
Ah,  'tis  all  over  now — and  our  fair 
cousin  is  mistress  of  Yattou  !  " 

"Indeed,  Charles,"  quoth  Kate 
earnestly,  "  I  do  think  it's  too  painful 
a  subject  for  a  joke." 

"  Why,  Kate  ! — You  must  bear  it  as 
well " 

"  Pho,  pho — nonsense,  Charles  !  To 
be  serious — did  you  ever  hear  anything 
so  shocking  as — ■ — -" 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  Kate," 
commenced  her  brother,  assuming 
suddenly  such  a  serious  air  as  for  a 
moment  imposed  on  his  sister,  "that 
to  become  mistress  of  dear  old  Vatton — 
which  was  off.  red  to  you,  you  know — 
you  would  not  have  consented,  when 
it  came  to  the  point,  to  become — Mrs. 
Titmouse?"  For  an  instant,  Kate 
looked  as  if  she  would  have  made,  in 
the  eye  of  the  statuary,  an  exquisite 
model  of  beautiful  disdain — provoked 
by  the  bare  idea  even,  and  put  for- 
ward, as  she  knew,  in  raillery  only. 
"You  know,  Charles,"  said  she  at 
length  calmly,  her  features  relaxing 
into  a  smile,  "that  if  such  a  wretch 
had  ten  thousand  Yattons,  I  would, 
rather  than  marry  him — oh  !  " — she 
shuddered — "spring  from  Dover  cliff 
into  the  sea  !  " 

"  Ah,  Kate,  Kate  !  "  exclaimed  her 


brother,  with  a  look  of  infinite  prido 
and  fondness.  "Even  supposing  for 
a  moment  that  you  had  no  prev " 

"Come,  Charles,  no  more  nonsense," 
said  Kate,  patting  his  cheek,  and 
slightly  colouring. 

"  I  say,  that  even  if " 

"Only  fancy,"  interrupted  Kate, 
"  Lady  Cecilia— Titmouse  !  I  see  her 
before  me  now.  Well,  I  protest  it  is 
positively  insufferable ;  1  could  not 
have  thought  that  there  was  a  woman 
in  the  whole  world  —  why"  —  she 
paused,  and  added  laughingly,  "  how 
I  should  like  to  see  their  correspond- 
ence !  " 

"What!"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  with 
a  sly  smile,  first  at  her  husband,  and 
then  at  Kate,  "  as  a  model  for  a  certain 
other  correspondence  that  I  can  imagine 
— eh,  Kate  !  " 

"Nonsense,  nonsense,  Agnes!  — 
what  a  provoking  humour  you  are  both 
in  this  evening,"  interrupted  Kate, 
with  a  slight  pettishness ;  "what  we've 
heard  makes  me  melancholy  enough,  I 
assure  you  ! " 

"  I  suppose  that  about  the  same  time 
that  Lady  Cecilia  Titmouse  goes  to 
court,"  said  her  brother,  "so  will  the 
Honourable  Mrs.  Dela " 

"  If  you  choose  to  tease  me,  Charles, 
of  course  I  cannot  help  it,"  quoth 
Kate,  colouring  still  more  ;  but  it 
required  no  very  great  acuteness  to 
detect  that  the  topic  was  not  exces- 
sively offensive. 

"Mrs.  De " 

"Have  done,  Charles!"  said  she, 
rising  ;  and,  putting  her  arm  round 
his  neck,  she  pressed  her  fair  hand  on 
his  mouth ;  but  he  pushed  it  asidu 
laughingly. 

"Mrs.  De  —  Dela  — Delamere,"  he 
continued. 

"I  will  finish  it  for  you,  Charles," 
said  Mrs.  Aubrey,  "the  Honourabla 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delamere " 

"What!  do  you  turn  against  me 
too  ? "  encpuired  Kate,  laughing  very 
good-humouredly. 

"I  wonder  what  her  stately  lady- 
ship's feelings  were,"  said  Aubrey, 
after  a  pause,  "  the  first  time  that  her 
elegant  and  accomplished  lover  saluted 

her !  !  " 

F  F 


43-1 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


"  Eugh  I"  exclaimed  l>oth  Kate  and 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  in  a  breath,  and  with  a 
simultaneous  shudder  of  disgust. 

"  I  dare  say  poor  old   Lord   Dred- 

dlington's  notion  is,  that  tliis  will  be 
a  fine  opportunity  for  bringing  about 
his  favourite  scheme  of  re-uniting  the 
families- — Heaven  save  the  mark!'' 
said  .Mr.  Aubrey,  just  as  the  twopenny 
postman's  knock  at  the  door waa heard  ; 
and  within  a  few  moments'  time  the 
servant  brought  up -stairs  a  letter 
addressed  to  Mr.  Aubrey.  The  very 
fust  glance  at  its  contents  expelled  the 
smile  from  his  countenance,  and  the 
colour  from  his  cheek  :  lie  turned,  in 
fact,  so  pale,  that  Mrs.  Aubrey  and 
Kate  also  changed  colour — and  came 
and  stood  with  beating  h  aits,  and 
suddenly  suspended  breath,  one  on 
each  side  of  1  im,  looking  over  the 
letter  while  he  was  reading  it.  As  I 
intend  presently  to  lay  a  copy  of  it 
before  the  reader,  I  shall  first  state  a 
few  circumstances,  which  will  make  it 
appear  that  this  letter  may  be  com- 
pared to  a  shell  thrown  into  a  peaceful 
little  citadel,  by  a  skilful,  though  dis- 
tant and  unseen  engineer — in  short,  I 
mean  Mr.  Gammon. 


CHAPTER   XXY. 

Tins  astute  and  determined  person 
had  long  been  bent  upon  securing  one 
objccl  namely,  access  to  Mr.  Aubrey's 
family  circle,  for  reasons  which  have 
been  already  communicated  to  the 
reader.  That  Mr.  Aubrey  was,  at  all 
events,  by  DO  neans  anxious  fot  such 

a  favonr,  had  been  long  before  abun- 
dantly manifest  to  Gammon,  and  yet 
not  in  away  to  give  him  any  legitimate 
or  excusable  grounds  of  offence.  The 
Aubrej  i  had,  he  acknowledged,  and 
especially  in  their  pn  at  circum- 
stances, an  unquestionable  right  to 
i  ive  ox  reject,  as  tie  y  t bou  ht  tit, 
nny  overtures  to  a<  ice.     No- 

thing, he  felt,  eould  be  more  one: 
tionably  courteous  than  Mr.  Aubreys 
demeanour  ;  yet  had  it  been  such  as  to 


satisfy  him,  that  unless  he  resorted  to 
Bome   means  of  unusual   efficacy,  he 

never  could  get   upon  visiting  terms 

with     the    Aubreys.       The    impression 

which  Miss  Aubrey  had  originally  pro- 
duced in  his  mind,  remained  as  distinct 
and  vivid  as  ever.  Her  beauty,  her 
grace,  ln-r elevated  character,  (of  which 

he  had  heard  much  on  all  hands.)  her 
accomplishments,  her  high  birth— all 
were  exquisitely  appreciated  by  him, 
and  conspired  to  constitute  a  prize,  for 
the  gaining  of  which  he  deemed  no 
exertion  too  great,  no  enterprise  too 
hazardous.  He  had,  moreover,  other 
most  important  objects  in  view,  to 
which  a  union  with  Miss  Aubrey  was 
in  fact  essential.  She  was,  again,  the 
only  person,  the  sight  of  whom  had  in 
any  measure  given  vitality  to  his  mar- 
ble heart,  exciting  totally  new  thoughts 
and  desires,  such  as  stimulated  him  to 
a  fierce  and  inflexible  determination  to 
succeed  in  his  purposes.  He  was,  in 
short,  prepared  to  make  almost  any 
sacrifice,  to  wait  any  length  of  time,  to 
do  or  sutler  anything  that  man  could 
do  or  suffer,  whether  derogatory  to  his 
personal  honour  or  not — in  order  either 
to  secure  tin:  a  licet  ions  of  Miss  Aubrey, 
or,  at  all  events,  her  consent  to  a  union 
with  him.  Having  early  discovered 
the  spot  where  Mr.  Aubrey  had  fixed 
his  residence,  Mr.  Gammon  had  made 
a  point  of  lying  in  wait  on  a  Sunday 
morning,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 
the  church  to  which  they  went  ;  and 
having  succeeded,  In:  became  a  con- 
stant, an  impassioned,  though  an  un- 
seen observer  of  Miss  Aubrey,  from 
whom  he  seldom  removed  his  eyes 
during  the  service.  But  this  was  to 
him  a  highly  Unsatisfactory  state  of 
things  :  he  seemed,  in  fact,  not  to 
have   made,  nor  to   be  likely  to  make, 

the  least  progress  towards  the  accom- 
plishment of  Iris  wishes,  though  much 
time   had  already   passed   away.       He 

was  bo  deeply  engrossed  with  the  affairs 
of  Titmouse— which  required  his  pre- 
sence very  frequently  at  Yatton,  and 
a  great  deal  of  his  attention  in  town — 
a    io  prevent  lus  taking  any  decisive 

steps    for    .some    time    in    the     matter 

eat    his    heart.       At    length,    not 

having  seen  or  heard  anything  of  Mr. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


435 


Aubrey  for  some  weeks,  during  which 
he — Gammon — had  been  in  town, 
he  resolved  on  a  new  stroke  of 
policy. 

"Mr.  Quirk,"  said  he  one  day  to 
his  excellent  senior  partner,  "I  fancy 
you  will  say  that  I  am  come  to  natter 
you  ;  but,  Heaven  knows  ! — if  there  is 
a  man  on  the  earth  with  whom  I  lay 
aside  disguise,  that  man  is  my  friend 
Mr.  Quirk.  Really,  it  does  seem,  and 
mortifying  enough  it  is  to  own  it,  as 
if  events  invariably  showed  that  you 
are  right — and  I  wrong" — (Here  Mr. 
Quirk's  appearance  might  have  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  a  great  old  tom-cat 
who  is  rubbed  clown  the  right  way  of 
the  fur,  and  does  everything  he  can  to 
testify  the  delight  it  gives  him,  by 
pressing  against  the  person  who  affords 
him  such  gratification,) — "especially 
in  financial  matters " 

"Ah,  Gammon,  Gammon!  you're 
really  past  finding  out ! — Sometimes, 
now,  I  declare  I  fancy  you  the  very 
keenest  dog  going  in  such  matters,  and 
at  other  times,  eh? — not  particularly 
brilliant.  When  you've  seen  as  much 
of  this  world's  villainy,  Gammon,  as  I 
have,  you'll  find  it  as  necessary  as  I 
have  found  it,  to  lay  aside  one's — one's 

I  say,  to  lay  aside  all  scrup that  is 

—1  mean — one's  fine  feelings,  and  so 
forth  :  you  understand,  Gammon  ?  " 

"Perfectly,  Mr.  Quirk " 

"Well — and  may  I  ask,  Gammon, 
what  is  the  particular  occasion  of  that 
screwed-up  forehead  of  yours  ?  Some- 
thing in  the  wind  ? " 

"Only  this,  Mr.  Quirk  —  I  begin 
to  suspect  that  I  did  very  wrong  in 
recommending  you  to  give  an  indefi- 
nite time  to  that  Mr.  Aubrey  for  pay- 
ment of  the  heavy  balance  he  owes 
us — by  Heavens  !— see  how  coolly  he 
treats  us  !  " 

"  Indeed,  Gammon,  I  think  so  ! — 
Besides  —  lis  an  uncommon  heavy 
balance  to  owe  so  long,  eh  ? — Fifteen 
hundred  pounds,  or  thereabouts  ? — 
'Glad !  it's  that,  at  least !  " — Gammon 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  bowed,  as 
resigned  to  any  step  which  Mr.  Quirk 
might  think  proper  to  take. 

"He's  a  villainous  proud  fellow, 
that  Aubrey,  eh  ? — Your  swell  debtors 


generally  are,  though — when  they've 
got  a  bit  of  a  hardship  to  harp  upon " 

"  Certainly  we  ought,  when  we  had 
him  in  our  power " 

"Ah! — D'ye  recollect,  Gammon] 
the  thumbscrew?  eh  ?  whose  fault  was 
it  that  it  wasn't  put  on  ?  eh  ?  Tell 
me  that,  friend  Gammon  !  Are  you 
coming  round  to  old  Caleb  Quirk's 
matter-of-fact  way  of  doing  business  ? 
Depend  on't,  the  old  boy  has  got  a 
trick  or  two  left  in  him  yet,  grey  as 
his  hair's  grown." 

"  I  bow,  my  dear  sir — I  own  myself 
worsted — and  all  through  that  absurd 
weakness  I  have,  which  some  choose 
to  call " 

"Oh  Lord,  Gammon!  Bubble, 
bubble  and  botheration — ah,  ha  ! — 
Come,  there's  nobody  here  but  you 
and  me — and  eh  !  old  Bogy  perhaps — 
so,  why  that  little  bit  of  blarney  ? " 

' '  Oh  !  my  dear  Mr.  Quirk,  spare 
me  that  cutting  irony  of  yours.  Surely 
when  I  have  made  the  sincere  and 
humiliating  submission  to  which  you 
have  been  listening — but,  to  return 
to  business.  I  assure  you  that  I  think 
we  ought  to  lose  not  a  moment  in  get- 
ting in  our  balance,  or  at  least  coming 
to  some  satisfactory  and  definite  ar- 
rangement concerning  it.  Only  pinch 
him,  and  he'll  bleed  freely,  depend 
on  it." 

"Ah,  ha!  Pinch  him,  and  he'll 
bleed  !  That's  my  thunder,  Gammon, 
ah,  ha,  ha  ! — By  Jove  !  that's  it  to  a 
T !  —  I  always  thought  the  fellow 
had  blood  enough  in  him  if  we  only 
squeezed  him  a  little.  So  let  Snap  be 
off  and  have  a  writ  out  against  Master 
Aubrey." 

"Forgive  me,  my  dear  Mr.  Quirk," 
interrupted  Gammon  blandly — "we 
must  go  very  cautiously  to  work,  or 
we  shall  only  injure  ourselves,  and 
prejudice  our  most  important — and 
p<  rmanent  interests.  We  must  take 
care  not  to  drive  him  desperate,  poor 
devil,  or  he  may  take  the  benefit  of 
the  act,  and — - — ■" 

"What  a  cursed  scamp  he  would 
be  to- " 

"Certainly;  but  ice  should  suffer 
more  than  he " 

' '  Surely,  Gammon,  they'd  remand 
v  i'  2 


436 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


him  !  Eighteen  months  at  the  very 
least. '' 

"  Xot  an  hour — not  a  minute,  Mr. 
Quirk,"  said  Gammon,  very  earnestly. 

"  The  deuce  they  wouldn't  ?  Well, 
Law's  come  to  a  pretty  point !  And 
so  lenienl  as  we've  been  !  " 

"  What  occurs  to  me  as  the  best 
method  of  procedure,"  said  Gammon, 
after  musing  for  a  moment — "  is,  for 
you  to  write  a  letter  to  him  immedi- 
ately— civil  but  peremptory — just  one. 
of  tliose  letters  of  yours,  my  dear  sir, 
in  which  no  man  living  can  excel  you 
— suaviter  in  modo,  fortitcr  in  re,  Air. 
Quirk." 

"Gammon,  you're  a  gentleman, 
every  inch  of  you — you  are,  upon  my 
si  ml !     If  there  is  one  thing  in  which 

I but  you're  a  hand  at  a  letter  of 

that  sort,  too  !  And  you  haw  man- 
aged these  people  hitherto;  why  not 
go  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Quirk,  I  look  upon  this  letter 
as  rather  an  important  one — it  ought 
to  come  from  the  head  of  the  firm,  and 
to  be  decisively  and  skilfully  expressed, 

so  as  at  once  to eh  'i  but  you  know 

exactly  what  ought  to  be  done." 

"  Well  -leave  it  to  me, — leave  it  to 
me,  Gammon:  1  think  I  do  know  how 
to  draw  up  a  teaser — egad  !  You  can 
just  cast  your  eye  over  it  as  soon  as " 

"If  1  return  in  time  from  Clerken- 
well,  I  will,  .Mr.  Quirk,"  replied  Gam- 
mon, who  had,  however,  determined 
not  to  disable  himself  from  saying 
with  literal  truth  that  he  had  notseen 
one  Line  of  the  letter  which  might  be 
u  a\  !  and,  moreover,  resolving  to  make 
his  appearance  at  Mr.  Aubrey's  almosl 
immediately  alter  he  should,  in  the 
course  of  the  post,  have  received  Mr. 
Quirk's  letter — with  every  appearance 
and  ion  of  distress,  agitation, 

and  even  disgust  ;  indignantly  assur- 
ing Mr.  Aubrey  that  the  Letter  had 
be  m  -nt  without  Mr.  Gammon's 
knowled  I  bis  will-  and  was 

entirely  repudiated  by  him  ;  and  thai 
he  would  take  care,  at  all  hazards  to 
himself,   to  frustrate  any   dc  i  ■ 
the  part  of  b  and  hard-h 

senior   partner  to   bai  isa  or   op] 
Air.  Aubrey.     With  this  explanation 
of  \  I  circum  I  :  id  ,  I  proceed 


to  lay  before  the  reader  an  exact  copy 
of  that  old  cat's-paw,  Mr.  Quirk's, 
letter  to  Air.  Aubrey,  the  arrival  of 
which  had  produced  the  sensation  I 
have  already  iutimated. 

"  Saffron  Hill, 

"8<M*  September,  18—. 
"Sin, — We  trust  you  will  excuse 
our  reminding  you  of  the  very  large 
balance  (£1446,  14s.  6d.)  still  remain- 
ing  due  upon  our  account— and  which 
we  understood,  at  the  time  when  the 
very  favourable  arrangement  to  you, 
with  respect  to  Air.  Titmouse,  was 
made,  was  to  have  been  long  before 
this  liquidated.  Whatever  allowances 
we  might  have  felt  disposed,  on  account 
of  your  peculiar  situation,  to  have 
made,  (and  which  we  have  made.)  we 
cannot  but  feel  a  little  surprised  at 
your  having  allowed  several  months 
to  elapse  without  making  any  allusion 
thereto.  We  aro  satisfied,  however, 
that  you  require  only  to  bo  reminded 
thereof,  to  have  your  immediate  atten- 
tion directed  thereto,  and  to  act  in  that 
way  that  will  conduce  to  liquidate  our 
very  heavy  balance  against  you.  We  are 
sorry  to  have  to  press  you  ;  but  being 
much  pressed  ourselves  with  serious 
outlays,  we  are  obliged  to  throw  our- 
selves (however  reluctantly)  upon  our 
resources  ;  and  it  gives  us  pleasure  to 
anticipate.,  that  you  must  by  this  time 
have  made  those  arrangements  that 
will  admit  of  your  immediate  atten- 
tion to  our  over-due  account,  and  that 
will  render  unnecessary  our  resorting 
to  hostile  and  compulsory  proceedings 
of  that  extremely  painful  description 
that  we  have  always  felt  extremely 
reluctant  to,  particularly  with  til 
gentlemen  that  would  feel  it  vc.y  dis- 
agreeable. We  trust  that  in  a  week's 
time  we  shall  hear  from  you  to  that 
■  11'  t,  that  will  render  unnecessary 
our  proceeding  to  extremiti  s  against 
you,  which  would  bo  extremely  painful 
to   us.  —  We   remain,  sir,  yours   most 

obediently, 

"  Qi  irk,  i .  immok,  &  Snap. 

"  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq. 

"P.S. — We  should  have  no  objec- 
tion, if  it  would  materially  relieve  you, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


437 


to  take  your  note  of  hand  for  the  afore- 
said balance  (£1446,  14s.  6d.)  at  two 
months,  with  interest,  and  good  se- 
curi  y.  Or  say,  £S00  down  in  two 
months,  and  a  vsarrant  of  attorney  for 
the  remainder,  at  two  months  more." 

As  soon  as  all  three  of  them  had 
finished  reading  the  above  letter,  in 
the  way  I  have  described,  Mrs.  Aubrey 
threw  her  arms  round  her  silent  and 
oppressed  husband's  neck,  and  Kate, 
her  bosom  heaving  with  agitation, 
returned  to  her  seat  without  uttering 
a  word. 

"My  darling  Charles!"  faltered 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  and  wept. 

"Never  mind,  Charles — let  us  hope 
that  we  shall  get  through  even  this," 
commenced  Kate  ;  when  her  emotion 
prevented  her  proceeding.  Mr.  Aubrey 
appeared  to  cast  his  eye  again,  but 
mechanically  only,  over  the  dry,  civil, 
heart-breaking  letter. 

"  Don't  distress  yourself,  my  Agnes," 
said  he  tenderly,  placing  her  beside 
him,  with  his  arm  round  her — "  it  is 
only  reasonable  that  these  people 
should  ask  for  what  is  Iheir  own  ;  and 
if  their  manner  is  a  little  coarse " 

"Oh,  I've  no  patience,  Charles! — 
It's  the  letter  of  a  vulgar,  hard-hearted 
fellow,"  sobbed  Mrs.  Aubrey. 

"Yes  —  they  are  wretches! — cruel 
harpies!"  quoth  Ka-tc  passionately, 
wiping  her  eyes — "they  know  that 
yon  have  almost  beggared  yourself  to 
pay  oif  by  far  the  greater  part  of  their 
abominable  bill  ;  and  that  you  are 
slaving  day  and  night  to  enable  you 
to "  here  her  agitation  was  so  exces- 
sive as  to  prevent  her  uttering  another 
word. 

"  I  must  write  and  tell  them,"  said 
Aubrey  calmly,  but  with  a  countenance 
laden  with  gloom — "it  is  all  1  can  do 
■ — but  if  they  will  hare  patience  with 
me,  I  trill  pay  them  all." 

"Oh,  they'll  put  you  in  prison, 
Charles,  directly  "—said  Kate  passion- 
ately ;  and  rising,  she  threw  herself 
into  his  arms,  and  kissed  him  with 
a  sort  of  frantic  energy.  "  "We're  very 
miserable,  Charles — are  not  we?  It's 
very  hard  to  bear  indeed,"  she  con- 
tinued, gazing  with  agonizing  intensity 


on  his  troubled  features.    Mrs.  Aubrey 
wept  in  silence. 

"Are  you  giving  way,  my  brave 
Kate,  with  this  sudden  and  momentary 
gust  on  the  midnight  sea  of  our  trou- 
ble?" enquired  her  brother,  proudly 
but  kindly  gazing  at  her,  and  with  las 
hand  gently  pushing  from  her  pale 
cheeks  her  disordered  hair. 

"Human  nature,  Charles,  must  not 
be  tried  too  far — look  at  Agnes,  the 
darling  little  loves " 

"I  am  not  likely  to  consult  their 
interests,  Kate,  by  yielding  to  unmanly 
emotion — am  I,  sweet  Agnes?"  She 
made  him  no  reply,  but  shook  her 
head,  sobbing  bitterly. 

"  Pray  what  do  you  think,  Charles, 
of  your  friend  Mr.  Gammon,  now?" 
enquired  Kate,  suddenly  and  scorn- 
fully. "Oh,  the  smooth-tongued  vil- 
lain !     I've  always  hated  him  !  " 

' '  I  must  say  there's  something  about 
his  eye  that  is  anything  but  pleasing," 
said  Mrs.  Aubrey  ;  "and  so  I  thought 
when  I  saw  him  at  York  for  a  moment." 

"  He's  a  hypocrite,  Charles — depend 
upon  it ;  and  in  this  letter  he  has 
thrown  off  the  mask  " — interrupted 
Kate. 

"  Is  it  his  letter  ?  How  do  we  know 
that  he  has  had  anything  to  do  with 
it?"  enquired  her  brother  calmly — 
"It  is  much  more  probable  that  it  is 
the  production  of  old  Mr.  Quirk  alone, 
for  whom  Mr.  Gammon  has,  I  know, 
a  profound  contempt.  The  hand- 
writing is  Mr.  Quirk's ;  the  style  is 
assuredly  not  Mr.  Gammon's,  and  the 
whole  tone  of  the  letter  is  such  as 
makes  me  confident  that  neither  was 
the  composition  of  the  letter,  nor  the 
idea  of  sending  it,  his ;  besides,  lie 
has  really  shown  on  every  occasion  a 
straightforward  and  disinterested " 

"Oh,  Charles,  it  is  very  weak  of 
you  to  be  so  taken  with  such  a  man  ; 
he's  a  horrid  fellow ;  I  can't  bear 
to  think  of  him  !  One  of  these  days, 
Charles,  j'ou'll  be  of  my  opinion  !  " — 
whilst  she  thus  spoke,  and  whilst  Mrs. 
Aubrey  was,  with  a  trembling  hand, 
preparing  tea,  a  double  knock  was 
heard  at  the  street  door. 

"Gracious,  Charles!  who  can  that 
possibly    be,    and    at    this    time    of 


433 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


night  ? "  exclaimed  Kate  with  alarmed 
ener 

"I  really  cannot  conjecture" — re- 
plied  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  no  little  agita- 
tion of  manner,  which  he  found  it  im- 
possible tn  conceal — "we've  eertainJjr 
but  very  few  visitors,  and  so  late." 
The  servant  in  a  few  minutes  termi- 
nated their  suspense,  and  occasioned 
them  nearly  equal  alarm  and  amaze- 
ment, by  laying  down  on  the  tab'e 
a  card  hearing  tho  name  of  Mb. 
Gam 

"Mr.  Gammon!"  exclaimed  all 
three  in  a  breath,  looking  apprehen- 
sively at  each  other — "Js  he  alone?" 
enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  forced 
calm: 

"  Fee,  sir." 

"Show  him  into  the  parlour,  then." 
replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  "and  say  1  will 
be  with  him  in  a  few  moments'  time." 

"  K:ir  Charles,  don't,  dearest, 
think  of  going  down,"  said  his  wife 
ami  sister,  with  exei  ssive  alarm  and 
agitation;  "desire  him  to  send  up 
liis  is 

0,  I  shall  go  and  see  him,  and 
at  once,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey,  taking 
one  of  the  candles. 

"  Por  lie  iv,  n's  sake,  Charles,  mind 
what  you  say  to  the  man  ;  he  will 
watch  every  word  you  utter.  And, 
dearest,  don't  stay  long;  consider 
what  tortures  we  shall  be  in!"  said 
poor  .Mrs.  Aubrey,  accompanying  him 
to  the  door. 

"  Rely  on  my  prudence,  and  also 
that  I  snail  not  stop  long,"  he  replied ; 
and  descending  the  Btairs,  he  entered 
the  study.  In  a  chair  near  the  little 
book-strewn  table  sat  his  dreaded 
tor,  who,  instantly,  on  seeing  Mr. 
Aubrey,  rose,  with  distress  and  agita- 
tion visible  in  his  countenance  and 
deportment  Mr.  Aubrey,  withcalm- 
'tiity,  begged  him  to  re- 
sume his  sent ;  and  when  he  had  done 
SO,  sat  down  oppo  it'    t'i  him,  with  a 

sternly  inquisitive  look,  awaiting  his 
nI,  who  did  lmt  keep  him 
long  in  suspense.  For — " Oh,  Mr. 
Aubrey  I"  commenced  Mr.  Gammon, 
•ne  v.  rial  tn  mulous  voice,  "  I 
pero  ive,  from  your  manner,  that  my 

l  ,i  .  .in    jM  '  .Iii  d,   and    tit  it    I   am  an 


intruder — a  dishonourable  and  hypo- 
critical one  1  must  indeed  appear  ;  but, 
as  out;  gentleman  with  another,  1  re- 
quest you  to  hear  me.  This  visit 
appears  indeed  unseasonable.  ;  but,  Lite 
this  afternoon,  1  made  a  discovery 
which  lias  shocked  me  severely,  nay, 
I  may  say,  disgusted  me  beyond  ex- 
pression. Am  I  right,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
in  supposing  that  this  evening  you 
have  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Quirk, 
and  about  the  balance  due  on  our 
account  ? " 

"Yes,    sir,"    replied    Mr.    Aubrey 
coldly. 

"1    thought   as   much,"    muttered 
Gammon  with  suppressed  vehemence — 

"execrable,  heartless,  sordid  old 

And  he  knew,"  continued  Gammon, 
addressing  Mr.  Aubrey  in  an  indig- 
nant tone,  "  that  my  word  was  pledged 
to  you  that  it  should  he  long  before 
you  were  troubled  about  the  business." 

"  I   have  nothing  to   complain   of, 
sir,"    said    Mr.    Aubrey,    eyeing    his 
.ted  companion  (who  felt  that  he 
was)  si 'arch  i  ugly. 

"But  I  have,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  said 
Gammon  haughtily.  "  My  senior 
partner  has  broken  faith  with  me.  Sir, 
you  have  already  paid  more  than  will 
cover  what  is  justly  due  to  us  ;  and 
1  recommend  you,  after  this,  to  have 
the  bill  taxed.  I  do,  sir,  and  thereby 
you  will  get  rid  of  every  farthing  of 
the  balance  now  demanded."  Not- 
withstanding the  air  of  sincerity  with 
which  this  was  uttered,  a  cold  thrill  of 
apprehension  ami  suspicion  po 
through  Mr.  Aubrey's  heart,  and  he 
felt   confident  that    some    subtle    and 

rous  manoeuvre  was  being  prac- 
tised upon  him — some  hostile  sop 
urged  upon  him,  for  instance — which 
would  he  unsuccessful,  and  yet  afford 
a  pretext  to  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon. 
and  Sua])  to  treat  him  as  on.'  guilty  of 
a  breach  of  faith,  and  warrant  them  in 

proceeding  to  extremities. 

"I    have   no    intention,    sir,    to   do 
anything  of  the  kind,"  said  lit — "  the. 

emeu!    between   us  was, 
\  our  bill  should  not  be  ta  ed.     1 

ii'  to  it  ;  and  whatever  course  you 
may  feel  disposed  to  take,  1  shall  take 
no    steps   whatever  of   the    kind   you 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


439 


mention.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
utterly  impossible  for  me  to  pay " 

"Air.  Aubrey !  "  interrupted  Gammon 
imploringly. 

"And  what  you  intend  to  do,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  sir,  do  quickly,  and  do 
not  keep  me  in  suspense." 

"I  perceive,  Mr.  Aubrey,  that  I 
am  distrusted,"  said  Gammon  with  a 
somewhat  proud  and  peremptory  tone 
and  manner. — "I  excuse  it;  you  are 
justly  irritated,  and  have  been  in- 
sulted :  so  have  I,  too,  sir ;  and  I 
choose  to  tell  you,  upon  my  sacred 
word  of  honour  as  a  gentleman,  that  I 
entirely  disown  and  scout  this  whole 
procedure  ;  that  I  never  knew  any- 
thing about  it  till,  accidentally,  I 
discovered  lying  on  Mr.  Quirk's  desk, 
after  his  departure  this  evening  from 
the  office,  a  rough  draft  of  a  letter 
which  I  presumed  you  had  received, 
especially  as,  on  a  strict  enquiry  of 
the  clerks,  I  found  that  a  letter  had 
been  put  into  the  post,  addressed  to 
you.  Nay,  more  ;  Mr.  Quirk,  whose 
rapacity  increases — I  grieve  to  own — 
with  his  years,  has  been  for  many 
weeks  harassing  me  about  this  detest- 
able business,  and  urging  me  to  con- 
sent, but  in  vain,  to  such  an  application 
as  he  has  now  meanly  made  behind  my 
back,  regardless  of  the  injury  it  was 
calculated  to  do  my  feelings,  and, 
indeed,  the  doubt  it  must  throw  over 
my  sincerity  and  honour.  Only  a 
fortnight  ago,  he  solemnly  pledged 
himself  never  to  mention  the  matter 
to  either  me  or  you  again,  for  at  least 
a  couple  of  years,  unless  something 
extraordinary  should  intervene.  If 
the  letter  you  have  received  is  a  tran- 
script of  the  rough  draft  which  I  have 
read,  it  is  a  vulgar,  unfeeling  letter, 
and  contains  two  or  three  wilfully 
false  statements.  I  therefore  feel  it 
due  to  myself  to  disavow  all  participa- 
tion in  this  truly  unworthy  atiair ; 
and  if  you  still  distrust  me,  I  can 
only  regret  it,  but  shall  not  presume 
to  find  fault  with  you  for  it.  I  am 
half  disposed,  on  account  of  this,  and 
one  or  two  other  things  which  have 
happened,  to  close  my  connection  with 
Mr.  Quirk  from  this  day — for  ever. 
He  and  I  have  nothing  in  common  ; 


and  the  kind  of  business  which  ho 
prefers  is  perfectly  odious  to  me.  But 
if  I  should  continue  in  the  firm,  I  will 
undertake  to  supply  you  with  one 
pretty  conclusive  evidence  of  my  sin- 
cerity and  truth  in  what  I  have  been 
saying  to  you — namely,  that  on  the 
faith  and  honour  of  a  gentleman,  you 
may  depend  upon  hearing  no  more  on 
this  matter  from  any  member  of  our 
firm.  Let  the  event,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
speak  for  itself."  —  While  Gammon 
was  speaking  with  great  earnestness 
and  fervour,  he  had  felt  Mr.  Aubrey's 
eye  fixed  on  him  with  an  expression  of 
stern  incredulity — which,  however,  he 
at  length  perceived  with  infinite  inward 
relief  and  pleasure,  to  be  giving  way 
as  he  went  on. 

"Certainly,  Mr.  Gammon"  —  said 
Mr.  Aubrey,  when  Gammon  had  ceased 
— "the  letter  you  have  mentioned, 
has  occasioned  me — and  my  family — 
very  great  distress  ;  for  it  is  utterly 
out  of  my  power  to  comply  with  its 
requisitions  :  and  if  it  be  intended  to 
be  really  acted  on,  and  followed  up" — 
he  paused,  and  successfully  concealed 
his  emotion,  "all  my  little  plans  are 
for  ever  frustrated — and  I  am  at  your 
mercy — to  go  to  prison,  if  you  choose, 
and  there  end  my  days." — He  paused 
— his  lip  trembled,  and  his  eyes  were 
for  a  moment  obscured  with  starting 
tears.  So  also  was  it  with  Mr.  Gam- 
mon. "  But, " — resumed  Mr.  Aubrey, 
—"after  the  explicit  and  voluntary 
assurance  which  you  have  given  me,  I 
feel  it  impossible  not  to  believe  you 
entirely.  I  can  imagine  no  motive  for 
what  would  be  otherwise  such  elaborate 
deception." 

"Motive,  Mr.  Aubrey!  The  only 
motive  I  am  conscious  of,  is  one  resting 
on  profound  sympathy  for  your  mis- 
fortunes— admiration  of  your  character 
— and  aiming  at  your  speedy  extrica- 
tion from  your  very  serious  embarrass- 
ments. 1  am  in  the  habit,  Mr. 
Aubrey,"  he  continued  in  a  lower 
tone,  "  of  concealing  and  checking  my 
feelings — but  there  are  occasions "-  - 
he  paused,  and  added  with  a  some- 
what faltering  voice — "Mr.  Aubrey, 
it  pains  me  inexpressibly  to  observe 
that  your  anxieties — your  severe  exer- 


440 


TEN   TlIorSAXD   A-YEAll. 


tions — I  trust  in  God  I  may  not  rightly 
a<Ul,  your  privations — are  tolling  on 
your  appearance.  You  arc  certainly 
much  thinner."  It  was  impossible 
any  longer  to  distrust  the  sincerity  of 
Mr.  Gammon — to  withstand  the  arts 
of  this  consummate  actor.  Mr.  Aubrey 
h  Id  oul  L  n  -,  but  at  lenghth  surren- 
dered entirely,  and  yielded  implicit 
credence  to  all  that  Gammon  had  said 
—  entertaining,  moreover,  commen- 
surate feelings  of  gratitude  towards 
one  who  had  done  so  much  to  protect 
him  from  rapacious  avarice,  and  the 
ruin  into  which  it  would  have  precipi- 
tated him  ;  and  of  respect  for  one  who 
had  evinced  such  an  anxious,  scrupul- 
ous, and  sensitive  jealousy  for  his  own 
honour  and  reputation,  and  resolute 
determination  to  vindicate  it  against 
suspicion.  Subsequent  conversation 
Berved  to  strengthen  his  favourable 
disposition  towards  Gammon,  and  the 
same  etie  t  was  also  produced  when 
lie  adverted  to  his  previous  and  un- 
warrantable distrust  and  disbelief  of 
that  gentleman.  He  looked  fatigued 
and  harassed  ;  it  was  growing  late  ;  he 
had  comeon  his  errand  of  courtesy  and 
kindness,  a  great  distance  :  why  should 
not  Mr.  Aubrey  ask  him  up-stairs,  to 
join  them  at  teal  To  be  sure,  Mr. 
Aubrey  had  hitherto  felt  a  disinclina- 
tion— he  scarce  knew  why — to  have 
any  more  than  mere  business  inter- 
course with  Mr.  G  mmon,  a  member 
of  such  a  firm  as  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap  —and,  moreover,  Mr.  Runnington 
had  more  than  once  let  fall  expressions 
indicative  of  vehement  distrust  of  Mr. 
Gammon;  so  had  the  Attorney- 
General;  but  what  h:ul  Gammon's 
beenl  Had  it  not  practically 
given  the  lie  to  BUch  insinuations  and 
distrust,  unless  Mr.  Aubrey  was  to 
cwn  himself  inca]  aide  of  forming  a 
judgment  on  a  man's  line  of  conduct 
which  had  been  so  closely  watched  as 
that  of  Gammon  by  himself,  Aubrey! 
Then    Miss    Aubrey    had    ever,   and 

dally    that    vi  ry    evening  - 
pressed    a  vehement  of    Mr. 

Gammon — avowed,  al  10,  her  early  and 
uniform  distru  it  —'twould  be  extreme- 
ly embarrn  ing  to  her  .suddenly  to 
introduce  into  her  presence  i  ucli 


individual  as  Gammon  :  again,  he  had 
promised  to  return  quickly,  in  order 
to  relieve  their  anxiety  :  why  should 
he  not  have  the  inexpressible  gratifica- 
tion of  letting  Mr.  Gammon  himself, 
in  his  own  pointed  and  impressive 
manner,  dispel  all  their  fears?  He 
would,  probably,  not  stay  long. 

"Mr.  Gammon,"  said  lie,  having 
balanced  for  some  minutes  these  con- 
tlirting  considerations  in  his  mind — 
"there  are  only  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  my 
si  ter  up-stairs.  I  am  sure  they  will 
be  happy  to  see  me  return  to  them  in 
time  for  tea,  accompanied  by  the  bearer 
of  such  agreeable  tidings  as  yours.  For 
Mr.  Quirk's  letter,  to  be  frank,  reached 
me  when  in  their  presence,  and  we  all 
read  it  together,  and  were  dreadfully 
disturbed  at  its  contents."  After  a 
faint  show  of  reluctance  to  trespass  on 
the  ladies  so  suddenly,  and  at  so  late 
an  hour,  Mr.  Gammon  slipped  off  his 
great-coat,  and,  with  intense  but  sup- 
pressed feelings  of  exultation  at  tho 
success  of  his  scheme,  followed  Mr. 
Aubrey  up-stairs.  He  felt  not  a  little 
fluttered  on  entering  the  room  and 
catching  a  first  glimpse  of  the  two 
lovely  women — and  one  of  them  Alias 
Aubrey  —  sitting  in  it,  their  faces 
turned  with  eager  interest  and  anxiety 
towards  the  door  as  he  made  his  ap- 
pearance, lie  observed  that  both  of 
them  started,  and  turned  excessively 
pale. 

"Let  me  introduce  to  you,"  said 
Mr.  Aubrey  quickly,  and  with  n  bright 

assuring  smile,  "a,  gentleman  who  has 
kindly  called  to  relieve  us  all  from 
great  anxiety— Mr.  Gammon:  Mr. 
Gammon,  Mrs.  Aubrey  —  Miss  Au- 
brey." He  bowed  with  an  air  of  deep 
deference,  but  easy  self-possession  ;  his 
soul  thrilling  within  him  at  the  sight 
of  her  whose  ima  e  had  never  been 
from  before  his  eyes  since  they  had 
first  Been  her. 

"  I  shall  trespass  on  you  for  only  a 
few  minutes,  ladies,"  said  h",  ap- 
proaching the  chair  towards  which  he 
was    motioned.      "I  could    not    resist 

the  opportunity  *o  politely  afforded 
me  by  Mr.  Aubrey  of  paying  my  com- 
pliments here,  and  personalis  088UJ  U  g 

you   of  my  utter  abhorrence  of  the 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


441 


mercenary  and  oppressive  conduct  of 
a  gentleman  with  whom,  alas !  I  am 
closely  connected  in  business,  and 
■whose  letter  to  you  of  this  evening  I 
only  casually  became  acquainted  with 
a  few  moments  before  starting  oil' 
hither.  Forget  it,  ladies ;  I  pledge 
my  honour  that  it  shall  never  be  acted 
on!"  This  he  said  with  a  fervour  of 
manner  that  could  not  but  make  an 
impression  on  those  whom  he  ad- 
dressed. 

"I'm  sure  we're  happy  to  see  you, 
Mr.  Gammon,  and  very  much  obliged 
to  you,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Aubrey, 
with  a  sweet  smile,  and  a  face  from 
which  alarm  was  vanishing  fast.  Miss 
Aubrey  said  nothing ;  her  brilliant 
eyes  glanced  with  piercing  anxiety, 
how  at  her  brother,  then  at  his  com- 
panion. Gammon  felt  that  he  was 
distrusted.  Nothing  could  be  more 
prepossessing  —  more  bland  and  in- 
sinuating, without  a  trace  of  fui- 
someness,  than  his  manner  and  ad- 
dress, as  he  took  his  seat  between 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey,  whose 
paleness  rather  suddenly  gave  way  to 
a  vivid  and  beautiful  hush  ;  and  her 
eyes  presently  sparkled  with  delighted 
surprise  on  perceiving  the  relieved  air 
of  her  brother,  and  the  apparent 
cordiality  and  sincerity  of  Mr .  Gammon. 
When  she  reflected,  moreover,  on  her 
expressions  of  harshness  and  severity 
concerning  him  that  very  evening,  and 
of  which  he  now  appeared  so  unde- 
serving, it  threw  into  her  manner 
towards  him  a  sort  of  delicnte  and 
charming  embarrassment.  Her  ear 
drank  in  eagerly  every  word  he  uttered 
— so  pointed,  so  significant,  so  full  of 
earnest  goodwill  towards  her  brother. 
His  manner  was  that  of  a  gentleman, 
his  countenance  and  conversation  that 
of  a  man  of  intellect  ; — was  this  the 
keen  and  cruel  pettifogger  whom  she 
had  learned  at  once  to  dread  and  to 
despise  ?  They  and  he  were,  in  a  word, 
completely  at  their  ease  with  one 
another,  within  a  few  minutes  after  he 
had  taken  his  seat  at  the  tea-table. 
Miss  Aubrey's  beauty  shone  that  even- 
ing with  even  unwonted  lustre,  and 
appeared  as  if  it  had  not  been  in  the 
least  impaired  by  the  anguish  of  mind 


which  she  had  so  long  suffered.  Tis 
quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  justice  to 
the  expression  of  her  full  beaming  blue 
eyes — an  expression  of  mingled  passion 
and  intellect — of  blended  softness  and 
spirit,  that,  especially  in  conjunction 
with  the  rich  tones  of  her  voice,  shed 
something  like  madness  into  the  breast 
of  Gammon.  She,  as  well  as  her  lovely 
sister-in-law,  was  dressed  in  mourning, 
which  infinitely  set  off  her  dazzling 
complexion,  and,  simple  and  elegant 
in  its  drapery,  displayed  her  exquisite 
proportions  to  the  greatest  possible 
advantage.  "  Oh,  my  God  !  "  thought 
Gammon,  with  a  momentary  thrill  of 
disgust  and  horror;  "and  this  is  the 
transcendant  creature  of  whom  that 
little  miscreant,  Titmouse,  spoke  to 
me  in  terms  of  such'  presumptuous 
and  revolting  license  !  "  "What  would 
he  not  have  given  to  kiss  the  fair  and 
delicate  white  hand  that  passed  to  him 
his  tea-cup  !  Then  Gammon's  thoughts 
turned  for  a  moment  inward — why, 
what  a  scoundrel  was  lie!  At  that 
instant  he  was,  as  it  were,  reeking 
with  his  recent  lie.  He  was  there  on 
cruel,  false,  pretences,  which  alone  had 
secured  him  access  into  that  little 
drawing-room,  and  brought  him  into 
contiguity  with  the  dazzling  beauty 
beside  him  —  pure,  and  innocent  as 
beautiful ; — he  was  a  fiend  beside  an 
angel.  "What  an  execrable  hypocrite 
was  he  !  He  caught,  on  that  memor- 
able occasion,  a  sudden  glimpse  even 
of  his  own  infernal  selfishness — a 
sight  that  gave  him  a  cold  shudder. 
Then,  was  he  not  in  the  presence  of 
his  vie i ivis  ? — of  those  whom  he  was 
fast  prosing  on  to  the  verge  of  de- 
struction—-to  whom  he  was,  at  that 
moment,  meditating  profound  and 
subtle  schemes  of  mischief !  At 
length  they  all  got  into  animated 
conversation.  He  was  infinitely  struck 
and  charmed  by  the  unaffected  sim- 
plicity and  frankness  of  their  man- 
ners, yet  he  felt  a  sad  and  painful 
consciousness  of  not  having  made  the 
least  way  with  them  ;  though  physic- 
ally near  to  them,  he  seemed  yet  really 
at  an  unapproachable  distance  from 
them,  and  particularly  from  Miss 
Aubrey.      He  felt   that  the  courtesy 


442 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAB. 


bestowed  upon  him  was  accidental, 
the  result  merely  of  his  present  posi- 
tion, and  of  tin'  intelligence  which  he 
had  come  to  communicate  ;  it  was  not 
personal  —  'twas  nothing  to  Gammon 
himself;  it  wonld  never  be  renewed, 
unless  he  should  renew  his  device. 
There  was  not  the  faintest  semblance 
of  sympathy  between  them  and  him. 
Fallen  as  they  were  into  a  lower  sphere, 
they  had  yet  about  them,  so  to  speak, 
a  certain  atmosphere  of  conscious 
personal  consequence,  derived  from 
high  birth  and  breeding — from  su- 
perior feelings  and  associations — from 
a  native  frankness  and  dignity  of 
character,  which  was  indestructible 
and  inalienable,  which  chilled  and 
cheeked  undue  advances  of  any  sort. 
They  were  still  the  Aubreys  of  Yat- 
ton,  and  he,  in  their  presence,  still 
Mr.  Gammon  of  the  firm  of  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  of  Saffron  Hill 
—  and  all  this  on  the  part  of  the 
Aubreys  without  the  leasl  effort,  the 
least  intention,  or  consciousness.  No, 
there  had  not  been  exhibited  towards 
him  the  faintest  indication  of  hauteur. 
(in  the  contrary,  he  had  been  treated 
with  perfect  cordiality  and  frankness. 
Yet,  dissatisfaction  and  v<  cation  were, 
he  scarce  knew  at  the  moment  why, 
completely  flooding  him.  Had  he 
accurately  analysed  his  own  feelings, 
he  would  have  discovered  the  real 
cause  to  have  been — his  own  unreason- 
able,   id  ishes  and   intcn- 

.  They  talked  of  Titmouse,  and 
his  mode  of  life  and  conduct — of  his 

cted     alliance    with     the     Lady 

lia,  at  the  mention  of  which 
Gammon's  quick  eye  detected  a  pass- 
ing smile  of  scorn  on  Miss  Aubrey's 
countenance,  thai    was    death    to   all 

•  ■■  n    fond   and   ambitious  hopes. 

After  he  had  been  sitting  with  them 

for    scarcely    an    hour,    he    detected 

Aubrey  i  tealthily  glancing  at  her 

h,  and  at  once  arose  to  take  his 
di  pai  I  ore,  with  a  vi  ry  easy  ai  d  grace- 
ful air,  •  ;ag  an  apprehension 
that  lie  had  tri  pa  ed  upon  their 
kindness.  lie  was  cordially  assured 
to  the  contrary,  1ml  in\  Lted,  neither 
to  prolong  his  stay,  nor  renew  his 
visit.      Miss   Aubrey   made   him,  be 


thought,  as  he  inclined  towards  her, 
rather  a  formal  curtsy  ;  and  the  tone 
of  voice — soft  and  silvery — in  which 
she  said  "Good-night,  Mr.  Gammon," 
fell  on  his  eacer  ear,  and  sank  into  his 
vexed  heart,  like  music.  On  quitting 
the  house,  a  deep  sigh  of  disappoint- 
ment escaped  him.  As  he  gazed  for 
a  moment  with  longing  eyes  at  the 
windows  of  the  room  in  which  Miss 
Aubrey  was  sitting,  he  felt  profound 
depression  of  spirit;  he  had  altogether 
failed;  and  he  had  a  sort  of  cursed 
consciousness  that  he  deserved  to  fail, 
on  every  account.  Her  image  was 
before  his  mind's  eye  every  moment 
while  he  was  threading  his  way  back 
to  his  chambers  at  Thavies'  Inn  ;  he 
sat  for  an  hour  or  two  before  the 
remnant  of  his  fire,  lost  in  a  reverie  ; 
and  sleep  came  not  to  his  eyes  till  a 
late  hour  in  the  m<  rning.  Just  as  his 
tortuous  mind  Mas  loosing  hold  of  its 
sinister  purposes  in  sleep,  Mr.  Aubrey 
might  have  been  seen  taking  his  seat  in 
his  little  study,  having  spent  a  restless 
night.  'Twas  little  more  than  half- 
past  four  o'clock  when  he  entered, 
candle  in  hand,  the  scene  of  his  early 
and  cheerful  labours,  and  took  his 
-  t  before  his  table  covered  with  loose 
manuscripts  ami  books.  His  face  was 
certainly  overcast  with  anxiety,  but 
his  soul  was  calm  and  resolute.  Having 
lit  his  fire,  he  placed  his  candle  o><  the 
table,  and,  leaning  back  for  a  moment 
in  his  chair,  while  the  flickering  in- 
creasing light  of  his  crackling  tire  and 
candle  revealed  to  him,  with  a  sense 
of  Snugness,  his  shelves  crammed  with 
hooks,  and  the  window  covered  with 
an  ample  crimson  em  tain,  effectually 
excluding  the  chill  morning  air — he 
n  lie  ted  with  a  heavy  sigh  upon  the 
precarious  tenure  by  which  lie  held 
the  little  comforts  that  were  y<  I  lefl  to 
him.  Oh! — thought  he — if  Heaven 
but  t"  relieve  me  from  the  fri 

fill  pressure  of  liability  under  which  I 
am  bound  to  the  earth,  what  labour, 
what  privation  would  I  repine  at ! 
What  gladne* s  would  not  spring  up  in 
my  heart !     Bui  rousing  himself  from 

\ain    thoughts  of  this  kind,  he   be 
to  arrange  his  manuscripts,  when   his 
ear  caught  a  sound  uu  the  stair — 'twas 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


413 


the  light  step  of  his  sister,  coming 
down  to  perform  her  promised  under- 
taking— not  an  unusual  one  by  any 
means — to  transcribe  for  the  press  the 
manuscript  he  was  about  completing 
that  morning.  "My  sweet  Kate,"  said 
he  tenderly,  as  she  entered  with  her  little 
chamber  light,  which  she  extinguished 
as  she  entered—"  I  am  really  grieved 
to  see  you  stirring  so  early — go  back  to 
bed."  But  she  kissed  Ills  cheek  affec- 
tionately, and  refused  to  do  any  such 
thing  ;  and  telling  him  of  the  restless 
night  she  had  passed,  of  which  indeed 
her  pale  and  depressed  features  bore 
but  too  legible  evidence,  she  sat  herself 
down  in  her  accustomed  place,  nearly 
opposite  to  him,  cleared  away  space 
enough  for  her  little  desk,  and  then 
opening  it,  was  presently  engaged  in 
her  delightful  task — for  to  her  it  was 
indeed  delightful — of  copying  out  her 
brother's  composition.  Thus  she  sat, 
silent  and  industrious — scarce  opening 
her  lips,  except  to  ask  him  to  explain 
an  illegiiy.e  word  or  so,  till  the  hour 
had  arrived — eight  o'clock — for  the 
close  of  their  morning  toil.  The 
reader  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  the 
article  on  which  they  had  been  en- 
gaged— and  which  was  on  a  question 
of  foreign  politics,  of  great  difficulty 
and  importance  —  produced  him  a 
cheque  for  sixty  guineas,  and  excited 
very  general  attention  and  admiration. 
Oh,  how  precious  was  this  reward  of 
his  honourable  and  severe  toil !  How 
it  cheered  him  who  had  earned  it,  and 
those  who  were,  alas  !  entirely  depend- 
ent upon  his  noble  exertions  !  And 
how  sensibly  it  augmented  their  little 
means  !  Grateful,  indeed,  were  all  of 
them  for  the  success  which  had  at- 
tended his  labours ! 

As  I  do  not  intend  to  occupy  the 
reader  with  any  details  relating  to  Mr. 
Aubrey's  Temple  avocations,  I  shall 
content  myself  with  saying  that  the 
more  Mr.  Weasel  and  Mr.  Aubrey 
came  to  know  of  each  other,  the  more 
Aubrey  respected  his  legal  knowledge 
and  ability,  and  he,  Aubrey's  intellect- 
ual energy  and  successful  application, 
which,  indeed,  consciously  brought 
home  to  Aubrey  its  own  reward,  in 
the  daily  acquisition  of  solid  learning, 


and  increasing  facility  in  the  use  of  it. 
His  mind  was  formed  for  things,  and 
was  not  apt  to  occupy  itself  with  mere 
words,  or  technicalities.  He  was  ever 
in  quest  of  the  principles  of  law,  its 
reason,  and  spirit.  He  quickly  began 
to  appreciate  the  sound  practical  good 
sense  on  which  almost  all  the  rules  of 
law  are  founded,  and  the  effectual 
manner  in  which  they  are  accom- 
modated to  the  innumerable  and  ever- 
varying  exigencies  of  human  affairs. 
The  mere  forms  and  technicalities  of 
the  law,  Mr.  Aubrey  often  compared 
to  short-hand,  whose  characters  to  the 
uninitiated  appear  quaint  and  useless, 
but  are  perfectly  invaluable  to  him 
who  has  seen  the  object,  and  patiently 
acquired  the  use  of  them.  Whatever 
Mr.  Aubrey's  hand  found  to  do,  while 
studying  the  law,  he  did  it,  indeed, 
with  his  might — which  is  the  grand 
secret  of  the  difference  in  the  success 
of  different  persons  addressing  them- 
selves to  legal  studies.  Great  or  small, 
easy  or  difficult,  simple  or  complicated, 
interesting  or  uninteresting,  he  made  a 
point  of  mastering  it  thoroughly,  and, 
as  far  as  possible,  by  his  own  efforts ; 
which  generated  early  a  habit  of  self- 
reliance  which  no  one  better  than  he 
knew  the  value  of — how  inestimable, 
how  indispensable,  not  to  the  lawyer 
merely,  but  to  any  one  entrusted  with 
the  responsible  management  of  affairs. 
In  short,  he  had  all  the  success  which 
is  sure  to  attend  the  exertions  of  a  man 
of  superior  sense  and  spirit,  who  is  in 
earnest  in  what  he  is  about.  Ho 
frequently  surprised  Mr.  "Weasel  with 
the  exactness  and  extent  of  his  legal 
information — his  acuteness,  clear- 
headedness, and  tenacity  in  dealing 
with  matters  of  downright  difficulty— 
and  Mr.  Weasel  had  several  times,  in 
consultation,  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
pressing his  very  flattering  opinion 
concerning  Mr.  Aubrey  to  the  Attorney- 
General.  The  mention  of  that  eminent 
person  reminds  me  of  an  observation 
which  I  intended  to  have  made  some 
time  ago.  The  reader  is  not  to  imagine, 
from  my  silence  upon  the  subject,  that 
Mr.  Aubrey,  in  his  fallen  fortunes, 
was  heartlessly  forgotten  or  neglected 
by  the  distinguished  friends  and  as- 


■Ill 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


sociates of  former  and  more  prosperous 
days.  It  was  not  they  that  withdrew 
from  him,  but  be  that  withdrew  from 
them;  and  that,  too,  of  sel  purpose, 
resolutely  adhered  to,  on  the  ground 
that  it  could  not  be  otherwise,  with- 
out seriously  interfering  with  the  duo 
prosecuti  m  of  those  plans  of  life  on 
which  were  dependent  not  only  his  all, 
and  that  of  those  connected  with  liim 
— but  his  fond  hopes  of  yet  extricating 
himself,  by  his  own  personal  exertions, 
from  the  direful  difficulties  and  dangers 
which  at  present  environed  him — of 
achieving,  with  his  own  right  hand, 
independence.  The  Attorney-General 
frequi  ntly  called  to  enquire  how  he 
was  getting  on  ;  and,  let  me  not  forget 
hi  re  to  state  a  fact  which  1  conceive 
infinitely  to  redound  to  poor  Aubrey's 
honour — viz.  that  he  thrice  refused 
oilers  male  him  from  very  high 
quarto's,  of  considerable  sinecures,  i  e. 
handsome  salari  s  for  purely  uoii 
services  -  ivhi  h  he  was  earnestly  and 
repeatedly  reminded  would  at  once 
afford  him  a  liberal  main  ten  nice,  and 
leave  the- whole  of  his  time  at  his  own 
disposal,  to  follow  any  pursuit  or  pro- 
fession which  he  chose.  Mr.  Aubrey 
justly  considered  that  it  was  very 
difficult,  if  not  indeed  impossible,  for 
any  honourable  and  high-minded  man 
to  be  a  Binecurist.  He  that  holds  a 
sinecure,  is,  in  my  opinion,  plundering 
the  public;  and  how  it  is  moie  contra.} 
to  the  dictates  of  honour  and  justice, 
deliberately  to  defraud  an  individual, 
than  deliberately  and  audaciously  to 
defraud  that  collection  of  individuals 
called  the  public,  let  casuists  deter- 
mine. As  for  Mr.  Aubrey,  he  saw 
tching  before  him  the  clear, 
tight,  bright  line  of  honour,  and 
In-  resolved  to  follow  it,  without  fal- 
tering or  wavering,  come  whal  come 
1  lived,  with  the  blessing 

of  Providence^  that  his  own  i 
Bhould  i  rocure  his  bn  ad,  and,  if  such 
the  will  of  Heavi  a,  lead  him  to 
mong  m  inland.  I  le  had 
formed  thisd  : terminal  ion.  and  re 
to  work  it  out — never  to  pau  a  or  give 
Way,  hut  to  di  •  in  the    1 1  .i      le.    Such 

a  spirit  must  conquer  whatever  isop- 
1      d  to  it.    What  Is  difficulty t  Onlj 


a  word  indicating  the  degree  of 
strength  requisite  for  accomplishing 
particular  objects;  a  mere  notice  of 
the  necessity  for  exertion ;  a  bugbear 
to  children  and  fools  ;  only  a  mere 
stimulus  to  men. 

.Mr.  Gammon  felt  very  little  difficulty 
in  putting  oil'  Mr.  Quirk  from  his  pur- 
pose of  enforcing  the  payment  by  Mr. 
Aubrey  of  the  balance  of  his  account  ; 
in  demonstrating  to  him  the  policy  of 
wait inga lit  tie  longer,  lie  pledged  him- 
self, when  the  proper  lime  came,  to 
adopt  measures  of  undoubted  efficacy, 
— assuring  his  sullen  senior  in  a  low- 
tone,  that  since  his  letter  had  reached 
.Mr.  Aubrey,  circumstances  had  oc- 
curred  which  would  render  it  in  the 
last  degree  dangerous  to  press  that 
gentleman  upon  the  subject.  What 
that  was  which  had  happened,  ]\lr. 
Gammon,  as  usual,  refused  to  state. 
This  wasa  considerable  source  of  vexa- 
tion to  the  old  gentleman  :  hut  he  had 
a  far  greater  one,  in  the  decisive  and 
linal  overthrow  <<(  his  fondly  cherished 
hopes  concerning  his  daughter's  alliance 
with  Titmouse,  'flu-  paragraph  in  the 
Aurora,  announcing  Mr.  Titmouse's 
gemcul   to  his  brilliant  relative, 

the    1.;    ;.   Cecilia,  had  emanated   from 

the  pen  of  Mr.  Gammon,  who  had  had 
several  objects  in  view  in  giving  early 
publicity  to  the  event  he  announced 
in  such  courtly  terms.  Happening,  on 
the  morning  on  which  it  appeared,  to  be 
glancing  over  the  fascinating  columns 
of  the  Aurora  at  a  public  office,  (the 
piper  taken  in  at  their  own  establish* 
ment  being  the  Hominy  Growl,)  he 
made  a  point  of  purchasing  that  day's 
Aurora;  and  on  returning  to  Saffron 
Hill,  he  enquired  wheth  r  Mr.  Quirk 
were- at  home.  Hearing  that  he  was 
silting  ahme,  in  his  room  in  rushed 
Mr.  Gammon,  bn  athlcss  with  surprise 
and   haste,    and   pluck  llg    tie-     pi      r 

out    of     Ids    ] kct,      "  !'•/    h 

.Mr.     Quirk  !  "  —  he    aln  •  ped 

as  he  doubled  down  tic  [Kiper  to 
tie-  place  \\ here  Btood  tie-  announce- 
ment iu  question,  and  put  if  into  Mr. 
Quirk's  hands, — "  this  young  fellow's 

given    you    the    slip,  after    all!     So:  1 

■ — The    moment    that    my    back    is 

turned " 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


445 


Mr.  Quirk  having,  with  a  little 
trepidation,  adjusted  his  spectacles, 
perused  the  paragraph  with  a  some- 
what flushed  face.  He  had,  in  fact, 
for  some  time  had  grievous  misgivings 
on  the  subject  of  his  chance  of  becom- 
ing the  father-in-law  of  his  distin- 
guished client,  Mr.  Titmouse ;  but 
now  his  faintest  glimmering  of  hope 
was  suddenly  and.  completely  extin- 
guished, and  the  old  gentleman  felt 
quite  desolate.  He  looked  up,  on 
finishing  the  paragraph,  and  gazed 
rather  ruefully  at  his  indignant  and 
sympathizing  companion. 

"It  seems  all  up,  Gammon,  cer- 
tainly—  don't  it?"  said  he,  with  a 
flustered  air. 

"  Indeed,  my  dear  sir,  it  does  ! 
You  have  my  sincerest " 

"Now  comes  t'other  end  of  the 
thing,  Gammon  !  You  know  every 
promise  of  marriage  has  two  ends — 
one  joins  the  heart,  and  t'other  the 
pocket ;  oiol  heart,  in  pocket — so  have 
at  him,  by  Jove  !  "  He  rose  up  and 
rubbed  his  hands  as  he  stood  before 
the  fire.  "Breach  of  promise — thun- 
dering damages— devilish  deep  purse 
— special  jury — broken  heart,  and  a'.l 
that  !  I  wish  he'd  written  her  more 
letters  !  Adad,  I'll  have  a  shot  at  him 
by  next  assizes — a  writ  on  the  file  this 
very  day !  What  d'ye  think  on't, 
friend  Gammon,  between  ourselves  ?" 

"  Why,  my  dear  sir — to  tell  you  the 
truth — aren't  you  really  well  out  of 
it  ?  He's  a  miserable  little  upstart — 
he'd  have  made  a  wretched  husband 
for  so  superior  a  girl  as  Miss  Quirk." 

"Ay — ay !  ay  !  She  is  a  good  girl, 
Gammon — there  you're  right ;  would 
have  made  the  best  of  wives — my  eyes, 
(between  ourselves  !)  how  that'll  go  to 
the  jury !  Gad,  I  fancy  I  see  'em — 
perhaps  all  of  'em  daughters  of  their 
own." 

' '  Looking  at  the  thing  calmly,  Mr. 
Quirk,"  said  Gammon  gravely — appre- 
hensive of  Mr.  Quirk's  carrying  too  frr 
so  very  absurd  an  affair—"  where's  the 
evidence  of  the  promise  ?  —  Because, 
you  know,  there's  certainly  something 
depends  on  that — eh  ?  " 

"  Evidence  ?  Deuce  take  you, 
Gammon  I  where  are  your  wits  ?     Evi- 


dence ?  Lots — lots  of  it !  A'n't  there 
I — her  father  ?  A'n't  I  a  competent 
witness  ?  Wait  and  see  old  Caleb  Quirk 
get  into  the  box.  I'll  settle  his  hash 
in  half  a  minute." 

"Yes — if  you're  believed,  perhaps." 

"Believe   be  !      Who's   to   be 

believed,  if  her  own  father  isn't  ? " 

"Why,  you  may  be  too  much 
swayed  by  your  feelings  !  " 

"Feelings   be !      It's  past  all 

that  ;  he  has  none — so  he  must  pay, 
for  he  has  cash  !  He  ought  to  be  made 
an  example  of !  " 

"  Still,  to  come  to  the  point,  Mr. 
Quirk,  I  vow  it  quite  teases  me — this 
matter  of  the  evidence " 

"Evidence?  Why,  Lord  bless  my 
soul,  Gammon,"  quoth  Quirk  testily, 
"haven't  you  had  your  eyes  and  ears 
open  all  this  while  ?  Gad,  what  a 
crack  witness  you'd  make  ?  A  man  of 
your — your  intellect — serve  a  friend  at 
a  pinch — and  in  a  matter  about  his 
daughter  ?  Ah,  how  often  you've  seen 
'em  together — walking,  talking,  laugh- 
ing, dancing,  riding — writ  in  her  album 
— made  her  presents,  and  she  him. 
Evidence  ?  Oceans  of  it,  and  to  spare  ! 
Si  cure  Subtle — and  I  wouldn't  take 
£5000  for  my  verdict !  " 

"Why,  you  see,  Mr.  Quirk,"  said 
Gammon  very  seriously — "  though  I've 
striven  my  utmost  these  six  months  to 
bring  it  about,  the  artful  little  scamp 
has  never  given  me  the  least  thing 
that  I  could  lay  hold  of,  and  swear 
to." 

"  Oh,  you'll  recollect  enough,  in  due 
time,  friend  Gammon,  if  j'ou'll  only 
turn  your  attention  to  it  ;  and  if  you'll 
bear  in  mind  it's  life  and  death  to  my 
poor  girl.  Oh  Lord  !  I  must  get  my 
sister  to  break  it  to  her,  and  I'll  send 

sealed  instructions  to  Mr. Weasel, 

shall  we  say  ?  or  Lynx  ?  ay,  Lynx  ; 
for  he'll  then  have  to  fight  for  his  own 
pleadings  ;  and  can't  turn  round  at  the 
trial  and  say,  'this  is  not  right,' and 
'that's  wrong,' and,  'why  didn't  you 
have  such  and  such  evidence  ? '  Lynx 
is  the  man  ;  and  I'll  lay  the  venue  in 
Yorkshire,  for  Titmouse  is  devilish 
disliked  down  there ;  and  a  special 
jury  will  be  only  too  glad  to  give 
him  a  desperate  slap  in  the  chops  I 


446 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


We'll  lay  the  damages  at  twenty  thou- 
sand pounds !     Ah,   lia !     I'll  teach 

the  young  villain  to  break  the  hearts 
of  an  olil  man  and  his  daughter.  But, 
i  _  l,"he  pulled  out  his  watch,  "half- 
past  two;  and  Nicky  Crowbar  sure  to 
be  put  apal  three  I  By  Jove  I  itwon't 
do  to  he  out  of  the  way  ;  lie's  head  of 
the  gang,  and  they  always  come  down 
very  liberally  when  they're  in  trouble. 
Snap!  Amminadab  I  hollo!  who's 
there  !  Dral  them  all,  why  don't  they 
speak?"  The  old  gentleman  was 
soon,  however,  attended  to. 

"Are  they  here?"  he  enquired,  as 
Mr.  Amminadab  entered. 

"Yes,  sir,  all  three  ;  and  the  coach 
is  at  the  door,  too.  Kicky  Crowbar's 
to  be  up  at  three,  sir " 

"]  see — I  know — I'm  ready,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Quh'k,  who  was  presently 
seated  in  the  coach  with  three  gentle- 
men, to  whom  lie  minutely  explained 
the  person  <>f  Mr.  Nicky  Crowbar,  and 
the  place  at  which  it.  was  quite  certain 
that  Mr.  Crowbar  could  not  have  been 
at  half-pasf  eleven  o'clock  on  Tuesday 
night  the  9th  of  July,  seeing  that  he 
happened  at  that  precise  time  to  be 
where,  in  company  with  these 
three  gentlemen  —  to  wit,  at  Che]  ea, 
ami  not  it!  i 'lapham. 

Though  Mr.  Gammon  thus  sympa- 
thized with  one  of  the  gentle  beings 
who  had  been  "  rifled  of  all  th  ir 
sweetness,"  I  grieve  to  say  that  the 
other,  Miss  Tag-rag,  never  occupied 
his  thoughts  for  one  moment.  He 
neither  knew  nor  cored  whether  or  not 
she  was  apprized  of  the  destruction  of 
all  her  fond  hopes,  by  the  paragraph 
which  had  appeared  in  the  Aurora. 
Jn  fact,  he  felt  that  he  had  really  done 
enough,  on  the  pari  of  Mr.  Titmouse, 
for  hi-,  early  friend  and  patron,  Mr. 
Tag-rag,  on  whom  the  stream  of  fir- 
tune  had  set  in  strong  and  steady; 
.  Mr.  <  rammon  Knew  thai 
Mr.  Tag-rag  had  received  mtial 

memento  of  his  connection  with  Tit- 
it  Titmouj  e.  In  fact,  how  1  ruly 
a  man  was  Mr.  Gammon 
towards  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact !  Wh  it  had  he  not  don 
I  have  1»  en  Baying,  for  the  Tag-rags  ? 
What   for   Mr.  Til  mouse  1     Whit  for 


the  Karl  of  Dreddlington  ?  What  for 
Mr.  Quirk,  and  even  Snap?  As  for 
Mr.  Quirk,  had  he  not  been  put  in 
possession  of  his  long  coveted  bond 
for  £10,000!  of  which,  by  the  way, 
he  allotted  £1000  only  to  the  man- 
Mr.  Gammon — by  whose  unwearying 
exertions  and  consummate  ability  he 
obtained  so  splendid  a  prize,  and  £300 
to  Mr.  Snap.  Then,  had  not  Mr. 
Quirk  also  been  paid  his  bill  against 
Titmouse  of  £5000  and  upwards,  and 
£2500  by  Mr.  Aubrey  ?  And,  governed 
by  the  articles  of  their  partnership, 
what  a  lion's  half  of  this  spoil  had 
not  hern  appropriated  to  the  respect- 
able old  head  of  the  firm  1  Id  v. 
Gammon  did  undoubtedly  complain 
indignantly  of  the  trilling  portion 
allotted  to  him,  but  he  was  encoun- 
tered by  Buch  a  desperate  pertinacity 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Quirk  as  baffled 
him  entirely,  and  caused  him  to  aban- 
don his  further  chum  in  disgusl  and 
de  pair.  Thus,  the  £20,000  'obtained 
by  Mr.  Titmouse,  on  mortgage  of  the 
Yattoii  property,  was  reduced  at  once 

to  the  sum  of  L. ".000  ; — hut  out  of  this 
handsome  balance  had  yet  to  come, 
first,  £800,  with  interest,  due  to  Mr. 
Quh'k  for  subsistence-money  advanced 
to  Titmouse;  secondly,  £500  due  to 
Mr.  Snap,  for  monies  alleged  to  have 
been  also  lent  by  him  to  his  friend  Tit- 
mouse at  different  times,  in  the  manner 

that  has  1 n  already  explained  to  the 

reader—  Snap's  demand  for  repayment 
being  accompanied  by  vtrbatvm  copies 
of  between  forty  and  fifty  memoranda 
— many  of  them  in  pencil — notes  of 
hand,  receipts,  l.O.U.'s,  &c,  in  whose 
handwriting  the  figures  representing 
the  sums  lent,  and  the  times  when, 
could  not  be  ascertained,  and  did  not 
signify  :  it  being,  in  point  of  low,  good 
jiriiitu  facie  evidence  for  Snap,  in  the 
event  of  a  trial,  simply  to  produce  the 
document  i  and  prove  the  Bign  i1  lire  of 

his    friend     Mr.    Titmouse.      T 

discharged  o  volley  of  imprecation 
Snap's  bead,  on  receiving  this  uncx- 

p  icted   claim,    and     n  I  to    Mr. 

Gammon;  who,  after  subjecting  it  to 
a  bond  fide  and  very  rigorous  examin- 
tion,   found    it,   in   vain    to    attempt    to 

:,  or  even  diminish  it ;  Buch  per- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


447 


feet  method  and  accuracy  had  Snap 
observed   in  his  accounts,  that  they 
secured  him  a  clear  gain  of  £350  ;  the 
difference  between  that  sum  and  £500, 
being  the  amount  actually  and  bond 
fide  advanced  by  him  to  Titmouse.    De- 
ducting, therefore,  £1300,  (the  amount 
of  the  two  minor  demands  of  £800  and 
£500  above  specified,)  there  remained 
to  Mr.  Titmouse  out  of  the  £20,000 
the  sum  of  £3700  ;  and  he  ought  to 
have   been    thankful;    for   he    might 
have  got  nothing, — or  even  have  been 
brought    in   debt   to   Messrs.    Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap.     I  say  that  Mr. 
Gammon  would  seem,  from  the  above 
statement   of  accounts,    not    to   have 
been   dealt  with   in   any  degree   ade- 
quately to  his  merits.     He  felt  it  so, 
but  soon  reconciled  himself  to  it,  occu- 
pied as  he  was  with  arduous  and  ex- 
tensive  speculations,    amidst   all   the 
complication  of  which  he  never  for  a 
moment  lost  fight  of  one  object,  viz. — 
himself.    His  schemes  were  boldly  con- 
ceived, and  he  went  about  the  accom- 
plishment of  them  with  equal  patience 
and  sagacity.     Almost  everything  was 
going  as  he  could  wish.     He  had  con- 
trived to  place  himself  in  a  very  con- 
venient fast-and-loose  sort  of  position 
with  reference  to  his  fellow-partners — 
one  which  admitted  of  his  easily  dis- 
engaging himself  from  them,  whenever 
the  proper  time  arrived  for  taking  such 
a  step.     He  was  absolute  and   para- 
mount over  Titmouse,  and  could  al- 
ways  secure  his   instant  submission, 
by  virtue  of  the  fearful  and  mysterious 
talisman  which  he  occasionally  Hashed 
before  his  startled  eyes.     He  had  ac- 
quired great  influence,  also,  over  the 
Earl  of   Dreddlington  —  an  influence 
which  was  constantly  on  the  increase  ; 
and  had  seen  come  to  pass  an  event 
which  he  judged  to   be  of  great  im- 
portance to  him— namely,  the  engage- 
ment between  Titmouse  and  the  Lady 
Cecilia.       Yet  was   there   one  object 
which  he  had  proposed  to  himself  as 
incalculably  valuable   and   supremely 
desirable — as  the  consummation  of  all 
his  designs  and  wishes  ;  I  mean  the 
obtaining  the  hand  of  -Miss  Aubrey — 
and  in  which  he  had  yet  a  fearful  mis- 
giving of  failure.     But  he  was  a  man 


whose  courage  rose  with  every  obstacle ; 
and  he  fixedly  resolved  within  himself 
to  succeed,  at  any  cost.  'Twas  not 
alone  his  exquisite  appreciation  of  her 
personal  beauty — her  grace,  her  accom- 
plishments, her  lovely  temper,  her 
lofty  spirit,  her  high  birth — objects 
all  of  them  dazzling  enough  to  a  man 
of  such  a  powerful  and  ambitious  mind, 
and  placed  in  such  circumstances  in 
life  as  Gammon.  There  were  certain 
other  consi  lerations,  intimately  in- 
volved in  all  his  calculations,  which 
rendered  success  in  this  affair  a  matter 
of  capital  importance — nay,  indi  pens- 
able.  Knowing,  as  I  do,  what  had 
passed,  at  different  times,  between 
that  proud  and  determined  girl,  and 
her  constant  and  enthusiastic  lover, 
Mr.  Delamere,  I  am  as  certain  as  a 
man  can  be  of  anything  that  has  not 
actually  happened,  that,  though  she 
may  possibly  not  be  fated  to  become 
Mrs.  Delamere,  she  will  certainly 
never  become — Mrs.  Gammon.  Lov- 
ing Kate  as  I  do,  and  being  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  Gammon,  I  feel  deep 
interest  in  his  movements,  and  am 
watching  them  with  great  apprehen- 
sion : — she,  lovely,  innocent,  unsus- 
picious ;  he,  subtle,  selfish,  unscrupul- 
ous, desperate !  And  he  has  great 
power  in  his  hands  :  is  he  not  silently 
surrounding  his  destined  prey  with 
unperceived  but  inevitable  meshes ! 
God  guard  thee,  my  Kate,  and  reward 
thy  noble  devotion  to  thy  brother  and 
his  fallen  fortunes  !  Do  we  chide  thee 
for  clinging  to  them  with  fond  tenacity 
in  their  extremity,  when  thou  art  daily 
importuned  to  enter  into  that  station 
which  thou  wouldst  so  adorn  ? 

Gammon's  reception  by  the  Aubreys, 
in  Vivian  Street — kind  and  courteous 
though  it  had  surely  been — had  ever 
since  rankled  in  his  heart.  Their  ab- 
staining from  a  request  to  him  to  pro- 
long his  stay,  or  to  renew  his  visit,  he 
had  noted  at  the  time,  and  had  ever 
since  reflected  upon  with  pique  and 
discouragement.  Nevertheless,  he  was 
resolved,  at  all  haz  irds,  to  become  at 
least  an  occasional  visitor  in  Vivian 
Street.  When  a  fortnight  had  elapsed 
without  any  further  intimation  to  Mr. 
Aubrey  concerning  the  dreaded  balance 


448 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAU. 


due  to  the  firm,  Gammon  ventured  to 
ca  1  in,  for  the  purpose  of  assuring  Mr. 
Aubrey  that  it  was  no  mere  temporary 
lull  ;  th  it  he  might  divest  his  mind  of 
all  nneosiness  on  the  subject ;  and  of 
asking  whether  he  (Gammon)  had  not 
t 'Id  Mr.  Aubrey  truly  that  he  both 
could  and  would  restrain  the  hand  of 
Mr.  Quirk.  Could  Mr.  Aubrey  be 
otherwise  than  grateful  for  such  active 
and  manifestly  disinterested  kindness? 
Again  Gammon  made  his  appearance 
at  -Mrs.  Aubrey's  tea-table — and  was 
again  received  with  all  the  sweetness 
and  frankness  of  manner  which  he  had 
formerly  experienced  from  her  and 
Miss  Aubrey.  Again  he  called,  on 
Borne  adroit  pretext  or  another — and 
once  heard  Miss  Aubrey's  rich  voice 
and  exquisite  performance  on  the 
piano.  He  became  subject  to  emo- 
tions and  impulses  of  a  sort  that  he 
had  never  before  experienced  ;  yet, 
whenever  he  retired  from  their  fasci- 
nating society,  lie  felt  an  aching  void, 
as  it-  were,  within — he  perceived  the 
absence  of  all  sympathy  towards  him  ; 
he  felt  indignant — but  that  did  not 
quench  the  ardour  of  his  aspirations. 
"J'is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  that  on 
every  occasion,  Gammon  effectually 
concealed  the  profound  and  agitating 
feelings  which  the  sight  of  Miss  Au- 
brey  called  forth  in  him  ;  and  what  a 
tax  was  this  upon  his  powers  of  con- 
cealment and  self-control  !  How  lie 
laid  himself  out  to  amuse  and  interest 
thrni  all!  With  what  racy  humour 
would  he  describe  the  vulgar  absurd- 
ities of  Titmouse — the  stately  eccen- 
tricil  ie  i  of  the  I  *reddlington.s  !  With 
what  eager  and  breathless  interest  was 
he  listened  to  !  No  man  could  make 
himself  more  nnexceptionably  agree- 
able than  Gammon  ;  and  the  ladies 
really  took  pleasure  in  Ids  society; 
Kate  about  as  far  from  any  notion  of 
tie-    real       ite  of  hi  s,   as  of 

what  was  at  thai  moment  going  on  at 
tin:  antipodes.     Hei  towards 

him  Bensibly  less  mod  ;  why,  indeed, 
should  she  feel  ii,  towards  one  of 
whom  Dr.  Tatham  spoke  so  highly, 

and     who    appeared     to    warrant    it  ? 

Moreover,  Air.  Gammon  took  Bpecial 

care  to  speak    in  the  most  unreserved 


and  unqualified  manner  of  the  mean 
and  mercenary  character  of  Mr.  Quirk 
— of  the  miserable  style  of  business  in 
which  he,  Mr.  Gammon,  was  com- 
pelled, for  only  a  short  time  longer, 
lie  trusted,  to  participate,  and  which 
was  really  revolting  to  his  own  feelings; 
in  short,  he  did  his  Inst  to  cause  him- 
elf  to  appear  a  sensitive  and  high- 
minded  man.  whose  unhappy  fate  it 
had  been  to  be  yoked  with  those  who 
were  the  reverse.  Mr.  Aubrey  regarded 
him  from  time  to  time  with  silent 
anxiety  and  interest,  as  one  who  had 
it  in  his  power,  at  any  instant  he  might 
choose,  to  cause  the  suspended  sword 
to  fall  upon  him  ;  at  whose  will  ami 
pleasure  he  continued  in  the  enjoy- 
in.  nt  of  his  present  domestic  happiness, 
instead  of  being  incarcerated  in  prison  ; 
but  who  bail  hitherto  evinced  a  dis- 
position of  signal  forbearance,  sincere 
good -nature,  and  disinterestedness. 
They  often  used  to  speak  of  him,  and 
compare  the  impression  which  his  per- 
son and  conduct  had  produced  in  their 
minds  ;  and  in  fwo  points  they  agreed 
— that  he  exhibited  anxiety  to  render 
himself  agreeable  ;  and  that  there  was 
a  certain  something  about  his  eye  which 
none  of  them  liked.  It  seemed  as 
thoughhehad  in  a  manner  two  natures: 
and  that  one  of  them  was  watching 
the  effect  of  the  efforts  made  by  the 
other  to  beguile ! 


CHAPTEB   XXVI. 

WHILE,  however,  the  Fates  thus 
seemed  to  frown  upon  the  aspiring 
attempts  of  Gammon  towards  Miss 
Aubrey,     they     smiled     benignontry 

em. ugh   upon   Titmouse,   and  his  suit 

with    the    Lady    Cecilia,      The  "first 

Shock    OVer Which     no    lively    Sensi- 
bilities or  strong  feelings  of  her  lady- 
ship  tended    to   protract,    she    h. 
in   •  osibly    to    get    familiar    with     the 

per  on,  manners,  and  character  of  bet 

future  lord,  and  reconciled  to  her  fate. 
"  When  people  understand  that  they 
muat  live  together,"  said  a  very  great 


"  And,  ck-nr  reader,  fan<  y  the  figure  Titmouse  must  have  pr<  them 

—his  quizzing-glass  si  rewed  into  hi-  ,  ye,  and  i  lad  in  hi*  little  pink 

and  leathers  !   what  .1  seal  was  his  !  " 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


449 


man,  "they  learn  to  soften,  by  mutual 
accommodation,  that  yoke  which  they 
know  that  they  cannot  shake  off ; 
they  become  good  husbands  and  wives, 
from  the  necessity  of  remaining  hus- 
bands and  wives,  for  necessity  is  a 
powerful  master  in  teaching  the  duties 
which  it  imposes."*  The  serene 
intelligence  of  Lady  Cecilia  having 
satisfied  her  that  "it  was  HER 
FATE "  to  be  married  to  Titmouse, 
she  resigned  herself  to  it  tranquilly, 
calling  in  to  her  assistance  divers  co- 
operative reasons  for  the  step  she  had 
agreed  to  take.  She  could  thereby 
accomplish  at  all  events  one  darling 
object  of  her  papa's — the  reunion  of 
the  long  and  unhappily-severed  family 
interests.  Then  Yatton  was  certainly 
a  delightful  estate  to  be  mistress  of — 
a  charming  residence,  and  one  which 
she  might  in  all  probability  calculate 
on  having  pretty  nearly  to  herself. 
His  rent-roll  was  large  and  unencum- 
bered, and  would  admit  of  a  handsome 
jointure.  On  her  accession  to  her  own 
independent  rank,  the  odious  name  of 
Titmouse  would  disappear  in  the  noble 
one  of  Lady  Drelincourt,  peeress  in 
her  own  right,  and  representative  of 
the  oldest  barony  in  the  kingdom. 
Her  husband  would  then  become  a 
mere  cipher— no  one  would  ever  hear 
of  him,  or  enquire  after  him,  or  think 
or  care  about  him — a  mere  mote  in 
the  sunbeam  of  her  owu  splendour. 
But,  above  all,  thank  Heaven !  there 
were  many  ways  in  which  a  scparafAon 
might  be  brought  about — never  mind 
how  soon  after  marriage — a  step  which 
was  becoming  one  quite  of  course,  and 
implied  nothing  derogatory  to  the 
character,  or  lessening  to  the  personal 
consequence  of  the  lady — who  indeed 
was  almost,  as  of  course,  recognized 
as  an  object  of  sympathy,  rather  than 
of  suspicion  or  scorn.  These  were 
powerful  forces,  all  impelling  her  in 
one  direction — and  irresistibly.  How 
could  it  be  otherwise  with  a  mere 
creature  of  circumstances  like  her? 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  however, 
there  were  occasions  when  Titmouse 

*  The  late  venerable  and  gifted  Lord 
Btowell,  in  the  case  of  Evans  v.  Evans,  1 
Coasiatoiy  Reports,  p.  30. 


was  presented  to  her  in  a  somewhat 
startling  and  sickening  aspect.  It 
sometimes  almost  choked  her  to  see 
him — ridiculous  object ! — in  the  com- 
pany of  gentlemen — to  witness  their 
treatment  of  him,  and  then  reflect 
that  he  was  about  to  become  her — • 
lord  and  master.  One  day,  for  in- 
stance, she  accompanied  the  Earl  in 
the  carriage  to  witness  the  hounds 
throw  off,  not  far  from  Yatton,  and 
where  a  very  brilliant  field  was  ex- 
pected. There  were,  in  fact,  about 
two  hundred  of  the  leading  gentlemen 
of  the  county  assembled  —  and,  dear 
reader,  fancy  the  figure  Titmouso 
must  have  presented  among  them  — 
his  quizzing-glass  screwed  into  his 
eye,  and  clad  in  his  little  pink  and 
leathers  !  —  "What  a  seat  was  his  ! 
How  many  significant  and  scornful 
smiles,  and  winks,  and  shrugs  of  the 
shoulders  did  his  appearance  occasion 
among  his  bold  and  high-bred  com- 
panions !  And  only  about  four  or 
five  minutes  after  they  had  "gone 
away" — this  unhappy  little  devil  was 
thoroughly  found  out  by  the  noblo 
animal  he  rode  ;  and  who  equally  well 
knew  his  o>vn  business,  and  what  he 
had  on.  In  trying  to  take  a  dwarf 
wall,  on  the  opposite  side  of  an  old 
green  horS''pond  by  the  road-side,  ho 
urged  his  horse  with  that  weak  and 
indecisive  impulse  which  only  dis- 
gusted him  :  so  he  suddenly  drew 
back  at  the  margin  of  the  pond — over 
head  and  heels  flew  Titmouse,  and 
descended  plump  on  his  head  into 
the  deep  mud,  where  he  remained 
for  a  moment  or  two,  up  to  his 
shoulders,  his  little  legs  kicking  about 
in  the  air— 

"Who's  that?"  cried  one  —  and 
another — and  another — without  stop- 
ping, any  more  than  the  Life  Guards 
would  have  stopped  for  a  sudden 
individual  casualty  in  the  midst  of 
their  tremendous  charge  at  Waterloo 
— till  the  very  last  of  them,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  no  less  a  person  than  Lord 
De  la  Zoueh,  seeing,  as  he  came  up, 
the  desperate  position  of  the  fallen 
rider,  reined  up,  dismounted,  and  with 
much  effort  and  inconvenience  aided 
in  extricating  Titmouse  from  his  fear- 

g  a 


450 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


ful  yet  ludicrous  position — ami  thus 
fortunately  preserved  to  society  ono  of 
its  brightest  ornaments.  As  soou  as 
he  was  safi — a  dismal  spectacle  to  gods 
a:.d  m<  ti — his  preserver,  not  dispo 
by  discovering  who  Titmouse  was,  to 
suj'  ourtesy,  mounted  his 

horse,  leaving  Titmouse  in  the  care  of 
an  old  woman  whose  cottage  was  not 
far  olf,  and  where  Titmouse,  having 
had  a  good  deal  of  the  filth  detached 
from  him,  remounted  his  horse  and 
turned  its  head  homewards — heartily 
disposed,  had  lie  hut  dared,  cruelly  to 
spur,  and  kick,  and  flog  it ;  and  in 
this  pickle— stupid,  and  sullen,  and 
>  tfallen  —  he  was  overtaken  and 
recognized  by  Lord  Dreddlington  and 
Lady  Cecilia,  returning  from  t  he  field! 

This  was  her  future  husband 

Then  again — poor  Lady  Cecilia! — 
what  thought  you  of  the  following, 
which  was  one  of  the  letters  he  ad- 
dresed  to  you?  —  Well  might  Miss 
Aubrey  exclaim,  "How  I  should  like 
to  see  their  correspondence  !  " 

"The  Albany,  Picadilly,  London, 
"12th  Oct.  18—." 
"  My  Dear  Cbcilia, 

"  1  take  l'p  My  pen  To  Inform  you 
of  Arriving  safe  Here,  whi  re  Am  sorry 
how1*.  To  say  There  Is  No  One  kn 

pi   Tradespeople  Going  About  and 
BO  Dull  on  Ace*,  of  Customers  Out  of 
Town,  Dearest  love  You  Are  the  Girl 
of  my  Heart  As  I  am  of  Your's  and 
am  particular  Lonely  Alone  Here  and 
wi  h  to  he  There  wJiere  she  Is  how  I 
Long  to  Fold  My  dearest  girl  in  My 
Arms  hope  You  Don't  Forget  Me  As 
i    As  I  am  Absent  do  Yon  often 
Think  of  me  w!>.  I  do  indeed  of 
and  looking    Forward    to  The    Happy 
1  lays    \\  hen    We   are    United  in    the 
of  I  [ymmen,  nevi  r  To 
rest     I     •         Drivii 
.-   In   my   N'      I       i    In    the 
,  where  whom  Shd.    I   Meet  but 
Aubrey  W'1.  I  Be- 

tween you  And  1  and  The  po  I 
Truly  in  a  Galloppi]  ■  i  i  umption 
on  Act.  <tf  my  Nol  Having  Her  A 
likely  thing  indeed  that  I  ever  car'd 
for  Such  mi  individulowhh.  Never  I  till 
Only  of  jrou,   I  >•  in  st   What  shall  1 


Peiul  you  As  A  Gift  Shall  it  Be  In 
The  cloathing  Line,  For  there  Is  a 
Wonderful  Fine  and  Choice  Assortm*. 
of  Cashmere  Shawls  and  Most  Remark- 
able Handsome  Cloaks,  All  Newly 
arriv'd  fr.  Faris,  Never  Think  Of  The 
price  wh.  Betwixt  Lovers  Goes  For 
Nothing.  However  Large  the  Figure 
Only  Say  what  You  Shall  have  and 
Down  It  shall  Come  And  Now  dearest 
Girl  Adieu. 
'Those  Can't  meet  Again,  who  Never  Tart.' 

dearest  Your's  to  command  till  death. 
"T.  TlTMOUSB. 

"F.  T.  0.— Love  and  Duty  To  My 
Lord  (of  Course)  who  shall  Feel  only 
Too  happy  to  Call  My  Father-In-Law, 

the  Sooner  the  better." 

"When  poor  Lady  Ce<  ilia  received 
this  letter,  and  had  read  over  only 
half-a-dozen  lines  of  it,  she  (lung  it  on 
the  floor,  and  threw  herself  down  on 
the  sofa  in  her  dressing-room,  and  re- 
mained silent  and  motionless  for  more 
than  an  hour;  and  when  she  heard 
.Miss  Macspleuchan  knock  at  her  door 
for  admittance,  Lady  Cecilia  started 
up,  snatched  the  letter  from  the  lloor, 
and  thrust  it  into  her  dressing-case 
before  admitting  her  "humble  com- 
panion." 

A  succession  of  such  letters  as  the 
above  might  have  had  the  effect  upoa 
Lady  Cecilia's  "attachment"  to  Tit- 
mouse, which  the  repeated  allusion  of 
cold  water  would  have  upon  the  ther- 
mometer ;  but  the  crackbrained  Fates 
still  favoured  Mr.  Titmouse,  by  pro- 
sently  investing  him  with  a  character, 
and  placing  him  in  a  position,  calcu- 
lated to  give  him  personal  dignity,  and 
thereby  redeem  and  el<  rate  him  in  the 
estimation  of  bis  fastidious  and  lofty 
ress-  1  mean  thai  of  candidate  for 
ea1  in  Parliamcnl  for  the  repri  - 
it  ion  of  a  b  trouj  h  in  which  ho 
bad  a  commanding  influence. 

After  a   nal  ional    1 1  n   com- 

urate  with  the  magnitude  of  the 

tli  it    had    been    oughl   for,  the 

pn   it     nil  I,    FOR    GIVING     BVEIC1  BODY 

l.YHKVTIII  NO    bad     pas  led    into   ,i   law, 

and  the  people  w<  re  frantic  with  joy. 
Its  blooming  first  fruits  were  of  »  tcrt 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


451 


that  satisfied  the  public  expectation, 
viz. — two  or  three  Earls  were  turned 
into  Marquises,  and  one  or  two  Mar- 
quises into  Dukes,  and  deservedly ; 
for  these  great  men  had  far  higher 
titles  to  the  gratitude  and  admiration 
of  the  country,  in  exacting  this  second 

Magna  Charta  from  King  ,  than 

the  stern  old  barons  in  extorting  the 
first  from  King  John — namely,  they 
parted  with  vast  substantial  political 
power,  for  only  a  nominal  quid  pro 
quo,  in  the  shape  of  a  bit  of  riband  or 
a  strawberry  leaf.  Its  next  immediate 
effect  was  to  cleanse  the  Augean  stable 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  by  opening 
upon  it  the  floodgates  of  popular  will 
and  popular  opinion  ;  and  having 
utterly  expelled  the  herd  of  ignorant 
and  mercenary  wretches  that  had  so 
long  occupied  and  defiled  it,  their 
places  were  to  be  supplied  by  a  band 
of  patriots  and  statesmen,  as  gifted  as 
disinterested  —  the  people's  own  en- 
lightened, unbiassed,  and  deliberate 
choice.  Once  put  the  government  of 
the  country  —  the  administration  of 
affairs — into  hands  such  as  these,  and 
the  inevitable  result  would  be,  the 
immediate  regeneration  of  society,  and 
the  securing  the  greatest  happiness  to 
the  greatest  number.  It  was  fearfully 
apparent  that,  under  the  old  system, 
we  had  sunk  into  irredeemable  con- 
tempt abroad,  and  were  on  the  very 
verge  of  ruin  and  anarchy  at  home. 
So  blessedly  true  is  it,  that  wdien 
things  come  to  the  worst,  they  begin 
to  mend !  In  short,  the  enlightened 
ancLenlarged  constituencies  began  forth- 
with to  look  out  for  fit  objects  of  their 
choice — for  the  best  men  ;  men  of  in- 
dependent fortune  ;  of  deep  stake  in 
the  welfare  of  the  country  ;  of  spotless 
private  and  consistent  public  character; 
who,  having  had  adequate  leisure,  op- 
portunity, inclination,  and  capacity, 
had  fitted  themselves  to  undertake, 
with  advantage  to  the  country,  the 
grave  responsibilities  of  statesmen  and 
legislators.  Such  candidates,  there- 
fore, as  Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse  be- 
came naturally  in  universal  request ; 
and  the  consequence  was,  such  a  pro- 
digious flight  of  Titmice  into  the 
House  of  Commons — but  whither  am 


I  wandering  ?  I  have  to  do  with  only 
one  little  borough — that  of  Yatton,  in 
Yorkshire.  The  Great  Charter  operated 
upon  it,  by  first,  in  a  manner,  amputat- 
ing it  of  one  of  its  members  ;  secondly, 
extending  its  boundary — Grilston,  and 
one  or  two  of  the  adjacent  places,  being 
incorporated  into  the  new  borough ; 
thirdly,  by  the  introduction  of  the  new 
qualification  of  voters.  I  have  ascer- 
tained from  a  very  high  quarter — in 
fact,  from  a  Cabinet  Minister,  since  de- 
ceased— a  curious  and  important  fact ; 
viz.  that  had  Mr.  Titmouse  failed  iu 
recovering  the  Yattou  property,  or 
been  of  different  political  opinions,  in 
either  of  these  cases,  the  little  borough 
of  Yattou  was  doomed  to  utter  extinc- 
tion :  a  circumstance  which  shows  the 
signal  vigilance,  the  accurate  and  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  local  interest.! 
and  capabilities  evinced  by  those  great 
and  good  men  who  were  remodelling 
the  representation  of  the  country. 
How  little  did  my  hero  suspect  that 
his  political  opinions,  as  newly-in- 
stalled owner  of  Yatton,  formed  a 
topic  of  anxious  discussion  at  more 
than  one  Cabinet  meeting,  previous  to 
the  passing  of  the  Great  Bill !  Upon 
such  considerations  did  it  depend 
whether  Yatton  should  be  at  once 
deposited  in  the  sepulchre  of  "Sched- 
ule A  ;  "  or  added  to  the  dismal  rank 
of  surviving,  but  maimed  ones  in 
"Schedule  B."  As  its  boundary  was 
extended,  so  the  constituency  of 
Yatton  was,  as  I  have  said,  enlarged, 
the  invaluable  elective  franchise  being 
given  to  those  most  in  need  of  the 
advantages  it  could  immediately  pro- 
cure ;  aud  the  fleeting  nature  of  whose 
interest,  naturally  enhanced  their  de- 
sire to  consult  the  interests  of  those 
who  had  a  permanent  and  deep  stake 
in  its  welfare.  Though,  however,  the 
change  effected  by  the  new  act  had  so 
considerably  added  to  the  roll  of  elec- 
tors, it  had  not  given  ground  for  serious 
apprehension  as  to  the  security  of  the 
seat  of  the  owner  of  the  Yatton  pro- 
perty. After  a  very  long  and  private 
interview  between  Gammon  and  Tit- 
mouse, in  which  something  transpired 
which  may  be  referred  to  hereafter,  it 
was  agreed    that  —  (the   New   Writs 

GG2 


452 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


having  Issued  within  0110  week  after 
the  calmed  and  sobered  new  constitu- 
encies had  been  organized  —  which 
organization,  again,  had  been  wisely 
effected  within  a  week  or  two  afteT  the 
passing  of  the  act  which  created  Ihem) 
— .Mr.  Titmouse  should  instantly  scare 
away  all  competition,  by  announcing 
his  determination  to  start  for  the 
borough.  As  soon  as  this  was  known, 
a  deputation  from  a  club  of  the  new 
electors  in  Grilston  waited  upon  Mr. 
Titmoust — to  propose  the  pecuniary 
terms  on  which  their  support  was  to 
be  obtained.  He  hereatwas  somewhat 
startled — but  Gammon  saw  in  it  tin; 
legitimate  working  of  the  new  system  ; 
and — nothingwas  ever  better  managed ! 
— nobody  was  in  an)'  mischievous  secret 
—neither  party  compromised  ;  and  yet 
the  happy  result  was — that  «?/<•  Inni- 
dred  ami  nine  votes  were  secured  in 
Grilston  alone  for  Mr.  Titmouse.  Then 
Gammon  appointed  Messrs.  Bloodsuck 
and  Son  (he  Local  agents  of  Titmouse  ; 
for  whom  he  wrote  an  address  to  the 
electors — and,  Titmouse  promising  to 
have  it  printed  forthwith,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon  returned  to  town  for  a  day  or  two. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  skilful 
than  the  address  which  he  had  pre- 
pared— terse,  and  comprehensive,  and 
showy,  meaning  everything  or  nothing 
— (n'f  '  r  versatur  in  generali- 

In  ••,  was  an  observation  of  Lord  Coke's, 
on  which  ('amnion  kept  his  eye  fixed 
in  drawing  up  his  "address.")  Yet  it. 
came  l>>  pass,  that  on  the  evening  of 
tin'  day  of  Gammon's  departure,  a  Mr. 
Phelim  O'Doodle,  a  splendid  billiard- 
player,  (in  fact  he  had  commenced  life 
in  the  capacity  of  marker  to  a  billiard- 
table  near  Leicester  Square,)  and  also 
one  of  the  first  members  returned— 
a  few  days  before—  for  an  Irish 
borough     in     the     Liberal     inten   ;. 

to     take    Yaltoii     in    Lis    v.iy 

to  £  be  was  going  to 

officiate  profee  tonally  at  a  grand  match 
at  billiat  the  house  of  an  • 

patron,  Sir  Archibald  M 'Cannon,)  IV 

London;  and  being  intimate  with  Mr. 
Titmouse,  from  whom  (to  conceal  no- 
thing from  the  reader)  he  had  borrowed 

a  little  money  a  few  i ith  -  before,  to 

enable  him  to  pn  •  u  himself  to  his 


intelligent  and  enthusiastic  constitu- 
te;,— they  sat  down  to  canvass  the 
merits  of  the  Address  which  the  astute 
but  absent  Gammon  had  prepared  for 
Titmouse.  Mr.  O'Doodle  pronounced 
it  "devilish  tame  and  maigt  T  ;  "  com- 
paring it  to  toddy,  with  the  whisky 
omittt  d :  and  availing  himself  of  Gam- 
mon's draft  as  far  as  he  approved  of 
it,  he  drew  up  the  following  Address, 
which  put  Titmouse  into  an  ecstasy; 
and  he  sent  it  olf  the  very  next  morn- 
ing for  insertion  in  the  Yorkshire 
Stingo.  Here  is  an  exact  copy  of  that 
judicious  and  able  performance — which 
I  must  own  I  consider  quite  a  model 
in  its  way. 

"  To  the  worthy  ami  independent 
"Electors  of  Yatlon. 

"Gentlemen, — His  Majesty  hav- 
ing been  pleased  to  dissolve  the  late 
Parliament,  under  very  remarkable 
and  exciting  circumstances,  and,  in 
the  midst  of  the  transports  of  enthusi- 
asm arising  out  of  the  passing  of  that 
second  Greal  Charter  of  our  Liberties, 
.let  for  Giving  Everybody  Every- 
thing, with  kindly  wisdom,  to  call 
upon  you  to  exercise  immediately  the 
high  and  glorious  privilege  of  choosing 
your  representative  in  the  New  Par- 
liament, I  beg  leave  to  announce 
myself  as  a  candidate  for  that  dis- 
tinguished honour.  Gentlemen,  long 
before  I  succeeded  in  establishing  my 
right  to  reside  among  you  in  my 
present  capacity,  I  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  tenants  of  the 
property,  and  especially  of  those 
residing  in  the  parts  adjacent,  "and 
who  are  now  so  happily  introduced 
into  tin;  constituency  of  this  ancient 
and  loyal  borough.  I  trust  that  tho 
i  ircumstance  of  my  ancestors  having 
resided  for  ages  within  it,  will  uot 
indispose  you  to  a  favourable  reception 
of  their  descendant  and  representative. 
Gentlemen,  my  political  opinions 
are  those  which  leu  to  the  passing  of 
the  Greal  Mi  a  mre  I  have  alluded 
and  \.  liich  are  hound  up  in  it.  With" 
oing  into  details  which  are  too 
multifarious  for  the  limits  ol  Buch  an 
Addre  a  its  the  present.  Let  me  a, .sum 
you,  that  though  firmly  resolved  to 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


453 


uphold  the  agricultural  interests  of 
this  great  country,  I  am  equally  anx- 
ious to  sustain  the  commercial  and 
manufacturing  interests ;  and  when- 
ever they  are  unhappily  in  fatal  con- 
flict with  each  other,  I  shall  be  femd 
at  my  post,  zealously  supporting  both, 
to  the  utmost  of  my  ability.  Though 
a  sincere  and  firm  member  and  friend 
of  the  Established  Church,  I  am  not 
insensible  to  the  fearful  abuses  which 
at  present  prevail  in  it ;  particularly 
iu  its  revenues,  which  I  am  disposed 
to  lessen  and  equalize — devoting  the 
surplus  capital  to  useful  purposes 
connected  with  the  State,  from  which 
she  derived  them,  as  history  testifies. 
I  am  bent  upon  securing  the  utmost 
possible  latitude  to  every  species  of 
Dissent.  In  fact,  I  greatly  doubt 
whether  any  form  of  religion  ought  to 
be  '  established '  in  a  free  country. 
While  I  am  resolved  to  uphold  the 
interests  of  Protestantism,  1  think  I 
best  do  so,  by  seeking  to  remove  all 
restrictions  from  the  Catholics,  who,  I 
am  persuaded,  will  sacredly  abstain 
from  endeavouring  to  promote  their 
own  interests  at  the  expense  of  ours. 
The  infallible  page  of  history  estab- 
lishes their  humility,  meekness,  and 
moderation.  Gentlemen,  depend  upon 
it,  the  established  religion  is  most 
likely  to  flourish  when  surrounded  by 
danger,  and  threatened  by  persecu- 
tion ;  it  has  an  inherent  vitality  which 
will  defy,  in  the  long  run,  all  compe- 
tition. Gentlemen,  I  am  for  Feace, 
Retrenchment,  and  Reform,  which  are 
in  fact  the  Three  Polar  Stars  of  my 
political  conduct.  I  am  an  advocate 
for  quarterly  Parliaments,  convinced 
that  we  cannot  too  often  be  summoned 
to  give  an  account  of  our  stewardship 
— and  that  the  frequency  of  elections 
will  occasion  a  wholesale  agitation, 
and  stimulus  to  trade.  I  am  for  ex- 
tending the  elective  franchise  to  all, 
except  those  who  are.  actually  the 
inmates  of  a  prison  or  a  poor-house  on 
the  day  of  election  ;  and  for  affording 
to  electors  the  inviolable  secrecy  and 
protection  of  the  Ballot.  I  am  an 
uncompromising  advocate  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  all  over  the  globe ; 
and,  iu  short,  of  giviug  the  greatest 


happiness  to  the  greatest  number. 
Geutlemen,  before  concluding,  I  wish 
to  state  explicitly,  as  the  result  of 
long  and  deep  enquiry  and  reflection, 
that  I  am  of  opinion  that  every  con- 
stituency is  entitled,  nay  bound,  to 
exact  from  a  candidate  for  its  suff- 
rages the  most  strict  and  minute 
pledges  as  to  his  future  conduct  in 
Parliament,  in  every  matter,  great  or 
small,  that  can  come  before  it ;  in 
order  to  prevent  his  judgment  being 
influeuced  and  warped  by  the  danger- 
ous sophistries  and  fallacies  which  are 
broached  in  Parliament,  and  protect 
his  integrity  from  the  base,  sinister, 
and  corrupt  influences  which  are  in- 
variably brought  to  bear  on  public 
men.  I  am  ready,  therefore,  to  pledgo 
myself  to  anything  that  may  be 
required  of  me  by  any  elector  who 
may  honour  me  with  his  support. 
Gentlemen,  such  are  my  political 
principles,  and  I  humbly  hope  that 
they  will  prove  to  be  those  of  the 
electors  of  this  ancient  and  loyal 
borough,  so  as  to  warrant  the  legis- 
lature in  having  preserved  it  iu 
existence,  amidst  the  wholesale  havoc 
which  it  has  just  made  in  property  of 
this  description.  Though  it  is  not 
probable  that  we  shall  be  harassed  by 
a  contest,  I  shall  make  a  point  of 
waiting  upon  you  all  personally,  and 
humbly  answering  all  question's  that 
may  be  put  to  me  :  and  should  I  be 
returned,  rely  upon  it,  that  I  will 
never  give  you  occasion  to  regret  your 
display  of  so  signal  an  evidence  of 
your  confidence  in  me. — I  have  the 
honour  to  be,  Gentlemen,  your  most 
obedient  and  humble  servant, 

"T.  Titmouse." 
"Yatton,  8rd  December,  18—." 

"Upon  my  soul,  if  that  don't 
carry  the  election  hollow,"  said  Mr. 
O'Doodle,  laying  down  his  pen,  and 
mixing  himself  a  fresh  tumbler  of 
half-and-half  brandy  and  water,  "you 
may  call  me  bog-trotter  to  the  end  of 
my  days,  and  be  ■ to  me  !  "  !  !  ! 

"Why — a — ya — as!  'pon  my  life 
it's  quite  a  superior  article,  and  no 
mistake" — quoth  Titmouse;  "but — 
eh  ?  d'ye  thiuk  they'll  ever  believe  I 


454 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


writ  it  all?  Egad,  my  fino  fellow,  to 
compose  a  piece  of  composition  like 
th.it,  by  Jove  ! — requires — and  besides, 
suppose  those  dem  fellows  begin  ask- 
ing me  all  sorts  of  questions  and 
thingembobs,  eh  ?  You  couldn't  stay 
and  go  al>out  with  one  a  bit?  Eh, 
1'helim?" 

"Fait,  Titty,  an'  it's  mighty  little 
awake  to  the  way  of  doing  business, 
that  ye  are!  ah,  ha!  Murder  and 
thieves!  what  docs  it  signify  what 
you  choose  to  say  or  write  to  them  ? 
they're  only  pisintry:  and' — the  real 
point  to  be  looked  at  is  this — all  those 
that  you  can  command,  of  course  you 
will,  or  send  'cm  to  the  right  about; 
and  those  that  you  can't— that's  the 
m  w  blackguards  round  about — buy,  if 
it's  necessary,  fait." 

"It'sdow  !  I'  i ■■:,  'pon  my  soul !  " 
whisp  red  Titmouse. 

"(ill?  Is  it  in  earnest  you  are? 
Then  you're  M.P.  for  the  borough; 
and  on  the  strength  of  it  I'll  re- 
plenish !  "  and  so  he  did,  followed  by 
Titmouse  ;  and  in  a  pretty  state  they, 
some  hour  or  two  afterwards,  were 
conducted  to  their  apartment  i. 

It  is  ditlieulr.  to  describe  the  i 
Gammon  on  seeing  the  nddre  s  which 
had  been  substituted  for  that  which 
he  had  prepari  d,  with  so  much  caution 
and  tact:  but  the  thing  was  done, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  submit.  The 
Address  duly  a]  peared  in  the  York- 
shire Stingo,  and  was  also  placarded 
liberally  all  over  the  borough,  and 
distributed  about,  and  excited  a  good 
deal  of  interest,  and  also  much  appro- 
bation among  the  new  electors.  It 
was  thought,  however,  that  it  was  a 
piece  of  supererogation,  inasmuch  a 
there  could  be  no  possible  doubt  that 
Mr.  Titmouse  would  walk  over  the 
etnur 

In  this,  however,  it  presently  proved 
that  the  quidnuncs  of  Vattoii  were 
Very  greatly  mistaken.  A  copy  of 
the  York  \  in  Stingo,  >  ontaining  t!i<' 
foregoing  "Address,"  was  sent,  on  the 
day  of  its  publication,  by  Dr.  Tatham 
to  .Mr.  Aubrey,  « ho  had  read  it  aloud, 
with  feelings  of  mingled  sorrow  and 
contempt,  on  the  evening  of  its  ai  rival, 
in  the  p  Aubrey,  Miss 


Aubrey,  and,  by  no  means  an  unfre- 
nuent  visitor,  Mr.  Delamere.  The 
Aubreys  were  sad  enough  ;  and  he 
endeavoured  to  dissipate  the  gloom 
that  hung  over  them,  by  ridiculing, 
very  bitterly  and  humorously,  the 
pretensions  of  the  would-be  member 
forYatton- — the  presumed  writ  n-  ho, 
however,  Kate  protested,  without 
giving  her  reasons,  could  never  have 
been  Mr.  Titmouse)  of  the  precious 
"Address."  He  partially  succeeded. 
Both  Aubrey  and  he  laughed  heartily 
as  they  went  more  deliberately  over 
it  ;  but  Kate  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  spoke 
very  gravely  and  indignantly  about 
that  part  of  it  which  related  to  the 
E  tablished  Church  and  the  Protestant 
ion. 

u0h  dear,  dear!"  quoth  Kate,  at 
length,  with  a  sudden  hurst  of  im- 
petuosity, after  a  considerable  and 
rather  melancholy  pause  in  the  con- 
versation; "only  to  think  that  Mich 
in  (i. lions  little  wretch  is  to  represent 

the    dear  old Whal    would  I   not 

give  to  see  him  defeated  ?" 

"  1'ho,  Kate,"  replied  her  brother, 
rather  sadly,  "who  is  there  to  op] 
him  ?  Pickering  told  me,  you  know, 
that  he  should  not  go  into  the  House 
again  ;  and  even  if  he  felt  dispo  i  ■  ! 
to  contest  Vat  ton,  what  chance  could 
he  have  against  Mr.  Titmou  e'a 
influence?" 

"Oh,  I'm  sure  all  the  old  tenants 
hate  the  little  monkey,  to  a  man." 

"That  may  be,  Kate,  but  they 
must  vote  for  him,  or  be  turned  out 
of " 

"Oh,  I've  no  patience,  Charles,  to 
hear  of  such  things!"  interrupted 
his  Bister,  with  not  a  little  petulance 
in  ler  manner. 

"l>o  you  mean  to  say,  that  you 
should  like  to  sec  a  rival  start  to  con- 
■  our  d  or  old  borough  with  Mr. 
Titmouse?"  enquired  Mr.  Delamere, 
who  had  been  listening  to  the  fore- 
going brief  colloquy  in  silence,  his 
fixed  with  eager  delight  on 

animated    and    beautiful    COUnti  nance 

of  Mi  s  Aubrey. 

"  /in/,  ed  1  should,  Mr.  Delac 
cried  Kate  eagei  1  v  :  adding,  how< 
with  a  Buddi  i 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


455 


brother ;  "but — heigh-ho! — as  Charles 
says,  how  absurd  it  is  to  fret  one's-self 
about  it — about  a  thing  we  can't  help 
— and — a  place  one's  no  more  any  con- 
cern with  ? "     As  she  said   this,   her 
voice  fell  a  little,  and  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears.     But  her  little  sally  had 
been  attended  with  consequences  she 
had  little  dreamed  of.     Mr.  Dclamere 
took  leave  of  them  shortly  afterwards, 
without  communicating  a  word  of  any 
intentions  he   might  have  conceived 
upon    the   subject    to   any   of    them. 
But  the  first  place  he  went  to,  in  the 
morning,  was  a  great  banker's,   who 
had  been  appointed  the  principal  act- 
ing executor  of  the  Marquis  of  Fallow- 
field,  a  very  recently  deceased  uncle  of 
Delamere's,  whom  his  lordship  had  left 
a  legacy  of  £3000  ;  and  'twas  to  get  at 
this  same  legacy  that  was  the  object  of 
Delamere's  visit  to  Sir  Omnium  Bul- 
lion's.     For  some   time   the   worth}7 
baronet  —  who    had   not    then    even 
proved  the  will — would  not  listeu  to 
the    entreaties    of    the    eager    young 
legatee  :  but  the  moment  that  lie  heard 
of  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  wanted, 
Sir  Omnium  being  a  very  fierce  Tory, 
and  who  had  lost  his  own  snug  borough 
by  the  Pull  for  Giving  Everybody  Every- 
thing, instantly  relented.       "There, 
my  fine  fellow,  that's  a  piece  of  pluck 
1  vastly  admire  !     Sign  that,"  said  Sir 
Omnium,  tossing  to  him  an  "  I.  0.  U. 
£3000,"  and  drawing  him  a  cheque  for 
the  amount :    wishing  him,  with  all 
imaginable  zeal  and  energy,  good  speed. 
His  eager  excitement  would  not  allow 
him  to  wait  till  the  evening,  for  the 
mail  ;   so,  within  a  couple  of  hours' 
time  of  effecting  this   delightful  ar- 
rangement with  Sir  Omnium,  he  was 
seated    in    a    post-chaise     and     four, 
rattling  at  top  speed   on  his  way  to 
Yorkshire. 

Sufficiently  astonished  were  Lord 
and  La  y  De  la  Zoueh,  when  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  them  at  Fothering- 
ham  ;  but  infinitely  more  so,  when  he 
named  the  object  of  his  coming  down, 
and  with  irresistible  eatr:a*ics  be- 
sought his  father's  sanction  for  the 
enterprise.  'Twas  very  hard  for  Lord 
De  la  Zouch  to  deny  anything  to  one 
on  whom  he  doated  as  he  did  upon 


his  son.  Moreover,  his  lordship  was 
one  of  the  keenest  politicians  living  ; 
and  as  for  elections,  lie  was  an  old 
I'STrsaigrer,  and  had  stood  several 
desperate  contests,  and  spent  immense 
sums  upon  them.  And  here  was  his 
son,  to  use  a  well-known  phrase,  in- 
deed a  chi])  of  the  old  block.  Lord  De 
la  Zouch,  in  short,  really  felt  a  secret 
pleasure  in  contemplating  the  resem- 
llance  to  his  early  self — and  after  a 
little  demur  he  began  to  give  way. 
He  shook  his  head,  however,  dis- 
couragingly ;  spoke  of  Delamere's 
youth  —  barely  two-and-twenty  ;  the 
certainty  of  defeat,  and  the  annoyance 
of  being  beaten  by  such  a  creature  as 
Titmouse  ;  the  suddenness  and  lateness 
of  the  move — and  so  forth. 

More  and  more  impetuous,  however, 
became  his  son. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  sir,"  said  Lord 
De  la  Zouch,  scarce  able  to  speak  with 
the  gravity  he  wished,  "it  strikes  me 
that  this  extraordinary,  and  expensive, 
and  hopeless  scheme  of  yours,  is  all 
the  result  of— eh  ?  I  see— I  under- 
stand !  It's  done  to  please — Come, 
now,  be  frank,  sir  !  how  long,  before 

you  left  town,  had  you  seen  Miss " 

"I  pledge  my  word,  sir,"  replied 
Delamere  emphatically,  "  that  neither 
Miss  Aubrey,  nor  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Au- 
brey— whom,  however,  I  certainly  saw 
the  very  night  before  I  started,  and 
conversed  with  on  the  subject  of  Mr. 
Titmouse's  address — has  interchanged 
one  syllable  with  me  on  the  subject  of 
my  starting  for  the  borough  ;  and  I 
believe  them  to  be  at  this  moment  as 
ignorant  of  what  I  am  about  as  you 
were  the  moment  before  you  saw  me 
here." 

"It  is  enough,"  said  his  father 
seriously,  who  knew  that  his  son, 
equally  with  himself,  had  a  rigorous 
regard  f  >r  truth  on  all  occasions,  great 
and  small — "and  had  it  even  been 
otherwise,  I— I— eh  ?  I  don't  think 
there's  anything  very  monstrous  in 
it !  "  He  paused,  and  smiled  kindly 
at  his  son — and  added,  "AVcll — I — 
I — we  certainly  shall  be  laughed  at 
for  our  pains ;  it's  really  a  madcap 
sort  of  business,  Geoffry ;  but " — 
Lord  De  la  Zouch  had  given  way — "I 


45G 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


own  that  I  should  not  like  to  have 

D   thwarted    by  my    father   on   an 

don  like  the  present;  so,  let  it 

be  done,  as  you've    et  your  ln-art  upon 

it.     And,"  he  added,  with  a  smile, 

"pray,  Mr.  Delamere,  have  you  con- 

red  what  1  shall  have  to  pay  for 

sport  ? " 

"Not  one  penny,  sir!"  replied  his 
son,  with  a  certain  swell  of  manner. 

"Ay!"  exclaimed  his  lordship 
briskly— " How's  that,  sir?" 

Th  -it  1  )i  lamere  told  him  of  what  he 
1 :  i ■  1  done  ;  at  which  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
first  looked  serious,  and  then  hurst 
into  laughter  at  the  eagerness  of  old 
Sir  Omnium  to  aid  the  affair.  Lord 
Di  la  /ii'h  well  knew  that  the  old 
Baronet  was  infinitely  exasperated 
against  those  who  had  robbed  him  of 
his  borough]  Never  was  "Schedule 
A  "  mentioned  in  his  presence  without 
a  kind  of  spasm  passing  over  his 
features!  As  though  it  were  the 
burial-ground  where  lay  one  long  and 
fondly  loved!  "No,  no,"  said  his 
lordship,  "that  must  not  stand;  1 
won't  have  any  risk  of  Sir  Omnium's 
ing  into  a  scrape,  and  shall  write 
oil'  to  request  him  to  annul  the  trans- 
action— witli  many  thanks  for  what 
he  has  done — and'  1*11  try  whether  I 
have  credit  enough  with  my  bankers 

-  eh,  Geoffry?"  ' 

'•  Von  are  very  kind  to  me,  sir,  hut 
really  I  would  rather " 

"l'ho,  pho — let  it  he  as  I  say; 
aiel  now,  go  and  dress  for  dinner,an<l, 
i-  that,  the  sooner  you  get  about 
your  ' Address, '  the  better.  Let  me 
see  a  draft  of  it  as  soon  as  it  is  finished. 
Let  Mr.  Parkinson  he  sent  for  im- 
mediately from  Grilston,  to  Bee  how 
the  land  lie  ;  ;  end,  in  short,  if  we  do 
into  the  thil  g,  hi,  us  dash  into  it 
vilh  spirit — Til  write  ell',  and  have 
down  from  town — a-hem  !  "- — his  lord- 
ship suddenly  paused     and  then  added 

—  "And  hnik'ee,  sir— as  to  that 

your's  I'll  ha 
trimming,  and  1 
by  vaj and  lla,  o  i  nig " 

"  Trust  me,  sii  I  "  .aid  Delamere, 
with  a  proud  smile,  "  Mine  shall  be, 
at  all  events,  a  eonlra.-t  ;o  that  of  my 
'honourable  opponent.'  ' 


"  (io  straight  a-head,  sir,"  continued 
Lord  Ue  la  Zouch  with  a  lofty  and  de- 
termined air  ;  "  nail  your  colours  to  tho 
mast.  Speak  out  in  a  plain,  manly 
way.  so  that  no  one  can  misunderstand 
yon.  I'd  rather  a  thousand  times  over 
see  you  beaten  out  of  the  field — lose 
the  election  like  a  gentleman — than 
win  it  by  any  sort  of  tricki  ry,  especially 
as  far  as  the  profession  of  your  political 
sentiments  and  opinions  is  concerned. 
Dear  yourself  so,  Geoffry,  in  this  your 
maiden  struggle,  that  when  it  is  over, 
you  may  be  aide  to  lay  your  hand  on 
your  heart,  and  say,  '  1  have  won  hon- 
our ably'  —  'I  have  lost  honourably.' 
So  long  as  you  can  feel  and  say  I 
laugh  at  election  bills  —  at  the  long 
fa©  s  of  your  friends — the  exulting  faces 
of  your  enemies.  "Will  you  hear  all 
this  in  mind,  Geoffry?"  added  Lord 
De  la  Zouch. 

"1  will,  I  will,  sir,"  replied  his 
eager  son  ;  and  added,  with  an  excited 
air,  "  Won't  it  come  on  them  like " 

"Do  yon  hear  that  hell,  sir?"  said 
Lend  De  la  Zouch  laughing,  and  mov- 
ing away.     Delamere  bowed,  and  with 
a.  brisk  step,  a  Hushed  cheek,  and  an 
Lated  air,  betook  himself  to  his  dress* 
ii an,  to  prepare  for  dinner. 

Shortly  after  dinner,  Mr.  Parkinson 
made  llis appearance,  and  to  his  infinite 
amazement  was  inve  (ted  instantly  n  ith 
the  character  of  agent  for  Mr.  Dela- 
mere, as  candidate  for  the  borough! 
After  he,  and  the  Karl  had  heard  the 
following  Address  read  by  Delnmero, 
they  very  heartily  approved  of  it.  Mr. 
Parkinson  took  it  home  with  him  ;  it 
was  in  the  print*  r's  hands  that   very 

night,  and  by  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  was  being  stuck  up  plenti- 
fully on  all  the  walls  in  <  Irilston,  and, 
in  fact,  all  over  the  borough  : — 

"  To  tic-  /-'  ■>■  of  the 

"  Borough  of  1  ■  ■■ 

"  G  I  hope  you  will  not 

:  I  r  me  presumptuous,  in  ventur- 
ing to  offer  myself  to  your  uotii  e  as  a 
I  ile  for  the  honour  of  rep:,  sent- 
ing  you  in  parliament.      In  point  of 

,    I    am,    I    bAVe    reason   to    helieVe, 

i  \.  ii  j  ounger  than  the  gentleman 
whom  1  have  come  forward   to  oppose. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


457 


But,  indeed,  for  the  fact  of  his  being 
personally  a  comparative  stranger  to 
you,  I  should  have  paused  long  before 
contesting  with  him  the  representation 
of  a  borough  on  which  he  has  unques- 
tionably certain  legitimate  claims. 
The  moment,  however,  that  I  had  read 
his  Address,  I  resolved  to  come  for- 
ward ami  oppose  him.  Gentlemen,  the 
chief,  if  not  the  only  ground  on  which 
I  am  induced  to  take  this  step,  is,  that 
I  disapprove  of  the  tone  and  spirit  of 
that  Address,  and  hold  opinions  en- 
tirely opposed  to  all  those  which  it 
expresses,  and  which  I  cons'der  to  be 
unworthy  of  any  one  seeking  so  grave 
a  trust  as  that  of  representing  you  in 
Parliament.  As  for  my  own  opinions, 
they  are  in  all  essential  respects  identi- 
cal with  those  of  the  gentlemen  who 
have,  during  a  long  series  of  years, 
represented  you,  and  especially  with 
those  of  my  highly  honoured  and 
gifted  friend  Mr.  Aubrey.  Gentlemen, 
my  own  family  is  not  unknown  to  you, 
nor  are  the  opinions  and  principles 
which  for  centuries  they  have  con- 
sistently supported,  and  which  are  also 
mine. 

"I  am  an  affectionate  and  uncom- 
promising friend  of  our  glorious  and 
venerable  Established  Church,  and  of 
its  union  with  the  State  ;  which  it  is 
my  inflexible  determination  to  support 
by  every  means  in  my  power,  as  the 
most  effectual  mode  of  seeming  civil 
and  religious  liberty.  I  am  disposed 
to  resist  any  further  concessions  either 
to  Roman  Catholics  or  Dissenters,  be- 
cause I  think  that  they  cannot  be  made 
safely  or  advantageously.  Gentlemen, 
there  is  a  point  at  which  toleration 
becomes  anarchy  ;  and  I  am  desirous 
to  keep  as  far  from  that  point  as 
X'ossible. 

' '  I  earnestly  deprecate  putting  out- 
Agricultural  or  Commercial  and  Manu- 
facturing interests  into  competition  with 
each  other,  as  needlessand  mischievous. 
Both  are  essential  elements  in  the  na- 
tional welfare  ;  both  should  be  upheld 
to  the  utmost :  but  if  circumstances 
should  unhappily  bring  them  into 
inevitable  conflict,  I  avow  myself  heart 
and  soul  a  friend  to  the  Agricultural 
interest. 


"Gentlemen,  I  know  not  whether 
it  would  be  more  derogatory  to  your 
character,  or  to  nunc,  to  exact  or  give 
pledges  as  to  my  conduct  on  any  par- 
ticular measure,  great  or  small,  which 
may  come  before  Parliament.  It 
appears  to  me  both  absurd  and  igno- 
minious, and  inconsistent  with  every 
true  principle  of  representation.  One, 
however,  I  willingly  give  you — that  I 
will  endeavour  to  do  my  duty,  by  con- 
sulting your  interests  as  a  part  of  the 
general  interests  of  the  nation.  I  trust 
that  I  shall  never  be  found  uncourteous 
or  inaccessible  ;  and  I  am  confident 
that  none  of  you  will  entertain  un- 
reasonable expectations  concerning  my 
power  to  serve  you  individually  or  col- 
lectively. 

"Gentlemen,  having  entered  into 
this  contest,  I  pledge  myself  to  fight  it 
out  to  the  last ;  and,  if  I  fail,  to  retire 
with  good  humour.  My  friends  and  I 
will  keep  a  vigilant  eye  on  any  attempts 
which  may  be  made  to  resort  to  undue 
influence  or  coercion  ;  which,  however, 
1  cannot  suppose  will  be  the  case. 

"Gentlemen,  this  is  the  best  account 
I  can  give  you,  within  the  limits  of 
such  an  Address  as  the  present,  of  my 
political  opinions,  and  of  the  motives 
which  have  induced  me  to  come  for- 
ward ;  and  I  shall,  within  a  day  or 
two,  proceed  to  call  upon  you  person- 
ally :  and  in  the  mean  while  1  remain, 
Gentlemen,  your  faithful  servant, 

"Geoffky  Lovel  Delameue. 
"  Fotheringham  Castle, 
"7th  Dec.  18— ." 

Two  or  three  days  afterwards,  there 
arrived  at  Mr.  Aubrey's,  in  Vivian 
Street,  two  large  packets,  franked  "  De 
LA  Zouch,"  and  addressed  to  Mr.  Au- 
brey, containing  four  copies  of  tho 
foregoing  "Address,"  accompanied  by 
the  following  hurried  note  : — 

"My  Dear  Aubrey — What  think 
you  of  this  sudden  and  somewhat 
Quixotic  enterprise  of  my  son  ?  I  fear 
it  is  quite  hopeless — but  there  was  no 
resisting  his  importunities.  I  must 
say  he  is  going  into  the  affair  (which 
has  already  made  a  prodigious  stir 
down  here)  in  a  very  fine  spirit.     His 


458 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Address  is  good,  is  it  not!  Tho  only 
thing  I  r  gret  is,  his  entering  1  lie  lists 
with  snch  a  little  creature  us  thai  fel- 
low Titmouse — and,  moreover,  bi 

y  him. — Yours  ever  faithfully 
and  affectional 

"Dr  la  Zouch. 

"P.S. — You  should  only  see  little 
Dr.  Tatham  since  he  has  heard  of  it. 
He  spins  about  the  Tillage  like-  a  hum- 
ming-top. 1  hope  that,  as  Car  as  his 
worldly  interests  arc  concerned,  he  is 
not  acting  imprudently.  Our  dear 
love  to  the  ladies.      (Iii  great  haste.) 

"Fotheringbam,  Sth  Dec.  18—." 

This  letter  was  read  with  almost 
suspended  breath,  by  Mr.  Aubrey,  and 
then  by  .Mrs.  and  Miss  Aubrey.  With 
still  greater  emotion  were  the  printed 
enclosures  opened  and  read.  Ea<  b 
held  in  a  trembling  hand,  and  w  ih 
c  dour  going  and  coming.  Miss  Au- 
brey's heart  heat  faster  and  faster; 
turned  very  pale  —  but  with  a 
strong  effort  recovered  herself.  Then 
taking  the  candle,  she  withdrew  with 
a  hasty  and  excited  air,  taking  her 
copy  of  the  Address  with  her  to  her 
own  room  ;  and  there  burst  into  t 
and  wept  for  some  time.  She  felt  her 
heart  dissolving  in  tenderness  towards 
Delamero  :  it  was  some  lime  before 
she  could  summon  resolution  enough 
to  return.  When  she  did,  Mrs.  Aubrey 
made  a  faint  effort  to  rally  her  ;  but 
each,  on  observing  the  traces  of  the 
other's  recent  and  Btrong  emotion,  v,  i 

at,  and  with  difficulty  refrained 
from  bursting  again  into  tears. 

Equally  strong  emotions,  1  ut  of  a 
very  diiFerent  description,  were  excited 
in  the  l>  of  certain  persons  at 

Yatton  Hall,  by  tho  appearance  of  Mr. 
J).  1  address.     'Twas  Mr.  Bar- 

nabas Bloodsnck,  (junior,) — a  middlc- 
Bized,  so,  young  man,  of  aboul 

thirty,  with  a  broad  face,  a  veryflal 
nose,  J  '         and  dee] 

grey  eyes — a  bustling,  confident,  I 

nthed   fellow—  «  no,   1 
be  en 

ly  in  the  morning  of  the  £  th  I  >e- 
cember,  IS — ,  beheld  a  man  in  the  en  t 
i  :'  ap  Mr.  Del 


against  a  wall.  Having  prevailed  on 
the  man  to  part  with  one,  Mr.  Blood- 
uck  was  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
on  horseback,  galloping  down  to  Yat- 
ton— almost  imagining  himself  to  be 
carrying  with  him  a  sort  of  hand- 
grenade,  which  might  explode  in  his 
pocket  as  he  wenl  on.  He  was  ushered 
into  the  breakfast-room,  where  sal  Mr. 
<  rammon  and  Mr.  Titmouse,  just  finish- 
ing breakfast. 

"My  stars — good  morning!  "cuts, 
— but  here's  a  kettle  of  fish  I"  nnotui 
Mr.  Bloodsnck  with  an  excited  air, 
wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  fore- 
head ;  and  then  plucking  out  of  his 
pocket  the  damp  and  crumpled  Address 
of  Mr.  Delamere,  he  handed  it  to  Mr. 
Gammon,  who  changed  colour  on  see- 
ing it,  and  read  it  over  in  silence.  Mr. 
Titmouse  looked  at  him  with  a  dis- 
turbed air  ;  and,  having  finished  his 
mixture  of  tea  and  brandy,  "Eh — ( — ■ 
i  h,  <  rammon  ! — I  say" — he  stammered 
— "what's  in  the  wind?  Ton  my 
soul,  you  look— eh  ?  " 

"Nothing  but  a  ]>iceo  of  good  for- 
tune, for  which  you  are  indebted  to 
your  distinguished  friend,  Mr.  Phelim 
O'Something,"  replied  Gammon  bit- 
terly, "whose  precious  Address  has 
called  forth  for  you  an  opponent  whom 
you  would  not  otherwise  have  had." 

"Hang  Mr.  O'Doodle  !  "  exclaimed 
Titmouse;  "I — 'pon  my  precious  soul 
— I  always  thought  him  a-a  fool  and  a 
knave.  I'll  make  him  pay  me  tho 
money  he  owes  me  !  "  and  he  strode  up 
and  down  the  room,  with  his  hands 
thrust  furiously  into  his  pockets. 

"  You  had  perhaps  better  direct  your 
powerful  mind  to  this  Address,  "quoth 
Mr.  Gammon,  with  a  blighting  smile, 
"as  it  slightly  <  you;"   and 

ding  it  to  Titmou!   .  the  Ia1  ter  sat 
down  to  try  and  obey  him. 

"That   cock   won't    fight,  though, 

eh?"  enquired  Mr.  Bloodsuck,  as  ho 

med  his  i  licl|  ing  himself 

to  an  e:  oi  tnous  ( lice  of  cold  heel'  at 

"I  think  il  will,nn  \  lied  Mr.  Gam- 
mon thoughtfully   ;   and  |  l.  -"hi  ];'  con- 

1,  after  a  pause,  with  b 

ok  calmly,  "  it    is   USi 

to  say  anything  aboul   the  haughty 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


459 


intolerant  Toryism  it  displays  ;  that  is 
all  fair ;  but  is  it  not  hard,  Mr.  Blood- 
suck,  that  when  I  had  written  an 
Address  which  would  have  effectu- 
ally  " 

"Mr.  Fhelim  O'Doodle  owes  me 
three  hundred  pounds,  Gammon,  and 
I  hope  you'll  get  it  for  me  at  once  ; 
'pon  my  soul,  he's  a  most  cursed 
scamp,"  quoth  Titmouse  furiously, 
looking  up  with  an  air  of  desperate 
chagrin,  on  hearing  Gammon's  last 
words.  That  gentleman,  however, 
took  no  notice  of  him,  and  proceeded, 
addressing  Mr.  Bloodsuck,  "  I  have 
Weighed  every  word  in  that  Address  ; 
it  means  mischief.  It  has  evidently 
heen  well  considered  ;  it  is  calm  and 
determined— -and  we  shall  have  a 
desperate  contest,  or  I  am  grievously 
mistaken." 

"E— e— eh?  E— h?  What,  Gam- 
mon ? "  enquired  Titmouse,  who, though 
his  eye  appeared,  in  obedience  to  Gam- 
mon, to  have  been  travelling  over  the 
all-important  document  which  he  held 
in  his  hand,  had  been  listening  with 
trembling  anxiety  to  what  was  said 
by  his  companions. 

"I  say  that  we  are  to  have  a  con- 
tested election  for  the  borough  ;  you 
won't  walk  over  the  course,  as  you 
might  have  done.  Here's  a  dangerous 
opponent  started." 

"What?  Ton  my  soul — for  my 
borough  ?     For  Yatton  ?  " 

' '  Yes,  and  one  who  will  fight  you 
tooth  and  nail."  _, 

"  Ton — my — precious  soul !  What 
a  cursed  scamp !  What  a  most  iu- 
fernal  black Who  is  it  ? " 

"No  blackguard,  sir,"  interrupted 
Gammon,  very  sternly  ;  "but — a  gen- 
tleman, perhaps  even  every  way  equal 
to  yourself,"  he  added,  with  a  cruel 
smile,  "  the  Honourable  Mr.  Delamere, 
the  son  aud  heir  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch." 

"Byjingo  !  you  don't  say  so  !  Why, 
he's  a  hundred  thousand  a-year,"  in- 
terrupted Titmouse,  turning  very  pale. 

"Oh,  that  he  has,  at  least,"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Bloodsuck,  who  had  nearly 
finished  a  disgusting  breakfast ;  "  and 
two  such  bitter  Tories  you  never  saw 
or  heard  of  before — for,  like  father, 
like  son." 


"  Egad  !  is  it  ? "  enquired  Titmouse, 
completely  crestfallen.  "AVell!  and 
what  if — eh,  Gammon  ?     Isn't  it  ? " 

"It  is  a  very  serious  business,  sir, 
indeed,"  quoth  Gammon,  gravely. 

"  By  Jove — isn't  it  a  cursed  piece  of 
— impudence  !  What  ?  Come  into  my 
borough?  He  might  as  well  come  into 
my  house  !  Isn't  one  as  much  mine 
as  the  other  ?  It's  as  bad  as  house- 
breaking— but  we're  beforehand  with 
him,  anyhow,  with  those  prime  chaps 

at   Gr "      Mr.    Bloodsuck's  teeth 

chattered  ;  he  glanced  towards  the 
door ;  and  Gammon  gave  Titmouse  a 
look  that  almost  paralysed  him,  and 
silenced  him. 

"  They'll  bleed  freely  ? "  said  Blood- 
suck,  by-and-by,  with  a  desperate 
effort  to  look  concerned — whereas  he 
was  in  a  secret  ecstasy  at  the  profit- 
able work  in  prospect  for  their  house. 

"  Lord  De  la  Zouch  would  not  have 
entered  into  this  thing  if  he  had  not 
some  end  in  view  which  he  considers 
attainable — and  as  for  money " 

"Oh,  as  for  that,"  said  Bloodsuck, 
with  a  matter-of-fact  air,  "ten  thou- 
sand pounds  to  him  is  a  mere  drop  in 
the  bucket." 

"0  Lord!  0  Lord!  and  must  1 
spend  money  too  ?"  enquired  Titmouse, 
with  a  look  of  ludicrous  alarm. 

"We  must  talk  this  matter  over 
alone,  Mr.  Bloodsuck,"  said  Gammon, 
anxiously — "shall  we  go  to  Grilston, 
or  will  you  fetch  your  father  hither  ? " 

"Ton  my  soul,  Gammon,"  quoth 
Titmouse  desperately,  and  snapping 
his  finger  and  thumb,  "those  cursed 
Aubreys,  you  may  depend  on't,  are  at 
the  bottom  of  all  this " 

"  That  there's  not  the  least  doubt 
of,"  quoth  Bloodsuck,  as  he  buttoned 
up  his  coat  with  a  matter-of-fact  air ; 
but  the  words  of  Titmouse  caused  Mr. 
Gammdn  suddenly  to  dart,  first  at  one, 
and  then  at  the  other  of  them,  a  keen 
penetrating  glance  ;  and  presently  his 
expressive  countenance  showed  that 
surprise  had  been  succeeded  by  deep 
chagrin,  which  scon  settled  into  gloomy 
thoughtfuhiess. 


4G0 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YKAK. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Tiikrk  had  not  been  a  contested 
election  at  Yatton,  till  the  present  one 
between  Mr.  Delamere  ana  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse,  for  upwards  of  twenty-four 
years  ;  its  two  members  having  been, 
till  then,  owing  to  the  smallness  of 
the  nency,    their   comparative 

unanimity  of  political  sentiment,  and 
the  dominant  influence  of  the  Yatton 
family,  returned  pretty  marly  as  a 
matter  of  course.  "When,  therefore, 
quiet  little  Yatton  (for  such  it  was, 
albeit  somewhat  enlarged  by  the  new 
Act)  became  the  scene  of  so  sudden 
and  hot  a  contest  as  that  which  1  am 
going  to  describe,  and  under  such 
novel  and  exciting  circumstances,  it 
seemed  in  a  manner  quite  beside  itself. 
The  walls  were  everywhere  covered 
with  staring,  glaring,  placards — red, 
blue,  green,  yellow,  white,  purple — 
judiciously  designed  to  stimulate  the 

ors    into  a  calm  and    intelli 
i  sercise  of  their  important  functions. 
Here  arc  a  few  of  them  : — 

"Vote  for  Titmouse,  the  Man  of 
fhe  People!  "   "  Titmouse  and  Civil 

and  RELIGIOUS  LlBERTYl"  "TIT- 
MOUSE and  Purity  of  Election!" 
"Titmouse  and  Negro  Emancipa- 
tion!" "Titmouse  and  Cheap 
Ale!"  "Vote  for  Titmouse  and 
No  Mistake!"  "Titmouse  and 
rterly.  Parliaments,  Vote  by 
Ballot,  and  Universal  Suffrage  !  " 

['Twas  thus  that  the  name  of  my 
friend,  like  that  of  many  others 
of  bis  Bpecies,  was  attached  to  great 
public  q  ,  after  the  manner  of 

a  k  I    to  a  dog's  tail  ;    and  a 

pretty  clatter  it  made  !  | 

But  th.  re  were  others  of  a  more 
elaborate  and  impressive  character. 


"Electors    of    Yatton!  1     P.e    not 

deceived  !  !  !  The  enemy  is  among 
you  !  Do  you  wish  to  reap  the  full 
fruits  of  the  glorious  boon  lately  con- 
ferred on  you  .'     Rush  to  the  poll,  and 

Vote  for  Titmouse.  I)o  you  wish  to 
see  them  torn  from  your  grasp  by  a 
selfish  and  beastly  aristocracy  ?  Oct  a 
pair  of  handcuffs,  and  go  and  Yote  for 
—Mr.  Delamere I !!  !*' 

"Qujerb.  If  a  certain  Borough- 
mongering  Peer  should  command  his 
son  to  vote  for  the  Repeal  of  the 
Great  Rill  which  enfranchised  the  in- 
habitants of  Grilston,  Succombe,  and 
Warkleigh — would  not  that  son  ob  v 
him  !   How  is  this,  Mr.  Delamere  ? " 

'Twas  not,  to  give  the  devil  his  duo, 
Mr.  Titmouse's  fault  that  his  placards 
did  not  contain  many  vulgar  and  pre- 
sumptuous personalities  against  his 
opponent  ;  but  it  was  entirely  owing 
to  Air.  i  (amnion's  want  of  the  requisite 
wit  and  spirit.  He  felt,  in  fact,  that 
such  a  candidate  as  Mr.  Delamere 
afforded  but  few  salient  points  of 
attack,  in  respect  either  of  his  person, 
his  position  in  society,  or  his  con- 
duct. Ho  also,  by  the  way,  had  his 
placards : — 

"  Vote  for  Delamere  ! "  "Dela- 
mere ami  Independence ! "  "Vote 
for  Delamere,  the  Farmer's 
Friend  !  "  "Delamere,  ami  the  Con- 
stitution in  Church  andState!" 

15oth  the  candidates  established 
their  headquarters  at  Grilston  ;  Mi. 
Delamere  at  the  "Hare  and  Hounds" 
Inn,  Mr.  Titmouse  at  the  "  // 
/  use."  Over  the  bow-window  of  the 
former  streamed  a  noble  blue  banner, 
with  an  emblazonment  of  the  Bible 
and  Cmwn,  and  the  words,  I'm  KCH, 
Kim:,  and  CONSTITUTION— OLD  ENG- 
LAND for  Ever  !  "  Over  the  latter 
hung  an  immense  yellow'  banner, 
with  three  stars,  so — 


Peace l 

• 

Retrenchment  ! ! 

• 

• 
Reform  ! ! ! 

TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


4G1 


(being  the  "  Three  Polar  Stars  "  spoken 
of  in  Mr.  Titmouse's  Address,)  and  the 
words — "  Peace  !  Retrenchment  !  ! 
Reform  !  !  !  "  in  immense  gilt  letters. 
The  walls  and  windows  of  each  were, 
moreover,  covered  with  vari-coloured 
placards — but  I  sliall  not  weary  the 
reader  by  attempting  to  describe  in 
detail  the  humours  of  a  country  elec- 
tion, which  have  employed  already 
thousands  of  able  and  graphic  pens 
and  pencils.  Surely,  what  else  are 
they  than  the  sticks  and  straws  which 
float  along  the  eddying  and  roughened 
surface  ?  The  whole  mass  of  water  is 
moving  along  ;  and  our  object  should 
be  rather  to  discover  its  depth,  its 
force,  and  direction.  Principles  are  in 
conllict ;  the  fate  of  the  nation  is,  in  a 
measure,  involved  in  a  popular  election. 
Such  matters  as  I  have  alluded  to,  are 
but  the  laughable  devices  resorted  to, 
in  order  to  delude  the  grinning  vulgar, 
and  disguise  the  movements  of  those 
calm  and  calculating  persons  who  are 
playing  the  deep  game  of  politics. 
Under  cover  of  a  ludicrous  hubbub, 
might  be  observed,  for  instance,  in  this 
little  borough — subject  to  certain  petty 
local  disturbing  forces  —  a  deadly 
struggle  for  ascendancy  between  the 
monarchical  and  the  democratical 
principle  ;  between  rampant  innovation 
and  obstinate  immobility !  between 
the  wealthy  few  and  the  many  poor ; 
between  property  and  ability.  If  any- 
thing like  this  ivcre  the  case,  how 
many  of  the  electors — new  or  old — of 
Yatton — (who  may  perhaps   be  com- 

Jiared  to  chessmen  in  the  hands  of 
ong-headed  players) — knew  any  more, 
about  the  matter  than  a  private  soldier 
at  Waterloo  thought  of,  comprehended, 
or  appreciated,  the  complicated  and 
mighty  schemes  of  a  Wellington  or 
Napoleon,  whose  bidding  he  was  doing, 
or  of  the  prodigious  consequences  at- 
tached to  the  success  or  failure  of 
either  ?  Some  people  talk  vehemently 
about  the  "paramount  necessity  for 
educating  the  lower  classes."  It  is, 
indeed,  of  incalculable  importance  that 
they  should  be  instructed  ;  but  is  it 
not  of  still  greater  importance  that 
the  upper  classes  should  be  in- 
structed, if  only  on  account  of  their 


being  the  holders  of  that  property, 
in  greater  or  less  proportions,  with  its 
inseparable  power  and  influence,  which, 
directly  or  indirectly,  determines  all 
the  movements  of  the  state  ?  Could 
such  a  state  of  things  as  universal 
suffrage  be  supposed  to  exist  consist- 
ently with  the  preservation  of  social 
order — of  society — it  would  still  be 
impossible  to  extirpate  or  effectually 
to  counteract  the  influence  of  property, 
in  whose  hands  soever  it  may  be  placed. 
Pluck  out  of  the  vilest  of  the  bellowing 
bullies  surrouncting  the  hustings,  him 
(of  course  a  non-elector)  most  con- 
spicuous for  his  insolence  and  brutality ; 
suppose  him  suddenly  or  gradually 
become  the  owner  of  a  great,  or  a  small 
property,  with  the  influence  it  gives 
him  over  customers,  tenants,  depend- 
ents :  do  you  suppose  that  he  will  not 
at  once,  either  gently  or  roughly,  ac- 
cording to  his  temper,  begin  to  exer- 
cise his  power,  (that  which  is  so  dear 
to  the  heart  of  man,)  by  dictating  the 
exercise  of  the  elective  franchise  in 
favour  of  those  political  opinions  which 
he  may  happen  to  favour  ?  Is  not 
this  the  man  to  instruct,  and  the 
better,  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of 
his  real  influence  ?  Except  in  those 
brief  and  horrid  intervals  of  social  con- 
vulsion, in  which  Sikci  kui  Travra  naXiv 
vrpuptTai  —  however  popularized  and 
extended  may  apparently  be  the  system 
of  electing  pnrliamentary  representa- 
tives, those  who  really  return  members 
to  Parliament  will  —  whether  them- 
selves actually  electors  or  not,  and 
whether  directly  or  indirectly — be  tho 
holders  of .  property,  in  villages,  in 
towns,  in  cities,  in  boroughs  and 
counties.  The  influence  of  property  is 
inevitable  as  that  of  gravitation  :  and 
losing  sight  of  this,  people  may  split 
their  heads  in  vain,  and  chatter  till 
the  arrival  of  the  Greek  kalends,  about 
extending  further  and  further  the 
elective  franchise,  shortening  Parlia- 
ments, and  voting  by  ballot.  Whether 
it  ought  to  be  so,  signifies  little,  when 
we  know  that  it  is,  and  trill  be  so  : — ■ 
but  now  it  is  time  to  return  to  t.ho 
Yatton  election  ;  and  if  I  lie  but  this 
once  forgiven.  I  v,  id  not  dr\  erge  again  in 
a  hurry  from  the  main  covrse  of  events. 


402 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAU, 


Lord  Do  la  Zouch,  who  resided  sonic 
eight  or  ten  miles  from  Yatton,  soon 
discovered,  as  also  did  sundry  other 
\  f  able  and  experienced  electioneer- 
ing friends,  taking  an  interest  in  his 
son's  success,  that  the  movements  of 
the  enemy  were  directed  by  a  strong 
and  skilful  hand;  and  which  never 
could  be  that  of — Mr.  Titmouse.  How- 
ever slight  and  faint  may  be  the  hopes 
of  success  with  which  a  man  enters 
into  an  interesting  and  important 
undertaking,  they  very  soon  begin  to 
increase  and  brighten  with  eager  action; 
and  it  was  so  with  Lord  De  la  Zouch. 
lie  was  not  long  in  tracing  the  power- 
ful, but  cautiously  concealed  agency 
of  our  friend  .Mr.  Gammon.  One  or 
two  such  dangerous  and  artful  snares 

Were  (leteeted  by  the  Watchful  and 
practised  eyes  of  his  lordship  and  his 
friends,  just  iu  time  to  prevent  Dela- 
iuere  from  being  seriously  compromised, 
as  satisfied  them  that  good  Mr.  Parkin- 
son, with  all  his  bustle,  energy,  and 
heartiness,  was  dreadfully  overmatched 
by  his  astute  opponent,  Mr.  Gammon  ; 
and  that  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Parkin- 
son, the  contest  would  become,  as  far 
as  Delamere  was  concerned,  a  painful 
and  ridiculous  farce.  A  couucil  of 
war,  therefore,  was  called  at  Fothering- 
ham  Castle;  the  result  of  which  was 
an  express  being  sent  off  to  London, 
to  bring  down  immediately  a  first-rate 

ering  agent — Mr.  Crafty — 
and  place  in  his  hands  the  entire 
to  uoagement  of  Mr.  Delainere's  cause. 
Mr.  Crafty  was  between  forty  and 
forty-live  years  old.  Ilia  figure,  of 
middle  height,  was  very  spare.  He 
was  always  dressed  in  a  plain  suit  of 
bluk,  with  while  neck-kerchief,  and 
no  collars  ;  yet  no  one  that  knew  the' 
world  could  mistake  him  for  a  dissent- 
ing minister ! — He  was  very  calm  and 

tie  in   his  manner  and    move- 
lie  nts  -   there  was   not  a   particle  of 
iion  or  feelin  [  in  hi    composition, 
te  was  a  mere  third  x,  in 

exquisite  order,    lb-  was  <>f  marvi 
few  words.     Mis   face   wa  i   tlxiii 
angular.    His  chin  and  temples  formed 
an  i  io  celes  t  riongle  ;  his  chin   I 
very  peaked,  hi  i  fori  I  v  broad. 

His    hair   was  dark,  and   cut    all 


as  close  as  that  of  a  foot  soldier — and 
this  it  was  that  helped  to  give  his 
countenance  that  expression,  at  once 
quaint  and  unaffected,  which,  once 
observed,  was  not  likely  to  be  si  on 
forgotten.  His  eye  was  blue,  and  in- 
tensely cold  and  bright — hiscomplezion 
fresh  ;  lie  had  no  whiskers  ;  there  was 
a  touch  of  sarcasm  about  the  corners 
of  his  mouth.  Everything  about  him 
bespoke  a  man  cold,  cautious,  acute, 
matter-of-fact.  "  Business  "  was  writ- 
ten all  over  his  face.  He  had  devoted 
himself  to  electioneering  tactics  ;  and 
lie  might  be  said  to  have  reduced  them, 
indeed,  to  a  science.  No  one  could 
say  whether  lie  was  of  AVhig  or  Tory 
politics  ;  my  impression  is,  that  ho 
eared  not  a  straw  for  either.  This, 
then,  was  the  man  who  was  to  be  pitted 
against.  I  iammon  :  and  these  two  gentle- 
men may  be  perhaps  looked  upon  as 
the  real  players,  whose  backers  were — 
I  telamere  and  Titmouse. 

Mr.  t 'ratty  soon  made  his  appear- 
ance at  Yatton  ;  and  seemed,  in  a 
manner,  to  have  dropped  into  Mr. 
Delamere's  commit  tee-room  from  the- 
clouds.  His  presence  did  not  appear 
quite  unexpected  ;  yet  no  one  seemed 
to  know  why,  whence,  or  at  wh 
instance  he  had  come.  He  never  went 
near  Fotheringhom,  nor  ever  mentioned 
the  name  of  its  noble  owner,  who 
tween  ourselves)  contemplated  the  ac- 
cession of  Crafty  with  feelings  of  calm 
exultation  and  confidence.  Mr.  Dela- 
mere's " committee "  was  instantly  dis- 
banded, and  no  new  one  named.  I:i 
fact,  there  was  to  be  none  ft  all;  and 
Mr.  Titmouse's  friends  were,  for  a 
while,  led  to  believe  that  the  enemy 
were  already  beginning  to  beat  a  re- 
treat. A  quiet  banker  at  Grilston, 
and  a  hard-beaded  land-surveyor  and 

agent  of    the   same   place,    were    al 

apparently  taken  into  Mr.  Crafty's 
confidence.  Mr.  Parkinson,  even,  was 
Bent  to  the  rightabout ;  and  his  rising 
pique  and  anger  were  suddenly  quelled 
by  the  Bteadtast  and  significant  look 
u  th  which  Mr.  Crafty  observed,  ui 
him  "It  won't  do."  Ad- 
joining,   and   opening   i  ito   the   1 

in  whii  h,  tii!  Mr.  <  Irafty's arrival, 
Mr.    I  •(  lami  n      commil  tee   had    sat, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


463 


was  a  very  small  ono  ;  and  in  it 
Mr.  Crafty  established  his  headquar- 
ters. He  came,  accompanied — though 
no  one  for  awhile  knew  it — by  three 
of  his  familiars;  right  trusty  persons, 
in  sooth.  One  of  them  always  sat  on 
a  chair,  at  the  outside  of  the  door 
leading  into  Mr.  Crafty's  room,  over 
which  he  kept  guard  as  a  sentinel. 
The  other  two  disposed  themselves 
according  to  orders.  Mr.  Gammon 
soon  felt  the  presence  of  his  secret  and 
formidable  opponent,  in  the  total 
change — the  quiet  system — that  he- 
came  all  of  a  sudden  apparent  in  the 
enemy's  tactics  :  his  watchful  eye  and 
quick  perception  detected,  here  and 
there,  the  faint  vanishing  traces  of  a 
sly  and  stealthy  foot— the  evidences  of 
experienced  skill ;  and  one  morning 
early  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  Mr.  Crafty, 
(with  whose  name  and  fame  he  was 
familiar,)  and  returned  home  with  a 
grave  consciousness  that  the  contest 
had  become  one  exceedingly  serious ; 
that — so  to  speak — he  must  instantly 
spread  out  every  stitch  of  canvass  to 
overtake  the  enemy.  In  short,  he 
made  up  his  mind  for  mischief,  as  soon 
as  he  gave  Lord  De  la  Zouch  credit  for 
being  resolved  to  win;  and  felt  the 
necessity  for  acting  with  equal  ciution 
and  derision.  During  that  day  he 
obtained  an  advance  from  a  neighbour- 
ing lianker  of  two  thousand  pounds, 
on  the  security  of  a  deposit  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  title-deeds  of  the  Yatton 
property.  He  hsd,  indeed,  occasion 
for  great  resources,  personal  as  well  as 
pecuniary ;  for  instance — he  had  reason 
to  believe  that  the  enemy  had  already 
penetrated  to  his  stronghold,  the 
Quaint  Club  at  Grilston,  (for  that 
was  the  name  of  the  club  into  which 
the  one  hundred  and  nine  new  voters 
at  Grilston  had  formed  themselves.) 
Though  Gammon  had  agreed,  after 
much  negotiation,  to  buy  them  at  the 
very  liberal  sum  of  ten  pounds  a-head, 
he  had  reason,  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Crafty,  to  believe  that  they 
had  been  tampered  with  ;  for,  as  he 
was  late  one  evening  moodily  walking 
up  to  the  Hall,  in  the  park  he  over- 
took a  man  whose  person  he  did  not 
at  first  recognise  in  the  darkness,  but 


whoso  fearfully  significant  motions 
soon  ensured  him  recognition.  It  was, 
in  fact,  the  man  who  had  hitherto 
treated  with  him  on  behalf  of  tho 
Quaint  Club ;  one  Benjamin  Bran, 
(commonly  called  Ben  Bran,)  a  squat, 
bow-legged  baker  of  Grilston.  He 
uttered  not  a  word,  nor  did  Mr.  Gam- 
mon ;  but,  on  being  recognized,  simply 
held  up  to  Mr.  Gammon  his  two  out- 
stretched hands,  twice,  with  a  signi- 
ficant and  enquiring  look.  Gammon 
gazed  at  him  for  a  moment  with  fury  ; 
and  muttering — "  to-morrow — here — 
same  hour ! "  hurried  on  to  the  Hall 
in  a  state  of  the  utmost  perplexity  and 
alarm.  The  dilemma  in  which  he  felt 
himself,  kept  him  awake  half  tho 
night !  When  once  you  come  to  this 
sort  of  work,  you  are  apt  to  give  your 
opponent  credit  for  deeper  manoeuv- 
ring than  you  can  at  the  time  fully 
appreciate  ;  and  the  fate  of  the  battle 
may  soon  be  rendered  really  doubtful. 
Then,  everything — inclusive  of  serious 
consequences,  extending  far  beyond  tho 
mere  result  of  the  election — depends 
upon  the  skill,  temper,  and  experience 
of  the  real  and  responsible  directors  of 
the  election.  "Was  Ben  Bran's  appear- 
ance a  move  on  the  part  of  Crafty  ? 
Had  that  gentleman  bought  him  over 
and  converted  him  into  a  spy — was  he 
now  playing  the  traitor  ?  Or  was  the 
purse  of  Titmouse  to  be  bona  fide 
measured  against  that  of  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  ?  That  would  be  dreadful ! 
Gammon  felt  (to  compare  him  for  a 
moment  to  an  animal  with  whom  ho 
had  some  kindred  qualities)  much  like 
a  cat  on  a  very  high  glass  wall,  afraid 
to  stir  in  any  direction,  and  yet  unable 
to  continue  where  he  was.  "While  the 
two  candidates,  attended  by  their 
sounding  bauds,  and  civil  and  smiling 
friends,  were  making  their  public 
demonstrations  and  canvassing  tho 
electors,  as  if  thereby  they  exercised 
the  slightest  possible  influence  over 
one  single  elector  on  either  side  ;  as  I 
have  already  intimated,  the  battle  was 
being  fought  by  two  calm  and  crafty 
heads,  in  two  snug  aud  quiet  little 
rooms  in  Grilston — one  at  the  Hare 
and  Hounds,  the  other  at  the  Wood- 
louse   Inn ;    of  course,    I   mean  Mr. 


4G4 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


Crafty  and  Mr.  Gammon.  The  former 
within  a  very  few  hours  saw  that  the 
issue  of  the  struggle  lay,  with  the 
'at  ' '!uh  ;  and  from  one  of  his 
trusty  emissaries — amanwhom  no  <  ne 
evi  r  s.iw  in  communication  with  him, 
who  was  a  mere  Btranger  in  Grilston, 
indifferent  as  to  the  result  of  the 
election,  hut  delighting  in  its  frolics, 
who  was  peculiarly  apt  to  got  Booner 
drunk  than  any  one  lie  drank  with — 
ill.  Crafty  ascertained,  that  though  the 
enlightened  memlx  rsofthe  Quaint  Club 
had  o  rtainly  formed  a  predili  ction  for 
the  principles  of  Air.  Titmouse,  yet 
they  possessed  a  candour  which  dis- 
posed them  to  hear  all  that  might  lie 
advanced  in  favour  of  the  principles  of 
his  opponent. 

Mr.  Crafty's  first  step  was  to  ascer- 
tain what  had  been  already  done  or 
attempted  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Delamere, 
and  also  of  Mr.  Titmouse;  then  the 
exact  number  of  the  v. iters,  whom  he 
carefully  classified.  He  found  that 
there  were  exactly  four  hundred  who 
might  he  expected  to  poll  ;  the  new 
electors  amounting  in  number  to  one 
hundred  and  sixty,  the  old  ones  to  two 
hundred    and    forty,    and    principally 

PELAMEKE. 

New  Voters  .  . 
Yatton  Tenants  .  . 

Accessibles     .  . 


scot-nnd-lot  voters.  In  due  time  ho 
ascertained,  that  of  the  former  class 
only  thirty-six  could  be  relied  upon  f  r 
Mr.  Delamere.  The  tenants  of  the 
Yatton  property  within  the  borough 
amounted  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen. 
They  had  been  canvassed  by  Mr. 
Delamere  and  his  friends  with  great 
delicacy;  and  twenty-three  of  them 
had  voluntarily  pledged  themselves  to 
vote  fur  him,  and  risk  all  consequences  ; 
intimating  that  they  hated  and  despised 
their  new  landlord  as  much  as  they 
had  loved  their  old  one,  whose  prin- 
ciples they  understood  to  he  those  of 
Mr.  Delamere.  Then  there  remained 
a  class  of  " accessible^,"  (to  adopt  the 
significant  language  of  Mr.  Crafty,)  in 
number  one  hundred  and  twenty-five. 
These  were  persons  principally  resident 
in  and  near  Vat  ton,  subject  undoubt- 
edly to  strong  and  direct  influence  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  but  still  not 
absolutely  at  his  command,  of  these 
no  fewer  than  seventy  had  pled  A 
themselves  in  favour  of  Mr.  Delnme.ro  ; 
and,  in  short,  thus  stood  Mr.  Crafty's 
calculations  as  to  the  probable  force 
on  both  sides  :-  - 


TITMOUSE. 

36 

New  Voters — 

23 

QuairU  Club             .  . 

109 

70 

Others 

21 

130 

129 

Tenants   .  . 

92 

Accessibles              .  . 

•    • 

35 

Now,  of  the  class  of  accrssihlcs  twenty 
remained  yet  unpledged,  and  open  to 
conviction;  and,  moreover,  both  par- 
ties had  good  ground  for  believing 
that  they  would  nil  be  convinced  one 
way — i.  c.  towards  either  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse or  Mr.  1 1  lamere.     Now,  if  the 

I    be   in    any    way 

del  iched  from  Mr.  Til  mouse,  it.  would 

leave  him  v.  ith  s  of  i 

only  over  Mr.  Delamere  ;  and  then,  if 

□s  the  tv,  enty  accessibles 

I  be  B  cm  d  for  Mr.  1  lelamere,  lie 

ed  in  a  maj.il  ity  of  three 

over  his  opponent    Whichever  way 


257 

they  went,  however,  it  was  plain  that 
the  Quaint  Club  held  the  election  in 
t  beir  own  hands,  and  intended  to  kei  p 
it  so.  Gammon's  calculations  differed 
hut  slightly  from  these  of  Crafty;  and 
thenceforth  both  directed  then  best 
energies  towards  the  same  point,  the 
Quaint  Club  going  on  all  the  while 
with  undimini  bed  vigour  and  assi- 
duity with  their  canvass,  as  the  best 
mode  of  diverting  u  from  their 

important  movements,  and  satisfying 
the  public  thai  the  only  weapons  with 
which  the  fight  was  to  be  won  were — • 
bows,  smiles,  civil  speeches,  placards, 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


4G5 


squibs,  banner?,  and  bands  of  music. 
Mr.  Crafty,  had  received  a  splendid 
sum  for  bis  services  from  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  ;  but  on  the  first  distinct  and 
peremptory  intimation  from  his  lord- 
ship, being  conveyed  to  him  through 
Mr.  Delamere,  that  there  was  to  be, 
bond  fide,  no  bribery— and  that  the 
only  fund?  placed  at  his  disposal  were 
those  sufficient  for  the  legitimate  ex- 
penses of  the  election  —  he  smiled 
rather  bitterly,  and  sent  off  a  secret 
express  to  Fotheringham,  to  ascertain 
for  ichat  his  services  had  been  engaged 
— since  what  was  the  use  of  going  to 
"Waterloo  without  powder? — The  an- 
swer he  received  was  laconic  enough, 
and  verbatim  as  follows  : — 

"No  intimidation;  no  treating; 
no  bribery  ;  in  xnxu  vre  as  skilfully  as 
you  can ;  and  watch  tlie  enemy  night 
and  day,  so  that  the  close  of  the  poll 
may  not  bo  the  close  of  the  election,  nor 
the  victor  there  the  sitting  member." 

To  the  novel,  arduous,  and  cheerless 
duty,  defined  by  this  despatch  from 
headquarters,  Mr.  Crafty  immediately 
addressed  all  his  energies  ;  and,  after 
carefully  reconnoitring  his  position, 
unpromising  as  it  was,  he  did  not 
despair  of  success.  All  his  own  voters 
had  been  gained,  upon  the  whole, 
fairly.  The  thirty-six  new  voters  had 
been  undoubtedly  under  considerable 
influence,  of  an  almost  inevitable  kind 
indeed — inasmuch  as  they  consisted 
of  persons  principally  employed  in  the 
way  of  business  by  Lord  De  la  Zouch, 
and  by  many  of  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bours, all  of  whom  were  of  his  lord- 
ship's way  of  political  thinking.  Every 
one  of  the  twenty-three  tenants  had 
given  a  spontaneous  and  cordial  pro- 
mise ;  and  the  seventy  "  accessibles  " 
had  been  gained,  after  a  very  earnest 
and  persevering  canvass,  by  Mr.  Dela- 
mere, in  company  with  others  who 
had  a  nretty  decisive  and  legitimate 
influence  over  them.  The  remaining 
twenty  might,  possibly,  though  not 
probably,  be  secured  by  equally  unob- 
jectionable means.  That  being  the 
state  of  things  with  Delamere,  how 
stood  matters  with  Mr.  Titmouse? 
First  and  foremost,  the  Quaint  Club 
had  been  bought  at  ten  pounds  a-head, 


by  Gammon — that  was  all  certain. 
Crafty  would  also  have  bought  them 
like  a  flock  of  sheep,  had  he  been 
allowed,  and  would  have  managed 
matters  most  effectually  and  secretly  ; 
yet  not  more  so  than  he  found  Mr. 
Gammon  had  succeeded  in  doing  :  at 
all  events,  as  far  as  he  himself  person- 
ally was  concerned.  In  fact,  he  had 
foiled  Mr.  Crafty,  when  that  gentle- 
man looked  about  in  search  of  legal 
evidence  of  what  had  been  done.  Still, 
however,  he  did  not  despair  of  being 
able  to  perform  a  series  of  manoeuvres 
which  should  secure  one  of  the  ends 
he  most  wished,  in  respect  even  of  the 
Quaint  Club.  With  equal  good  inten- 
tions, but  actuated  by  a  zeal  that  was 
not  according  to  knowledge,  some  of 
Mr.  Gammon's  coadjutors  had  not 
imitated  his  circumspection.  Quite 
unknown  to  him,  one  or  two  of  them 
had  most  fearfully  committed  him, 
themselves,  and  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  giving 
Sir.  Gammon  such  accounts  of  their 
doings  as  should  serve  only  to  secure 
his  applause  for  their  tact  and  success. 
Before  Mr.  Crafty  they  stood  detected 
as  blundering  novices  in  the  art  of 
electioneering.  A  small  tinker  and 
brazier  at  Warkleigh  had  received, 
with  a  wink,  ten  pounds  from  a 
member  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  committee, 
in  payment  of  an  old  outstanding 
account — Heaven  save  the  mark  ! — 
delivered  in  by  him  three  years  before, 
for  mending  pots,  kettles,  and  sauce- 
pans, in  the  time  of — the  Aubreys  ! 
The  wife  of  a  tailor  at  Grilstou  received 
the  same  sum  for  a  fine  tom-cat,  which 
was  a  natural  curiosity,  since  it  could 
wink  each  eye  separately  and  suc- 
cessively. A  third  worthy  and  in- 
dependent voter  was  reminded  that  ho 
had  lent  the  applicant  for  his  vote  ten 
pounds  several  years  before,  and  which 
that  gentleman  now  took  shame  to 
himself,  as  he  paid  the  amount,  for 
having  so  long  allowed  to  remain  un- 
paid. Mr.  Barnabas  Bloodsuck,  with 
superior  astuteness,  gave  three  pounds 
a-piece  to  three  little  boys,  sons  of  a 
voter,  whose  workshop  overlooked 
Messrs.  Bloodsuck's  back  offices,  on 
condition  that  they  would  desist  from 
their   trick   of  standing  and   vmttiug 

H  II 


4C6 


ti:n  thousand  a-year. 


their  thumbs  ti  their  noses  and  ex- 
tending their  fingers  towards  him,  as 
he  sat  in  his  office,  and  which  had 
rrally  become  an  insupportable  nui- 
sance.    Herowas,  therefore,  a  volt 

■  ilion  for  the  payment,  and 
bribery  was  out  of  the  question.  Such 
are  Bam  pies  of  the  ingenious  devices 
which  hail  been  resorted  to,  in  order 
to  secure  some  thirty  or  forty  votes! 
In  short,  Mr.  Crafty  caught  them 
tripping  in  at  least  eleven  clear,  un- 
questionable cases  of  bribery,  ea  h 
support  id  by  unimpea  liable  evidence, 
and  eich  sufficing  to  void  the  election, 
to  disqualify  Mr.  Titm  >use  from  sitting 
in  that  Parliament  for  Yatton,  and  to 
subject  both  him  and  his  agents  to  a 
ruinous  amount  of  penalties.  Then, 
again,  there  were  clear  indications 
cither  of  a  disposition  to  set  at  de- 
fiance  the  stringent  provisions  of  the 
law  against  TREATING,  or  of  an  ignor- 
ance of  their  nee.  And  as  for 
/  of  election,  scarcely  ten  of  his 
tens  ■  him  a  willing  vote,  or 
otherwise  than  upon  compulsion,  and 
after  threats  of  raised  rents  or  ex- 
pulsion from  farms.  Tied  as  were 
Mr.  (.'nifty's  hinds,  the  Quaint  Club 
1  :une  a  perfect  eyesore  to  him.  He 
found  means,  however,  to  opena  secret 
and  confidential  communication  with 
them,  and  resolved  to  hold  out  to 
them  dazzling  but  indistinct  hopi 
pi  i:  !  :  •.  i  .vantage  from  the  regions 
of  Fotheringham.  His  emissary  soon 
hold  of  the  redoubtable  lien  Bran, 
who,  truth  to  say,  had  long  been  on 
the  look-out  for  indications  of  the 
<]  ired  B  it  from  the  other  side.  As 
Bran  was  late  one  evening  walking 
Blowly  alone  along  the  high-road 
leading  to  York,  he  was  accosted  by  a 
gent  I'  on,  who  spoke  in 
a  low  |              |   whom  Bran  now  re- 

s  to  have  seen,  or  spoken  to, 
before.  "  Can  you  tell  me  v,  here  li<  s 
the  gold  mine  i  '  sail  the  stranger; 

"lit    .  iigham  or  Yatton  ?"• 

the  speaker  looked  round, 

of  beii  g  ovi  i  b(  ird.     I'm  □  ru  icl  ed  up 

Willi   tie  stranger  ;   in  th 

..f  which  the  latter  threw  out, 
in  a  v  ry  significant  manner,  that  "a 


certain  peer  could  never  be  supposed 
to  send  a  certain  near  relative  into  the 
field,  in  order  that  that  relative  might 
be  beaten,  *  *  *  and  especially 
for  want  of  a  few  pound  I  ;  and  besides, 
my  friend,  when  only  —  *  * — ch  ? — 
*     * —  the  other  side " 

"  Why,  who  are  you  ?  Where  do 
you  come  from  '("  enquired  Ben,  with 
a  violent  start. 

"D  opped  out  of  the— -moon,"  was 
the  quiet  and  smiling  answer. 

"Then  I  must  say  they  know  a 
precious  deal,"  replied  lien,  after  a 
pause,  "  up  there,  of  wdiat's  going  on 
down  here." 

"  To  be  sure,  everything  ;  every- 
thing !  "  *  *  Here  the  stranger 
told  Den  the  precise  sum  which  the 
club  had  received  from  .Mr.  Gammon. 

"Are.  we  both — gentlemen?"  en- 
quired the  stranger  earnestly. 

"Y  —  e — e — s,  I  hope  so,  sir," 
replied  Ben  hesitatingly. 

"  And  men  of  business — men  of  our 
word!" 

"Honour  among  thieves — ay,  ay," 
answer,  d  lien  in  a  still  lower  tone, 
and  very  eagerly. 

"  Then  let  you  and  me  meet  alone, 
thistim  ■  to-morrow,  at  Darkling  Edge; 
and  by  that  time,  do  you  see,  turn 
this  over  in  your  mind,"  lure  the 
iger  twice  held  up  both  his  hands, 
outstretched  thumbs  and  lingers. 
"Sure  we  understand  each  other?" 
added  tie-  stranger.  Ben  noddi  I,  and 
they  were  presently  out  of  sight  of 
each  other.  The  stranger  gentleman 
pulled  oiF  his  green  spectacles,  ami 
B  pair  of  grey  whiskers,  and  put 
both  of  them  into  his  pocket.  If  any- 
one attempted  to  il"j  him,  he  must 
have  be  ii  led  a  pretty  round  !  'Twaa 
in  consequence  of  this  interview  that 
Ben  made  the  application  to  Gammon, 
which  had  so  disturbed  him,  and  which 

has  beiii  already  described.  And  to 
r  turn  to  our  friend  :  what  was  he  to 
do?  On  returning  to  the  Hall,  ho 
ret  'li  iwer  in  his  desk,  and 
tooh  out  a  thin  s!i|i  of  paper  which  lie 
had  deposited  there  tri  it  moi  nine,  it 
having  bei  n  then  received  by  him 
from  town,  marked  "Private and  Con- 
'lid,"  and  franked  "  Blossom  and 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


-1(37 


Box."  'Twas  but  a  line,  and  written 
in  a  bold  hand,  but  in  evident  haste  ; 
for  it  had  in  fact  been  penned  by  Lord 
Blossom  and  Box  while  lie  was  sitting 

in  the  Court  of  Chancery.  This  is  a 
copy  of  it : — 

"The  election  must  be  won.  'You 

■will  hear  from  E by  this  post. — 

Don't  address"  any  note  to  vie. 

"B.  andB." 

With  this  great  man,  Lord  Chan- 
cellor Blossom  and  Box,  when  plain 
Mr.  Quicksilver,  Mr.  Gammon  had 
had  a  pretty  familiar  acquaintance,  as 
the  reader  may  easily  suppose  ;  and 
had  a  natural  desire  to  acquit  himself 
creditably  in  the  eyes  of  so  distin- 
guished and  powerful  a  personage.  Gam- 
mon had  volunteered  an  assurance  to 
his  lordship,  shortly  before  leaving 
town,  that  the  election  was  safe,  and 
in  his  (Gammon's)  hands  ;  guess,  then, 
his  chagrin  and  fury  at  finding  the 
systematic  and  determined  opposition 
which  had  suddenly  sprung  up  against 
him  ;  and  the  intensity  of  his  desire 
to  defeat  it.  And  the  more  anxious 
he  was  on  this  score,  the  more  vividly 
he  perceived  the  necessity  of  acting 
with  a  caution  which  should  ensure 
real  ultimate  success,  instead  of  a  mere 
noisy  and  temporary  triumph,  which 
should  bo  afterwards  converted  into 
most  galling,  disgraceful,  and  public 
defeat.  The  more  that  Gammon  re- 
flected on  the  sudden  but  determined 
manner  in  which  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
had  entered  into  the  contest,  the  more 
confident  he  became  that  his  lordship 
had  an  important  ultimate  object  to 
Beeure  ;  and  that  he  had  at  command 
immense  means  of  every  description, 
Gammon  but  too  well  knew,  in  com- 
mon with  all  the  world.  "Was.  for 
instance,  Mr.  Crafty  brought  down,  at 
an  enormous  expense,  for  nothing  ? 
"What  the  deuce  were  the  Quaint  Club 
about  ?  Was  ever  anything  so  mon- 
strous heard  of — ten  pounds  a  man 
received — the  bargain  finally  struck — ■ 
and  now  their  original  demand  sud- 
denly and  peremptorily  doubled  ? 
Venal  miscreants !  Was  the  other 
side  really  outbidding  him,  or  laying  a 
deep  plan  for  entrapping  him  into  an 


act  of  wholesale  bribery  ?  In  short, 
were  the  Quaint  Club  now  actuated  by 
avarice,  or  by  treachery  ?  Again  and 
again  did  he  go  over  his  list  of  pro- 
mises ;  having  marked  the  favourable, 
hostile,  neutral,  doubtful,  from  a  table 
as  accurately  compiled  and  classified  as 
that  of  Mr.  Crafty.  Like  his  wily  and 
practised  opponent,  also,  Gammon  en- 
trusted his  principal  movements  to 
scarce  a  soul  of  those  who  were  en- 
gaged with  him  ;  fearing,  indeed, 
though  tlien  with  no  definite  grounds, 
that  Messrs.  Mudflint,  "Woodlouse, 
Centipede,  Bloodsuck,  and  Going 
Gone,  were  already  too  deep  in  the 
secrets  of  the  election.  According  to 
his  calculations,  supposing  all  his 
promises  to  stand,  Titmouse  was,  in- 
dependently of  the  Quaint  Club,  and 
some  eighteen  or  twenty  others  whom 
he  had  set  down  as  "to  be  had" — only 
twenty-five  a-head  of  Delamere  ;  thus 
making  a  difference  of  eight  only 
between  his  calculation  and  that  of 
Crafty.  Of  course,  therefore,  that 
cursed  Quaint  Club  had  it  all  their 
own  way  ;  and  how  to  jockey  them, 
was  a  problem  that  well  nigh  split  his 
head.  He  gave  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
credit  for  doing  all  that  he — Gammon 
— could  do,  to  win  the  election  ;  and 
believed  him,  therefore,  capable  of 
buying  over  any  number  of  the  club, 
to  turn  king's  evidence  against  their 
original  benefactor.  The  Bloodsucks 
assured  him  that  the  club  were  all 
good  men  and  true — stanch — game  to 
the  backbone  ;  but  Gammon  had  ob- 
tained information  as  to  the  political 
sentiments  of  several  of  the  members, 
before  they  had  acquired  the  new 
franchise,  and  became  banded  into  so 
sudden  and  formidable  a  confederacy, 
which  led  him  to  speculate  rather 
apprehensively  on  the  effects  which 
might  follow  any  bold  and  skilful 
scheme  which  might  be  resorted  to  by 
his  enemies.  Now,  as  far  as  the  club 
were  concerned,  its  members  were  all 
quiet  respectable  men,  who  made  the 
affair  a  dry  matter  of  business.  They 
justly  looked  on  each  of  the  candidates 
as  equally  worthy  of  the  honour  they 
coveted  of  representing  the  borough, 
and  considered  that  they  would  always 

H  H  2 


-108 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


goon  right  at  headquarters — i.e.  that 
the  country  would  be  property  governed 
— without  the  least  reference  to  the 
quality  or  complexion  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  Tney  saw  the  desperate 
and  unceasing  fight  going  on 
their  be!  I  be  Loaves  and  fishes  ; 

nml  unit  tted  their  example  with  re- 
ference to  the  crumbs  and  fragments. 
First  they  divided  themselves,  as  near 
as  their  number  would  admit  of,  into 
tens,  giving  one  to  the  odd  nine, 
equally  with  each  body  of  ten,  and 
•t Itn -  produced  a  body  of  eleven  repre- 

itives.  These  eleven,  again,  in  the 
presence  of  the  whole  club,  chose  five 
of  their  number  for  the  purpose  of 
conducting  the  negotiations  between 
the  club  and  the  two  candidates ;  and 
these  five  ;-.-_r.i i 1 1  selected  one  of  them- 
selves—lien  Bran — to  be  the  actual 
medium  of  <•  immunication  :  the  actual 
Btate  of  the  market  never  went  beyond 
the  first  body  of  eleven  ;  and  in  the 
exercise  of  an  exquisite  dexterity,  Mr. 
Crafty  had  contrived  to  inspire  these 

n,  through  their  deputy  and 
mouthpiece,  Bran,  with  a  determina- 
tion to  exact  fifteen  pounds  per  head 
more  from  Titmouse,  before  recording 
their  votes  in  his  favour;  and  this 
untoward  stair  of  things  was  duly 
intimated  to  Gammon  by  Ben  Bran, 
by  silently  outstretching  both  fa 
and  thenone  hand.  That  would  make 
a  total  of  two  thousand  seven  hwn 
awl  twenty -five  pounds  disbursed 
anion;,'  that  accursed  Quaint  Club 
alone !  — thought  Gammon  with  a 
.shudder:  and  suppose  they  should 
even  then  turn  tail  upon  him,  Beduced 
by  the  Bplendid  temptations  of  Lord 
J'e  la  Zoucli ?    Just  to  conceive  the 

ifor  one   moment,  of  Mr. 
Senjamin    Bran   having  been   bought 
over  to  betray  all  hi  ions,  and 

Gammon  and  hi  i  party  also,  into  the 
hands  of  Lord  Do  La  Zouch  ?  Saith 
the  immortal  author  of  Hu  libras — 

"  All  me,  the  peril*  that  environ 
'J'lio  nun  tint  modelled  with  cold  Iron  !" 

But  I  shall  make  an  exclamatio 

my  own — 

/  i  troubles  i  hall  do  01  Ibo, 
\\  ho  '    bribe  I 


"  Oh  !  "  thought  Mr.  Gammon,  a 
thousand  times,  "that  cursed  Quaint 
Club  !— That  cursed  Crafty  !  " 

The  very  first  person  on  whom 
Delamere  waited,  in  order  to  solicit 
his  support,  was  little  Dr.  Tathani, 
who,  *I  need  hardly  say,  gave  it 
promptly  and  cordially  ;  hut  he  added, 
shaking  his  head,  that  he  knew  he 
was  giving  huge  offence  to  the  people 
at  the  Hall,  who  had  already  been 
several  times  very  urgent  indeed  with 
him.  ""Well,  rather,  sir,  than  bow 
dissension  between  you  and  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, your  neighbour,"  said  Dela- 
mere spiritedly,  "  1  at  once  release  you 
from  your  promise." 

"Ah!  indeed?"  cried  Dr.  Tathani 
briskly  —  "  Do  you  ?  Can  you  ? 
(•tight  you  to  do  so  ?  I  look  upon  the 
exercise  of  my  franchise  to  be  a  sacred 
duty,  and  1  shall  discharge  it  is  readily 
and  as  conscientiously  as  any  other 
duly,  come  what  may."  Delamero 
looked  at  him,  and  thought  how  often 

he  had  heard  .Miss  Aubrey  talk  of  him 
with  affectionate  enthusiasm,  and  he 
believed  the  little  Doctor  to  be  every 
way  worthy  of  it.  "For  myself," 
continued  Dr.  Tatham,  "  I  care  little  ; 
but  I  have  reason  greatly  to  apprehend 
the  effects  of  his  displeasure  upon 
those  who  are  disposed — as  such  I 
know  there  arc — to  go  counter  to  hi.s 
wishes.  He'll  make  them  rue  the 
day " 

"Ay?— Let  him!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Delamero,  with  an  eye  of  bright  defi- 
ance ;  but  it  kindled  only  a  faint 
momentary  spark  of  consolation  in  the 
breast  of  Dr.  Tatham. 

The  rivals,  Mr.  Delamere  and  Mr. 
Titmou  s,  encountered  one  another,  as 
it  were  in  full  state,  on  the  second  day 
of  the  former's  canvass.  'Twas  in  the 
t.  Mr.  Delamere  was  attended 
by  Mr.  Parkinson,  Sir  Perciva]  Picker- 
ing, Mr.  St.  Aubyn,  Mr.  Aylward 
Elvet,  Mr.  Gold,  and  one  or  two  others, 
Mr.  Delamere  looked  certainly  very 
h  ndsome.     About  his  person,  conn- 

in  air 
of  manly   frankness,  refinement,  and 
simplicity  ;  and  a  glance  at  his  aristo- 
crat ]■•  ca  it  "i  features,  told  you  thai  a 
on  latenl  tend'  ocy  to  hauteur  was 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


4G9 


kept  in  check  by  sincere  good-nature. 
He  was  tall  and  well-proportioned,  and 
his  motions  had  a  natural  ease  and 
grace  ;  and  as  for  his  dress,  it  com- 
bined a  rigid  simplicity  with  an  un- 
doubted fashion  and  elegance.  Though 
the  air  was  very  cold  and  frosty,  he 
wore  only  a  plain  dark-coloured  surtout, 
buttoned. 

"Delamere  !  Delamere  !  "  whispered 
with  a  smile  Mr.  St.  Auhyn,  (one  of 
the  former  members  for  the  borough,) 
on  first  catching  sight  of  the  enemy 
approaching  them  on  the  same  side  of 
the  street,  at  about  twenty  yards'  dis- 
tance— "Here  comes  your  opponent; 
he's  a  little  beauty,  eh  ?  " 

Mr.  Titmouse  walked  first,  dressed 
in  a  fine  drab-coloured  great-coat,  with 
velvet  collar  of  the  same  hue,  and 
sable  near  a  foot  deep  at  the  wrists. 
It  was  buttoned  tightly  round  a 
pinched-in  waist,  and  a  white  cambric 
handkerchief  peeped  out  of  a  pocket 
in  the  breast.  He  had  a  red  and 
green  plaid  waistcoat,  and  a  full  satin 
stock,  glistening  with  little  pins  and 
chains.  His  trousers  were  sky-blue, 
and  very  tight,  and  covered  almost 
the  whole  of  his  boot ;  so  that  it  was 
a  wonder  to  the  vulgar  how  he  ever 
got  into  or  out  of  them.  The  little 
that  was  seen  of  his  boots  shone 
wonderfully  ;  and  he  wore  spurs  at  his 
heels.  His  span-new  glossy  hat  was 
perched  aslant  on  his  bushy  hair  ;  he 
wore  lemon-coloured  kid  gloves,  and 
a  delicate  little  ebony  cane.  Follow- 
ing this  pretty  little  figure  were — the 
sallow  insolent-looking  "Reverend" 
Smirk  Mud-flint,  (such  was  the  title 
he  assumed,)  Mr.  Centipede,  Mr. 
Grogram,  Mr.  Bloodsuck,  junior,  (who 
had  approached  as  near,  in  point  of 
personal  appearance,  to  his  illustrious 
client,  as  he  knew  how,)  and — Mr. 
Gammon.  As  the  hostile  companies 
reared  each  other,  that  of  Delamere 
observed  some  one  hastily  whisper  to 
Titmouse,  who  instantly  stuck  his 
chased  gold  eyeglass  into  his  eye,  and 
stared  very  vulgarly  at  Mr.  Delamere 
—  who,  on  passing  him,  with  the 
courtesy  he  conceived  due  to  an  oppo- 
nent, took  off  his  hat,  and  bowed  with 
politeness    and    grace,    his     example 


being  followed  by  all  his  party.  Tit- 
mouse, however,  took  not  the  least 
notice  of  the  compliment;  but,  with- 
out removing  his  glass  from  his  eye, 
throwing  an  odious  sneer  into  his  face, 
stared  steadily  at  Mr.  Delamere,  and 
so  passed  on.  Mr.  Barnabas  Blood- 
suck  ably  seconded  him.  Mudllint, 
with  a  bitter  smirk,  touched  his  hat 
slightly  ;  Centipede  affected  to  look 
another  way  ;  Grogram  blushed,  and 
bowed  as  to  his  very  best  customer. 
Mr.  Gammon  came  last ;  and  bursting 
with  disgust  at  the  reception  given  to 
Mr.  Delamere,  coloured  all  over  as  he 
took  off  his  hat,  and  with  an  expres- 
s'on  of  very  anxious  and  pointed 
politeness,  endeavoured  to  satisfy  Mr. 
Drlamere  and  his  party,  that  there 
was  at  all  events  one  in  the  train  of 
Titmouse  who  had  some  pretensions 
to  the  character  of  a  gentleman. 

"  Who  can  that  last  man  be  ?  He's 
a  gentleman,"  enquired  Sir  Percival 
with  an  air  of  much  surprise. 

"  Mr.  Gammon — a  man  who  is  lord- 
paramount  at  the  Hall,"  replied  one 

"Gammon!— Is     that    Mr.- " 

echoed  Delamere,  with  much  interest ; 
and  as  he  turned  round  to  look  at 
Gammon,  observed  that  Gammon  was 
doing  the  same  ;  on  which  both  hastily 
turned  away. 

As  the  important  day  approached, 
each  party  professed  complete  con- 
fidence as  to  the  result.  The  Yorksh  ire 
Stingo  declared  that  it  had  authority 
for  stating  that  Mr.  Titmouse's  majority 
would  be  at  least  three  to  one  over 
Mr.  Delamere — and  that,  too,  in  glori- 
ous defiance  of  the  most  lavish  bribery 
and  corruption,  the  most  tyrannical 
intimidation,  that  had  ever  disgraced 
the  annals  of  electioneering.  In  tact, 
it  was  presumption  in  Mr.  Delamere  to 
attempt  to  foist  himself  upon  a  borough 
with  which  he  had  no  connexion,  and 
done  with  a  wanton  and  malicious 
determination  to  occasion  expense  and 
annoyance  to  Mr.  Titmouse.  The 
York  True  Bhic,  on  the  contraiy, 
assured  its  readers  that  Mr.  Delamere's 
prospects  were  of  the  brightest  descrip- 
tion-— and  though,  by  perhaps  a  small 
majority,  yet  he  was  sure  of  his  elec- 
tion.    He  had  been  everywhere  hailed 


-170 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


with  I'.o  greatest  enthusiasm.  Many 
of  ev<  n  Mr.  Titmouse's  tenantry  had 
ly  volunteered  theirsupport  to  Mr, 
Delamcre ;  and  at  Gribtnn,  so  long 
i  irded  as  the  very  focus  and  hotbed 
of  democracy,  his  success  had  sur- 
passed the  most  sanguine  expectations 
of  his  friends,  and  so  forth.  Then 
there  was  a  sly  and  mischievous  cau- 
tion to  the  electors,  not  to  be  led  away 
by  tin'  ingenious  and  eloquent  sophis- 
tries which  might  be  expected  from 
Mr.  Titmouse  at  the  hustings,  on  the 
day  of  nomination !  I  All  this  might 
be  very  well  for  the  papers,  and  pro- 
bably produce  its  impression  upon 
those  who,  at  a  distance,  aro  in  the 
hal  it  of  relyii  g  upon  them.  But  as 
for  the  actors— the  parties  concerned — 
Mr.  Delamcre  was  repeatedly  assured 
by  Mr.  Crafty  that  a  decent  minority 
was  the  very  utmost  that  could  be 
expected  ;  while  Titmouse  and  his 
friends,  on  the  other  hand,  were  in 
a  very  painful  slate  of  uncertainty  as 
to  the  issue:  only  Gammon,  however, 
and  perhaps  one  or  two  others,  being 
acquainted  with  the  true  source  of 
uneasiness  and  difficulty  —  viz.,  the 
abominable  rapacity  of  the  Quaint 
Club. 

At  length  dawned  the  day  which 
mine  how  far  Yatton  was 
w<  i  thy  or  unworthy  of  the  boon  which 
had  been  conferred  upon  it  by  the 
glorious  Bill  for  giving  Everybody 
Everything  -  which  was  to  witness  the 
maiden  conic:  t  between  the  two  hope- 
ful i  i  be  i "  ble  and  ancient 
houses  of  Dreddlington  and  De  la 
Zouch — on  which  it  was  to  be  ascer- 
ed  wh<  ther  Yatton  was  to  be 
bought  and  sold,  like  any  other 
article  of  merchandise,  by  a  bitter 
old  timongcr ;  or  to  signalize 
it  elf  b]  pu it  and  independence, 
in  returning  one  who  avowed,  and 
would  BUpport,  the  noble  principles 
whi  i  ilc  pa  ing  of  the  I  ■ 
Bill  which  h;i  i  b  i  n  so  often  alluded 
to.  A  >  for  my  In  ro,  Mr.  T 
it  givs  me  pain  to  have  to  record 
making  even  all  due  allowance  for  the 

.  d    by  so  ■ 
rating  an  o<  that  there 

.  two  hours  in  the  day  during 


which  he  could  be  considered  as  sober. 
He  generally  left  his  bed  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  —  about  two 
o'clock  reached  his  committee-room — 
there  he  called  for  a  bottle  or  two  of 
soda-water,  with  brandy  ;  and,  thus 
supported,  set  out  on  his  canvass,  and 
never  refused  an  invitation  to  take  a 
glass  of  good  ale  at  the  houses  which 
he  visited.  About  the  real  business  of 
the  election — about  his  own  true  posi- 
tion and  prospects  —  Gammon  never 
once  deigned  to  consult  or  instruct 
him  ;  but  bad  confined  himself  to  the 
preparation  of  a  very  short  and  simple 
speech,  to  be  delivered  by  Titmouse, 
if  possible,  from  the  hustings,  and 
which  ho  had  made  Titmouse  copy 
out  many  times,  and  promise  that  ho 
would  endeavour  to  learn  off  by  heart. 
He  might  as  well  have  attempted  to 
walk  up  the  outside  of  the  .Monument. 
Merrily  rang  the  bells  of  Glilston 
church,  by  order  of  the  vicar,  the 
Reverend  Gideon  Fleshpot,  who  was  a 
stanch  Titmousite,  and  had  long  cast 
a  sort  of  sheep's  eye  upon  the  living 
of  Yatton  ;  for  he  was  nearly  twenty 
years  younger  than  its  present  pos- 
sessor, Dr.  Tatham.  What  a  bustle 
was  there  in  the  town  by  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  1  All  business  was  to 
be  suspended  for  the  day.  Great 
numbers  from  the  places  adjacent  be- 
gan to  pour  into  the  town  about  that 
hour.  Jt  was  soon  seen  who  was  the 
popular  candidate-  he  whose  colours 
were  yellow;  for  wherever  you  went, 
yellow  cockades,  rosettes,  and  button- 
ties  for  the  men.  and  yellow  ribands 
for  the  girls,  yellow  Hags  and  yellow 
placards   with    "  TlTMOUSB   FOB    Y.vr- 

Ti)\!"  met  the  eye.  Mr.  Delamere'a 
colours  were  a  deep  blue,  but  were 
worn,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  by  only 
one  in  four  or  five  of  those  who  wi  re 
stirring  about  ;  and  who,  moreover, 
however  respectable,  and  in  appear- 
ance    Superior    to    the    adherents    of 

Titmou  e,  yel  wore  no  such  look  of 
confidi  nee  and  cheerfulness  as  they. 
Prom  the  bow  window-  of  the  Hare 
and  Hounds,  Mr.  I  >i  lamere's  head- 
quarters, streamed  an  ample  and  very 
rich  blue  silk  banner,  on  which  was 
worked,  in  white  silk,  the  h  jure  of  a 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR 


471 


Bible,  Crown,  and  Sceptre,  and  the  ' 
words  "Delamere  for  Yatton."  This 
would  have  probably  secured  some 
little  favourable  notice  from  his  sullen 
and  bitter  opponents,  had  they  known 
that  it  had  been  the  workmanship  of 
some  fifteen  of  as  sweet  beautiful  girls 
as  could  have  been  picked  out  of  the 
whole  county  of  York  ;  and,  by  the 
way,  'tis  a  singular  and  melancholy 
sign  of  the  times,  that  beauty,  inno- 
cence, and  accomplishment,  arc  in 
England  to  be  found  uniformly  arrayed 
on  the  side  of  tyranny  and  corruption, 
against  the  people.  Then  Mr.  Dela- 
mere's bawl  was  equal  to  three  such 
as  that  of  his  opponent — playing  with 
equal  precision  and  power  :'  and,  what 
was  more,  they  played  very  bold,  en- 
livening tunes  as  they  paraded  the 
town.  There  was  one  feature  of  the 
early  proceedings  of  the  day,  that  was 
rather  singular  and  significant :  viz. 
that  though  all  the  members  of  the 
formidable  Quaint  Club  were  stirring 
about,  not  one  of  them  wore  the  colours 
of  cither  party,  though  (between  our- 
selves) each  man  had  the  colours  of 
Loth  parties  in  his  pocket.  They 
appeared  studiously  to  abstain  from 
a  display  of  party  feeling  —  though 
several  of  them  could  not  resist  a 
leering  wink  of  the  eye  when  the 
yellow  baud  went  clashing  past  them. 
They  had,  moreover,  a  band  of  their 
own,  which  went  about  the  town,  pre- 
ceded by  their  own  standard — a  very 
broad  sheet  of  sky-blue,  stretched 
between  two  poles,  supported  by  two 
men  :  and  the  droll  device  it  bore, 
was — an  enormous  man's  face,  with  an 
intense  squint,  and  two  hands,  with 
the  thumbs  of  each  resting  on  the 
nose,  and  the  fingers  spread  out  to- 
wards the  beholder.  It  produced — 
as  it  seemed  designed  to  produce — 
shouts  of  laughter  wherever  it  made 
its  appearance.  Every  member  of  the 
Quaint  Club,  however,  wore  a  grave 
face  as  if  they  were  the  only  persons 
who  appreciated  the  nature  of  the 
exalted  functions  which  they  were 
about  to  exercise.  No  one  could  tell 
which  way  they  intended  to  vote, 
though  all  expected  that  they  were  to 
come   in  at  the  last,  and   place  the 


yellows  in  a  triumphant  majority  of  a 
hundred,  at  least.  Though  it  had 
been  a  matter  of  notoriety  that  they 
were  Mr.  Titmouse's  men,  before  Mr. 
Delamere  appeared  in  the  field  ;  yet, 
since  then,  they  had  suddenly  ex- 
hibited a  politic  and  persevering 
silence  and  reserve,  even  among  their 
personal  friends  and  acquaintance. 
The  yellow  band  performed  one  feat 
which  was  greatly  applauded  by  the 
yellow  crowd  which  attended  them, 
and  evidenced  the  delicacy  by  which 
those  who  guided  their  movements 
were  actuated :  viz.  they  frequently 
passed  and  repassed  Mr.  Delamere's 
committee-room,  playing  that  truly 
inspiriting  air,  "The  Rogue's  March." 
Then  the  yellows  dressed  up  a  poor 
old  donkey  in  Mr.  Delamere's  colours, 
which  were  plentifully  attached  to  Iho 
animal's  ears  and  tail,  and  paraded 
him,  with  great  cheering,  before  tho 
doors  of  the  Hare  and  Hounds,  and 
Mr.  Delamere's  principal  friends  and 
adherents.  Nay  —  one  of  the  more 
vivacious  of  the  crowd  threw  a  stone 
at  a  little  corner  window  of  the  blue 
committee-room,  through  which  it 
went  smashing  on  its  way,  till  it 
hit  upon  the  inkstand  of  calm  Mr. 
Crafty,  who  sat  alone  in  the  little 
room,  busy  at  work  with  pen,  ink, 
and  paper.  He  looked  up  for  a 
moment,  called  for  a  fresh  inkstand, 
and  presently  resumed  his  pen,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened. 

The  hustings  were  erected  upon  a 
very  convenient  and  commodious 
green,  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  town  ;  and  thither  might  be  seen, 
first  on  its  way,  a  little  after  eleven 
o'clock,  the  procession  of  the  popular 
candidate — Mr.  Titmouse.  Hei-e  and 
there  might  be  heard,  as  he  passed, 
the  startling  sounds  of  mimic  ord- 
nance, fired  by  little  boys  from  house- 
tops. As  they  passed  the  church,  its 
beils  rang  their  merriest  peal ;  and,  at 
a  little  distance  further  on,  the  little 
boys  of  Mr.  Hie  Hrec  Hoc,  each  with 
a  small  rosette  tied  to  his  jacket, 
struck  up  a  squeaking  and  enthusi- 
astic "  hurrah  !  "  while  from  the  upper 
windows,  the  young  ladies  (three  in 
number)  of  Mrs.  Hie  Hrec  Hoe's  "es- 


472 


TEX  THOUSAND  A-YEAIL 


tablisbmcrnt,"  waved  their  little  white 
pocket-handkerchiefs.  Next  on  their 
.  they  passed  the  " JSeverend" 
Smirk  Mudn  bit's  chapel,  which  was 
in  very  queer  contiguity  to  an  e 
lishment  of  a  very  queer  character — in 
fact,  adjoining  it.  Againsl  the  upper 
part  of  the  chapel  hung  a  device  cal- 
culated to  H  I  arrest, 
universal  attention — viz.  an  inverted 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  ;  over  it, 
the  figure  of  a  church  turned  upside 
down,  with  the  point  of  its  steeple 
ing  on  the  word  "Revelation;" 
ami  upon  the  aforesaid  church  stood 
proudly  erect  an  exact  representation 
of  Mr.  Smirk  Madflint's  chapel,  over 
which  were  the  words — "Freedom  ok 
Opinion  !  and  Truth  Triumphant  !  " 
But  1  do  not  know  whether  another 
device,  worked  by  Miss  Mudllint  — 
a  skinny,  tallow-faced,  and  flinty- 
hearted  young  lady  of  nine-and- 
twenty — was  not  still  more  striking 
and  original ;  vi:c.  a  Triangle,  and  an 
Eye  with  rays,  and  the  words — "  Tit- 
mouse.1 TrtU)  !  Peace!"  Three ch 
for  Mr.  Mud  Hint  were  given  here  ;  and 
Mr.  Mudfliut  bowed  all  round  with 
nu  air  of  proud  excitement — feeling, 
moreover,  an  intense  desire  to  stop 
the  procession  and  make  a  speech 
while  opposite  to  his  own  little 
dunghill. 

First  in  1h.'  procession  march  d  a 
big  fellow  with  one  eye,  bearing  a  flag, 
with  a  red  can  on  a  pike,  ami  the 
words,  in  large  black  characters — 

"Titmouse  or  Death  ! ! ! 
"  Let  Tyrants  Tremble!  !  ! !  " 

Then  came  the  band,  and  next  to  them 
walked  Ti  itlera  r  Titmouse,  Esq., 
dressed  exactly  as  he  was  when  be 
encountered,   in    their    canvass,    the 

party   of    his    opp nt,    as    I    have 

only  that  he  wore 
a  yellow  ,  atl  iched  to  a  button- 

hole on  the  l(  fl  Bide  of  his  drab  gn  at- 
coat.  His  protuberant  light  blue  ey(  - 
danced  \\  itn  deli  ht,  and  bis  fa< 

tnent.      His    hat 
1  on    every  moment,   in 
ack no  men!  of  the  univen  il 

tations  which  greeted  him,  and  v 
so  occupied  him  that  ho  evi  u  f 


to  use  his  eyeglass.  On  his  left  hand 
walked,  wrapped  up  in  a  plain  dark- 
hued  great-coat,  a  somewhat  different 
person — Mr.  Gammon.  The  expression 
which  his  features  wore  was  one  of 
intense  anxiety  ;  and  any  tolerably 
close  observer  might  have  detected  the 
mortification  and  disgust  with  which 
his  eye  occasionally  glanced  at,  and 
was  as  suddenly  withdrawn  from,  the 
figure  of  the  grinning  idiot  beside  J 
him.  "Who  do  you  think,  reader, 
walked  on  Mr.  Titmouse's  right-hand 
side?  Sir  Harkaway  Botgut  Wild- 
fire, Baronet,  whose  keen  political 
feelings,  added  to  a  sincere  desire  to 
secure  a  chance  of  his  daughter's  be- 
coming the  mistress  of  Yatton,  had 
long  ago  obliterated  all  unkindly 
recollection  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  gross 
conduct  on  a  former  occasion,  after 
having  received,  through  the  medium 
of  Mr.  Bloodsuck,  senior,  as  a  common 
friend,  a  satisfactory  apology.  Next 
walked  Mr.  Titmouses  mover  and 
seconder,  the  "Ilevcrcnd"  Mr.  Mud- 
llint, and  Going  Gone,  "Enquire." 
Then    came    Mr.    Centipede    and    Mr. 

W House,    Mr.    Grogram    and    Mr. 

Ginblossom;  Mr.  Gargle  Glister  and 
Mr.  Barnabas  Bloodsuck ;  and  others 
of  the  leading  friends  of  Mr.  Titmouse, 
followed  by  some  two  hundred  of 
others,  two  and  two.  Thus  passed 
along  the  main  street  of  Grilston,  ill 
splendid  array,  what  might  too  truly 
have  been  called  the  triumphal  pro- 
cession of  the  popular  candidate  ;  his 
progress  being  accompanied  by  the 
enlivening  music  of  his  band,  the 
repeated  acclamations  of  the  excited 
and  intelligent  crowd,  the  waving  of 
banners  and  Hags  below,  and  handker- 
chiefs and  scarfs  from  the  ladies  at  the 
windows,  and  desperate  struggle 
from  time  to  time,  on  the  part  of  the 
crowd,  to  catch  a  glimse  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse. Mr.  Gammon  had  the  day 
before  judiciously  hired  ten  pounds' 
worth  of  mob — a  device  .done  sufficient 
toh  tve  in  ide  Mr,  Titn,  I  popular 
late,  and  il  now  told  ly  ; 

for  the  aforesaid    ten    pounds'  worth 
If    in    truly    admirable 
\  in  front  of  the  hustings—and, 
o:i  Mr.  Ti  ipp  •;;:- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


473 


ance  there,  set  up  a  sudden  and  en- 
thusiastic shout,  which  rent  the  air, 
and  was  calculated  to  strike  dismay 
into  the  heart  of  the  enemy.  Mr. 
Titmouse,  on  gaining  the  hustings, 
changed  colour  visibly,  and,  coming 
in  front,  took  off  his  glossy  hat,  and 
bowed  repeatedly  in  all  directions. 
Mr.  Delamere's  procession  was  of  a 
vastly  superior  description,  yet  too 
palpably  that  of  the  unpopular  candi- 
date— every  member  of  it,  from  first 
to  last,  having  made  up  his  mind  to 
encounter  incivility,  and  even  insult, 
however  really  anxious  to  avoid  the 
slightest  occasion  for  it.  The  band 
was  numerous,  and  played  admirably. 
There  was  a  profusion  of  gay  and 
handsome  flags  and  banners.  Mr. 
Delamere  walked  next  to  the  band, 
with  a  gallant  bearing,  a  gay  and 
cheerful  smile,  yet  oft  darkened  by 
anxiety  as  he  perceived  indubitable 
symptoms  of  a  disposition  to  rough 
treatment  on  the  part  of  the  crowd. 
On  his  right  hand  side  walked  Mr. 
St.  Aubyn;  on  his  left,  Sir  Percival 
Pickering,  the  late  member  for  the 
borough.  Following  them  came  Mr. 
Gold,  the  banker,  and  Mr.  Milnthorpe, 
an  extensive  and  highly-respectable 
flour  factor — these  being  Mr.  Dela- 
mere's mover  and  seconder  :  and  they 
were  followed  by  at  least  three  hundred 
others,  two  and  two,  all  of  substantial 
and  respectable  appearance,  and  most 
resolute  air  to  boot.  No  amount  of 
mob  that  day  in  Grilston  would 
have  ventm-ed  an  attack,  in  passing, 
upon  that  stout-hearted  body  of  yeo- 
men. A  great  many  white  handker- 
chiefs were  waved  from  the  windows, 
as  Delamere  passed  along — waved  by 
the  hands  of  hundreds  of  fair  creatures, 
whose  hearts  throbbed  with  fond  fears 
lest  an  unoffending  gentleman  should 
be  maltreated  by  the  reckless  mob. 
"When  Mr.  Delamere  approached  a 
large  bow  window,  opposite  to  the 
town  hall,  his  heart  began  to  beat 
quickly.  There  were  four  as  beautiful 
and  high-born  young  women  as  Eng- 
land could  have  produced,  all  gazing 
down  upon  him  with  eager  and  anxious 
looks.  It  was  not  they,  however, 
who  occasioned  Mr.  Delamere's  emo- 


tion. He  knew  that  in  that  room  was 
Lady  Do  la  Zouch — his  mother ;  and 
he  grew  silent  and  excited  as  he  ap- 
proached it.  One  of  the  loveliest  of 
the  four,  as  ha  stopped  and  with 
respectful  bow  looked  up  for  an  instant 
— Lady  Alethea  Lorymer—  suddenly 
and  quite  unexpectedly  stepped  aside  ; 
and  there  stood  revealed  the  figure  of 
Lady  Do  la  Zouch.  She  would  havo 
waved  her  handkerchief,  but  that  sho 
required  it  to  conceal  her  emotion. 
The  lips  of  neither  mother  nor  sou 
moved  ;  but  their  hearts  uttered  recip- 
rocal benedictions  —  and  Delamere 
passed  on.  As  he  neared  the  church, 
I  regret  to  have  it  to  put  on  record, 
but,  at  the  bidding  of  the  Reverend 
Gideon  Fleshpot,  the  bells  tolled  as  for 
a  funeral .'  ! 

Could  anything  have  been  more  la- 
mentable and  disgusting  ?  If  the  sud- 
den and  unexpected  sight  of  his  mother 
had  been  calculated  in  any  degree  to 
subdue,  for  a  moment,  his  feelings, 
what  ensued  within  a  minute  or  two 
afterwards  was  sufficient  to  excite  his 
sternest  mood  ;  for  as  soon  as  ever  the 
head  of  his  procession  became  visible  to 
the  crowd  on  the  green,  there  arose  a 
tremendous  storm  of  yelling,  hooting, 
hissing,  and  groaning  :  and  when  Mr. 
Delamere  made  his  appearance  in  front 
of  the  hustings,  you  might  havo 
imagined  that  you  were  witnessing 
the  reception  given  to  some  loathsome 
miscreant  mounting  the  gallows  to 
expiate  with  his  life  a  hideous  and 
revolting  crime.  lie  advanced,  never- 
theless, with  a  smile  of  cheerful  reso- 
lution and  good-humour,  though  he 
changed  colour  a  little  ;  and,  taking 
off  his  hat,  bowed  in  all  directions. 
Gracious  heaven  !  what  a  contrast  he 
presented  to  his  popular  rival,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  who  stood  grinning  and 
winking  to  the  wretches  immediately 
underneath,  evidently  with  a  spiteful 
gratification  at  the  treatment  which 
his  opponent  was  experiencing.  Any 
one  on  the  hustings  or  in  the  crowd  had 
but  to  call  out  "  Three  cheers  for  Mr. 
Titmouse  !  "  to  be  instantly  obeyed  ; 
then  "Three  groans  for  the  young 
boroughmonger  !  "  were  responded  to 
witli  amazing  vehemence   and  effect. 


•174 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Viewed  from  a  distance  sufficient  to 
prevent  your  observing  the  furious 
races  of  the  dense  mob,  ami  hearing 
the  opprobrious  epithets  which  were 
level     .  •  the  unpopular  ci 

date,  th<  ppeared  both  inn 

ing  and  exciting.  On  the  outskirts 
of  the  crowd  were  to  be  seen  a  gnat 
number  of  carriages,  both  close  and 
open,  principally  occupied  by  ladies — 
and  I  nerd  hardly  say  who  was  the 
favourite  in  those  quarters.  Then  the 
rival  bands  moved  continually  about, 
playing  well-known  national  airs; 
while  the  banners  and  Hags,  blue  and 
yellow,  tied    the    exhilarating 

and  picturesque  effect  of  the  whole. 
The  hustings  were  strong  and  com- 
modious ;  Mr.  Titmouse  and  his  friends 
stood  on  the  right,  Mr.  Delaniere  and 
Ins  friends  on  the  left  side.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  simple  dark  blue  surtout 
and  plain  black  stock.  He  was  tall, 
elegant,  and  easy  in  las  person,  ap- 
pearance, and  gestures;  his  counte- 
nance  was  prepossessing,  and  bespoke  a 
little  excitement,  which  did  not,  how- 
ever, obscure  its  good-nature.  And 
beside  him  stood  his  mover  and  se- 
conder,  Mr.  GoldandMr.  Milnthorpc  : 
the  two  late  members ;  and  about 
twenty  or  thirty  other  gentlemen — the 
whole  party  forming  such  a  strong 
contrast  to  their  opponents,  as  must 
have  challenged  any  one's  observation 
in  an  instant.  Titmouse  stood  in  the 
centre,  leaning  fas  he  supposed)  grace- 
fully against  the  front  bar ;  on  his 
right  stood  the  burly,  slovenly  figure 
of  Sir  Harkaway  Rotgut  Wildfire,  with 
his  big,  bloab  -1,  blotchj  Hi''''  :  on  Mr. 
Titmouse's  Ift  stood  his  proposer,  the 
"Reverend"  .Mr.  Smirk  Mudflint.' 
His  lean,  sallow  face  wore  a  very  dis- 

'!i,  w  hieh 
was                   -.  ■!    by    a     i'          :     c  kSt    of 
'  yes.     He  wa  i  'lis  ied  in 
1:,  with  a  white  uocl  -kerchii  f  and 
to  him  BtooJ 
.     Esq.,    Mr.    Titmou 
-.   with   a    in  Idy  ion, 
light  hair,  a  droll  eye,  ami  an  expre  - 
of  ■  ".n  B   !  ut    by  no   means  ill- 
natured  enei          I   unmon  si 1  im- 
mediately behind  Til  moi 
car    lie     whi  pen  d     frequent  ly 


anxiously.     There  wero  also  the  Rev- 
erend  Gideon    Fleshpot,    (though   ho 

evidently  did  not  wish  to  make  himself 
conspicuous,)  Mr.  Glister,  Mr.  Grog- 
ram,  Mr.  Woodlouse,  Mr.  Centip*  . 
Mr.  Ginblossom,  Mr.  Hie  Haeo  Hoc, 
the  Messrs.  Bloodsuck,  father  and  son. 
The  business  of  the  diy  having  been 
opened  with  the  ordinary  formalities 
by  the  returning  officer,  he  earnestly 
besought  the  assembled  multitude  to 
remember  that  they  were  Englishmen, 
and  to  give  both  parties  fair  play, 
allowing  every  one  who  might  address 
them  from  the  hustings,  to  be  heard 
without  serious  interruption.  It  had 
been  .arranged  between  the  two  com- 
mittees that  Mr.  Titmouse  should  bo 
first  proposed  ;  and  the  moment,  there- 
fore, that  the  returning  officer  ceased 
speaking,  the  "Reverend"  Mr.  Mud- 
flint  took  off  his  hat  and  prepared  to 
address  the  "electors  ;  "  but  he  had  to 
wait  for  at  least  a  minute  in  order  that 
the  applause  with  which  he  had  been 
greeted  might  subside,  during  which 
little  anxious  interval,  he  could  not 
help  directing  towards  his  opponent  a 
look  of  bitter  exultation,  lie  spoko 
with  the  self-possession,  fluency,  and 
ion  of  a  practised  public  speaker. 
If  the  day's  proceedings  were  to  take 
their  tone  from  that  of  (1  e  opening 
sp ih,  'twas  a  thousand   pities  that  it 

fell  to  the  lot  of  the  "Reverend"  Mr. 
Mudflint  to  deliver  it.  He  had  so 
clear  a  voice,  spoke  with  such  dis- 
tinctness and  deliberation,  and  amidst 
such  silence,  that  every  word  he  ut- 
tered was  audible  all  over  the  crowd  ; 
and  anything  more  Unchristian,  un- 
courteous,  unfair,  towards  his  oppo- 
nent ;,  ami  calculated  to  excite  towards 
them  the  hatred  of  the  crowd,  could 
hardly  have  been  conceived.  In  what 
offensive  and  indecent  terms  he  spoko 
of  the  Established  Church  and  its 
ministers  !  of  the-  aristocracy,  | 
natural  tyrants,"  he  said,)  and  indeed 
of  ell  (lie  be  I  d  time-hallo. 
; ntions  of  dear  glorious  old  I 

land — which  might,  by  the  way,  wall 
Mush  to  own  siieh  a  creature  as   he,  as 

on.'  entitled  by  birth  to  (  ill  himself 
one  of  her  sons !  I  low  he  bailed  the 
appro  i  fall  of  " priest-craft" 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIl. 


475 


and  "king-craft!" — "A  new  light," 
he  said,  "was  diffusing  itself  over 
benighted  mankind — 'twas  the  pure 
and  steady  light  of  Reason,  and  all 
filthy  things  were  flying  from  before 
it,"  (immense  cheers  followed  the  an- 
nouncement of  so  important  and  in- 
teresting a  fact.)  "The  Bible,"  he 
said,  "  was  a  book  of  excellent  common 
sense ;  and  nothing  but  villainous 
priestcraft  had  attempted  to  torture 
and  dislocate  it  into  all  sorts  of  fan- 
taslic  mysteries,  which  led  to  rank 
idolatry  and  blasphemy,  equally  re- 
volting to  God  and  man. "  (Perceiving, 
from  the  coolness  with  which  it  was 
received,  that  this  was  going  a  little 
too  rapidly  a-head,  he  dropped  that 
subject  altogether,  and  soon  regained 
the  ear  of  his  audience,  by  descanting 
in  very  declamatory  and  inflammatory 
terms  upon  the  resplendent  victory 
which  the  people  had  recently  gained 
in  the  glorious  Bill  for  giving  Every- 
body Everything.)  "They  had  burst 
their  bonds  with  a  noble  effort ;  but 
their  chains  would  be  quickly  re- 
riveted,  unless  they  followed  up  their 
advantage,  and  never  stopped  short  of 
crushing  a  heartless  and  tyrannical  and 
insolent  oligarchy  ;  unless  the  people 
were  now  true  to  themselves,  and 
returned  to  the  House  of  Commons 
good  men  and  true,  to  watch  over  the 
energies  of  reviving  liberty,  lest  they 
should  be  strangled  in  their  way — (the 
remainder  of  the  sentence  was  inau- 
dible in  the  storm  of  applause  which  it 
excited.)  Under  these  circumstances, 
Providence  itself  had  pointed  out  an 
individual  whom  he  was  proud  and 
happy  to  propose  to  their  notice — 
(here  he  turned  and  bowed  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, who,  plucking  off  his  hat, 
bobbed  in  return,  and  blushed,  amidst 
the  deafening  cheers  of  all  before  them, 
to  whom  also  he  bowed  repeatedly.) 
A  gentleman  who  seemed,  as  it  were, 
made  for  them  ;  who,  in  his  own  per- 
son, might  be  said  to  afford  a  lively 
illustration  of  the  regeneration  of  so- 
ciety— who,  to  borrow  for  a  moment 
an  absurd  word  from  his  opponents, 
had  by  a  sort  of  miracle  (with  what  an 
infernal  emphasis  he  pronounced  this 
word ! )  been  placed  where  he  was,  in 


his  present  proud  position  ;  who  had 
totally  and  happily  changed  the  whole 
aspect  of  affairs  in  the  neighbourhood, 
which  had  already  become  the  scene  of 
his    profuse    and    yet    discriminating 
generosity  and  hospitality  ;  who  stood 
in  bright  and  bold  relief  from  out  a 
long  gloomy  line  of  ancestors,  all  of 
whom  had  lived  and  died  in  enmity  to 
the  people  ;  also  who  had  distinguished 
themselves   by  nothing  except   their 
bigotry  and  hatred  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty.     Mr.  Titmouse  was  the  first  of 
his  ancient  family  to  claim  the  proud 
title   of  — The   Man    of    the   People. 
(Here  a  voice  called  out,  "  three  cheers 
for  Mr.  Titmouse ! " — which  were  given 
spontaneously,  and  most  effectively. ) 
His  '  address '  was  worthy  of  him — it 
did  equal  honour  to  his  head  and  his 
heart,  (it  is  impossible  to  describe  tho 
smile  which  here  just  glanced  over  the 
countenance  of  Mr.  Gammon,)  touch- 
ing nothing  that  it  did  not  adorn — at 
once  bold,  comprehensive,  uncompro- 
mising ! — He  had  had  the  felicity  of 
enjoying  the  acquaintance,  he  might 
venture  perhaps  to  say  the  friendship, 
of  Mr.  Titmouse,  since  he  had  taken 
up  his  abode  at  the  home  of  his  ances- 
tors, and  very  proud  he  was  to  be  able 
to  say  so.    He  could  assure  the  electors, 
from  his  own  personal  knowledge  of 
Mr.  Titmouse,  that  they  would  have 
cause    to   be    proud    of    their  future 
representative — of  the   choice   which 
they  were  about  to  make.     (Here  the 
worthy  speaker  had  some  sudden  mis- 
givings as  to  the  display  likely  to  be 
made  by  Titmouse,  when  it  came  to 
his  turn  to  address  the  electors : — so 
he  added  in  rather  a  subdued  tone)  — 
It  was  true  that  they  might  not  have, 
in   Mr.    Titmouse,    a  magpie   in    the 
House,  (laughter,)  a  mere  chatterer — 
much  cry  and  little  wool ;  they  had 
had  enough  of  mere  speechifiers  at  St. 
Stephen's  —  but   they    would    have    a 
good  working   member,   (cheers ;)  one 
always  at    his   post   in   the   hour   of 
danger,  (cheers;)   a   good   committee- 
man, and  one  whose  princely  fortune 
rendered   him   independent   of    party 
and  of  the  blandishments  of  power. 
In  the  language  of  the  ancient  poet  (!) 
Mr.  Mudlliut  would  exclaim  on  such 


476 


TEX   THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


an  occasion,  'Facta,  non  verba  qiuero,' 
(great  cheering.)  And  now  a  word  for 
his  opponent,  (groans.)  He  was  a 
mere  puppet,  held  in  the  hands  of 
son:-  . :   of  aigl  ') — it 

might  be  of  a  base  old  boroughmonger, 
(groa>u>) — who  sought  to  make  Ya 
a  rotten  borough,  (hisses,)  a  stepping- 
stone  to  ascendancy  in  the  county, 
(cries  of  'Will  he,  though,  lad,  eh?') 
who  would  buy  and  sell  them  like 
slaves,    -  md  would  never  i     t 

jfied  till  In-  had  restored  the  in- 
tolerable old  vassalage  of  feudalism, 
(groans  and  hisses  hero  burst  forth 
from  that  enlightened  assemblage,  at 
tbe  bare  idea  of  anything  so  fright- 
ful.) lie  meant,  nothing  personally 
offensive  t"  the  honourable  candidate 
— hut  /'•,.■;:  he  worthy  of  a  moment's 
serious  nol  treat  laughter.)     Had 

he  an  opinion  of  his  own?  (A.,/,/ 
laughtt  r. )     1  Fad  he  nol  better,  to  use 

the  language  of  a  book  that  was  mucll 

misunderstood,  tarry  at  Jerusalem 
(!!!)  till  his  beard  was  grottml  Was 
he  not,  in  fact,  a  nonentity,  unworthy 
of  a  reasonable  man's  serious  notice  i 
AVas  he  not  reeking  from  Oxford, 
((/roans,)  that  hotbed  of  pedantic  igno- 
rance and  venerable  bigotry,  (/-■ 
Burrounded  by  a  dismal  and  lurid 
halo  of  superstition?"  (groaning  ami 

Finer  and  finer  was  Mr.  Mudflint 
becoming  every  moment  as  lie  warmed 
with  his  subjeel — hut  unfortunately 
his  audience  was  beginning  very  un- 
equivocally to  intimate  that  they  were 
quite  satisfied  with  what  they  had 
already  heard.  A  cry,  for  instance, 
heard—"  The  rest  of  my  discoorse 
next  Sunday  I  "•  for  the  crowd  knew 
th  it  they  were  being  kepi  all  this  while 

froi le  of  theii   i  r<  itest  favourites, 

Mr.  Going  <  lone,  who  had  also  himself 
1  ■  ■  n  it  ei  ly  rather  frequently  and 
significantly  winking  his  eye  at  those 
1"  I  in'  him,  tigging  his  shoul- 

dei ).     Mr.    Mudflint,   then  fore,  with 

feelings  of  vivid  vcxati pique,  and 

ucluded  rather  abraptlj  bj  pro- 

IgTl  I  l  ti  i.  \  r'l'i  i  MOl     i,l.  Ql  [BE, 
of  Yatki.n,  as  a  lit  and  proper  |" 


eut  them  i 


in  I'm  I, 


iment.     U  p 


went  hats  into  the  air,  and  shouts  of  the 


most  joyous  and  enthusiastic  descrip- 
tion rent  the  air  for  several  minutes. 
Then  took  off  his  hat  the  jolly  Mr. 
Going  (lone- — a  signal  for  roars  of 
laughter,  and  cries  of  coarse  and  droll 
welcome,  in  expectancy  of  fun.     Nor 

were  they  d  is. -i  I  >|  mi  1 1 1  ed .     1  le  kept  them 

in  good-humour  and  fits  of  laughter 
during  the  whole'  of  his  "address;" 
and  though  destitute  of  any  pretence 
to  refinement,  1  must  at  the  suae  time 
say,  that  I  could  not  detect  any  traces 
of  ill-nature  in  it.  He  concluded  by 
seconding  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, amidst  tumultuous  cheers; 
and,  after  waiting  for  some  few  mi- 
nutes, in  order  that  they  might  subside, 
Mr.  Gold  took  oil"  his  hat,  and  essayed 
to  address  the  crowd.  Now  he  really 
was  what  he  looked,  an  old  man  of 
unaffected  and  v<  ry great  good-humour 
and  benevolence;  and  that,  too,  was 
extensive  and  systematic.  He  had 
only  the  week  before  distributed  soup, 
blankets,  coals,   and  potatoes  to  two 

hundred  \ r  families  in  the  borough, 

even  as  he  had  done  at  that  period  of 
the  year  for  many  years  before.     No 

tale    of   distress,  indeed,  was  ever  told 

him  in  vain,  unless  palpably  ti  ttitious 
and  fraudulent.  The  moment  that  his 
hare  head,  scantily  covered  with  gray 
hairs,  was  visible,  there  arose,  at  a 
given  signal  from  Mr.  Barnabas  Blood- 
suck,  a  dreadful  hissing  and  hooting 
from  all  parts  of  the  crowd.  If  he 
appeared  disposed  to  persevere  in  ad- 
dres  ing  the  two  or  three  immediately 
around  him,  that  only  infuriated  tho 
mob  against  the  poor  old  man,  who 
bore  it  all,  however,  with  great  good- 
humour  and  fortitude,  lint  it  was  in 
vain.  After  some  twenty  minutes  spent 
in  useless  efforts  to  make  himself  audi- 
ble, he  concluded,  in  mere  dumb  show, 
by  proposing  i  he  I  [onoi  k  idle  Gi  »f« 
]••  i ;  v  Lnvi.i.  I  hi.  \  mi  re,  at  the  mention 
of  whose- nam-  there  again  aroi  1a  per- 
fect tempesl  ofhowlinj  . 
in  \  and  hooting.  Th-  n  Mr.  Milnthi 

■  forward,  determined  not  to  bo 
"j't't  down"  He  v. as  a  very  tall  and 
powerfully  buill  man  ;  bold  and  deter- 
mined, with  a  prodi  'ions  pov  erofi  o 

•  lie  hearl  of  a  lion.  "  Now,  lads, 
I'm  ready  to  try  which  cau  lire  tho 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


477 


other  out  first !  "  he  roared,  in  a  truly 
stentorian  voice,  that  wa^s  heard  over  all 
their  uproar,  which  it  redoubled.  How 
vain  the  attempt !  How  ridiculous  the 
challenge  !  Confident  of  his  lungs,  he 
smiled  good-humouredly  at  the  hissing 
and  bellowing  mass  before  him,  and 
for  half  an  hour  persevered  in  his 
attempts  to  make  himself  heard.  At 
length,  however,  without  his  having 
in  the  slightest  degree  succeeded,  his 
pertinacity  began  to  irritate  the  crowd, 
who,  in  fact,  felt  themselves  being 
bullied,  and  that  no  crowd  that  ever  I 
saw  or  heard  of  can  bear  for  one  in- 
stant ;  and  ivliat  is  one  against  so 
many?  Hundreds  of  fists  were  held 
up  and  shaken  at  him.  A  missile  of 
some  sort  or  another  was  flung  at  him, 
though  it  missed  him  ;  and  then  the 
returning  officer  advised  him  to  desist 
from  his  attempts,  lest  mischief  should 
ensue  ;  on  which  he  shouted  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  "  I  second  Mr.  Dela- 
laere  !  "  and,  amidst  immense  groaning 
and  hissing,  replaced  his  hat  on  his 
head,  thereby  owning  himself  van- 
quished ;  which  the  mob  also  perceiv- 
ing, they  burst  into  loud  and  long- 
continued  laughter. 

"Now,  Mr.  Titmouse!"  said  the 
returning  officer,  addressing  him  :  on 
hearing  whose  words  he  turned  as 
white  as  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  felt 
very  much  disposed  to  be  sick.  He 
pulled  out  of  his  coat-pocket  a  well- 
worn  little  roll  of  paper,  on  which  was 
the  speech  which  Mr.  Gammon  had 
prepared  for  him,  as  I  have  already 
intimated ;  and  with  a  shaking  hand 
unrolled  it,  casting  at  its  cont-nts  a 
glance — momentary  and  despairing. 
AY  hat  then  would  that  little  fool  have 
given  for  memory,  voice,  and  manner 
enough  to  "speak  the  speech  that  had 
been  set  down  for  him  !  "  He  cast  a 
dismal  look  over  his  shoulder  at  Mr. 
Gammon,  and  took  off  his  hat — Sir 
Harkaway  clapping  him  on  the  back, 
exclaiming,  "  Now  for't,  lad — have  at 
'cm  and  away — never  fear  !  "  The 
moment  that  he  stood  bareheaded,  and 


prepared  to  address  the  writhing  mass 
of  faces  before  him,  he  was  greeted 
with  a  prodigious  shout — hats,  some 
waved,  others  flung  into  the  air — and 
it  was  two  or  three  minutes  before  the 
uproar  abated  in  the  least.  With  fear- 
ful rapidity,  however,  every  species  of 
noise  and  interruption  ceased — and  a 
perfect  silence  prevailed.  The  sea  of 
eager  excited  faces — all  turned  towards 
him — was  a  spectacle  that  might  fur  a 
moment  have  shaken  the  nerves  of  even 
a  man— had  he  been  ' '  unaccustomed  to 
public  speaking."  The  speech,  which 
— brief  and  simple  as  it  was — he  had 
never  been  able  to  make  his  own,  even 
after  copying  it  out  half-a-dozen  times, 
and  trying  to  learn  it  off  for  an  hour 
or  two  daily  during  the  preceding  fort- 
night, he  had  now  utterly  forgotten  ; 
and  he  would  have  given  a  hundred 
pounds  to  retire  at  once  from  the  con- 
test, or  sink  unperceived  under  the 
floor  of  tlio  hustings. 

"  Begin  !  begin  !  "  whispered  Gam- 
mon earnestlv. 

«Ya  —  a  — s  —  but— what  shall  I 
say  ?  "  stammered  Titmouse. 

"  Yourspeech" — answered  Gammon 
impatiently. 

"I — I — 'pon  my — soul — I've — for- 
got every  word  of  it  ?  " 

"Then  road  it,"  said  Gammon,  in 
a  furious  whisper — "Good  God,  you'll 
be  hissed  off*  the  hustings  ! — Read  from 
the  paper,  do  you  hear  ?  " — he  added, 
almost  gnashing  his  teeth. 

Matters  having  come  to  this  fearful 
issue,  "Gentlemen,"  commenced  Mr. 
Titmouse  faintly 

"Hear  him!  Hear,  hear! — Hush! 
Sh !  sh  ! "  cried  the  impatient  and 
expectant  crowd. 

Now,  I  happen  to  have  a  short-hand 
writer's  notes  of  every  word  uttered  by 
Titmouse,  together  with  an  account  of 
the  reception  it  met  with  :  and  I  shall 
here  give  the  reader,  first,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's real,  and  secondly,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's supposed  speech,  as  it  appeared 
two  days  afterwards  in  the  columns  of 
the  Yorkslurc  Stingo. 


478 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"  Tx>ok  on  th  is  picture 

Mr.  Titmouse's  Actual 

"Gejttxemex, — Mosl    uncommon, 
una  I  as  I  am,  {cheers) — happy 

— memorable, — proudest — high  hon- 
our— onworl  •  ri?ig) — ilay  of  my 
life — important  crisis,  (cheers) — day 
gone  by,  and  arrived — too  late,  (cheer- 
; — civil  and  religious  liberty  all 
t  the  world,  (immense  cheering,  led 
off  by  Mr.  M  Yes,  gentlemen 
■ — I  would  observe— it  is  unnecessary 
1  .  say  -passing  of  that  truly  glorious 
Lill — charter  —  no  mistake —  Britons 
never  shall  be  slaves,  (enthusiastic 
rs,) — Gentlemen,  unaccustomed  as 
I  am  to  address  an  assembly  of  this — 
a-hem  !  (hear  !  hear!  !>■  ar!  andch 
— civil  and  religious  liberty  all  over 
the  world,  (cheers)  —  yet  the  tongue 
can  feel  where  the  heart  cannot  express 

the  (cht  o  help  me !   uni- 

\>  real  suffrage  and  cheap  and  enlight- 
ened equality,  (criesof*  that's  it,  lad  !') 
— which  can  never  fear  to  s  >•  estab- 
lished in  this  country,- — (cheers) — if 
only  true  to — industrious  classes  and 
corn-laws — yes,  gentlemen,  I  say  corn- 
laws — for  I  am  of  op (Mesh  f  cries 

of   'en.  /'"'    dost   say    about 

them?')  wo. king  out  the  principles 
which  conduced  to  the  establishment 
a— a — a — civil  and  religious  liberty  of 
the  press  I  (cheers!)  and  the  working 
class  ;<  ■') — Gent  lemi  o,  ana 

tomed  as  1  am — well — at  any  rate — 
will  you — I  say — will  you  ?  (vehement 

■  No  !  No  !  Ai  ver  /')  unlessyou 
ar  true  to  yourselvc  !  I  lentlemen, 
•without  going  into — Vote  by  Ballot 
(ch  crs)  and  quarterly  Parliaments, 
(loud  '</>-  three  polar  stars  of 
my  public  conduct— (here   the  great 

i  i]  banner  was  w.".   d  to  and  fro, 
ami  .  tnd  re- 

ducing  the  over-grown  Church   Estab- 

■  to  n    difference  betw<  en  me 
my  honoui 

I    live  among  you, 
-  sji  nd    my   money   iri    the 
no  1  to  i 

here,    (i\   .  lit    about,    i 

!)     |> itient  attention, 
which  I  will  not  further  in  pat  lupon, 


-and  on  this  ! ' 


Mr.  Titmouse's  Hetorted 
Speech. 

"Silence  having  been  restored,  Mr. 
Titmouse  snid,  that    lie   feared  it  was 
but  too  evident  that  he  was  unaccus- 
tomed to  scenes  so  exciting  as  the  pre- 
sent one — that  was  one  source  of  his 
embarrassment;  but  the  greatest  was, 
the  enthusiastic  reception  with  which 
he  was   honoured,  and   of  which   he 
owned  hims  ilf  quite  unworthy,  (cheers.) 
lie   agreed  with   the   gentleman  who 
had  proposed  him  in  so  very  aide  and 
powerful  a  Bpeech,  (cheers,)  that  wo 
had  arrived  at  a  crisis  in  our  national 
history,  (cheering) — a  point  at  which 
it  would  be  ruin  to  go  lack,  while  to 
stand   still  was  impossible,  (cheers .-) 
and,  therefore,  there  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  go  forward,  (great  cheering.) 
lie  looked  u]  on  the  passingof  the  Bill 
for  giving  Everybody  Everything, 
establishing  an  entirely  new  order  of 
things,  (dicers,)  in  which  the  people 
had    been  roused   to  a  sense  of  their 
b  ing   the   only  legitimate   source    of 
power,    (cheering.)      They  had,    like 
Samson,    though    weakened    by    the 
cruelty   and    torture   of    Ins   tyrants, 
bowed   down  and  broken  into  pieces 
the  gloomy  fabric  of  aristocracy.     The 
words  'Civil  and  Religious  Liberty' 
now  no  longer  a  by-word  and  a 
reproach,   (cheers;)  hut,  as  had  been 
finely  observed  by  the  gentleman  who 
had  so  eloquently  proposed   him   to 
their  notice,    the   glorious    truth    had 
gone  forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
that  no  man  was  under  any  responsi- 
bility for  his  opinions  or  his  belief,  any 
more  than  for  the  shape  of  his  nose, 
(loud  cheers.)    A  spirit  of  toleram    . 
amelioration,  and  renovation  was  now 
abroad,  actively  engaged  in  repairing 
our  defective  and  dilapidated  constitu- 
tion, t  he  relic  of  a  barl usage     with 

some   traces   of  modern   beauty,    but 

of  ancient  ignorance  and  in  sight- 

The  he 

alluded  lo  had  roused  the  ma&si  ■■■  into 

political  being,  (imrru  nsech  i  md 

made  them  sensible  of  the  necessity  of 

keeping  down  a  rapacious  and  dom- 

oans.)    Y/as  not 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


479 


(hear!  hear!  and  loud  cheering,) — full 
explanation — rush  early  to  the — base, 
bloody,  and  brutal  (cheers) — poll  tri- 
umphant— extinguish  for  ever,  (cheers. ) 
— Gentlemen,  these  are  my  sentiments 
■ — wish  you  many  happy — re — hem  ! 
a-hem — and  by  early  displaying  a  de- 
termination to — (cries  of  'we  will !  we 
will!') — eyes  of  the  whole  country 
upon  you — crisis  of  our  national  repre- 
sentation—  patient  attention  —  latest 
day  of  my  life. — Gentlemen,  yours 
truly " 


the  liberty  of  the  press  placed  now 
upon  an  intelligible  and  imperishable 
basis  ?  —  Already  were  its  purifying 
and  invigorating  influences  perceptible, 
(ehecriny) —  and  he  trusted  that  it 
would  never  cease  to  direct  its  power- 
ful energies  to  the  demolition  of  the 
many  remaining  barriers  to  the  im- 
provement of  mankind,  (cheers.)  The 
corn-laws  must  be  repealed,  the  taxes 
must  be  lowered,  the  army  and  navy 
reduced  ;  vote  by  ballot  and  universal 
suffrage  conceded,  and  the  quarterly 
meeting  of  Parliament  secured.  Mar- 
riage must  be  no  longer  fenced  about 
by  religious  ceremonials,  (clivers. )  Ho 
found  that  there  were  three  words  on 
his  banner,  which  were  worth  a  thou- 
sand speeches — Peace,  Retrenchment, 
Reform — which,  as  had  been  happily 
observed  by  the  gentleman  who  had 
so  ably  proposed  him — — " 

[And  so  on  for  a  column  more ;  in  the  course  of  which  there  were  really  so 
many  flattering  allusions  to  the  opening  speech  of  the  proposer  of  Titmouse, 
that  it  has  often  occurred  to  me  as  probable,  that  the  "Reverend"  Mr. 
Mudflint  had  supplied  the  above  report  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  speech.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Mr.  Titmouse,  on  concluding,  made 
a  great  number  of  very  profound  bows, 
and  replaced  his  hat  upon  his  head, 
amidst  prolonged  and  enthusiastic 
cheering,  which,  on  Mr.  Dclamere's 
essaying  to  address  the  crowd,  was 
suddenly  converted  into  a  perfect  hur- 
ricane of  hissing  ;  like  as  we  now  and 
then  find  a  shower  cf  rain  suddenly 
changed  into  hail.  Mr.  Delamere 
stood  the  pitiless  pelting  of  the  storm 
with  calmness,  resolution,  and  good- 
humour.  Ten  minutes  had  elapsed, 
and  he  had  not  been  allowed  to  utter 
one  syllable  audible  to  any  one  beyond 
four  or  live  feet  from  him.  Every  fresh 
effort  he  made  to  speak  caused  a  re- 
newal of  the  uproar,  and  many  very  of- 
fensive and  opprobrious  epithets  were 
applied  to  him.  Surely  this  was  dis- 
graceful, disgusting  !  What  had  he 
clone  to  deserve  such  treatment  ?  Had 
he  been  guilty  of  offering  some  gross 
indignity  and  outrage  to  every  person 
present,    individually,   could  he  have 


fared  worse  than  lie  did !  He  had 
conducted  his  canvass  with  scrupulous 
and  exemplary  honour  and  integrity — 
with  the  utmost  courtesy  to  all  parties, 
whether  adverse  or  favourable.  He 
was  surely  not  deficient  in  those  quali- 
ties of  head  and  of  heart — of  personal 
appearance,  even,  which  usually  secure 
man  favour  with  his  fellows.  Who 
could  lay  anything  to  his  charge  — ■ 
except  that  he  had  ventured  to  solicit 
the  suffrages  of  the  electors  of  Yatton, 
in  competition  with  Mr.  Titmouse  ? 
If  men  of  a  determined  character  and 
of  princely  means  have  to  calculate 
upon  such  brutal  usage  as  this,  can 
those  who  sanction  or  perpetrate,  it 
wonder  at  bribery  a:id  other  undue 
means  being  resorted  to,  in  absolute 
self-defence  ?  Is  it  meant  to  deter  any 
one  from  coming  forward  that  has  not 
a  forehead  of  brass,  leather  lungs,  and 
heart  of  mai'ble  ?  After  upwards  of 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  been  thus 
consumed,  without  Mr.  Delamere's 
having  been  permitted  to  utter  two 
consecutive  sentences,  though  he  stood 
up  against  it  patiently  and  gallantly, 


480 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


tho  returning  officer,  ■who  had  often 
appealed  to  them  in  vain,  earnestly 
be  ought  Mr.  Titmouse  to  use  his  in- 
fluence with  tho  crowd,  in  order  to 
Mr.  Dchuncre  a  moment's 
hearing. 

"Ton  my  life  — I  — eh!"  quoth 
Titmouse.  "A  liki  ly  thing!  He'd 
do  it  for  me,  wouldn't  he  i  Every 
man  for  himself  -all  fair  at  an  elec- 
tion, eh,  <  Sammon  ?  " 

"Do  it,  sir  I"  whispered  Gammon 
indignantly — "do  it,  and  instantly — 
or  you  deserve  to  he  kicked  over  into 
the  crowd  !  "  Titmouse,  on  this,  took 
olf  his  hat  with  a  very  had  grace,  and 
addressing  the  crowd,  said — "I — 1 — 
suppose  you'll   hear  what  he's  got  to 

s;iv  for  himself,  gents "     But  all 

was  in   vain  :    "Off  I   off  I     No  !— Go 

home  ! — ah  ! — ah  ! — a — a — a — h  ! 

St ! — St !— Get  away  home  with  you, 
you  youtig  boroughmonger ! — a — a 
— h  !  "  camo  in  louder  and  fiercer 
tones  from  the  mob.  Yet  Mr.  Dela- 
mere  did  not  like  to  give  up  without 
another  and  a  desperate  effort  to  catch 
flic  ear  of  the.  mob  ;  hut  while  he  \\;i- 
in  the  act  of  raiding  his  right  hand, 
and  exclaiming — "Gentlemen,  only 
a  word  or  two — I  pledge  my  honour 
that  I  will  not  keep  you  three  minutes" 
too  barbarous  miscreant  from  the 
body  of  the.  crowd  aimed  at  him  a 
stone,  not  a  very  large  one  to  be  sure, 
yel  flung  with  very  considerable  force, 
and  bitting  him  just  about  the  centre 
of  the  upper  lip,  which  it  cut  open. 
He  instantly  turned  pale,  and  applied 
to  it  his  white  pocket-handkerchief, 
which  was  speedily  stained  with  blood 
which  issued  copiously  from  the 
wound,  and  must  have  greatly  grati- 
tl.e  i  rowd  !  — ■  Still  tlie  gallant 
young  fellow  stood  his  ground  with 
firm  ]  ile  v,  hich  he   en- 

nough  l" 

1:  ■   S    to 

witness,     'lie;   instant  that.  Gammon 
tone    \i  Ice    effect,    he 

' ; 

mere  -' I  amid    l   hi  itated  friends, 

who  wi  !■■  d,  mading  him  from  perse- 

ng   in    his  attempt    to   address    the 
crowd  — 
"  Von  are  severely  hurt,  ■  ii •!  "  i  .- 


claimed  Gammon,  with  much  agita- 
tion, taking  off  his  hat  with  an  air  of 
earnest  and  respectful  sympathy.  Then 
he  turned  with  an  air  of  excitement 
towards  the  crowd,  wdio  S  i  raed 
shocked  into  silence  by  the  incident 
which  had  taken  place,  and  were 
uttering  increasing  cries  of  " shame  1 
shame  ! " 

"Shame? — shame,  shame,  indeed, 
gentlemen" — he  exclaimed  vehement- 
ly—  "Where  is  that  atrocious  mis- 
creant ?  In  the  name  of  Mr.  Titmouse, 
who  is  too  much  agitated  to  address 
you  himself,  I  conjure  you  to  secure 
that  abominable  ruffian,  and  let  him 
he  brought  to  justice  !  If  not,  Mr. 
Titmouse  protests  solemnly  that  ho 
will  withdraw  from  the  election." 

"Bravo,  Titmouse  I  bravo!  Spoke 
like  a  man! "  exclaimed  several  voices. 
A  desperate  struggle  was  soon  pcr- 
ceived  ahout  that  quarter  where  tho 
man  who  flung  the  stono  must  have 
been  standing;  he  had  been  seized, 
and  being  in  a  trice  most  severely 
handled,  a  couple  of  men  almost  throt- 
thd  him  with  the  tightness  of  their 
grasp  round  his  neck — these  two  tho 

very  men  who  had  encouraged  him  to 
perpetrate  the  outrage! — and,  amidst 
a  shower  of  kicks  and  blows,  he  was 
hauled  off,  and  deposited,  half  dead, 
in  the  cage. 

"Three  cheers  forDclameiv  !  "  cried 
a  voice  from  the  crowd  ;  and  never 
had  a  more  vehement  shout  issued 
from  them  than  in  response  to  that 
summons. 

"  Delamore!  Delamcre! — Hear  him! 
— Speak  out! — Delamere !  1  ►elamere ! " 
cried  a  great  number  of  voices,  of 
1  eople  growing  more  and  more  excited 
as  tiny  li,  held  his  handkerchief  be- 
coming suffused  ^  ith  blood.  Bui  be 
was  not  in  a  condition  then  to  respond 
to  their  call.  He  was  Buffering  really 
n.ii  a  little  pain  ;  and  moreover,  hn 
feelings  had  for  a  moment — jusl  for  a 
moment  —  given  way,  when  be  ad- 
verted to  the  possibility  that  Lady 
he  la  Zouch  might  have  witnessed 
the  outrage,   or  received   i  ited 

accounts  of  it.  Mr.  St.  Aubyn,  how- 
ever, stood  forward  in  Mr.  Delamcre'a 

I  -  and  in  a  very  feeling  and  judi- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


481 


clous  but  brief  address,  roused  the 
feelings  of  the  crowd  to  a  high  pitch 
of  sympathy  for  Mr.  Delamere,  who 
stood  beside  him,  hat  in  hand — vehe- 
mently, and  at  length  successfully, 
struggling  to  repress  his  rising  emo- 
tions. If  only  one  out  of  a  hundred 
of  those  present  had  had  a  vote,  this 
little  incident  might  have  changed 
the  fate  of  the  election.  The  return- 
ing officer  then  proceeded  to  call  for  a 
show  of  hands,  on  which  a  very  great 
number  were  held  up  in  favour  of  Mr. 
Titmouse ;  but  when  Mr.  Delamere's 
name  was  called,  it  really  seemed  as  if 
every  one  present  had  extended  both 
his  hands — there  could  be  no  mistake, 
no  room  for  doubt.  Titmouse  turned 
as  pale  as  a  sheet,  and  gazed  with  an 
expression  of  ludicrous  consternation 
at  Gammon,  who  also  looked,  in  com- 
mon indeed  with  his  whole  party,  not 
a  little  disconcerted.  The  returning 
officer,  having  procured  silence,  de- 
clared that  the  choice  of  the  electors 
had  fallen  upon  Mr.  Delamere,  on 
which  a  tremendous  cheering  followed, 
which  lasted  for  several  minutes  ;  and, 
luckily  recollecting  the  utter  nullity 
of  a  show  of  hands  as  a  test  or  evi- 
dence, either  way,  of  the  result  of  the 
election,*  Mr.  Gammon  directed  Mud- 
flint  formally  to  demand  a  poll  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Titmouse ;  on  which 
the  returning  officer  announced  that 
the  poll  would  take  place  at  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning  :  and  there- 
upon the  day's  proceedings  closed. 
Mr.  Delamere,  in  a  very  few  words, 
returned  thanks  to  the  electors  for  the 
honour  which  they  had  conferred  upon 
him,  and  entreated  them  to  go  e.arly 
to  the  poTl.  He  and  his  friends  then 
left  the  hustings.  His  procession 
quickly  formed  ;  his  band  struck  up 
with  extraordinary  energy  and  spirit 
■ — "See  the  Conquering  Hero  comes!" 
but  the  rolling  of  the  drums,  the 
clashing  of  cymbals,  the  rich  deep 
tones  of  the  bassoons,  trombones,  and 
French  horns,  and  clear  and  lively 
tones   of    liute   and   clarionette,  were 

*  "  The  show  of  hands,"  (says  Lord  Stow- 
ell,  in  Anthony  v.  Scager,  1  Hag.  Cons.  Rep. 
13,)  "is  only  a  rude  and  imperfect  declar- 
ation of  tho  sentiments  of  the  electors." 


quito  overpowered  by  the  acclamations 
of  the  crowd  which  attended  them  to 
his  committee-room.  Sir  Percival 
Pickering,  throwing  open  the  bow- 
window  of  the  committee-room,  ad- 
dressed a  word  or  two  to  the  dense 
crowd,  and  then,  having  given  three 
lusty  cheers,  they  withdrew.  A  glass 
of  wine  and  water  quickly  refreshed 
the  spirits  of  Mr.  Delamere,  and  a 
surgeon  having  arrived  found  it  neces- 
sary to  dress  the  wound  with  much 
care,  for  the  cut  was  considerable  ; 
in  fact,  the  upper  lip  was  partially 
laid  open  ;  and  he  declared  it  almost 
impossible  for  Mr.  Delamere  to  make 
his  appearance  out  of  doors  ou  tho 
morrow.  As  for  Mr.  Crafty,  as  soon 
as  he  heard  what  had  taken  place,  he 
uttered,  as  he  felt  bound  to  do,  a  few 
casual  expressions  of  sympathy ;  but 
what  passed  through  his  thoughts,  as 
he  resumed  his  seat  before  his  papers, 
was— "What  a  pity  that  all  those 
fellows  had  not  had  votes,  and  that 
the  poll  had  not  commenced  in- 
stanter!"  The  truly  unexpected  issue 
of  the  day's  proceedings,  while  it  ele- 
vated the  spirits  of  all  Mr.  Delamere's 
friends,  produced  only  one  effect  upon 
the  imperturbable  Mr.  Crafty ;  he 
strongly  suspected  that  the  other  side 
would  probably  be  resorting  during 
the  night  to  measures  of  a  desperate 
and  unscrupulous  description,  in  order 
to  counteract  the  unfavourable  im- 
pression calculated  to  be  effected  by 
the  defeat  of  Mr.  Titmouse  at  the 
show  of  hands.  As  for  that  gentle- 
man, by  the  way,  he  became  very 
insolent  towards  Gammon  on  reaching 
the  committee-room,  and  protested, 
with  fury  in  his  face,  that  it  had  all 
been  brought  about  by  Mr.  Gammon's 
' '  cursed  officious  meddling  with  Mr. 
Titmouse's  name  before  the  mob  after 
the  stone  had  been  thrown  ; "  on  hear- 
ing which,  "Go  on  to  the  Hall,  sir, 
dine,  and  get  drunk  if  you  choose," 
said  Gammon,  bitterly  and  peremp- 
torily ;  "  1  shall  remain  here  all  night. 
Powerful  as  are  your  energies,  they 
require  relaxation  after  the  fatigues 
of  the  day !  "  and  with  a  very  de- 
cisive, but  not  violent  degree  of  force, 
Titmouse  was  in  a  twinkling  in  tho 

I  I 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YE  AIL 


outer  committee-room.  Mr.  Gammon 
had,  indeed,  as  much  serious  work 
before  him  that  night  as  Mr.  Crafty, 
and  prepared  for  secret  and  decisive 
action  every  whit  as  calmly  and  effect- 
ively as  he.  Mr.  Crafty's  arrange- 
ments wire  admirable.  During  the 
day  lie  had  pare  lied  out  the  borough 
into  a  number  of  small  departments, 
each  of  which  he  committed  to  some 
steady  and  resolute  friend  of  Mr. 
Delamere,  who  was  to  look  after  every 
elector  in  his  division  about  whom 
there  was  the  least  fear,  in  respect 
either  of  apprehended  violent  abduc- 
tion, or  of  treachery.  These  gentle- 
men were  to  be  relieved  at  intervals  ; 
and  from  one  to  the  other  of  them, 
]  *  rpetually  were  the  personal  agents 
of  Crafty  to  go  their  rounds,  in  order 
to  see  that  all  was  right,  and  carry 
any  intelligence  to  headquarters.  Then 
others  were  intrusted  with  the  ticklish 
and  tiresome  duty  of  watching  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  in  quarters 
where  Crafty  had  sure  information  of 
intended  operations  during  the  night. 
Complete  arrangements  had  been  made, 
also,  for  bringing  up  voters  to  the  poll 
at  the  exact  times,  and  in  the  num- 
bers, and  in  the  manner,  which  might 
on  the  morrow  be  determined  on  by 
Mr.  Crafty.  Names  were  noted  down 
of  those  to  whom  the  bribery  oath  was 
to  be  administered.  Prudent  as  were 
these  precautions,  they  did  not  en- 
tirely prevent  the  mischief  against 
which  they  were  levelled.  As  the 
night  wore  ou,  evidence  was,  from 
to  time,  brought  in  to  Mr.  Crafty 
that  the  enemy  w  i  re  at  work — at  their 
expected  tricks  ;  c.  g. — 

"Jacob    Jolille    is    missing.       AVifo 
i  she  knows  nothing  about   him. 
Erupt 

d  at  least  a.  couple  of  men  to 
watch  !'  t.  i-  Jiggins,  or  he'll  be  out 
of  the  way  when  h 

"Ho  to-  haste.  G.  Atkins  and 
Adam  1  iutton,  both  ife  ten  minutes 
ago,  are  oil' ;  entio  d  out  into  a  no  i  ■ 
chaise      gone  towards  York.  —  (Half- 

|  !e\'ell.") 

"Send  some  one  to  the  Jolly  Snobs 
to   wateli    the   treating  going  on.  — 
'  important.     Mr.  Titm< 


been  there,  anil  drunk  a  glass  of  rum 
with  them." 

Then  more  mysterious  missives  made 
their  appearance  from  Mr.  Crafty's  own 
familiars. 

"Q.  C.  S.  H.  0.— 12."— (i.  c.  "The 
Quaint  Club  still  holds  out. — Twelve 
o'clock.") 

"Q.  C.  G.  W.—\  past  1."— (i.  ei 
"The  Quaint  Club  are  going  wrong.— 
Half-past  one  o'clock.") 

"S.  B.j  G.  0.  «3"  &r  +  W 
Iggr  II.  }  to  2."— (i.  e.  "I  have  seen 
Bran.  Gammon  oilers  ten  pounds,  in 
addition  to  the  ten  pounds  already 
given. — They  hesitate. — A  quarter  to 
two  o'clock.") 

"  r-^-r  <£•  S.  C.  &  M.  w.  B.  0.  Q. 

heard 
0.— 12— 3."— (i.  c.  "Three  of  our 
people  have  just  overheard  and  seen 
Bloodsuck  and  Mudflint,  with  Bran, 
offering  the  Quaint  flub  twelve  pounds. 
—Three  o'clock.") 

"q.  c.  g.  r.  w.  r.  &c.  t.  t.  r. 

.1/.  S.  /.  —4. "  — (i.  e.  "The  Quaint 
<  Hub  are  getting  restive  with  you,  and 
coming  to  terms  with  Titmouse.  You 
must  stir  instantly. — Four  ..") 

"AA.  ££flOm.  4.— Th.se  myste- 
rious symbols  caused  Mr.  Crafty  in- 
stantly to  bestir  himself,  lie  changed 
colour  a  Utile,  and  went  into  the 
adjoining  room.  The  meaning  of  the 
communication  was — Great  danger  to 
both  parties. 

In  the  adjoining  room,  where  two 
candles  were  burning  down  in  their 
very  sockets,  and  the  fire  nearly  out, 
were  some  four  or  five  trusty  friends 
of  Mr.  Delamere  —  gentlemen  who 
had  placed  themselves  entirely  at  Mr. 
Crafty's  service  throughout  the  night. 
When  he  entered,  tiny  W(  re  all  nearly 

I',  or  at  l.ast  dozing.  Bei  I  oning 
two  of  them  into  his  own  room,  he 

acted  one  of  them  to  go  and  plant 
himself  openly,   as  conspicuously  as 

ible,    near   tl.  of  Mr.  Tit- 

mouse's commil  tee-n  om,  bo  as  no! 
fail  of  being  recognized  by  any  »no 

ing  or  entering  it,  as  a  well-known 
friend  of  Mr.  Dclamere's;  in  fact, 
they  wore  to  discover  that  their  mo- 
tions were  watched.  The  other  he 
instructed   to   act    similarly  opposite 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


483 


the  door  of  a  small  liouso  in  a  narrow 
court — the  residence,  in  fact,  of  Ben 
Bran,  •where  all  the  night's  negotia- 
tions with  the  Quaint  Club  had  been 
carried  on.  Immediately  afterwards, 
Mr.  Crafty  felt  it  his  duty,  as  between 
man  and  man,  to  warn  his  opponent 
of  the  mortal  peril  in  which  he  was 
placed  ;  and  found  means  to  convey 
the  following  note  into  the  committee- 
room  where  Mr.  Gammon  and  one  or 
two  others  were  sitting  : — 

' '  Take  care  !  !  You  are  deceived  ! 
betrayed  !  Q.  C.  is  sold  out  and  out 
to  the  Blues  ! !  And  part  of  the  bar- 
gain, that  B.  B.  shall  betray  you  into 
bribery  in  the  presence  of  witnesses — 
not  one  man  of  the  club  safe  ;  this  have 
just  learnt  from  the  wife  of  one  of 
them.  From  a  well-wishing  friend, 
but  obligated  to  vote  (against  his  con- 
science) for  the  Blues. 

"P.S.— Lord  D.  in  the  town  with 
lots  of  the  needful,  and  doing  business 
sharply." 

While  Mr.  Gammon  and  his  com- 
panions were  canvassing  this  letter,  in 
came  the  two  gentlemen  who  had  been 
watched,  in  the  way  I  have  stated, 
from  Ben  Bran's  house  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse's committee -room,  pale  and 
agitated,  with  intelligence  of  that  fact. 
Though  hereat  Gammon's  colour  de- 
serted his  cheek,  he  affected  to  treat 
the  matter  very  lightly,  and  laughed 
at  the  idea  of  being  deluded  by  such 
boy's  play.  If  Lord  I)e  la  Zouch — 
said  he — had  hired  Crafty  only  to  play 
tricks  like  these,  he  might  as  well  have 
saved  the  trouble  and  expense.  Here 
a  slight  bustle  was  heard  at  the  door  ; 
and  the  ostler  made  his  appearance, 
saying  that  a  man  had  just  given  him 
what  he  produced  to  Mr.  Gammon  ; 
who,  taking  from  the  ostler  a  dirty  and 
ill-folded  paper,  read  as  follows  : — 

"To  Squire  Titmous.  you  Are  All 
"Wrong,  the  Blues  is  wide  Awake  All 
Night  and  nos  all,  Lord  Dillysoush 
about  with  One  hundred  Spies ;  And 
look  Out  for  traiters  in  the  Camp.  A 
friend  or  Enemy  as  you  Will,  but 
loving  Fair  Play. " 

"Boh!"  exclaimed  Gammon,  fling- 
ing it  on  the  table  contemptuously. 

Now,  I  may  as  well  mention  here, 


that  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
Mr.  Parkinson  brought  to  Crafty  sura 
intelligence  that  a  very  zealous  and 
influential  person,  who  was  entirely  in 
the  confidence  of  the  enemy,  had  come 
to  him  a  little  while  before,  and  can- 
didly disclosed  the  very  melancholy 
position  of  his  financial  affairs  ;  and 
Mr.  Parkinson  happened  to  be  in  a 
condition  to  verify  the  truth  of  the 
man's  statement,  that  there  was  a  writ 
out  against  him  for  £250,  and  unless 
he  could  meet  it  he  would  have  to  quit 
the  county  before  daybreak,  and  his 
very  promising  prospects  in  business 
would  be  utterly  ruined.  Mr.  Parkin- 
son happened  to  know  these  matters 
professionally ;  and,  in  short,  Crafty 
was  given  to  understand,  that  so  dis- 
gusted was  Mr.  M'Do'em  with  Whig 
principles  (his  inexorable  creditor  being 
a  Whig)  and  practices,  such  as  the 
bribery,  treating,  and  corruption  at 
that  moment  going  on,  that — his  con- 
science pricked  him — and — ahem  ! — 
the  poor  penitent  was  ready  to  make 
all  the  amends  in  his  power  by  dis- 
covering villainy  to  its  intended  vic- 
tims. Crafty,  having  felt  the  ground 
pretty  safe  underneath  him,  took  upon 
himself  to  say,  that  Mr.  M'Do'em  need 
be  under  no  further  apprehension  as 
to  his  pecuniary  liabilities  ;  but,  in  the 
mean  while,  he  would  certainly  wish 
for  a  little  evidence  of  the  bona  fides  of 
his  present  conduct. 

"Come,"  quoth  M'Do'em,  after 
receiving  a  pregnant  wink  from  Mr. 
Crafty — "send  some  one  wdiom  you 
can  rely  upon  with  me  immediately, 
to  do  as  I  bid  him — and  let  him  tell 

you." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  A  ti'usty 
managing  clerk  of  Mr.  Parkinson's 
forthwith  accompanied  M'Do'em  on  a 
secret  expedition.     *     *     * 

They  stood  at  a  window  with  a 
broken  pane.  'Twas  a  small  ill-fur- 
nished kitchen,  and  in  the  corner, 
close  to  the  fire,  sat  smoking  a  middle- 
aged  man,  in  a  paper  cap.  Opposite 
to  him  sat  two  persons,  in  very  earnest 
conversation  with  him.  They  were  Mr. 
Mudflint  and  Mr.  Bloodsuck  junior. 

' '  Come,  come,  that's  decidedly  un- 
reasonable," quoth  the  former. 

112 


484 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


"No,  Sir,  it  a'n't.  I'm  an  inde- 
pendent man  ! — It  quite  cut  me  to  the 
heart,  I  'sure  you,  sir,  to  see  Master 
Delamere  so  dreadfully  used — my  good 
missus,  that's  in  bed,  Bays  to  me — 
— " 

*"  But  what  had  Mr.  Titmouse  to  do 
with  it,  you  know?"  said  Mudflint, 
taking  out  of  Lis  pocket  a  bit  of 
crumpled  paper,  at  which  the  man  he 
addressed  gazed  listlessly,  shook  his 
head,  and  exclaimed,  "No,  it  won't 
do He  didn't  desarve  such  treat- 
ment, poor  young  gentleman."  (Here 
Bloodsuck  and  Mudflint  whispered — 
and  the  latter,  with  a  very  bad  grace, 
produced  a  secpnd  bit  of  crumpled 
paper. ) 

"  That' 3  something  like" — said  the 
man,  rather  more  good-humouredly. 
"Ls't  sartain  Mr.  Titmousehad  nothing 
to  do  with  it " 

"To  be  sure  not! — Now,  mind,  by 
a  quarter  past  eight — ehl"  enquired 
Mudflint  very  anxiously,  and  some- 
what sullenly. 

"  I'm  a  man  of  my  word— no  one 
can  say  I  ever  broke  it  in  earnest ;  and 
as.  for  a  straight  forward  bit  o'  business 
like  this,  i  say,  I'm  your  man — so 
here's  my  hand."     *     *     * 

"Don't  that  look  rather  like  busi- 
ness!" enquired  M'Do'em  in  a  whis- 
per, after  they  hud  lightly  stepped 
away. — "  But  come  along ! '     *    *    * 

After  another  similar  scene,  the  two 

returned  to  the  Hare  and  Hounds,  and 

the   matter  was  satisfactorily  settled 

between   Crafty  and    M'Do'em  —  one 

hundred  down,  and  the  rest  on  the 

morning  after  the  election,    lie  was  to 

poll/or  Titmouse,  and  that,  too,  early 

in  the  day  ;  and  he  as  conspicuous  and 

■:<•  as  posf  ible  in  Ida  exertions  in 

behalf  of  that  gentleman-  -to  appear, 

in  Bhort,  one  of  bis  most,  Btanch  and 

i  j.    Whether  Lord 

De  la  Zoucb  or  his  Bon  would  have 

tioi  ■  '1     och  conduct  as  this,  had 

h  id   an  inkling  of  it,  I   have   to 

the  reader  to  conjecture  ;  but   ( 
waseasy  about  the  matter — 'twas  only, 
in  his  opinion,  " manoeuvring : "  and 
all  \  inat  a  burglar 

or  highwayman  ;  all  d 
swindler.    M'Do'em  gave  <  'ratty  a  list 


of  nine  voters  at  Grilston  who  had  re- 
o  ived  five  pounds  a-piece;  and  enabled 
him  to  discover  a  case  of  wholesale 
treating,  brought  home  to  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  Mr.  Titmouse's 
committee.  Well,  this  worthy  oapped 
all  his  honourable  services  by  hurrying 
in  to  Gammon,  some  quarter  of  an 
hour  after  he  had  received  the  second 
anonymous  letter,  and  with  a  perfect 
appearance  of  consternation,  after  care- 
fully shutting  the  door  and  eyeing  the 
window,  faltered  that  all  was  going 
wrong — traitors  wero  in  the.  camp; 
that  Lord  De  la  Zouch  had  bought  every 
man  of  the  Quaint  Club  two-days  before 
at  thirty  pounds  a-hcad  !  half  already 
paid  down,  the  rest  to  be  paid  on  the 
morning  of  the  fifteenth  day  after  Par* 
liament  luad  met — (M'Do'em  said  ha 
did  not  know  what  that  meant,  but 
Gammon  was  more  influenced  and 
al  irmed  by  it  than  anything  else  that 
had  happened  ;) — that  j!<  n  Bran 
playing  false,  havi  ng  received  a  1 
sum — though  how  much  M'Do'em  1  ad 
not  yet  learned — as  head-money  from 
Lord  De  la  Zouch;  and  that,  if  one 
single  farthing  were  after  that  moment 
paid  or  promised  to  any  single  member 
of  the  club,  either  by  Mr.  Titmouse,  or 
any  one  on  his  behalf,  they  were  all 
delivered, bound  hand  and  foot,  into  tho 
power  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  and  at  his 
mercy.  That  so  daring  and  yet  art  fid 
was  Lord  1).:  la  Zouch,  that  his  agents 
had   attempted   to    tamper   with  even 

him,  M  'I  >o<  m  !  but  bo  as  to  afford  him 
not  the  least  hold  of  them.  Moreover, 
he  knew  a  fellow  townsman  who  would, 
despite  all  his  promises  to  the  liberal 
candidate,  poll  for  Delamere:  but 
nothing  should  induce  him—  M'Do'em 
— to  disclose  the  nam  ■  of  th  it  person, 
count  of  the  [  eculiar  way  in  which 
he  M  'I  lo'em-  had  come  to  know  tho 
lit.  ( Mi  hearing  all  this,  I  i  immon 
calmly  made  up  his  mind  for  tho 
worst ;  and  iium  Ived  to 

close  all  Anther  negotiation  with  the 
Quaint  I  Hub,    To  have ,.,  ted  otherwise 

1   have   been    mere  madness,  and 

courting  destruction.  The  more  ho 
n  !',•  cted  on  the  exorbitant  demand  of 
the  Quaint  flub  -and  so  suddenly 
exorbitant,  and    enforced  by  such  un. 


TEN"  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


485 


impudent  eort  of  quiet  pcrtinarity,  tho 
more  he  saw  to  corroborate — bad  that 
occurred  to  him  as  necessary  —  the 
alarming  intelligence  of  M'Do'em. 
Mr.  Gammon  concealed  much  of  his 
emotion ;  but  he  ground  his  teeth 
together  with  the  effort.  Towards  six 
o'clock*,  there  was  a  room  full  of  the 
friends  and  agents  of  Titmouse  ;  to 
whom  Gammon,  despite  all  that  had 
happened,  and  which  was  known  to 
only  four  or  five  of  those  present,  gave 
a  highly  encouraging  account  of  the 
day's  prospects,  but  impressed  upon 
them  all  with  infinite  energy  the  ne- 
cessity for  caution  and  activity.  A 
great  effort  was  to  be  made  to  head  the 
poll  from  the  first,  in  order  at  once  to 
do  away  with  the  prestige  of  the  show 
of  hauds  ;  and  the  "friends  of  Mr. 
Titmouse,"  (i.  c.  the  ten  pounds' worth 
of  mob,)  were  to  be  in  attendance 
round  the  polling-booth  at  seven 
o'clock,  and  remain  there  the  rest  of 
the  day,  in  order,  by  their  presence,  to 
encourage  and  protect  (!)  the  voters  of 
Mr.  Titmouse.  This  and  one  or  two 
other  matters  having  been  thus  ar- 
ranged, Mr.  Gammon,  who  was  com- 
pletely exhausted  with  his  long  labour, 
retired  to  a  bed-room,  and  di.ected 
that  he  should  without  fail  be  called 
in  one  hour's  time.  As  he  threw  him- 
self on  the  bed,  with  his  clothes  on, 
and  extinguished  his  candle,  he  had 
at  least  the  consolation  of  reflecting, 
that  nine  of  the  enemy's  stauchest 
voters  were  safely  stowed  away,  (as  he 
imagined,)  and  that  seven  or  eight  of 
the  acccssiblcs,  pledged  to  Mr.  Dela- 
mere,  had  promised  to  reconsider  the 
matter. 

If  Gammon  had  taken  the  precaution 
of  packing  the  front  of  the  polling- 
booth  in  the  way  I  have  mentioned, 
Mr.  Crafty  had  not  overlooked  the 
necessity  of  securing  efficient  protec- 
tion for  his  voters  ;  and  between  seven 
and  eight  o'clock  no  fewer  than  be- 
tween four  and  five  hundred  stout 
yeomen,  tenants  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
and  others  of  the  surrounding  nobility 
and  gentry,  made  their  appearance  in 
the  town,  and  insinuated  themselves 
into  the  rapidly  accumulating  crowd  ; 
many  of  them,  however,  remaining  at 


large,  at  the  command  of  Mr.  Dela- 
mere's  committee,  in  order,  when 
necessary,  to  secure  safe  access  to  tho 
poll  for  those  who  might  require  such 
assistance.  It  was  strongly  urged  upon 
Mr.  Crafty  to  bring  up  a  strong  body  of 
voters  at  the  commencement,  in  order 
to  head  the  polling  at  the  end  of  the  first 
hour.  "  Not  the  least  occasion  for  it," 
said  Crafty  quietly — "  I  don't  care  a 
straw  for  it :  in  a  small  borough  no  end 
can  be  gained,  where  the  voters  are  so 
few  in  number  that  every  man's  vote 
is  secured  long  beforehand,  to  a  dead 
certainty.  There's  no  prestige  to  be 
g lined  or  supported.  No.  Bring  up 
first  all  the  distant'  and  most  un- 
certain voters — the  timid,  the  feeble, 
the  wavering  ;  secure  them  early  while 
you  have  time  and  opportunity.  Again, 
for  the  first  few  hours  poll  languidly  ; 
it  may  render  the  enemy  over  easy. 
You  may  perhaps  make  a  sham  rush 
of  about  twenty  or  thirty  between 
twelve. and  one  o'clock,  to  give  them 
the  idea  that  you  are  doing  your  very 
best.  Then  fall  off,  poll  a  man  now 
and  then  only,  and  see  what  they  will 
do,  how  they  are  playing  off  theii  men. 
If  you  can  hang  back  till  late  in  the 
day,  then  direct,  very  secretly  and 
cautiously,  the  bribery  oath  and  tho 
questions  to  he  put  to  each  of  their 
men  as  they  come  up  ;  and,  while  you 
are  thus  picking  their  men  off,  pour  in 
your  own  before  they  are  aware  of  your 
game,  and  the  hour  for  closing  the  poll 
may  perhaps  arrive  while  some  dozen 
or  so  of  their  men  are  unpolled.  Hut 
above  all,  gentlemen,"  said  Crafty, 
"every  one  to  his  own  work  only. 
One  thing  at  a  time  throughout  the 
day,  which  is  quite  long  enough  for 
all  you  have  to  do.  Don't  try  to 
bring  up  several  at  once  ;  if  you  have 
one  ready,  take  him  up  at  or.ee  and 
have  done  with  him.  Don't  give  your- 
selves the  least  concern  about  ascer- 
taining the  numbers  that  have  polled, 
but  only  those  that  have  yet  to  be 
polled  :  the  returns  I  will  look  after. 
Let  those  stand  behind  the  check- 
clerks,  w!v>  are  best  acquainted  with 
the  names,  persons,  and  circumstances 
of  the  voters  who  come  up,  and  can 
detect  imposture  of  any  sort  before  the 


4S6 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


vote  is  recorded  nnd  the  mischief  done. 

The  scoundrel  may  be  thus  easily  kept 
off  the  poll-books,  whom  it  may  cost 
you  a  thousand  pounds  hereafter  to 
attempt  to  remove,  in  vain." 

;ht  ami  frosty  ;  ami 
long  before  eight  o'clock  the  little  town 
•was  all  alive  with  music,  flags,  cheer- 
!  crowds  passing  to  and  fro. 
The   polling-booth  was   exceedingly 
commodious    and    well     constructed, 
with  a  view  to  the  most  rapid  access 
ami  departure  of  the  voters.    By  eight 
o'clock  there  were  more  than  a  couple 
of  thousand  persons  collected   before 
the  booth;   and,  significant  evidence 
of  the  transient  nature  of  yesterday's 
excitement,    the    yellow   colours    ap- 
peared as   five    to   one.     Just   before 
eight  o'clock  up  drove  Mr.  Titmouse 
in'1  a  dog-cart,  from  which  he  jumped 
out  ami. 1st  the   cheers  of  almost  all 
present,  ami  skipped  on  to  the  bench 
behind  his  own  check-clerk,  with  the 
intention  of  n  maining  there  all  day  to 
acknowledge  the  votes  given  for  him. 
ButMr.  Delamere, with  a  just  deli 
nnd  pride,  avoided  making  his  appear- 
ance either  at  or  near  the  booth,  at  all 
events  till  the  voting  was  over.     The 
first  vote  given  was  tint  of  Obadiah 
Holt,  the  gigantic  landlord  i  fthe  line 
and  Hounds,  ami  for  Mr.  Delamere, 
tlie  event  being  announced  by  a  tre- 
mendous groan ;  but  no  one  venture! 
any  personal  incivility  to  the  laughing 
•it  that  passed  through  them.     A 
loud  cheer,  as  well  as  a  sudden  bob- 
bing of  :  I  on  the  part  of  Tit- 
mouse,   announced    that    the    second 

v. ite  bad  been  r >rd<  d  for  him  ;  ami, 

indeed,  duringthe  nexl  twentyminutes 
he  polled  fifteen  for  D  damere's  ei  ;ht. 
At  nine  o'clock  tin-  poll  stood  thus — 


Tit  i' i 
]>  lamere 


31 

18 

13 


adhering  to  Mr.  Crafty's 

D      1      to     I 

Titmouse •,-; 

Delamero 29 

Majority    .     .     24 


At  eleven  o'clock — 


Titmouso 
Delamere 


80 
41 

48 


Majority    . 

At  twelve  o'clock — 

Titmouse 01 

Delamero CO 


Majority 

At  one  o'clock — 

Titmouse     .     .     . 
Delamero    .     .     . 


3i 


.  1-20 
.     81 


Majority    .     .     45 

At  this  point  they  remained  station- 
ary for  some  time  ;  but  Delamere  had 
polled  all   his  worst  votes,  Titmouso 
almost  all  his  best.     The  latter  had, 
indeed,  only  seventeen  more  in  reserve, 
independently  of  the  Quaint  <  !lub,  ami 
the   st ill  neutral   twenty  accessible^; 
while  Delamere  had  yet,  provided  his 
promises  stood  linn,  ami  none  of  his 
men    were    hoeussed    or    kidnappi  '1, 
lorty-live    good    men    and    Urn — and 
ome  faint  hopes,  also,  of  the  afore- 
said twenty  accessibles.    For  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  not  one  man  came  up  for 
either  party;   but  at  length  two  of 
Delamere's  leading  friends  came  up, 
with  faces  full  of   anxiety,   and   re- 
corded   their    votes    for    Delam 
amidst  loud  laughter.     About  1 
past  one  o'clock,  a  prodigious — and  1 
protest  that  it  was  both  to  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  and  Mr.  Delamere  a  totally  un- 
ited— rush  was  made  on  behalf  of 
Delamere,  consisting  of  the  twenty  ae- 
hlcs;  who,  in  the  midst  of  yell- 
ing, and  hissing,  and   violent  abii     . 
voted  one  after  another  fa'  Delamere. 
Whether  or  not  a  strong  pressure  had 
been  resorted  to  by  some  zealous  and 
il'nl    gentlemen   in    their  nci 

bourn 1,  but  entirely  independent  of 

Mr.   Delamere,  1  know  not  ;   but.  the 

was   as    1    have,    stated.      At    tiro 
o'.loik  the  poll  .stood  thllS — 

Titmouse 145 

Delamere 184 


Majority 


11 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


487 


Thus  Titmouse  had  then  polled 
within  6ne  of  his  positive  reserve, 
and  yet  was  only  eleven  above  Dela- 
ruere,  who  had  still  fifteen  men  to 
come  tip  ! 

" Where  is  the  Quaint  Club?"  be- 
gan to  be  more  and  more  frequently 
and  earnestly  asked  among  the  crowd  : 
but  no  one  could  give  a  satisfactory 
answer  ;  and  more  than  one  conjecture 
was  hazarded,  as  to  the  possibility  of 
their  coming  up  under  blue,  colours. 
But — where  were  they?  "Were  they 
watching  the  state  of  the  poll,  and 
under  marcbiug  orders  for  the  moment 
when  the  enemy  should  be  at  his  ex- 
tremity ?     'Twos  indeed  a  matter  of 

exquisite  anxiety  ! Between  two 

o'clock  and  a  quarter  past,  not  one 
voter  was  polled  on  either  side  ;  and 
the  crowd,  wearied  with  their  long 
labours  of  hissing  and  shouting,  looked 
dispirited,  listless,  exhausted.  By- 
and-by  Mr.  Gammon,  and  Messrs. 
Bloodsuck,  (senior  and  junior,)  Mud- 
flint,  Woodlouse,  Centipede,  Gin- 
blossom,  Going  Gone,  and  others, 
made  then-  appearance  in  the  booth, 
around  Titmouse.  They  all  looked 
sour,  and  depressed,  and  fatigued. 
Their  faces  were  indeed  enough  to 
sadden  and  silence  the  crowd..  Were 
Mr.  Titmouse's  forces  exhausted  ? — 
"Where's  the  Quaint  Club?"  roared 
out  a  man  in  the  crowd,  addressing 
Mr.  Gammon,  who  smiled  wretchedly 
in  silence.  The  reason  of  his  then 
appearing  at  the  polling-booth  was 
certainly  the  one  first  suggested  ;  but 
he  had  another  ;  for  he  had  received 
information  that  within  a  short  time 
Dr.  Tatham,  and  also  fourteen  of  the 
Yatton  tenantry,  were  coming  up  to 
the  poll.  Mr.  Gammon,  accordingly, 
had  not  stood  there  more  than  live 
minutes,  before  a  sudden  hissing  and 
groaning  announced  the  approach  of  a 
blue — in  fact,  it  proved  to  be  little 
Dr.  Tatham,  who  had  been  prevented 
from  earlier  coming  up,  through  at- 
tendance on  one  or  two  sick  parish- 
ioners, in  different  parts  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, to  whom  he  had  been 
summoned  unexpectedly.  It  cost  the 
quiet  stout-hearted  old  man  no  little 
elibrt,  and  occasioned  him  a  little  dis- 


composure, elbowed,  and  jolted,  and 
insulted  as  he  was ;  but  at  length 
there  he  stood  before  the  poll-clerks — 
who  did  not  require  to  ask  him  his 
name  or  residence.  Gammon  gazed  at 
him  with  folded  arms,  and  a  stern  and 
sad  countenance.  Presently,  inclin- 
ing slightly  towards  Mudilint,  he 
seemed  to  whisper  in  that  gentleman's 
ear;  and — -"Administer  the  bribery 
oath,"  said  he  to  the  returning  oificer 
eagerly. 

"Sir,"  exclaimed  that  functionary 
in  a  low  tone,  with  amazement — "  tho 
bribery  oath—!  To  Dr.  Tatham? 
Are  you  in  earnest  ? " 

"Do  your  duty,  sir  !  "  replied  Mud- 
flint,  in  a  bitter  insulting  tone. 

"I  regret  to  say,  sir,  that  I  am 
required  to  administer  the  bribery  oath 
to  you,"  said  the  returning  officer. 

"  What  ?  What  ?  The  bribery  oath  ? 
To  ma?  "  enquired  Dr.  Tatham,  giving 
a  sudden  start,  and  flushing  violently  : 
at  which  stringent  evidence  of  his 
guilt— 

"Ah,  ha!"  cried  those  of  tho 
crowd  nearest  to  him — "  Come,  old 
gentleman  !    Thou  mun  bolt  it  now  !  " 

"Is  it  pretended  to  be  believed," 
faltered  Dr.  Tatham,  with  visible 
emotion — "  that  /  am  bribed?  "  But 
at  that  moment  his  eye  happened  to 
light  upon  the  exulting  countenance  of 
"the  Reverend"  Mr.  Mudilint.  It 
calmed  him.  Removing  his  hat,  he 
took  the  Testament  into  his  hand, 
while  the  crowd  ceased  hooting  for  a 
moment,  in  order  to  hear  the  oath 
read  ;  and  with  dignity  he  endured 
the  indignity.  He  then  recorded  his 
vote  for  Mr.  Delamere ;  and  after 
fixing  a  sorrowful  aid  surprised  eye  on 
Mr;  Gammon,  who  stood  with  his  hat 
slouched  a  good  deal  over  his  f  ice,  and 
looking  in  another  direction,  withdrew; 
and  as  he  turned  his  mild  and  vener- 
able face  towards  the  crowd,  the  hissing 
subsided.  Shortly  afterwards  came 
up,  amidst  great  uproar,  several  of  the 
tenantry  of  Mr.  Titmouse — all  of  them 
looking  as  if  they  had  come  up,  poor 
souls  !  rather  to  receive  punishment 
for  a  crime,  than  to  exercise  their 
elective  franchise  in  a  free  country. 
Gammon  coloured  a  little,  took  out 


488 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


his  pocket-book  and  pencil,  and  fixing 
on  the  first  of  the  tenantry,  Mark 
Hackett,  tho  eye  as  it  were  of  a 
suddenly  revived  serpent,  wrote  down 

his    name    i:i    silence  -  -  hut    what    an 
expression  was  en  his  face  !      Tims  he 
I    t'i\vaiiU  <".  un- 

cm, -.1  persons  ;  repla 
lii.s  [locket-hook  whence  he  hai  taken 
it,  as  soon  as  tho  last  of  the  little  body 
lnul  polled.  It  was  now  a  quarter  to 
three  o'clock,  (the  poll  closing  finally 
at  four,)  and  thus  stood  the  num- 
bers : — 


Delamere 

Titmouse 


1-19 
146 


Majority        .         .         3 

On  these  figures  being  exhibited  by 
an  eager  member  of  Mr.  Delamere's 
committee,  tle-re  arose  a  tremendous 
U]  roar  among  the  crowd,  and  cries  of 
"Tear  it  down!  Tearitdownl  Ah! 
Briberyand  corruption  !     Three  groans 

for    Delamere!      0  —  hi     o h! 

o h  !  "      Matters  seemed,  indeed, 

getting  desperate  with  tin'  crowd  ;  yet 

Beemed  to  feel  a  sort  of  comfort 

izing  at  the  si  em,  determined,  yet 

rined   countenance  of  the  ruling 

spirit  of  die  day,  .Mr.  Gammon,     lie 

was    a    "deep    hand," — he    knew    his 

game  ;  and,  d<  | ■•  ad  upon  it,  lie  was 

only  waiting  till  the  enemy  was  cl  va 

doin',  and  then  he  would  pour  in  the 

Quaint  Club,  and  crush  them  for  ever. 

Thus  thought   hundreds  in  the  crowd. 

Not  a  vo  offered  for  a  quarter  of 

an    hour;    and    the    poll-clerks,    with 

their  pens  behind  their  ears,  employed 

tie'  interval  in  munching  sandwiches, 

and   drinking  sherry  out  of  a  1 

!e  —the  crowd  eut  ting  many  j 

while  thus  p]  ,   iii- 

d.     Sym]  toms  \ 
in  the  incn  n  ring  proportion  of    blue 
in  and  about  the  crowd,  thai 
this    promt  in.";   state    of  thi 
revi  i  E  M  r.  I  >e  ai 

:,  while   it   as  plainly  depn     -  d 

in    tho    yellow    interest.      Not 

for  one  moment,  during  the  whole  of 

that    close    and    I  .   had 

Mr.  quitted    hit   little    inner 

apartment,  where  he  had  planned  the 


battle,  and  conducted  It  to  its  present 
point  of  success.  Nor  had  his  phleg- 
matic temperament  suffered  the  least 
excitement  or  disturbance  :  cold  as  ice 
though  his  heart  mi  ht  be,  his  head 
was  over  clear  as  crystal.  Certainly 
strategy  had  been  admirable. 
Vigil  tnt,  circumspect,  equal  to  every 
emergency,  he  had  brought  up  his 
forces  in  perfect  order  throughout  the 
day;  the  enemy  had  not  caught  the 
least  inkling  of  his  real  game.  P>y 
his  incessant,  ingenious,  and  safe 
manoeuvring,  he  had  kept  that  dreaded 
body,  the  Quaint  Club,  in  play  up  to 
this  advanced  period  of  the  day — in  a 
state  of  exquisite  embarrassment  and 
irresolution,  balancing  between  hopes 
and  fears ;  and  ho  had,  moreover, 
rendered  a  temporary  reverse  on  tho 
field  upon  which  ho  then  fought,  of 
little  real  importance,  by  reason  of  the 
measures  he  had  taken  to  cut  off  the 
enemy  entirely  in  their  very  next.  move, 
lie  was  now  left  entirely  alone  in  his 
little  room,  si  aiding quietly  before  tho 
lire  with  his  hands  behind  him,  with 
real  composure,  feeling  that,  he  had 
done  his  duty,  and  awaiting  the  issue 
patiently.  Tho  hustings,  all  this 
while,  exhibited  ait  exciting  spectacle. 
Another  quarter  of  an  hour  had 
elapsed  without  a  single  vote  being 
added  to  tin;  poll.  The  crowd  was 
Very  great,  and  evidently  experiencing 
no  little  of  the  agitation  and  suspense 
experienced  by  those  within  the  booth 
— (except  Mr.  Titmouse,  whose  fre- 
quent  potations  of  brandy  and  water 
during  the  day,  had  composed  him  at 
length  to  si  ep  as  lie  leaned,  abso- 
luti  ly  sie.i Lng,  against   the  corner  of 

the  booth,  out  of  sight  of  the  crowd.) 
The     poll-clcrks     Were     bin    hi;,  ;     and 

talk'  mcernedly  tog  I b  r,     The 

Mines  mustered  strongly  ou 
■  part  of  the  booth  ;  elated  un- 
tedly,    but  with  the    f  Blings  of 

who      have      deSTH  lately      foo 

their    way,    inch    by    inch,    sword    to 

■  oel    to  bay it,   up   to   a 

point  where  they  e\pe,t,  nevi  I 
momentarily  to  l»-  blown  into  the  air. 
Wh&t could  have  become  of  the  Quaint 

Club?   thought  they  also,   with   silent 
a  to.-ii.dimciit  and  apprehension.    Gam- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


489 


men  continued  standing,  motionless 
and  silent,  with  folded  arms — his  dark 
surtout  buttoned  carelessly  at  the  top, 
and  his  hat  slouched  over  his  eyes,  as 
if  he  sought  to  conceal  their  restless- 
ness and  agitation.  Excitement  — 
intense  anxiety — physical  exhaustion 
■ — were  visible  in  his  countenance. 
He  seemed  indisposed  to  speak,  even 
in  answer  to  any  one  who  addressed 
him. 

"0  cursed  Quaint  Club !  0  cursed 
Crafty  !  I  am  beaten — beaten  hollow 
— ridiculously.  How  the  miscreants 
have  bubbled  me  !  Crafty  can  now 
do  without  them,  and  won't  endanger 
the  election  by  polling  them  !  We 
are  ruined  !  And  what  will  be  said  at 
headquarters,  after  what  I  have  led 
them  to  believe — bah !  "  He  almost 
stamped  with  the  vehemence  of  his 
emotions.  "There's  certainly  yet  a 
resource  ;  nay,  but  that  also  is  too 
late — a  riot — a  nod,  a  breath  of  mine 
—  those  fine  fellows  there  —  down 
with  hustings — poll-books  destroyed. 
No,  no  ;  it  is  not  to  be  thought  of — 
the  time's  gone  by." 

It  was  now  nearly  a  quarter  past 
three,  the  poll  closing  at  four.  "It's 
passing  strange  !  "  thought  Gammon, 
as  he  looked  at  his  watch  ;  "  what  can 
be  in  the  wind  ?  Not  a  man  of  them 
come  up  !  Perhaps,  after  all,  Lord  De 
la  Zoueh  may  not  have  come  up  to 
their  mark,  and  may  now  be  merely 
standing  on  the  chance  of  our  being 
unable  to  come  to  terms  with  them. 
But  what  can  I  do,  without  certain 
destruction,  after  what  I  have  heard  ? 
It  will  be  simply  jumping  down  into 
the  pit."  A  thought  struck  him  ;  and 
with  forced  calmness  he  slipped  away 
from  the  polling-booth,  and,  with  an 
affectation  of  indifference,  made  his 
way  to  a  house  where  a  trusty  emissary 
awaited  his  orders.  'Twas  a  Grilston 
man,  a  yellow  voter,  as  much  at 
Gammon's  beck  and  call  as  Ben  Bran 
was  represented  to  be  at  the  command 
of  Lord  De  la  Zouch.  Gammon  dis- 
patched him  on  the  following  enter- 
prise— viz.  to  rush  alarmedly  among 
the  club,  who  knew  him  but  not  his 
devotion  to  Gammon — to  tell  them  that 
he    had    just    discovered,    by    mere 


accident,  the  frightful  danger  in  which 
they  were  placed,  owing  to  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's being  enraged  against  them  on 
account  of  their  last  proposal  —  that 
he  had  now  made  up  his  mind  to  the 
loss  of  the  election,  and  also  to  com- 
mence prosecutions  for  bribery  against 
every  single  member  of  the  club  ;  for 
that,  having  early  suspected  foul  play, 
he  was  in  a  position  "to  nail  every 
man  of  them,"  without  fixing  himself 
or    Mr.    Titmouse.     If   he  succeeded 
thus    far — viz.*  in    alarming    them — 
then,  after  apparently  dire  perplexity, 
he  was  suddenly  to  suggest  one  mode 
of  at  once   securing  themselves,  and 
foiling  their  bitter  enemy,  Gammon  ; 
viz.  hastening  up  to  the  poll,  without 
a  word   to  any  one,  and,    by  placing 
Titmouse  at  the  top  of  the  poll,  destroy 
Gammons  motive  for  commencing  his 
vindictive  proceedings,  and  so  take  him 
in  his  own   trap.     Gammon  then  re- 
turned to  the  polling-booth,   (having 
named  the  signal  by  which  he  was  to 
be  apprised  of  success,)  and  resumed 
his  former  position,  without  giving  to 
any  one  near  him  the  slightest  inti- 
mation of  what   he  had  been   doing. 
If  he   imagined,    however,    that   an] 
movement    of  his,   at    so    critical    t 
moment,    had  not  been  watched,  lit 
was  grievously  mistaken.     There  wrere 
three  persons  whose  sole  business  il 
had   been,   during   the  whole  of  that 
day,  to  keep  a  lynx  eye  upon  his  every 
movement,    especially    as     connected 
with    the     Quaint    Club.       But    las 
cunning   emissary  was   equal    to   the 
exigency ;   and    having    (unseen)    re- 
connoitred the  street  for  a  few  moments, 
he  imagined  that  he  detected  one,  if 
not   two  spies,    lurking  about.       Ho 
therefore  slipped  out   of  a  low  back 
window,  got  down  four  or  five  back 
yards,  and  so  across  a  small   hidden 
alley,  which  enabled  him  to  slip,  un- 
perceivedly,  into  the  back  room  of  the 
house  he  wished. 

"  Ben  !  Ben  !  "  he  gasped,  with  an 
air  of  consternation. 

"Hallo,  man!  what  is't?"  quoth 
Ben. 

"Done!  every  man  of  you  sold! 
Mr.  Gammon  turned  tail  on  you ! — 
Just  happened  to  overhear  him  swear 


400 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


a  solemn  oath  to  Mr.  Mudftint,  that 
bet"  >rc  four-and-twenty  hours  "  *   *  * 

•'  Lord  ! — you,  did  you  really?" 
■  help  me !  "  exclaimed  tin- 
man. 

"  W  be  done?"  quoth  Ben, 
the  p  isolation  bursting  out  all  over 
bis  forehead.  "  We've  been  made  the 
<h  st  fools  of  by  some  one.  Hang 
mc  if  !  think  the  old  beast  al  Fother- 
ingham,  or  the  young  cub  cither,  has 
ever  meant " 

"What  signifies  it?  It's  all  too 
late  now." 

'•  i  n't  there  any  way — eh?  To  be 
sure,  I  own  1  thought  we  were  pitched 
a  leetle  too  high  with  Mr.  Gam " 

"  But  he  has  you  HOW,  though;  and 
you'll  find  he's  a  devil  incarnate  I — 
But  stop,  I  see" — he  seemed  as  if  a 
thought  had  suddenly  glanced  across 
his  puzzled  and  alarmed  mind — "I'll 
tell  you  bow  to  do  him,  and  save  your- 
selves yet." 

"  0  Lord  !  —  eh  ? "  exclaimed  Ben, 
breathlessly. 

"  But  are  they  all  together?" 

"Oh  ay  !  In  five  minutes  timo  we 
could  all  be  on  our  way  to  the  booth." 

"Then  don't  lose  a  minute — or  all's 
lost! — Don't  explain  to  them  tin 
they're  in  till  it's  all  over — and  if  ea  r 
you   tell  'em,  or  any  one,  the  bit  o' 
service  I've " 

"Never,  Thomas,  so  help  me I  " 

quoth  Ben,  grasping  his  companion's 
hand  as  in  a  vice. 

"Off  all  of  you  to  the  booth,  and 
poll  for  life  and  death,  for  Titmouse." 

"  What  ?  Come  —  come,  Masti  r 
Thomas  !  " 

"Ay,  ay — you  fool!  Don't  you 
See?  Make  him  win  the  election,  and 
then  in  course  Gammon's  no  cause  to 

be  at    VOU  —  he'll    have    got    all    be 

ts. 

"My  eyes!  "  exclaimed  Ben,  ns  he 

suddenly  perceived  the  stroke  of  policy. 

He       Lpped  his  1         .   buttoned  his 

CO  it,  !'"i';     1  oul  of  1  he  hou  e     within 

i  moments  he  was  in  the  mi 
the  club,  who  were  all  in  a  ba 
I-  bind  a  .  mall    tavern   which    thej 
frequented.     "Now,   lads  1 "   he    ex- 
claimed, with  a  wink  of  bis  eye.     He 
HOW  and    the    blllfi   ColoUl 


out  of  bis  bosom  ;  returned  the  blue 
and  mounted  the  yellow  :  so  in  a  trice 
did  every  one  present,  not  one  single 
qui  stion  having  been  asked  of  Ben,  in 
whom  they  had  perfect  confidence. 

But,  to  return  to  Mr.  Gammon.  It 
was  now  a  moment  or  two  past  the 
half-hour — there  was  scarcely  halt'-an- 
hour  more  before  the  election  must 
close.  The  mob  were  getting  sullen. 
The  Quaint  Club  were  being  asked  for 
— now  with  hisses,  then  with  cheers. 
All  eyes  were  on  Gammon,  who  felt 
that  they  were.  His  face  bore  witness 
to  the  intensity  of  his  emotions  ;  ho 
did  not  even  attempt  to  disguise  his 
desperate  disappointment.  His  nerves 
were  strung  to  their  highest  pitch  of 
tension  ;  and  his  eye  glanced  inces- 
santly, but  half-closed,  towards  a 
corner  house  at  a  little  distance  ;  ah  I 
his  eye  was  suddenly  lit  up,  as  it  were, 
with  lire  —  never  had  been  Buch  an 
instantaneous  change  seeu  in  a  man's 
face  before.  He  had  at  length  caught 
the  appointed  signal ;  a  man  appeared 
at  a  window,  and  waved  a  little  stick 
through  it.  A  mighty  sigh  escaped 
from  the  pent-up  bosom  of  Gammon, 
and  relieved  him  from  a  sense  of 
suffocation.  His  feelings  might  have 
bi  i  n  compared  to  those  excited  in  our 
great  commander  when  the  Prussians 
made  their  appearance  at  "Waterloo. 
The  battle  was  won  ;  defeat  converted 
into  triumph  ;  hut  suddenly  recollect- 
ing himself— aware  that  every  muscle 
of  his  face  was  watched— he  relapsed 
into  his  formergloom.  Presently  were 
proaching  sounds  of  music 
—  nearer  and    nearer   came   the  (dash 

of  cymbals,  the  clangour  of  trombone 

and  trumpet,  the  roll  of  the  drum  ; — 

all  the  i  rowd  turned  their  faces  towards 

the  quarter  whence  the  Bounds  came, 
and  within  a  few  seconds'  time  WOS 
seen  turning  the  comer,  full  on  its 
way  to  the  booth,  lie  banner  of  the 
Quaint  Club,  with  yellow  rosettes 
ning  from  the  top  of  i  ach  pole — 
OW  ribands  on  every  one's  hi. 
Till.  IE       HAD       J  KI- 

i  Mi'iu  ii !  Th  ii  opprei  bom  wi  re  pros- 
trate !  A  wild  and  deafening  shout 
of  triumph  hurst  from  the  crowd  as 
if  they  had  been  one  man  ;  and  con- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


•191 


timied  for  several  minutes  interming- 
ling with  the  inspiriting  sounds  of  the 
noble  ah — "  Rule  Britannia  !  "  played 
by  the  two  bands,  (that  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse having  instantly  joined  them.) 
On  marched  the  club,  two  and  two, 
and  arm  in  arm,  with  rapid  step ; 
their  faces  flushed  with  excitement 
and  exultation  —  their  hands  vehe- 
mently shaken  by  the  shouting  crowd, 
who  opened  a  broad  lane  for  them  up 
to  the  polling-booth.  Oh,  the  con- 
trast exhibited  ia  the  faces  of  those 
standing  there !  What  profound  gloom, 
what  vivid  vexation,  rigid  despair,  on 
the  one  hand — what  signs  of  frantic 
excitement,  joy,  and  triumph  on  the 
other  !  "Titmouse  !"  cried  the  first 
member  of  the  club,  as  he  gave  his 
vote  ;  "Titmouse  !  "  cried  the  second  ; 
" Titmouse  !  "  cried  the  third  ;  "Tit- 
mouse !  "  cried  the  fourth.  The  battle 
was  won.  Mr.  Titmouse  was  in  a 
majority,  which  went  on  increasing 
every  minute  amidst  tremendous  cheer- 
ing. Mr.  Gammon's  face  and  figure 
would  at  that  moment  have  afforded  a 
study  for  a  picture  ;  the  strongly  re- 
pressed feeling  of  triumph  yet  indicat- 
ing its  swelling  influence  upon  his 
marked  and  expressive  countenance, 
where  an  accurate  eye  might  have 
detected  also  the  presence  of  anxiety. 
Again  and  again  were  his  hands  shaken 
by  those  near  him — Mudllint,  Blood- 
suck,  Woodlouse,  Centipede,  Going 
Gone,  Ginblossom — as  they  enthusi- 
astically gave  him  credit  for  the  trans- 
cendant  skill  he  had  exhibited,  and 
the  glorious  result  it  had  secured. 
As  the  church  clock  struck  four,  the 
books  were  closed,  and  the  election 
was  declared  at  an  end,  with  eighteen 
of  Mr.  Titmouse's  voters  yet  unpolled  ! 
Within  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  Mr. 
Going  Gone  hastily  chalked  upon  the 
board,  and  held  it  up  exultingly  to  the 
crowd. 


Titmouse 
Delamera 


237 
119 


1 


Majority  .  . 

"  Hurrah  ! — hurrah  ! — hip,  hip,  hip, 
hurrah !  "  pealed  from  the  crowd, 
while  hands  were  upraised  and  whirled 


round,  hats  flung  into  the  air,  and 
every  other  mark  of  popular  excite- 
ment exhibited.  "Titmouse! — Tit- 
mouse !  —Nine  times  nine  for  Mr. 
Titmouse  !  "  was  called  for,  and  re- 
sponded to  with  thrilling  and  over- 
powering effect.  The  newly-elected 
member,  however,  could  not  be  pinch- 
ed, or  shaken,  or  roused,  out  of  tho 
drunken  stupor  into  which,  from  tho 
combined  influence  of  liquor  and  ex- 
citement, he  had  sunk.  To  enablo 
him  to  go  through  the  responsible 
duties  of  the  day — viz.  bobbing  his 
head  every  now  and  then  to  tho 
worthy  and  independent  electors  who 
came  to  invest  him  with  the  proud 
character  of  tht-ir  representative  in  tho 
House  of  Commons — he  had  brought 
in  his  pocket  a  flask  of  brandy,  which 
had  been  thrice  replenished :  in  a 
word,  the  popular  idol  was  decidedly 
not  presentable  ;  and  under  the  im- 
pulse of  strong  excitement,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, infinitely  to  the  disgust  of  the 
Reverend  Smirk  Mudflint,  who  was 
charged  up  to  his  throat  with  com- 
bustible matter,  and  ready  to  go  off 
at  an  instant's  notice,  stepped  forward, 
and  on  removing  his  hat  was  received 
with  several  distinct  and  long-con- 
tinued rounds  of  applause.  Silence 
having  been  at  length  partially  re- 
stored— 

"Yes,  gentlemen,"  he  commenced, 
in  an  energetic  tone  and  with  an  ex- 
cited and  determined  air  and  manner, 
"well  may  you  utter  those  shouts  of 
joy,  for  you  have  fought  a  noble  fight 
and  won  a  glorious  victory,  (great  cheer- 
ing.) Your  cause,  the  cause  of  freedom 
and  good  government,  is  triumphant 
over  all  opposition,  (immense  cheer- 
ing.) The  hideous  forms  of  bigotry 
and  tyranny  are  at  this  moment  lying 
crushed  and  writhing,  (vehement  cheer- 
ing rendered  the  rest  of  the  sentence 
inaudible. )  Gentlemen,  truth  and  in- 
dependence have  this  day  met  and 
overthrown  falsehood  and  slavery, 
(cheers,)  in  spite  of  the  monstrou3 
weapons  with  which  they  came  into 
the  field,  (groans,) — bribeiy,  (groans,) 
corruption,  (groans,)  intimidation, 
(hisses,)  coercion,  and  treachery, 
(mingled  groans    and  hisses.)      But, 


492 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


gentlemen,  thank    God,   all    was   in 

Vain  I    (i  |      I    Will 

not  say  that  a  defeat)  d  despot  is  at 
this  moment  sitting  with  sullen  scowl 
in  a  neighbouring  castle,  [tremendous 
she  :  !  all  his  schemes 

frustrated,  all  his  gold  scattered  in 
vain,  and  trampled  underfoot  by  the 
virtuous  electors  whom  he  Bought  first 
to  corrupt,  and  then  degrade  into 
slaves,  (great  cheering.)  Gentlemen, 
let  us  L  at,  (loud  and 

I  laughter;)  hut  let  us  rejoice 
like  men,  like  freemen,  that  the  de- 
graded and  execrable  /action  to  which 
he  belongs  is  defeated,  (cheering.) 
(  n,  if  ev.  r  there  was  a  con- 

test iii  which  public  spirit  and  prin- 
ciple triumphed  over  public  and 
private,  profligacy,  this  has  been  it; 
and  by  this  time  to-morrow,  hundreds 
of  constituencies  willbe  told,  as  their 
own  struggles  are  approaching,  to — 
on — to  emulate  her  proud 
and  nol  le  example  ;  and  England  will 
i  he  enabled  to  throw  otf  the  hate- 
ful incubus  that  lias  so  long  oppressed 
her,  (immense  eh  ering.)    But,  gentle- 

,  you  are  all  exhausted,  (Xo.'iio! 
and  vehement  cheers;)  we  are  all  ex- 
hausted, a  ter  the  great  labour  and 
excitement  of  this  glorious  day,  and 
1  repose,  in  order  that  on  the 
morrow  we  may  meet  refreshed  to  en- 
joy the  full  measure  of  our  triumph, 
/.)  In  particular,  your  dis- 
i  pushed  representative,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, worn  out  with  the  excitement 
•f  the  day,  long  depressed  by  the 
if!'.'  ct  of  the  poll,  was  bo oy<  r- 

powered  with  the  sudden  and  glorious 
chai     icfTei  ted  by  thai  band  of  patriots 

—  (iho  rest  of  the  sent  ace  was 

drowned  in  cheering.)    Gentlemen,  he 

is  \  ■  ung,  and  U!  ■  li  d  to  such 

extraordinary    and     exciting    scenes, 

•'/•,  hear  .')  but  by  the  morrow 

..ill  have  recovered  sufficiently  to 

Si  nt  him  re  you, 

n  his  name,  gcnl  li  men,   1   do   i 
■iy  soul   tli         -     i    for  the   honour 
wlii  conferred  upon  1,1111, 

and  assure  you  that  he  a  any 

with   which    Providence 
n  ;  d    bim,    (A.  ar,  If  '■/•. 

otbing,   when   compared  I 


with  the  issue  of  this  day's  ft  niggle, 
1.)  Rely  upon  it  that  his 
luct  in  Parliament  will  not  dis- 
grace  you,  (710,  ito,  no!)  Ami  now, 
gentlemen,  i  must  conclude,  trusting 
that  with  victory  will  cease  animosity, 
and  that  there  will  be  an  immediate 
declaration  of  those  feelings  of  frank 
and  manly  cordiality,  and  good  feeling, 
which  ought  to  distinguish  free  fellow- 
citizens,  and,  above  all,  is  signally 
characteristic  of  Englishmen,  (cheer* 
ing.)  Shake  hands,  gentlemen,  with 
a  fallen  enemy,  (we  will,  we  will!) 
and  forget,  wli  n  you  have  compered, 
that  you  ever  fought  !  " 

With  these  words,  uttered  with  the 
fervour  and eloquent  e  which  had  indeed 
distinguished  the  whole  of  his  brief 
address,  he  resumed  his  hat,  amidst 
tremendous  shouts  of  "Three  times 
three  for  Mr.  Titmouse!"  —  "three 
times  three  for  .Mr.  Gammon  !  " — 
"nine  times  nine  groans  for  Mr.  Dela- 
mere  !  " — all  of  which  were  given  with 
tumultuous  energy.  The  two  hands 
approached  ;  the  procession  formed  ; 
the  nearly  insensible  Titmouse,  his 
face  deadly  pale,  and  his  hat  awry, 
was  partly  supported  and  partly  d 
L'ed  along  between  Mr.  Gammon 
Mr.  Going  Gone;  and  to  the  inspiring 
air  of  "See  the  Conquering  Hero 
comes,"  and  accompanied  by  the  cheer- 
ing crowd,  they  all  marched  in 
procession  to  Mr.  Titmouse's  c 
mittee-room.  He  was  hurried  up-sta 

then  led  into  a  bed-room  ;  and  there, 
soon,  alas !  experienced  the  oven 
tering  power  of  sickness;  which  in- 
stantly obliterated  all  recollection  of 
his  triumph,  and  made  him  utterly 
unconscious  of  the  brilliant  position  to 
which  he  had  just  been  elevated — 
equally  to  the  honour  of  himself  and 
his  constituency,  who  justly  and 
proudly  regarded 

"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq.  M.P." 

1  ious  first-fruits  to  them  of!  bo 

ious  "  Bill  for  giving  Everybody 

ilhing." 

Ai  a  late  hour  that  night,  an  inter- 

co  l"i  ween  Ben  Bran  and 

Mr.  Gammon,  of  whi  h  all  thai  I  BhalJ 

'  pi        ;  is,  that  it  was  equally 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


493 


confidential  and  satisfactory.  There 
can  be  no  harm,  however,  in  intimating 
that  Mr.  Gammon  made  no  allusion  to 
the  arrival  of  the  Greek  kalends  ;  but 

he  did  to the  fifteenth  day  after 

the  meeting  of  Parliament.  He  satis- 
fied Ben — and  through  him  the  Quaint 
Club — that  Lord  De  la  Zouch's  agents 
had  been  only  deluding  them,  and  had 
laid  a  deep  plan  for  ensnaringthe  club — 
■which  Gammon  had  early  seen  through, 
and  endeavoured  to  defeat.  A  little 
circumstance  which  happened  some  two 
or  three  days  afterwards,  seemed  to 
corroborate  the  truth  of  at  least  a 
portion  of  his  statements — viz.  eight 
prosecutions  for  bribery  were  brought 
against  so  many  members  of  the  Quaint 
Club  :  and  on  their  hastily  assembling 
to  consult  upon  so  startling  an  incident, 
one  still  more  so  came  to  light ; — five 
leading  members  were  not  to  be  found. 
Writs  in  actions  for  penalties  of  £500 
each,  were  on  the  same  day  served 
upon  —  Barnabas  Bloodsuck,  Smirk 
Mudflint,  (otherwise  called  the,  Rev- 
erend Smirk  Mudflint,)  Cephas  Wood- 
louse,  and — woe  is  me  that  I  should 
have  it  to  record! — "Oily  Gammon, 
gentleman,  one  of  the  attorneys  of  our 
lord  the  king,  before  the  king  himself, 
at  Westminster. "  The  amount  claimed 
from  him  was  £4000,  from  Bloodsuck 
£3000;  and  from  Mudflint  £2500, 
which  would,  alas,  have  alone  absorbed 
all  the  pew-rents  of  his  little  establish- 
ment for  one  hundred  years  to  come, 
if  his  system  of  moral  teaching  should 
so  long  live.  What  was  the  conster- 
nation of  these  gentlemen  to  discover, 
when  in  their  turn  they  called  a  private 
meeting  of  their  leading  friends,  that 
ene  of  them  also  was  missing,  viz. 
Judas  M'Do'cm !  Moreover,  it  was 
palpable  that  amidst  an  ominous  silence, 
and  calmness  on  the  other  side — even 
on  the  part  of  the  True  Blue — the 
most  guarded  and  systematic  and  per- 
severing search  for  evidence  was  going 
on  ;  and  with  all  Gammon's  self-pos- 
session, the  sudden  sight  of  Mr.  Crafty 
stealthily  quitting  the  house  of  an 
humble  Yellow  voter,  a  week  after  the 
election,  occasioned  him  somewhat 
sickening  sensations.  Gammon  was 
not  unaccustomed  to  wade  in  deep 


waters ;  but  these  were  very  deep ! 
However,  a  great  point  had  been  gained. 
Mr.  Titmouse  was  M.P.  for  Yatton ; 
and  Mr.  Gammon  had  maintained  his 
credit  in  high  quarters,  where  he  had 
stood  pledged  as  to  the  result  of  the 
election  ;  having  been  long  before  as- 
sured that  every  member  returned  into 
the  new  Parliament  was  worth  his 
weight  in  gold.  Such  were  tho 
thoughts  passing  through  the  acute 
and  powerful  mind  of  Gammon,  as  ho 
sat  late  one  night  alone  at  Yatton, 
Mr.  Titmouse  having  retired  to  his 
bed-room  half  stupefied  with  liquor, 
and  anxious  to  complete  matters  by 
smoking  himself  to  sleep.  The  wind 
whistled  cheerlessly  round  the  angle  of 
the  Hall  in  which  was  situated  the  room 
where  ho  sat,  his  feet  resting  on  the 
fender,  his  arms  folded,  and  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  fire.  Then  he  took  up  the 
newspaper  recently  arrived  from  town, 
which  contained  a  report  of  his  speech 
to  the  electors  at  the  close  of  the  poll ; 
it  was  the  organ  of  the  Whig  party — 
the  Morning  Growl;  and  its  leading 
article  commented  in  very  encomiastic 
terms  upon  his  address,  ' '  given  in  an- 
other part  of  the  paper."  His  soul 
heaved  with  disgust  at  the  thoughts 
of  his  own  dissimulation  ; — "  Indepen- 
dence!"  "Purity  of  Election!"  "Public 
Principle!  "  "  triumph  of  Principle ;" 
"  Popular  enthusiasm  1  "  "  Man  of  tho 
people  !  " — Look,  thought  he — eugh — 
at  Titmouse!  Is  representation  an 
utter  farce — a  mere  imaginary  privi- 
lego  of  the  people  ?  If  not,  what  but 
public  swindlers  are  we  who  procure 
the  return  of  such  idiots  as — faugh ! 

Would  I  had  been  on  the  other 

He  rose,  sighed,  lit  his  chamber  candle, 
and  retired  to  bed,  but  not  to  rest ; 
for  he  spent  several  hours  in  endeavour- 
ing to  retrace  every  step  which  he  had 
taken  in  the  election — with  a  view  to 
ascertain  how  far  it  could  be  proved 
that  he  had  legally  implicated  himself. 
The  position  in  which,  indeed,  he  and 
those  associated  with  him  in  the  elec- 
tion were  placed,  was  one  which 
required  his  most  anxious  consider- 
ation, with  a  view,  not  merely  to  the 
retention  of  the  seat  so  hardly  won, 
but  to  the  tremendous  personal  lia- 


40-1 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


bilities  with  which  it  was  Bought  to 
fix  him.  Tlic  inquiries  which  he 
instituted  into  the  practices  which  he 
had  been  led  to  believe  prevailed 
openly  upon  the  other  side,  led  to  no 
satisfactory  results.  If  the  enemy  had 
bribed,  they  had  done  so  with  consum- 
mate skill  and  caution.  Yet  he  chose 
to  assume  the  air  of  one  who  thought 
otherwise  ;  and  gave  directions  for 
writs  for  penalties  to  he  forthwith 
served  upon  Mr.  Parkinson,  Mr.  Gold, 
Mr.  St.  Aubyn,  and  Mr.  Milnthorpe — 
all  of  whom,  as  indeed  he  had  expected, 
only  laughed  at  him.  But  it  was  woe- 
fully different  as  regarded  himself  and 
his  friends  :  for,  before  Mr.  Crafty  took 
his  departure  from  Yatton,  he  had 
Collected  a  body  of  evidence  against  all 
of  them,  of  the  most  fearful  stringency 
and  completeness.  In  fact,  Lord  De 
la  Zouch  had  determined  that,  if  it 
cost  him  ten  thousand  pounds  more, 
he  would  spare  no  effort,  as  well  to 
secure  the  seat  for  his  son,  as  to  punish 
those  who  had  been  guilty  of  the  atro- 
cious practices  which  had  been  revealed 
to  him. 

Need  I  Bay  with  what  intense  interest, 
with  what  absorbing  anxiety,  the  pro- 
gress of  this  contest  had  been  watched 
by  the  Aubreys!  From  Lady  l>e  la 
Zouch  and  other  friends,  but  more 
especially  from  Dr.  Tatham,  who  had 
i larly forwarded  the  True  Blue,  and 
also  written  frequent  and  full  letters, 
the}-  had  learned,  from  time  to  time, 
all  that  was  going  on.  Mr.  Aubrey 
had  prepared  them  for  the  adverse 
issue  of  the  affair  ;  he  had  never  looked 
for  anything  else  ;  but  could  he  or  any 
of  them  feel  otherwise  than  a  painful 
and  indignant  sympathy  with  the  little 
1  >OCtor,  on  reading  his  account  of  the 

E oss  insult  which  had  bei  d  offered  to 
m  at  the  hustings?     hate,   before 

she  had  read  half  of  it,  sprang  from 
hi  r  chair,  threw  down  the  letter,  cried 
bitterly,  then  kissed  the  venerable 
Doctor's  handwriting,  and  walked  to 
ami  fro,  i  lightning  from  her 

eyes,  as  her  vh  id  fancy  p  tinted  to  hi  t 

with  painful  dial  i  t 

ton  and  brutal  outa  igo  on  on 
the  mo.  t  "  mtle,  I"  ncvolcut,  and 
less  of  Gi  i  mie 


was  associated  in  all  their  minds  with 
everything  that  was  pious,  pure,  and 
good — indeed  they  were  all  powerfully 
affected.  As  for  the  Reverend  Smirk 
Mudflint — "Presumptuous  wretch  !  " 
quoth  Kate,  as  her  Hashing  eye  met 
that  of  her  brother  :  and  he  felt  that 
his  feelings,  like  her  own,  could  not 
be  expressed.  The  first  account  she 
received  of  the  outrage  perpetrated  on 
Delamere  was  in  the  columns  of  the 
True  Blur,  which  being  published  that 
evening,  had  been  instantly  forwarded 
to  town  by  Dr.  Tatham.  Jt  blanched 
her  cheek  ;  she  then  felt  a  mist  com- 
ing over  her  eyes  —  a  numbness  —  a 
faintness  ensued,  and  she  sank  upon 
the  sofa,  and  swooned.  It  was  a  long 
while  after  she  had  recovered  before 
a  Hood  of  tears  relieved  her  e.\« 
ment.  'Twas  no  use  disguising  mat- 
ters, even  had  she  felt  so  disposed, 
before  those  who  felt  so  exquisite  and 
vivid  a  sympathy  with  her  ;  and  who 
did  not  restrain  their  ardent  and  en- 
thusiastic expressions  of  admiration  at 
the  spirited  and  noble  manner  in  which 
Delamere  had  commenced  and  carried 
on  his  adventure.  At  whose  instani  ■, 
and  to  please  whom,  had  it  been  really 
undertaken?  Kate's  heart  fluttered 
intensely  at  the  notion  of  seeing  him 
i  in  Vivian  Street,  lie  would 
come — she  f-lt— with  a  sort  of  claim 
upon  her! — And  he  made  his  at  once 
di  iied  and  dreaded  appearance  some 
days  afterwards,  quite  unexpectedly. 
Kate  was  playing  on  the  piano,  and  had 
not  heard  his  knock;  so  that  be  was 
illy  in  the  drawing-room  before 
she  was  aware  he  was  in  London,  or 
had  formed  the  slightest  expectation 
of  such  a  thing. 

"Heavens,  Mr.  Delamere! — Is  it 
you  !  "  she  stammered,  rising  from  tho 
piano,  her  face  having  suddenly  be- 
come pale. 

"Ay,  sweet  Kate  —  unless  I  am 
become  some  one  else,  as — the  rejected 
of  Yatton" — he  replied  fondly,  as  ho 
grasped  her  hands  fervently  in    his 

and  led  her  to  t  h 

' '  I  )on't— don't—  M  r.  Delamero  "— 

iid    be  faintly,  striving  to  release  ono 

of    hi  r  hands,    whii  h    she    instantly 

plai  ed  befoi     her  cy<     '     i  onccal  her 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIl. 


495 


rising  and  violent  emotion.  Her 
brother  and  Sirs.  Aubrey  considerately 
came  to  her  relief,  by  engaging  Dela- 
mere  in  conversation,  lie  saw  their 
object ;  and  releasing  Miss  Aubrey,  for 
the  present,  from  his  attentions,  soon 
had  entered  into  a  long  and  very  ani- 
mated account  of  all  his  Yatton 
doings.  In  spite  of  herself,  as  it  were, 
Kate  drew  near  the  table,  and,  en- 
grossed with  interest,  listened,  and 
joined  in  the  conversation,  as  if  it  had 
not  been  actually  Dei.amere  who  was 
sitting  beside  her.  —  He  made  very 
light  of  the  little  accident  of  the 
wounded  lip — but  as  he  went  on,  Kate 
looked  another  way,  her  eyes  obstructed 
with  tears,  and  her  very  heart  yearn- 
ing towards  him.  "Oh,  Mr.  Dela- 
mere  ! " — she  suddenly  and  vehe- 
mently exclaimed  —  "  what  wretches 
they  were  to  use  you  so  !  "  and  then 
blushed  scarlet.  Shortly  afterwards 
Mr.  Aubrey  went  down-stairs  to  fetch 
up  one  of  Dr.  Tatham's  letters  for  a 
particular  purpose  ;  and — what  will 
my  lady  readers  say  ?  during  his  brief 
absence but,  on  further  considera- 
tion, I  shall  say  nothing  of  what 
happened ! 

"Well— see  if  I'm  not  M.P.  for 
Yatton,  yet" — said  Delamere,  with  a 
confident  air,  just  before  he  rose  to  go 
— "  and  that  within  a  few  weeks,  too  ; 
and  then " 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  tlutt,"  said 
Aubrey  gravely. 

"Sure  ?  I've  no  more  doubt  of  it," 
replied  Delamere  briskly,  "than  I  have 
of  our  now  being  in  Vivian  Street — if 
there  be  the  slightest  pretence  to  fair- 
ness in  a  committee  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  Why,  upon  my  honour, 
we've  got  no  fewer  than  eleven  distinct, 
unequivocal,  well-supported " 

"If  election  committees  are  to  be 
framed  of  such  people  as  appear  to 
have  been  returned "  *        *         * 

Did,  however,  the  gaudy  flower  of 
Titmouse's  victory  at  Yatton  contain 
the  seeds  of  inevitable  defeat  at  St. 
Stephen's?  'Twas  surely  a  grave 
question  ;  and  had  to  be  decided  by  a 
tribunal,  the  constitution  of  which, 
however,  the  legislature  hath  since,  in 
its  wisdom,  seen  lit  altogether  fa  alter. 


With  matters,  therefore,  as  they  then 
were — but  now  are  not — I  deal  freely, 
as  with  history. 

The  first  glance  which  John  Cull 
caught  of  his  new  House  of  Commons, 
under  the.  Bill  for  giving  Everybody 
Everything,  almost  turned  his  stomach, 
strong  as  it  was,  inside  out ;  and  he 
stood  for  some  time  staring  with  feel 
ings  of  alternate  disgust  and  dismay. 
Really,  as  far  at  least  as  outward  ap- 
pearance and  behaviour  went,  there 
seemed  scarcely  fifty  gentlemen  among 
them  ;  and  those  appeared  ashamed 
and  afraid  of  their  position.  'Twas, 
indeed,  as  though  the  scum  that  had 
risen  to  the  simmering  surface  of  the 
caldron  placed  over  the  fierce  fires  of 
revolutionary  ardour,  had  been  ladled 
off  and  flung  upon  the  floor  of  the 
House  of  Commons.  The  shock  and 
mortification  produced  such  an  effect 
upon  John,  that  he  took  for  some  time 
to  his  bed,  and  required  a  good  deal  of 
severe  treatment,  before  he  in  any 
degree  recovered  himself.  It  was, 
indeed,  a  long  while  before  he  got 
quite  right  in  his  head  ! — As  they  an- 
ticipated a  good  deal  of  embarrassment 
from  the  presidency  of  the  experienced 
and  dignified  person  who  had  for  many 
years  filled  the  office  of  Speaker,  they 
chose  a  new  one  ;  and  then,  breathing 
freely,  started  fair  for  the  session. 

Some  fifty  seats  were  contested ; 
and  one  of  the  very  earliest  duties  of 
the  new  Speaker,  was  to  announce  the 
receipt  of  "a  petition  from  certain 
electors  of  the  borough  of  Yatton, 
complaining  of  an  undue  return  ;  and 
praying  the  House  to  appoint  a  time 
for  taking  the  same  into  its  consider- 
ation." Mr.  Titmouse,  at  that  moment, 
was  modestly  sitting  immediately 
behind  the  Treasury  bench,  next  to  a 
respectable  pork-butcher,  who  had 
been  returned  for  an  Irish  county,  and 
with  whom  Mr.  Titmouse  had  been 
dining  at  a  neighbouring  tavern ; 
where  he  had  drunk  whisky  and 
water  enough  to  elevate  him  to  the 
point  of  rising  to  present  several  peti- 
tions frorn  his  constituents — first,  from 
Smirk  Mudflint,  and  others,  for  open- 
ing the  universities  of  Oxford  and 
Cambridge  to  Dissenters  of  every  de- 


•1% 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YE  A 11. 


nomination,  and  abolishing  the  suh- 
■cription  to  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles  ; 
idly,  from  Mr.  Jlic  HaSo  Hoc, 
praying  for  a  commission  to  enquire 
into  the  propriety  of  translating  the 
Eton  Latin  and  Greek  grammars  into 
English  ;  thirdly,  from  several  electors, 
praying  the  House  to  pass  an  act  for 
exempting  members  of  that  House 
from  the  operation  of  the  Bankruptcy 
and  Insolvency  laws,  as  well  as  from 
arrest  on  mesne  and  final  process  ; 
ami  lastly,  from  several  electors,  pray- 
ing the  House  to  issue  a  commission 
to  enquire  into  the  cause  of  the  Tick 
in  sheep.  I  say  this  was  the  auspi- 
cious commencement  of  his  senatorial 
career,  meditated  by  Mr.  Titmouse, 
When  his  ear  caught  the  above  startling 
words  uttered  by  the  Speaker,  which 
bo  disconcerted  him — prepared  though 
lie  was  for  Borne  Buoh  move  on  the  part 
of  his  enemies,  that  he  resolved  to 
postpone  the  presentation  of  the  peti- 
tions of  his  enlightened  constituents 
till  the  ensuing  day.  After  sitting  in 
a  dreadful  stew  for  some  twenty 
minutes  or  so,  he  felt  it  necessary  to 
go  out  and  calm  Lis  flurried  spirits 
with  a  glass  of  brandy  ami  soda-water. 
As  he  went  out,  a  little  incident  hap- 
pened to  him  that  was  attended  with 
very  memorable  consequences. 

"A  word  with  you,  sir,"  whispered 
a  commanding  voice  in  his  ear,  as  he 
felt  himself  caught  hold  of  by  so&te 
one  sitting  at  the  corner  of  the  Treasury 
Bench — "I'll follow  you  out — quietly, 
mind." 

The  speaker  was  a  Mr.  SWINDLE 
O'GlBBET,  a  tall,  elderly,  and  some- 
what corpulent  person,  with  a  broad- 
brimmed  hat,  a  slovenly  smtoiit,  and 
vulgar  BW8  [gering  carriage  ;  a  ruddy 
shining  face,  that  constantly  wore  a 
sort  i  ly  Bmile  ;  and  an  unctuous 

eye,  with  a  combined  expression  of 
cunning,  cowardice,  and  ferocity.  He 
Bpoke  in  a  rich  brogue,  and  with  a 
of  confidential  and  cringing  fa- 
miliarity ;  yet,  withal,  'twas  with  the 
air  and  the  tone  of  a  US  of 

dii.ct  influence  out 
of  doors,  and  indirect  influence  within 
dooi  .  Twas,  in  a  word,  at  on<  •  in- 
Binuatingand  peremptory  — eubmi 


and  truculent.  Several  things  had 
concurred  to  give  Titmouse  a  very 
exalted  notion  of  Mr.  O'Gibbet.  First, 
a  noble  speech  of  his,  in  which  he 
showed  infinite  "pluck"  in  persever- 
ing against  shouts  of  "order"  from 
all  parts  of  the  House  for  an  hour 
to  -•  ther  ;  secondly,  his  sitting  on  the 
front  bench,  often  close  beside  little 
LORD  BtJI/FINCH,  the  leader  of  tho 
House.  His  lordship  was  a  "Whig; 
and  though,  as  surely  I  need  hardly 
say,  there  are  thousands  of  Whigs 
every  whit  as  pure  and  high-minded 
as  their  Tory  rivals,  his  lordship  was 
a  very  bitter  "Wing.  The  bloom  cf 
original  Whiggism,  however,  ripening 
fast  into  the  rottenness  of  Radicalism, 
gave  out  at  length  an  odour  which 
was  so  offensive  to  many  of  his  own 
early  friends,  that  they  weie  forced  to 
withdraw  from  him.  Personally,  how- 
ever, he  was  of  respectable  character, 
and  a  man  of  considerable  literary 
pretensions,  and  enjoyed  that  Parlia- 
mentary influence  generally  secured 
to  the  possessor  of  talent,  tact,  experi- 
ence, and  temper.  Now,  it  certainly 
argued  some  resolution  in  Mr.  O'Gibbet 
to  preserve  an  air  of  swaggering  assur- 
ance and  familiarity  beside  his  aris- 
tocratic little  neighbour,  whose  freezing 
demeanour  towards  him — for  his  lord- 
ship evinced  even  a  sort  of  shudder  of 
disgust  when  addressed  by  him — Mr. 
O'Gibbet  felt  to  be  visible  to  all 
around.  Misery  makes  strange  bed- 
fellows, but  surely  politics  stranger 
still  ;  and  there  could  not  have  been 
a  more  striking  instance  of  it  than  in 
Lord  Bulfinch  and  Mr.  O'Gibbet 
sittirg  side  by  side— as  great  a  con- 
trast in  their  persons  as  in  their 
characters.  But  the  third  and  chief 
ground  of  Titmouse's  admiration  of 
Mr.  O'Gibbet,  was  a  conversation — 
private  the  parties  thought  it,  and 
unheard,  in  the  lobby  of  the  House; 
but  every  word  of  it  had  our  inquisi- 
tive, but  not  very  scrupulous,  little 
friend  contrived  to  overhear  btftwei  o 
Mr.  O'Gibbet  and  Mr.  Fli  iimbbt,  a 
smiling  supple  Lord  of  the  Treasury, 
and  whipper-in  of  the  Ministry. 
Though  generally  confident  enough, 
on  this  occasion  he  trembled,  frowned, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


497 


and  looker!  infinitely  distressed.  Mr. 
O'Giblvt  chucked  Mm  under  the  chin, 
confidently  and  good-humouredly,  and 
said — "Oh,  murther  and  Irish! 
what's  easier  ? — But  it  lies  in  a  nut- 
shell. If  you  won't  do  it,  I  can't 
swim  ;  and  if  I  can't  you  sink — every 
mother's  son  of  you.  Oh,  come,  come 
— give  me  a  bit  of  a  push  at  this 
pinch." 

' '  That's  what  you've  said  so 
often " 

"Fait,  an'  what  if  I  have?  And 
look  at  the  shoves  I've  given  you," 
said  Mr.  O'Gibbet  with  sufficient 
sternness. 

"  Buta — a — really  we  shall  be  found 
out !  The  House  suspects  already  that 
you  and  we " 

"Bah!  bother!  hubbabo !  Pro- 
pose you  it ;  I  get  up  and  oppose  it— 
vehemently,  do  you  mind  —  an'  the 
blackguards  opposite  will  cany  it  for 
you,  out  of  love  for  me,  ah,  ha  ! — Aisy, 
aisy — softly  say  I !  Isn't  that  the  way 
to  get  along?"  and  Mr.  O'Gibbet 
winked  his  eye. 

Mr.  Flummery,  however,  looked 
unhappy,  and  remained  silent  and 
irresolute. 

"Oh,  my  dear  sir — exporrige  fron- 
tem  !  Get  along  wid  you,  you  know 
it's  for  your  own  good,"  said  Mr. 
O'Gibbet ;  and,  shoving  him  on  good- 
humouredly,  left  the  lobby,  while  Mr. 
Flummery  passed  on,  with  a  forced 
smile,  to  his  seat.  He  remained  com- 
paratively silent,  and  veiy  wretched, 
the  whole  night. 

Two  hours  before  the  House  broke 
up,  but  not  till  after  Lord  Bulfinch 
had  withdrawn,  Mr.  Flummery,  seizing 
his  opportunity,  got  up  to  do  the 
bidding,  and  eventually  fulfilled  the 
prophecy,  of  Mr.  O'Gibbet,  amidst 
bitter  and  incessant  jeers  and  laughter 
from  the  opposition. 

"Another  such  victory  and  we're 
undone,"  said  he,  with  a  furious 
whisper,  soon  afterwards  to  Mr. 
O'Gibbet. 

"Och,  go  to  the  ould  divil  wid 
ye  !  "  replied  Mr.  O'Gibbet,  thrusting 
his  tongue  into  his  cheek,  and  moving 
off. 

Now   Titmouse    had    contrived    to 


overhear  almost  every  word  of  the 
above,  and  had  naturally  formed  a 
prodigious  estimate  of  Mr.  O'Gibbet 
and  his  influence  in  the  highest  quar- 
ters. But  to  proceed. — Within  a  few 
minutes'  time  might  have  been  seen 
Titmouse  and  O'Gibbet  earnestly  con- 
versing together,  remote  from  observa- 
tion, in  one  of  the  passages  leading 
from  the  lobby.  Mr.  O'Gibbet  spoke 
all  the  while  in  a  tone  which  at  onco 
solicited  and  commanded  attention. 
"Sir,  of  course  you  know  you've  not 
a  ghost  of  a  chance  of  keeping  your 
seat  ?  I've  heard  all  about  it.  You'll 
be  beat,  dead  beat ;  will  never  be  aide 
to  sit  in  this  parlimint,  sir,  for  your 
own  borough,  and  be  liable  to  no  end 
o'  penalties  for  bribery,  besides.  Oh, 
my  dear  sir,  how  I  wish  I  had  been 
at  your  elbow !  This  would  never 
have  happened ! " 

"  Oh,  sir  !  'pon  my  soul — I — I  " — 
stammered  Titmouse,  cpuite  thunder- 
struck at  Mr.  O'Gibbet's  words. 

"  Hush — st — hush,\md  your  chatter- 
ing tongue,  sir,  or  we'll  be  overheard, 
and  you'll  be  ruined,"  interrupted  Mr. 
O'Gibbet,  looking  suspiciously  around. 

"I — I — beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but 
I'll  give  up  my  seat.  I'm  most  un- 
common sorry  that  ever — ctrse  me  if 
1  care  about  being  a  mem " 

"Oh!  and  is  that  the  way  you 
spake  of  being  a  mimber  o'  parlimint  ? 
For  shame,  for  shame,  not  to  feel  the 
glory  of  your  position,  sir  !  There's 
millions  o'  gintlemen  envying  you, 
just  now  ! — Sir,  I  see  that  you're  likely 
to  cut  a  figure  in  the  House." 

"  But,  begging  pardon,  sir,  if  it 
costs  such  a  precious  long  figure— why, 
I've  come  down -some  four  or  five 
thousand  pounds  already,"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse, twisting  his  hand  into  his 
hair. 

"An'  what  if  ye  have?  "What's 
that  to  a  gintleman  o'  your  conse- 
quence in  the  country  ?  It's,  more- 
over, only  once  and  for  all ;  only  stick 
in  now — and  you  stay  in  for  seven 
years,  and  come  in  for  nothing  next 
time  ;  and  now — d'ye  hear  me,  sir  ? 
for  time  presses — retire,  and  give  the 
seat  to  a  Tory,  if  you  will — (what's 
the  name  o'  the  blackguard  ?    Oh,  it's 

K  K 


408 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


young  Delamere) — and  have  your  own 
borough  stink  under  your  nose  all  your 
days!  But  can  you  keep  a  secret 
like  a  giutleman  1  Judging  from  your 
app  I  should  i — sir — is 

o?"  Titmouse  placed  Lis  hand 
over  his  be  uiug  heart,  and  with  a 
d  oath  solemnly  declared  that  he 
would  be  "  mum  as  death  ; "  on  which 
Mr.  O'Gibbet  lowered  his  tone  to  a 
faint  whisper  —  "  You'll  distinctly 
understand  I've  nothing  to  do  with  it 
onally,  but  it's  impossible,  sir — 
d'ye  hear '. — to  fight  the  divil  except 
with  his  own  weapons — and  there  are 
too  many  o'  the  enemies  o'  the  people 
in  the  house — a  little  money,  sir — eh  ! 
Aisy,  aisy — softly  say  1  !  Isn't  that 
the  way  to  get  along?"  added  Mr. 
O'Gibbet  with  a  rich  leer,  and  poking 
Titmouse  in  the  ribs. 

"  Ton  my  life  that'll  do — and — and 
— what's  the  figure,  sir?" 

'•Sir,  as  you're  a  young mimber, and 
of  liberal  principles,"  continued  Mr. 
(  h  ribbet,  dropping  his  tone  still  lower, 
three  thousand  pounds — — "  Titan 
started  as  it'  In-  had  been  shot.  "  Mind, 
that  clears  you,  sir,  d'ye  understand'; 
Everything  !  Out  and  out,  no  reserv- 
ation at  all  at  all — divil  a  bit !  " 

"Ton  my  life  I  shall  be  ruined 
between  you  all !  "  gasped  Titmouse 
faintly. 

"  Sir,  you're  not  the  man  I  took  you 
for,"  replied  O'Gibbet,  impatiently  and 
contemptuously.  "Don't  you  see  a 
barleycorn  before  your  nose  '  You'll 
be  lull  after  spending  three  times  the 
money  I  name,  and  be  liable  to  ten 
thousand  pounds  penalties  besides  for 
bribery " 

"  Oh,  'pon  my  lift-,  sir,  as  for  that," 
said  Titmouse  briskly,  but  feeling  sick 
at  heart,  "  I've  no  more  to  do  with  it 
than — my  tiger " 

"Bah  I  you're  a  babby,  I  see!" 
quoth  O'Gibbet  testily.  "  What's  the 
name o' your  man o' bu  in-    \\     there's 

a  minute  tolo  3  our  gr< 

friend  1  mane  to  be,  1  assure  ye— tut, 
what's  his  nan;'-  ?" 

•'.Mr.  Gammon,"  replied  Titmouse 
anxiously. 

"  Let  him,  but,  be  v.  ith  me  at  my 
house   in   Ruffian   Row   by  nine    to- 


morrow merning  to  a  minute  —  and 
alone,"  said  Mr.  O'Gibbet,  with  his 
lip  close  to  Titmouse's  ear — "and  once 
more  d'ye  hear,  sir — a  breath  about 
this  to  any  one,  an'  you're  a  ruined 
man — you're  in  my  poweT  most  com- 
plately!"— with  this  Mr.  O'Gibbet 
and  Mr.  Titmouse  parted — the  former 
having  much  other  similar  busiuess  on 
hand,  and  the  latter  determined  to 
hurry  off  to  Mr.  Gammi  n  forthwith  : 
and  in  fact  he  was  within  the  next 
live  minutes  in  his  cab,  on  his  way  to 
Thavies'  Inn. 

Mr.  Gammon  was  at  Mr.  O'Gibbet's 
(of  whom  he  spoke  to  Titmouse  in  tho 
most  earnest  and  unqualified  terms  of 
admiration)  at  the  appointed  hour : 
and  after  an  hour's  private  conference 
with  him,  they  both  went  off  to  Mr. 
1  lummery'a  official  residence,  in  Pillory 
Place  ;  but  what  passed  there  I  never 
have  been  able  to  ascertain  with  suffi- 
cient accuracy  to  warrant  me  in  laying 
it  before  the  reader. 

When  the  day  for  taking  into  con- 
Bideration  the  Yatton  Petition  had 
arrived — on  a  voice  calling  out  at  tho 
door  of  tho  House,  "Counsel  in  tho 
Yatton  petition!"- — in  walked  forth- 
with eight  learned  gentlemen,  four 
being  of  counsel  for  the  petitioner, 
and  four  for  the  sitting  member — at- 
tended by  their  respective  agents,  who 
stood  b  hind,  whilst  the  counsel  took 
their  seats  at  the  bar  of  a  verycrowded 
and  excited  house ;  for  there  were 
several  committees  to  be  balloted  for 
on  that  day.  The  door  of  the  House 
was  then  locked  ;  and  the  order  of  tho 
day  was  read.     Titmouse  might  have 

been  seen  popping  up  and  down  about 
the  back  ministerial  benches,  like  a 
parched  pea.  On  the  front  Treasury 
bench  sat  Mr.  O'liibbet,  his  hat 
slouched   over  his  fat   fee,   Ins  arms 

folded.     On   the   table   bI 1   Beveral 

glasses,  containing  lit  tie  rolls  of  paper, 
•  &  b  about  two  or  three  inches  1 
and  with  the  name  of  every  membi  r 

the  House  severally  inscribed  on 
thi  m.      Tin  Be  glasses    being    placed 

re  the  Speaker,  the  chile  rose,  and 

g  1  h<  in  out   presented    them  to 

the  Speaker,  who,  opening  each,  read 

out  Bloud  the  name  inscribed,  to  tho 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


4\)0 


House.  Now,  the  object  was,  on  such 
occasions,  to  draw  out  the  names  of 
thirty-three  members  then  present  in 
the  house ;  which  were  afterwards  to 
be  reduced,  by  each  party  alternately 
striking  off  eleven  names,  to  eleven 
— who  were  the  committee  charged 
with  the  trial  of  the  petition.  Now 
the  astute  reader  will  sec  that,  imagin- 
ing the  House  to  be  divided  into  two 
great  classes,  viz.  those  favourable  and 
those  opp>oscd  to  the  petitioner — accord- 
ing to  whose  success  or  failure  a  vote 
was  retained,  lost,  or  gained  to  the 
party — and  as  the  number  of  thirty- 
three  cannot  be  more  nearly  divided 
than  into  seventeen  and  sixteen,  'tis 
said  by  those  experienced  in  such 
matters,  that  in  cases  where  it  ran  so 
close — that  party  invariably  and  neces- 
sarily won  who  drew  the  seventeenth 
name  ;  seeing  that  each  party  having 
eleven  names  of  those  in  his  opponent's 
interest,  to  expunge  out  of  the  thirty- 
three,  he  who  luckily  drew  this  prize 
of  the  seventeenth  man,  was  sure  to 
have  six  good  men  and  true  on  the 
committee  against  the  other's  five. 
And  thus  of  course  it  was,  in  the  case 
of  a  greater  or  less  proportion  of 
favourable  or  adverse  persons  answer- 
ing to  their  names.  So  keenly  was 
all  this  felt  and  appreciated  by  the 
whole  House,  on  these  interesting — 
these  solemn,  these  deliberative,  and 
judicial  occasions  —  that  on  every 
name  being  called,  there  were  sounds 
heard  and  symptoms  witnessed  indica- 
tive of  eager  delight  or  intense  vexa- 
tion. Now,  on  the  present  occasion, 
it  would  at  first  have  appeared  as  if 
some  unfair  advantage  had  been  secured 
by  the  opposition  ;  since  five  of  tJieir 
names  were  called,  to  two  of  those  of 
their  opponents ;  but  then  only  one  of 

Ministerial. 
(1.)  Sir  Simper  Silly. 
(2.)  Noah  No-land. 
(3.)  Phelim  O'Doodle. 
(4.)  Micah  M'Squash. 
(5.)  Sir  Caleb  Calf. 
(6.)  Och  Hubbaboo. 


the  five  answered,  (it  so  happening  that 
the  other  four  were  absent,  disqualified 
as  being  petitioned  against,  or  exempt,) 
while  both  of  the  two  answered  ! — You, 
should  have  seen  the  chagrined  faces, 
and  heard  the  loud  exclamations  of 
"  Ts  !— ts  !  —  ts  I "  on  either  side  of  the 
House,  when  their  own  men's  names 
were  thus  abortively  called  over  ! — the 
delight  visible  on  the  other  side  ! — The 
issue  long  hung  in  suspense ;  and  at 
length  the  scales  were  evenly  poised, 
and  the  House  was  in  a  state  of 
exquisite  anxiety  ;  for  the  next  eligible 
name  answered  to,  would  determine 
which  side  was  to  gain  or  lose  a  seat. 

"Sir  E~ekicl  Tuddington" — cried 
the  Speaker,  amidst  profound  and 
agitated  silence.  He  was  one  of  tha 
opposition — but  answered  not ;  he  was 
absent.  "  Ts !  ts  !  ts!"  cried  the 
opposition. ' 

' '  Gabriel  Grubb" — This  was  a  minis- 
terial man,  who  rose,  and  said  he  was 
serving  on  another  committee.  "  Ts  I 
ts  !  ts  !  "  cried  the  ministerial  side. 

"  Bcnnet  Barleycorn  " — (opposition) 
— petitioned  against.  "  Ts  !  ts  !  ts !  " 
vehemently  cried  the  opposition. 

"Phelim  O'Doodle " 

"  Here  !  "  exclaimed  that  honourable 
member,  spreading  triumph  over  the 
ministerial,  and  dismay  over  the  oppo- 
sition side  of  the  House ;  and  tha 
thirty-three  names  having  been  thus 
called  and  answered  to,  a  loud  buzz 
arose  on  all  sides — of  congratulation  or 
despondency. 

The  fate  of  the  petition,  it  was  said, 
was  alreaely  as  good  as  decided. — The 
parties  having  retired  to  "strike"  the 
committee,  returned  in  about  an  hour's 
time,  and  the  following  members  were 
then  sworn  in,  and  ordered  to  meet 
the  next  morning  at  eleven  o'clock  : — 

Opposition. 
(1.)  Castle  ton  Plume. 
(2.)  Charles  D'Eresby. 
(3.)  Mertin  Mortimer. 
(i.)  Sir  Simon  Alkmond. 
(5.)  Lord  Frederick  Brackcnbury. 


K  K    2 


i03 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


And  the  six,  of  course,  on  their 
i  the  chairman,  who  was 

a  sure  card — to  wit,  Sir  Caleb  Calf, 
Bart. 

Mr.  Delamere'a  counsel  and  agents. 
Iht  with  Mr.  Delamere  himself, 
met  at  consultation  that  evening,  all 
with  the  depressed  air  of  men  who 
are  goiug  on  in  any  undertaking  contra 
spem.  "  Well,  what  think  you  of  our 
committee  1"  enquired  Mr.  Berrington, 
the  eloquent,  acute,  and  experienced 
leading  counsel.  All  present  shrugged 
their  shoulders,  hut  at  length  agreed 
that  even  with  such  a  committee,  their 
oaso  was  an  overpowering  one ;  no 
committee  could  dare  to  shut  their 
eyes  to  such  an  array  of  facts  as  wi  re 
here  collected  ;  the  clearest  case  of 
c  v  made  out  -  Mr.  Berrington  de- 
clared— that  he  had  ever  known  in  all 
his  p  ;  and  eleven  distinct  cases 

of  BRIBERY,  supported  each  by  at  least 
three  unexceptionable  witnesses;  to- 
c  v.  iiii  h  ilf-a-dozen  cases  of 
treating  ;  in  fact,  their  case,  it  was 
admitted,  had  been  most  admira 
gol  up,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Crafty,  (who  was  present,)  and  they 

"Of  course,  they'll  call  for  proof  of 
rev  first,"  ([imth  Mr.  Berrington, 
car:  I  I  mcing  over  his  enormou  i 

brief;  "and  we'll  at  once  fix  this — 
what's  his  name — the  Unitarian  par- 
son, Muff— Muffin." 

ndflint— Smirk  Muullint " 

"  Ah,  ha  I— Weli !—  we'll  begin  with 

hi:n,   and Bloodsuck,   and    <! 

I     b.     Fix  them — the  rest  all  follow, 
they'll  strike,   in   .spite   of  their 
i     omittee —  or  —  egad — we'll  have  a 
shot  at  the  sitting  member  himself." 

By  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning 
tl  committee  and  the  parties  were  in 
at t ■  :  the   room  quite  crowded 

— Bnch  a  quantity  of  Yatton  faces  ! — 
Tie  1         :  airman,  with   his 

1    •    perched  tial   on   his  bushy 

hair,  and  dressed  in  his  ordinary  ex- 
travo  ■  ml  and  absurd  Btyle — his 

•  w<  '1  into  his  eye,  and  his  hands 
i  li     hinder  c  ,  and 

p    t  ii-'  on   hi  ;    hip  . 

member,  M  r.  Titmo'    e  ;  and  aft<  r  the 

'  had      been     gone 


through,  up  rose  Mr.  Berrington,  with 
the  caini,  confident  air  of  a  man  going 
to  open  a  winning  case  ;  and  an  over- 
whelming  case  he  did  open — the  chair- 
man glancing  gloomily  at  the  five 
minis! erials  on  his  light,  and  tlien 
inquisitively  at  the  five  opposition 
members  on  his  left.  The  statement 
of  counsel  was  luminous  and  powerful. 
As  he  went  on,  he  disclosed  almost  as 
minute  and  accurate  a  knowledge  of 
the  movements  of  the  Yellows  at  Yat- 
ton, as  Mr.  Gammon  himself  could 
have  supplied  him  with.  That  gentle- 
man shand  in  the  dismay  felt  around 
him.  'Twos  clear  that  there  hail' been 
infernal  treachery  ;  that  they  were  all 
ruined.  "ByJovel  there's  no  stand- 
ing up  against  this,  unless  wo  break 
them  down  at  the  agency — for  Ber- 
rington don't  overstate  his  cases," 
whispered  Mr.  Granville,  the  Lading 
counsel  for  the  Bitting  member,  to  one 
of  his  juniors,  and  to  Gammon,  who 
sighed,  and  said  nothing.  "With  all 
his  experience  in  the  general  business 
of  his  profession,  he  knew  as  yet  little 
or  nothing  of  what  might  be  expected 
from  a  favourable  election  committee. 
Stronger  and  stronger,  blacker  and 
blacker,  closer  and  closer,  came  out 
the  petitioner's  case.  The  five  oppo- 
sition members  paid  profound  atten- 
tion to  Mr.  Berrington,  and  took  notes ; 
while,  a<  for  the  ministcrials,  one  was 
1  with  his  betting-book,  another 
writing  out  franks,  (in  which  he  dealt,) 
a  third  conning  over  an  attorney's 
letter,  and  two  were  quietly  playing 
tog  ther  at  "  Tit-taUto."  As  wa 
pected,  the  committee  called  peremp- 
torily for  proof  of  aci'.xcy  ;  and  I  will 
say  only,  that  if  Smirk  Mm//' 
Barnabas  Bloodsuclc,  and  Sr/h  Centi- 
pede, were  not  fixed  as  the  "  AGENTS " 
of  the  sitting  member — then  there  is 
no  such  relation  as  that  of  principal 
and  agent  in  rcrum  natura  ;  thero 
never  was  in  this  world  an  agent  that 
had  a  principal,  or  a  principal  that 
had  an  agent. — Tale  only,  for  in- 
e,  the  cose  of  Mudflint.  He  was 
proved  to  have  been  from  Grst  to  last 

act ive  member  of  Mr.  Titmon 
committee  ;  attending  daily,  hourly, 

and   on    hundreds   of  OCCOSMMIS    in    the 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR.' 


501 


presence  of  Mr.  Titmouse — canvassing 
with  him — consulting  him — making 
appointments  with  him  for  calling  on 
voters,  which  appointments  he  in- 
variably kept ;  letters  in  his  hand- 
writing relating  to  the  election,  signed 
some  by  Mr.  Titmouse,  some  by  Mr. 
Gammon  ;  circulars  similarly  signed, 
and  distributed  by  Mudflint,  and  the 
addresses  in  his  handwriting  ;  several 
election  bills  paid  by  him  on  account 
of  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  directions  given  by 
him  and  observed,  as  to  the  bringing 
up  voters  to  the  poll ;  publicans'  bills 
paid  at  the  committee-room,  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Titmouse — and,  in 
short,  many  other  such  acts  as  these 
were  established  against  all  three  of 
the  above  persons.  Such  a  dreadful 
effect  did  all  this  have  upon  Mr. 
Bloodsuck  and  Mr.  Centipede,  that 
they  were  obliged  to  go  out,  in  order 
to  get  a  little  gin  and  water  ;  for  they 
were  indeed  in  a  sort  of  death-sweat. 
As  for  Mudflint,  he  seemed  to  get 
sallower  and  sallower  every  minute  ; 
and  felt  almost  disposed  to  Titter  an 
inward  prayer,  had  he  thought  it 
woidd  have  been  of  the  slightest  use. 
Mr.  Berrington's  witnesses  were  fiercely 
cross-examined,  but  no  material  im- 
pression was  produced  upon  them  ; 
and  when  Mr.  Granville,  on  behalf  of 
the  sitting  member,  confident  and 
voluble,  rose  to  prove  to  the  com- 
mittee that  his  learned  friend's  case 
was  one  of  the  most  trumpery  that 
had  ever  come  before  a  committee — a 
mere  bottle  of  smoke  ; — that  the  three 
gentlemen  in  question  had  been  no 
more  the  agents  of  the  sitting  member 
than  was  he — the  counsel  then  on  his 
legs — the  agent  of  the  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  that  every 
one  of  the  petitioner's  witnesses  was 
unworthy  of  belief — in  fact  perjured — 
how  suddenly  awake  to  the  importance 
of  the  investigation  became  the  minis- 
terialist members  !  They  never  took 
their  eyes  off  Mr.  Granville,  except  to 
take  notes  of  his  pointed,  cogent,  un- 
answerable observations !  He  called 
no  witnesses.  At  length  he  sat  down  ; 
and  strangers  were  ordered  to  with- 
draw— and  'tyas  V(-CH  they  did :  for 
such  an  amazing  uproar  ensued  among 


the  committee,  as  soon  as  the  five 
opposition  members  discovered,  to  their 
astonishment  aud  disgust,  that  there 
was  the  least  doubt  amongst  their  op- 
ponents as  to  the  establishment  of 
agency,  as  would  not,  possibly,  have 
tended  to  raise  that  committee,  as  a 
judicial  body,  in  public  estimation. 
After  an  hour  and  a  half's  absence, 
strangers  were  re-admitted.  Great  was 
the  rush — for  the  fate  of  the  petition 
hung  on  the  decision  to  be  immedi- 
ately pronounced.  As  soon  as  the 
counsel  had  taken  their  seats,  and  the 
eager,  excited  crowd  beea  subdued  into 
something  like  silence,  the  chairman, 
Sir  Caleb  Calf,  with  a  flushed  face, 
and  a  very  uneasy  expression,  read 
from  a  sheet  of  foolscap  paper,  which 
he  held  in  his  hand,  as  follows  : — ■ 

"  Resolved— That  the  Petitioner's 
Counsel  be  directed  to  proceed  with 
evidence  of  agency,"  [i.e.  the  com- 
mit tee  were  of  opinion  that  no  sufficient 
evidence  had  yet  been  given,  to  estab- 
lish Messrs.  Mudflint,  Bloodsuck,  and 
Centipede,  as  the  agents  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, in  the  election  for  Yatton  !  !  !] 
The  five  Opposition  members  sat  with 
stern  indignant  faces,  all  with  their 
backs  turned  towards  the  chairman  ; 
and  nothing  but  a  very  high  tone  of 
feeling,  and  chivalrous  sense  of  their 
position,  as  members  of  a  public  com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Commons, 
prevented  their  repeating  in  public 
their  fierce  protest  against  the  mon- 
strous decision  at  which  the  commit- 
tee, through  the  casting  voice  of  tho 
redoubtable  chairman,  had  arrived. 

Their  decision  was  not  immediately 
understood  or  appreciated  by  tho 
majority  of  those  present.  After  a 
pause  of  some  moments,  and  amidst 
profound  silence — 

"Have  I  rightly  understood  the 
resolution  of  the  committee,  sir,"  en- 
quired Mr.  Berrington,  with  an  amazed 
air,  "that  the  evidence  already  ad- 
duced is  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  tho 
committee,  as  to  the. agency  of  Messrs. 
Mudflint,  Bloodsuck,  and  Centipede  ? " 

"The  committee  meant,  sir,  to 
express  as  much,"  replied  the  chairman 
drily,  and  he  sealed  a  letter  with 
affected  indifference  :  affected,  indeed  1 


502 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


the  letteT  being  one-  addressed  to  a 
friend,  to  desire  him  forthwith  to  take 
a  hostile  message  on  his — the  chair- 
man's— behalf  to  Colonel  D'Eresby, 
one  of  the  committee,  who  had,  doling 
discussion  with  closed  doors, 
spoken  his  mind  pretty  freely  concern  - 
Log  the  conduct  of  the  aforesaid 
chairman, 

"Good  God!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ber- 
rington, (on  receiving  the  chairman's 
answer,)  in  a  tone  of  voice  lond 
enough  to  be  heard  all  over  the  room, 
"neither  would  they  believe  though  one 
■  //:■  '/  ad." 

"  We'd  Letter  strike,"  said  his 
juniors. 

"J  think  so,  too,"  said  Mr.  Berring- 
ton  ;  adding,  as  he  turned  towards  the 
committee  with  an  air  of  undisguised 

gust,  "I  protest,  sir,  that  never  in 
the  whole  course  of  my  experience  bo- 
fore  election  committees,  have  I  been 
so  astounded  as  I  am  at  the  decision  to 
which  the  committee  has  just  come. 
Probably,  under  these  circumstam 
the  committee  will  he  pleased  to 
adjourn  till  the  morning,  to  give  us  an 
opportunity  of  considering  the  course 
we  will  pursue."  (This  produced  a 
grca!  ion.) 

"Certainly,  let  it  he  so,"  replied 
the  chairman  blandly,  yet  anxiou  Ij 
and  the  committee  broke  up.  Before 
they  met  again,  three  shots  a-p 
had  been  exi  hanged  between  the 
chairman  and  Colonel  D'Eresby — 
"happily  without  effect,"  and  the 
parties  left  the  ground  in  as  hi 

pirit  as  they  had  reached  it.  1 
will  say  for  the  Colonel,  that  he 
was  a  plain,  straight-forward  Boldier, 
who  did  not  understand  nonsense,  nor 
could  tolerate  coquetting  with  an  oath. 

"Of  course  the  petition  is  dropped  1" 
said  Mr.  Berrington  bitterly,  as  soon 
asall  were  assembled  in  the  evening, 
in  coi    altation  at  his  chambers. 

"01  conn  ,"  was  the  answer,  in  a 
sufli<  i'  ntly  mi  lancholy  tone. 

"So  help  me  Heaven ! "  said  Mr. 
■  .ii,  "  I   feel  i  [to  say  I 

will  never  appear  again  before  a  com- 
mittee.    This  sort  of  thing  canni 
on  much  longer  I   To  think  thai  every 
man  of  that  committee  is  sworn  before 


God  to  do  his  duty  !  I'll  take  care  to 
strike  every  one  of  those  six  men  off 
from  any  future  list  that  1  may  have 
to  do  with  1 " 

"I  can  say  only,"  remarked  the 
second  counsel,  a  calm  and  experienced 
lawyer,  "  that,  in  my  opinion,  had  all 
of  us  sat  down  to  frame,  beforehand, 
a  perfect  case  of  agency — with  facts  at 
will — we  could  never  have  framed 
one  stronger  than  the  ono  to-day 
declared  insufficient." 

"I  have  been  in  seven  other  peti- 
tions," said  Mr.  Berrington,  "thisvery 
week;  but  there  the  sitting  members 
Tories:  Gracious  Heaven  !  what 
facts  have  been  there  held  sufficient 
proof  of  agency  ! — The  Barnard  ( 'astls 
committee  yesterday,  held  that,  to  have 
been  seen  once  shaking  hands  in  a 
pastrycook's  shop  with  the  sitting 
member,  was  sufficient  evidence  of 
agency — and  we've  lost  the  seat!  In 
the  Cucumber  Committee,  a  man  who 
liance  stood  once  under  a  doorway 
with  the  sitting  member,  in  a  sudden 
shower  of  rain — was  held  thereby  to 
have  become  his  agent  ;  and  we  there 
also  lost  the  seat  ! — Faugh  !  what 
would  foreigners  say  if  they  heard 
such  things  ? " 

"It's  perhaps  hardly  worth  mention- 
ing," said  Mr.  Parkinson;  "hut  this 
rnoon  I  happened  to  see  Mr. 
O'Gibbet  dining  with  Mr.  O'Doodle, 
Mr.  Hubbaboo,  and  Mr.  M 'Squash,  off 
pork  and  gn  ens,  at  the  dolly  Thievi  s' 

Tavern,  in  Dodge  Street I  —  I  — 

they  were  talking  together  Very 
eagerly " 

"The  less  we  say  about  tluxt  tho 
better,"  replied  Mr.  Berrington;  "I 

have  not  had  my  eyes  shut,  I  can  tell 
you!  It's  a  haul  case,  Mr.  Crafty; 
but  after  all  your  pains,  and  the  dread- 
ful expense  incurred,  it's  neveitheless 
quite  farcical  to  think  of  going  on  with 
a  committee  like  this " 

"  Of  i  ourse  the  petition  is  abandon- 
ed," replied  Crafty. 

The  next  morning  they  again  ap- 
peared before  the  committee. 

"  I  h  i\  e  to  inforn  tho  commit  tee," 
commenced  Mr.  Berrington,  with  suf« 
lii  i  nt  sternness,  "  that  my  learned 
friends  and  I,  who  had,  in  our  ignor* 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


503 


ance  and  inexperience,  imagined,  till 
yesterday,  that  the  evidence  we  then 
opened  was  ten  times  more  than  suf- 
ficient to  establish  agency  before  any 
legal  tribunal " 

"Counsel  will  be  pleased  to  moder- 
ate their  excitement,  and  to  treat  the 
committee  with  due  respect,"  inter- 
rupted the  chairman  warmly,  and 
reddening  as  he  spoke ;  while  the 
ministerial  members  looked  very 
fiercely  at  Mr.  Berrington,  and  one  or 
two  placed  their  arms  a-kimbo. 

— "  have  come  to  the  determination 
to  withdraw  the  petitioner's  case  from 
before  the  committee  ;  as,  under  ex- 
isting circumstances,  it  would  be  ut- 
terly absurd  to  attempt " 

"Fait,  sir,  an'  you're  mighty  in- 
dacent — ye  are — an'  you'd  better  keep 
a  civil  tongue  in  your  head,"  said  Mr. 
O'Doodle  fiercely,  and  with  an  insolent 
look  at  Mr.  Berrington. 

"Sir,"  said  the  latter,  addressing 
Mr.  O'Doodle  with  a  bitter  smile — 
"as  it  is  possible  to  stand  where  I  do 
without  ceasing  to  be  a  gentleman,  so 
it  is  possible  to  sit  there — without 
becoming  one." 

"  Sir — -Misther  Chairman — I'll  only 
just  ask  you,  sir — isn't  that  a  brache 
of  privelige " 

' '  Oh,  be  aisy — aisy  wid  ye — and 
isn't  he  hired  to  say  all  this  ? "  whis- 
pered Mr.  Hubbaboo  ;  and  the  indig- 
nant senator  sat  down. 

"The  petition  is  withdrawn,  sir," 
said  Mr.  Berrington  calmly. 

"Then,"  subjoined  his  oppo7ient,  as 
quietly  rising  as  his  learned  friend 
had  sat  down,  "I  respectfully  apply 
to  the  committee  to  vote  it  Frivolous 
and  vexatious." 

"Possibly  the  committee  will  pause 
before  going  that  length,"  said  Mr. 
Berrington  very  gravely  ;  but  ho  was 
mistaken.  Strangers  were  ordered  to 
withdraw  ;  and,  on  their  re-admission, 
the  chairman  read  the  resolution  of 
the  committee,  that  "Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, Esq.,  had  been  and  was  duly 
eltcted  to  serve  for  the  borough  of 
Yatton  ;  and  that  the  petition  against 
his  return  was  Frivolous  and  Vex- 
atious : "  by  which  decision,  all  the 
Costs   and  expenses   incurred   by  Mr. 


Titmouse  were  thrown  upon  his  op- 
ponent Mr.  Delamere — a  just  penalty 
for  his  wanton  and  presumptuous  at- 
tempt. This  decision  was  welcomed 
by  the  crowd  in  the  committee-room 
with  clapping  of  hands,  stamping  of 
feet,  and  cheering. — Such  was  the  fate 
of  the  Yatton  Petition.  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, on  entering  the  House  that 
evening,  was  received  with  loud  cheers 
from  the  ministerial  benches :  and 
within  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  Lord 
Frederick  Brackenbury,  to  give  tho 
House  and  the  public  an  idea  of  tho 
importaut  service  performed  by  tho 
committee,  rose  and  moved  that  tho 
evidence  should  be  printed — which  was 
ordered. 

The  next  day  a  very  distinguished 
patriot  gathered  some  of  the  1  dooming 
fruit  of  the  Bill  for  giving  Everybody 
Everything— {not  for  himself  person- 
ally, however,  but  as  a  trustee  for  the 
public;)  so,  at  least,  I  should  infer 
from  the  following  fact,  that  whereas, 
in  the  morning,  his  balance  at  his 
banker's  was  exactly  £3  10s.  7id. — 
by  the  afternoon,  it  was  suddenly 
augmented  to  £3003  10s.  7£d.— 
shortly  expressed  thus  : — 

"  £3  :  10  :  7|  +  £3000  =  £3003  : 
10:  7h-" 

Thus  might  my  friend  Titmouse 
exclaim,  "Out  of  this  nettle  danger 
I've  plucked  the  flower  safety!" 
'Twas,  indeed,  fortunate  for  tho 
country,  that  such,  and  so  early,  had 
been  the  termination  of  the  contest 
for  the  representation  of  Yatton ;  for 
it  enabled  Mr.  Titmouse  at  once  to 
enter,  with  all  the  energy  belonging 
to  his  character,  upon  the  discharge  of 
his  legislatorial  functions.  The  very 
next  day  after  his  own  seat  had  been 
secured  to  him  by  the  decision  of  the 
committee,  he  was  balloted  for,  and 
chosen  one  of  the  members  of  a  com- 
mittee of  which  Swindle  O'Gibbet, 
Esquire,  was  chairman,  for  trying  the 
validity  of  the  return  of  two  Tory 
impostors  for  an  Irish  county.  So 
marvellously  quick  an  insight  into  the 
merits  of  the  case  did  he  and  his 
brethren  in  the  committee  obtain,  that 
they  intimated,  on  the  conclusion  of 
the  petitioner's  counsel's  opening  ad- 


504 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


dress,  that  it  would  he  quite  super- 
fluous for  him  to  call  witnesses  in 
support  of  a  >t  itement  of  fact?,  which 
it  was  presumed  the  sitting  members 
could  Dot  think  of  a  iriously  contesting. 
Against  this,  the  sitting  m 
counsel  rem  I  with  indignant 

on  which  the  committee 
thought  it  best  to  let  him  take  his 
own  (■ours-,  which  would  entail  its 
own  consequences  ;  viz.  that  the  op- 
position tilth.-  petition  would  be  voted 
frivolous  and  vexatious.  A  vast  deal 
of  evidence  was  thru  adduced,  after 
which,  as  might  have  been  expected, 
the  commit  tc  reported  to  the  House, 
that  Lord  Beverly  de  Wynston  (who 
owned  half  the  county  for  which  he 
had  presumed  to  stand)  and  Sir  Harry 
Eddington  (who  owned  pretty  nearly 
the  other  half),  both  resident  in  the 
county,  had  been  unduly  returned ; 
that  two  most  rcspectaMe  gentlemen, 
Mr.  O'Shirtless  and  Mr.  O'Toddy, 
(the  one  a  discarded  attorney's  clerk, 
and  the  other  an  insolvent  publican, 
neither  of  whom  had  ever  been  in  the 
county  till  the  time  of  the  election,) 
OUghf  to  have  been  returned  ;  and  the 
clerk  of  the  House  was  to  amend  the 
return  accordingly  ;  and  that  the  op- 
tion to  the  petition  had  been 
frivolous  and  vexatious  :  which  last 
was  an  ingenious  and  happy  device  for 
making  the  Peer  and  Baronet  pay  the 
ssrs.  O'Shirtless  and 
O'Toddy's  election  I  Mr.  Titmouse 
after  this  formed  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  two  gentlemen,  whom, 
infinitely  to  their  own  astonishment, 
he  had  helped  to  seat  for  the  county, 
ami  who  had  many  qualities  kindred 
to  his  own,  principally  in  the  matter  of 
dress  and  drink.  Very  shortly  after- 
1 1  elected  one  of  a  com- 
mittee to  i  nquire  into  the  state  of  the 
itiou  of  the  Usury  Laws,  and 
another,  of  a  still  more  important 
character — viz.  to  enquir.-  into  the 
of  our  relations  with  foreign 
powers,  with  reference  to  free  h 

rmani  at  <a    of 

peace.     Tbj  f  •  ontinued  sitl  n  r  for  a 

month,  and  thus  stated    I  'ems 

airy. 'in  i 

in  tie  irj  "  Th  ■.' 


tho  only  effectual  mode  of  securing 
permanently  tho  goodwill  of  foreign 
powers,  was  by  removing  all  restric- 
tions upon  their  imports  into  this 
country,  and  imposing  prohibitory 
duties  upon  our  exports  into  theirs; 
at  the  same  time  reducing  our  naval 
and  military  establishments  to  a  point 
which  should  never  thereafter  occasion 
uneasiness  to  any  foreign  power.  And 
that  any  loss  of  revenue  occasioned  by 
the  adoption  of  the  former  suggestion, 
would  bo  compensated  for  by  the  sav- 
ing of  expenditure  effected  by  carrying 
into  effect  the  latter."  He  also  served 
on  one  or  two  private  committees,  at- 
tended by  counsel.  In  tho  course  of 
their  enquiries  many  very  difficult  and 
complicated  questions  arose,  which 
called  forth  great  ability  on  the  part 
of  counsel.  On  one  occasion,  in  par- 
ticular, I  recollect  that  Mr.  Dbpth, 
one  of  the  most  dexterous  and  subtle 
reasoners  to  be  found  at  the  English 
bar,  having  started  the  great  question 
really  at  issue  between  the  parties, 
addressed  a  long  and  most  masterly 
argument  to  the  committee.  Ho 
found  himself,  after  some  time,  mak- 
ing rapid  way  with  them  ;  and,  in 
particular,  there  were  indications  that 
he  had  at  length  powerfully  arrested 
the  attention  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  who, 
his  chin  resting  on  his  open  hand,  and 
his  elbow  on  the  t  ible,  leaned  forward 
towards  Mr.  Depth,  on  whom  he  fixed 
his  eye.  apparently  with  deep  attention. 
How  mistaken,  however,  was  Depth  1 
Titmouse  was  thinking  all  the  while 
of  two  very  different  matters ;  viz. 
whether  he  could  possibly  sit  it  out 
without  a  bottle,  of  soda-water,  labour- 
ing, as  he  was,  under  the  sickening 
effects  of  excessive  potations  over- 
night] and  also  whether  his  favourite 
little  terrier,  Titty,  would  win  or  lose  in 
acounter  on  the  morrow  with  fifty 
rats — that  being  the  number  whi  h 
.Mr.  Titmouse  had  bet  three  to  one  she 

WOUM     kill     ill     three     minutes'     tune. 

The  decision  to  which  that  committee 

might    come,    would    affect    interests 

to    the   amount  of  nearly  a   million 

.  and  might  or  might  not  oo» 

in  a  monstrous  invasion  of  vested 

■    I 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


505 


Ho  still  continued  to  occupy  his 
vciy  handsomo  apartments  at  the 
Albany.  You  might  generally  have 
seen  him,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  (or  say  twelve,  when  his 
attendance  was  not  required  upon 
committees,)  reclining  on  his  sofa, 
enveloped  in  a  yellow  figured  satin 
dressing-gown,  smoking  an  enormous 
hookah  ;  with  a  little  table  before  him, 
with  a  decanter  of  gin,  cold  water, 
and  a  tumbler  or  two  upon  it.  On  a 
large  round  table  near  him  lay  a  great 
number  of  dinner  and  evening  cards, 
notes,  letters,  public  and  private, 
vote-papers,  and  Parliamentary  re- 
ports. Beside  hint,  on  the  sofa,  lay 
the  last  number  of  the  Sunday  Flash 
— to  which,  and  to  the  Newgate 
Calendar,  his  reading  was,  in  fact, 
almost  entirely  confined.  Over  his 
mantelpiece  was  a  large  hideous  oil- 
painting  of  two  brawny  and  half-naked 
ruffians,  in  boxing  attitude  ;  opposite 
was  a  very  large  picture  (for  which  he 
had  given  seventy  guineas)  of  Lord 
Scaramouch's  dog  Nestor,  in  his 
famous  encounter  with  two  hundred 
rats,  which  he  killed  in  the  astonish- 
ingly short  space  of  seven  minutes  and 
hi  teen  seconds.  Opposite  to  the  door, 
however,  was  the  great  point  of  at- 
traction ;  viz.  a  full-length  portrait  of 
Titmouse  himself.  His  neck  was  bare, 
his  ample  shirt-collars  being  thrown 
down  over  his  shoulders,  and  his  face 
looking  upwards.  The  artist  had 
laboured  hard  to  give  it  that  fine  in- 
dignant expression  with  which,  in 
pictures  of  men  of  genius,  they  are 
generally  represented  as  looking  up 
towards  the  moon  ;  but  nature  was  too 
strong  for  him — his  eye  too  accurate, 
and  his  brush  too  obedient  to  his  eye  ; 
so  that  the  only  expression  he  could 
bring  out,  was  one  of  innocent  and 
stupid  wonder.  A  rich  green  mantle 
enveloped  Titmouse's  figure  ;  and 
amidst  its  picturesque  folds,  was 
visible  his  left  hand,  holding  them 
together,  and  with  a  glittering  ring  on 
the  first  and  last  fingers.  In  one 
corner  of  the  room,  on  a  table,  were  a 
pair  of  foils  ;  and  on  the  ground  near 
them,  three  or  four  pairs  of  boxing 
gloves.     On  another  table  lay  a  guitar 


— on  another  a  violin ;  on  both  of 
which  delightful  instruments  he  was" 
taking  almost  daily  lessons.  Though  tho 
room  was  both  elegantty  and  expen- 
sively furnished,  (according  to  the 
taste  of  its  former  occupant,)  it  was 
now  redolent — as  were  Mr.  Titmouse's 
clothes  —  of  the  odours  of  tobacco- 
smoke  and  gin  and  water.  Here  it 
was  that  Mr.  Titmouse  would  often 
spend  hour  after  hour  boxing  with 
Billy  Bully,  the  celebrated  prize-fighter 
and  pickpocket ;  or,  when  somewhat 
far  gone  in  liquor,  playing  cribbage  or 
put  with  his  valet — an  artful,  impudent 
fellow,  who  had  gained  influence  over 
him. 

As  for  the  House — Modesty  (tho 
twin-sister  of  Merit)  kept  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse for  a  long  time  very  quiet  there. 
He  saw  the  necessity  of  attentively 
watching  everything  that  passed 
around  him,  in  order  to  become  prac- 
tically familiar  with  the  routine  of 
business,  before  he  ventured  to  step 
forward  into  action,  and  distinguish 
himself.  He  had  not  been  long,  how- 
ever, thus  prudently  occupied,  when 
an  occasion  presented  itself,  of  which 
he  availed  himself  with  all  the  bold 
felicitous  promptitude  of  genius  — 
whose  prime  distinguishing  character- 
istic is  the  successful  seizure  of  oppor- 
tunity. He  suddenly  saw  that  he 
should  be  able  to  bring  into  play  an 
early  accomplishment  of  his  —  an 
accomplishment  of  which,  when  acquir- 
ing it,  how  little  he  dreamed  of  the 
signal  uses  to  which  it  might  be  after- 
wards turned !  The  great  Lord  Coko 
hath  somewhere  said  to  the  legal 
student,  that  there  is  no  kind  or  de- 
gree of  knowledge  whatsoever,  so 
apparently  vain  and  useless  that  it 
shall  not,  if  remembered,  at  one  time 
or  other  serve  his  purpose.  Thus  it 
seemed  about  to  be  with  Mr.  Titmouse, 
to  whom  it  chanced  in  this  wise.  In 
early  life,  while  following  the  humble 
calling  in  which  he  was  occupied  when 
first  presented  to  the  reader,  he  used 
to  amuse  himself,  in  his  long  journeys 
about  the  streets,  with  bundle  and 
yard-measure  under  his  arm,  by  imi- 
tating the  cries  of  cats,  the  crowing  of 
cocks,  the  sqeakingof  pigs,  the  bray- 


DOG 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


ing  of  donkeys,  and  the  yelping  of 
curs  ;  in  which  matters  he  became  at 
length  so  great  a  proficient,  as  to 
attract  the  admiring  attention  of 
rs-by,  and  to  afford  great  amuse- 
it  to  the  circles  in  which  he  visited. 
There  is  probably  no  man  living, 
though  ever  so  gnat  a  fool,  that  can- 
not do  i  or  other  well;  anil 
Titmouse  I  came  a  surprising  pro- 
ficient in  the  arts  I  haw  alluded  to. 
He  could  imitate  a  bluc-lott'e  fiy  buz- 
zing about  the  window,  anil,  lighting 
upon  it,  abruptly  cease  its  little  noise, 
und  anon  flying  off  again,  as  suddenly 
resume  it;  —  a  chicken,  peering  and 
picking  its  way  cautiously  among  the 
growing  cabbages ; — a  cat,  at  mid- 
night on  the  moonlit  tiles,  pouring 
forth  the  sorrows  of  her  heart  on 
account  of  the  absence  of  her  incon- 
stant mate; — acock,  suddenly  waking 
out  of  some  horrid  dream — it  might 
be  the  nightman — and,  in  the  ecstasy 
of  its  fright,  crowing  as  though  it 
would  split  at  once  its  throat  and 
heart,  alarming  all  mankind  ; — a  little 
cur,  yelping  with  mingled  fear  and 
fury,  at  the  same  time,  as  it  were, 
advancing  backwards,  in  view  of  a 
fiendish  tom-cat,  with  high-curved 
back,  flaming  eyes,  and  spitting  fury. 
I  only  wish  you  had  heard  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse on  these  occasions;  it  mi 
perhaps,  even  have  reminded  j'ou  of 
the  observation  of  Doctor  Johnson, 
that  genius  is  great  natural  powers 
Mt ally  direct  d. 
Now  there  was,  on  a  certain  night, 
about  three  months  after  Titmo 
had  been  in  the  House,  a  kind  of 
pi  .In  '1  battle  between  the  Ministry 
and  their  formidable  opponents;  in 
which  the  speakers  on  each  fide  did 
t  to  1 1"\ '■  [and  in  the  opinion 
of  mi  ny,  t  uc  I  that  their  oppo- 
nents ;    i. 

of    public    and 
private  i  irtue  ;  unfit  to  govern  ;  and 

WlY. 

try,  which  afori     i  1  <  ounl  ry  v.  a  in- 
d<  •  d  in  happy  p!i  hi  in  pi 
Pai  li.iin'iit  unanimous  in  one  thii 
1      t — viz.  its  ow  ii  woi  i  Id.     i  '     .    Mv 
Lord   Bulfim  b  rose  late  on  the  third 

6VI  Ding  of  the  debate — UOVei  had  be,  n 


seen  so  full  a  House  during  the  session 
— and  in  a  long  and  able  speech  con- 
tended, (first,)  that  the  opposite  side 
were  selfish,  ignorant,  and  dishonest ; 
and  (secondly)  that  Ministers  bad  only 
imitated  their  example.  He  was  vehe- 
mently cheered  from  time  to  time,  and 
8  it  down  amidst  a  tempest  of  applause. 
Up  then  rose  the  ex-minister  and 
leader  of  the  opposition,  and  in  a  very 
few  moments  there  was  scarce  a  sound 
to  be  heard,  except  that  of  the  deli- 
cious voice — at  once  clear,  harmonious, 
distinct  in  utterance,  and"  varied  in 
intonation — of  incomparably  the  finest 
Parliamentary  orator  of  the  day,  Air. 
Vivid.  The  hearts  of  those  around 
him,  who  centred  all  their  hopes  in 
him,  beat  with  anxious  pride.  Ho 
had  a  noble  cast  of  countenance — a 
brilliant  eye — strongly  marked  and 
most  expressive  features—  a  comma;  d- 
ing  figure — a  graceful  and  winning 
address.  His  language,  accurate,  re- 
l,  copious,  and  vigorous,  every 
word  he  uttered,  told.  His  illustra- 
tions were  as  rich  and  apt  as  his  reason- 
ings were  close  and  cogent;  and  his 
powers  of  ridicule  were  unrivalled.  On 
the  present  occasion  he  was  thoroughly 
roused,  and  put  forth  all  his  powers: 
lie  and  Lord  Bulfinch  had  been  wait- 
ing for  each  other  during  the  whole 
debate  ;  but  Mr.  Vivid  had  at  length 
secured  the  reply,  and  truly  regarded 
himself  as  the  mouthpiece  of  a  great 
and  grievously  slandered  party  in  the 
state,  whom  he  had  risen  to  vindii 
from  the  elaborate  and  envenomed 
aspersions  of  Lord  Bulfinch,  who  sat, 
speedily  pierced  through  and  throe  b 
villi  the  arrows  of  poignant  sire.: 
amidst  the  loud  laughter  of  even  his 

ou  n  side,  so  ii  vras  the  humour 

of  tl.e  speaki  r.     Even  Mr.  <  I'Gibbet, 
who  had  been  from  time  to  time  ex- 

ing,  h  ill"  aloi  d,  to  tho  a  arc 
—  "0,  h,    the    pitiful    fel.'owl     The 
stupid  ha  tel     Nivir  mind  him — divil 
a  word,    my  lord!"— was  at   hi 
subdued    into    sili  uce.     In   fact,    tho 
v.  bole  I  Ins  e  v    ;  rushing  along  with 

the  rapid,   brilliant,  and  impassioned 
1  '  r.     Every  now  and  then  vehe- 

I    slid    tUmultUOUS  eheerii  g   Would 

burst  forth    from    tho    opposition    as 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


507 


from  one  man,  answered  by  as  vehe- 
ment and  determined  cheering  from 
the  ministerial  benches  ;  but  you  could 
not  fail  to  observe  an  anxious  and 
alarmed  expression  stealing  over  the 
faces  of  Lord  Bulfinch's  supporters. 
His  lordship  sat  immovably,  with  his 
arms  folded,  and  eyes  fixed  on  his 
opponent,  and  a  bitter  smile  on  his 
face,  glancing  frequently,  however, 
with  increasing  anxiety  towards  Mr. 
O'Squeal,  the  only  "great  gun"  he 
had  left — that  gentleman  having  un- 
dertaken (infelix  pxicr,  atquc  impar 
congresses  Achilli !)  to  reply  to  Mr. 
Vivid.  Poor  Mr.  O'Squeal  himself 
looked  pale  and  dispirited,  and  would 
probably  have  given  up  all  his  little 
prospects  to  be  able  to  sneak  away 
from  the  post  he  had  so  eagerly  occu- 
pied, and  devolve  upon  others  the 
responsibility  of  replying  to  a  speech 
looming  more  and  more  dreadfully 
upon  his  trembling  faculties  every 
moment,  as  infinitely  more  formidable 
in  all  points  of  view  than  anything  he 
had  anticipated.  The  speech  must 
electrify  the  public,  even  as  it  was 
then  electrifying  the  House.  He  held 
a  sheet  of  paper  in  one  hand,  resting 
on  his  knee,  and  a  pen  in  the  other, 
with  which  he  incessantly  took  notes 
— only  to  disguise  his  fright ;  for  his 
mind  went  not  with  his  pen — all  he 
heard  was  above  and  beyond  him  ;  he 
might  as  well  think  of  whistling  down 
a  whirlwind  ;  yet  there  was  no  escape 
for  him.  Was  the  uneasy  eye  of  Lord 
Bulfinch,  more  and  more  frequently 
directed  towards  him,  calculated  to 
calm  or  encourage  him  ?  or  the  sight 
of  the  adroit,  sarcastic,  and  brilliant 
debater  sitting  opposite,  who  had  his 
eye  on  Mr.  O'Squeal,  and  was  evidently 
to  rise  and  reply  to  him  ?  Mr.  O'Squeal 
began  to  feel  cold  as  death,  and  at 
length  burst  into  a  chilly  perspiration. 
After  a  two  hours'  speech,  of  uncom- 
mon power  and  brilliance,  Mr.  Vivid 
wound  up  with  a  rapid  and  striking 
recapitulation  of  the  leading  points  of 
his  policy  when  in  power,  which,  he 
contended,  were  in  triumphant  con- 
trast with  those  of  his  successors,  which 
were  wavering,  inconsistent,  perilous 
to  every  national  interest,  and  in  des- 


picable subservience  to  tho  vilest  and 
lowest  impulses.  "And  now,  sir," 
said  Mr.  Vivid,  turning  to  the  Speaker, 
and  then  directing  a  bold  and  indig- 
nant glance  of  defiance  at  Lord  Bul- 
finch— "does  the  noble  lord  opposite 
talk  of  impeachment !  I  ask  him  in. 
the  face  of  this  House,  and  of  the 
whole  country,  whose  eyes  are  fixed 
upon  it  with  anxiety  and  agitation — 
will  he  presume  to  repeat  his  threat  ? 
or  will  any  one  on  his  behalf?" — 
— (turning  a  glance  of  withering  scorn 
towards  Mr.  O'Squeal) — •"  Sir,  1  pause 
for  a  reply  !  " — And  he  did — several 
seconds  elapsing  in  dead  silence,  whick 
was  presently,  however,  broken  in  a 
manner  that  was  perfectly  unprece- 
dented, and  most  astounding.  'Twas 
a  reply  to  his  question  ;  but  such  as, 
had  he  anticipated  it,  he  would  never 
have  put  the  question,  or  paused  for 
its  answer. 

"  Cock  -  a  -  doodle-do-o-o-o  I"  issued, 
with  inimitable  fidelity  of  tone  and 
manner,  from  immediately  behind  Lord 
Bulfinch,  who  started  from  his  seat  as 
if  he  had  been  shot.  Every  one 
started  ;  Mr.  Vivid  recoiled  a  pace  or 
two  from  the  table — and  then  a  uni- 
versal peal  of  laughter  echoed  from  all 
quarters  of  the  House,  not  excepting 
even  the  strangers'  gallery.  Tho 
Speaker  was  convulsed,  and  could  not 
rise  to  call  "order."  Lord  Bulfinch 
laughed  himself  almost  into  fits  ;  even 
those  immediately  behind  Mr.  Vivid 
were  giving  way  to  uncontrollable 
laughter,  at  so  comical  and  monstrous 
an  issue.  He  himself  tried  for  a  mo- 
ment to  join  in  the  laugh,  but  in  vain  ; 
he  was  terribly  disconcerted  and  con- 
founded. This  frightful  and  disgusting 
incident  had  done  away  with  the  efi'ect 
of  his  whole  speech ;  and  in  twenty- 
four  hours'  time,  the  occurrence  would 
be  exciting  laughter  and  derision  in 
every  corner  of  the  kingdom. 

"Order!  order!  order!"  cried  the 
Speaker,  his  face  red  and  swollen  with 
scarce  subdued  laughter.  Several  times 
Mr.  Vivid  attempted  to  resume,  only, 
however,  occasioning  renewed  laughter. 
Still  he  persevered  ;  and,  with  much 
presence  of  mind,  made  a  pointed  and 
witty  allusion  to  Rome  gaved  by  the 


503 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


cackling  of  a  goose,  in  which  manner 
he  said  the  ministers  hoped  that  oi 
to  he  saved.  Twas,  however,  plainly 
useless ;  and  after  a  moment  i  r  two's 
pause  of  irresolution,  he  yielded  t"  hi 
ate,  with  visible  vexation  abruptly 
concluded  his  observations,  gathered 
hastily  together  his  papers,  ami  re- 
sumed! ;  mi  1  his  hat — a  signal 
for  renewed  laughter  and  triumphanl 
cheering  from  the  ministerial  side  of 
the  House.  Up  then  started  Mr. 
O'Squeal — (as  it  were  under  cover  of 
the  cock) — and,  despite  his  absurd  and 
extravagant  gesticulation,  and  perfectly 
frightful  tone  of  voice,  dashed  boldly 
off  at  one  or  two  of  the  weakest  points 
which  had  been  made  by  his  discom- 

l  adversary,  which  he  dealt  with 
very  dexterously  ;  and  then  threw  up 
a  vast  number  of  rhetorical  fireworks-, 
amidst  the  glitter  and  blaze  of  which 
he  sat  down,  and  was  enthusiastically 
cheered.  'Twas  my  friend  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse that  had  worked  this  wonder, 
and  entirely  ch  tnged  (he  fate  of  the 
Up  rose  Mr.  <  ('Squeal's  dreaded 
opponent — hut  in  vain  ;  he  was  quite 

tfallen;  evidently  in  momentary 
apprehension  of  receiving  an  interrup- 
tion similar  to  that  which  Mr.  Vivid 
had  expi  rienci  d.  He  was  nervous  and 
fidgety— as  well  he  might  be;  and 
would  most  assuredly  have  shared  the 

of  Mr.  Vivid,  but  that  Titmouse 
was  (not  without  great  difficulty)  re- 
strained by  Lord  Bulfinch,  on  the 
ground  that  the  desired  effect  had  been 

duced,  and  would  only  be  imp 
by  a  rep  tition.      The    debate  came 
somewhat  abruptly  to  a  close,  and  the 
opposition  were   beaten  by  a  majority 
of  a  Im, air.  d  and  thirty — which  n 

ed  something  like  a  working 
l        city. 

ippy    occurrence     at     once 
brought  notice,  and 

very  great  favour  with  his  parly; — 
well,  iii'h  ed,  it  mi  jht,  for  he  had 
become  a  mo     |  raxiliary,  and 

added    how    dreaded  and 
detei  ted  he  was  by  theii   oppom 
How  could  it  be  otherwise,  w  il  b  even 
their  lea  kors,  who  could  i 

rwards  venture  on  anything  a 
little  out  of  the  common  way   -a  little 


higher  flight  than  usual  —  being  in 
momentary  apprehension  of  being  sud- 
denly brought  down  by  some  such 
disgusting  and  ludicrous  interruption 
as  the  one  I  have  mentioned,  indicating 
the  effect  which  the  speaker  was  pro- 
ducing upon — a  cat,  a  donkey,  a  cock, 
or  a  puppy  ?  Ah,  me  !  what  a  sheep's 
eye  each  of  them  cast,  as  he  went  on, 
towards  Titmouse  ?  And  if  ever  he 
was  observed  to  be  absent,  tin  re  was  a 
sensible  improvement  in  the  tone  and 
spirit  of  the  opposition  speakers.  The 
ministerial  journals  all  "  vert  he  country 
worked  the  joke  well ;  and  in  their 
Leading  articles  against  any  of  Mr. 
Yivid's  speeches,  would  "sum  up  all 
in  one  memorable  word  — '  cock  -  <i  - 
doodlc-doo ! '  " 

As  is  generally  the  case,  the  signal 
success  of  Mr.  Titmouse  brought 
the  field  a  host  of  imitators  in  the 
House;  and  their  performances,  inferior 
though  they  w.rc,  becoming  marc  and 
more  frequent,  gave  quite  a  new  charac- 
ter to  the  pni'vediugs  of  that  dignified 
deliberative  assembly.  At  length,  how- 
ever, it  was  found  necessary  to  pass  a 
resolution  of  the  House  against  such 
practices,  and  it  was  entered  on  tho 
journals,  that  thenceforth  no  honour- 
able member  should  interrupt  business 
by  whistling,  singing,  or  imitating  the 
sounds  of  animals,  or  making  any  other 
disgusting  noise  whatsoever. 

The  political  importance  thus  ac- 
quired by  J\Iv.  Titmouse — and  which 
he  enjoyed  till  the  passing  of  the  above 
iv  olution,  by  which  it  was  cut  up  root 
and  branch — had  naturally  a  very  ele- 
vating etl'eet  upon  him  ;  as  you  might 
b  ive  perceive. 1,  had  you  only  once  seen 
him  swaggering  along  the  House  to  his 
seat  behind  the  front  Treasury  bench, 
dressed  in  his  usual  style  of  fashion, 
and  with  his  quiz  nek  into 

his    eye.      Mr.    O'Gibbel    invariably 
■    :  '  im  v.  ith  the  utmost  ■  ordin 
would  i  ften,  at  a  pinching  p  irl  of 
ch,  turn  round   •  d 
invoke  bis  powers,  by  the  | ion 

— "  Now,  now.  Titty  !  "  He  dined,  in 
due  course,  with  tho  Speaker  —as  usual, 
'ii  full  court-drei  i;  and,  having gota 
Little  champagne  P. i  his  head,  in  ifted 
[oing  through  Ids  Leading  "imita* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


509 


tions,"  infinitely  to  the  amusement  of 
eome  half  dozen  of  the  guests,  and  all 
the  servants.  His  circle  of  acquaint- 
ance was  extending  every  day ;  ho 
became  a  very  welcome  guest,  as  an 
object  of  real  curiosity.  He  was  not 
a  man,  however,  to  be  always  enjoying 
the  hospitality  of  o'.hers,  without  at 
least  offering  a  return  ;  and  at  ths 
suggestion  of  an  experienced  friend  in 
the  House,  he  commenced  a  series  of 
"  parliamentary  dinners,"  (presumptu- 
ous littla  puppy  !)  at  the  Gliddington 
Hotel.  They  went  off  with  much 
e'elat,  and  were  duly  chronicled  in  the 
daily  journals,  as  thus  : — 

"  On  Saturday,  Mr.  Titmouse,  M.P., 
entertained  (his  third  dinner  given 
this  session)  at  the  Gliddington  Hotel, 
the  following  (amongst  others)  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  House  of 
Commons :  Lord  Nothing  Nowhere, 
Sir  Simper  Silly,  Mr.  Flummery,  Mr. 
O'Gibbet,  Mr.  "Outlaw,  Lord  Beetle, 
Colonel  Quod,  and  a  dozen  others." 

Mr.  Titmouse,  at  length,  thought 
himself  warranted  in  inviting  Lord 
Bultinch  ! — and  the  Speaker  !  ! — and 
Loed  Firebrand,  (the  Foreign  Secre- 
tary';)  all  of  whom,  however,  very 
politely  declined,  pleading  previous 
engagements.  I  can  hardly,  however, 
give  Mr.  Titmouse  the  credit  of  these 
latter  proceedings ;  which  were,  in 
fact,  suggested  to  him,  in  the  first 
instance,  by  two  or  three  young  wags 
in  the  House  ;  who,  barring  a  little 
difference  in  the  way  of  bringing  up, 
were  every  wit  as  great  fools  and  cox- 
combs as  himself,  and  equally  entitled 
to  the  confidence  of  their  favoured 
constituencies  and  of  the  country,  as  so 
calculated  for  the  purpose  of  practical 
legislation,  and  that  remodelling  of  the 
institutions  of  the  country,  upon  which 
the  new  House  of  Commons  seemed 
bent. 

Have  TOtr,  reader,  ever  given  your 
vote  and  interest  to  return  a  Titmouse 
to  Parliament  ? 

Twas  truly  delightful  to  see  the 
tables  of  these  young  gentlemen  groan- 
ing under  daily  accumulations  of  Par- 
liamentary documents,  containing  all 


sorts  of  political  and  statistical  inform- 
ation, collected  and  published  with 
vast  labour  and  expense,  for  the  jairpose 
of  informing  their  powerful  intellects 
upon  the  business  of  the  country,  so 
that  they  might  come  duly  prepared 
to  the  important  discussions  in  the 
House,  on  all  questions  of  domestic 
and  foreign  policy.  As  for  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, he  never  relished  the  idea  of 
perusing  and  studying  these  trouble- 
some and  repulsive  documents — page 
after  page,  filled  with  long  rows  of 
figures,  tables  of  prices,  of  exchanges, 
&c,  reports  of  the  evidence,  verbatim 
et  literatim,  taken  in  question  and 
answer  before  every  committee  that 
sat ;  all  sorts  of  expensive  and  trouble- 
some "returns,"  moved  for  by  any  one 
that  chose  ;  he  rather  contented  him- 
self with  attending  to  what  went  on  in 
the  House ;  and  at  the  close  of  tho 
session,  all  the  documents  in  question 
became  the  perquisite  of  his  valet,  who 
got  a  good  round  sum  for  them  (uncut) 
as  waste  paper. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the 
pleasure  which  my  little  friend  ex- 
perienced, in  dispensing  the  little 
favours  and  courtesies  of  orders  for  tho 
gallery,  and  franks,  to  those  who  ap- 
plied for  them  ;  for  all  his  show  of 
feeling ita  "bore"  to  be  asked.  'Twas 
these  little  matters  which,  as  it  were, 
brought  homo  to  him  a  sense  of  his 
dignity,  and  made  him  feel  the  pos- 
session of  station  and  authority.  I 
know  not  but  that  the  following  appli- 
cation was  more  gratifying  to  him  than 
any  which  he  received  : — 

"T.  Tag-rag's  best  respects  to  T. 
Titmouse,  Esq.  M.P. ,  and  begs  to  say 
how  greatly  he  will  account  ye  favour 
of  obtaining  an  order  to  be  Admitted 
to  the  Gallery  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons for  to-morrow  night,  to  hear  tho 
debate  on  the  Bill  for  Doing  away  with 
the  Nuisance  of  Dustmen's  cries  of  a 
morning. 

""With    Mrs.    T.'s    &     daughter's 
respectful  eompts." 
"T.  Titmouse,  Esq.  M.P." 

On  receiving  this,  Titmouse  looked 
out  for  the  finest  diect  of  glossy  extra- 


510 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAIt. 


superfine  gilt  Bath  post,  Bccnt.nl,  and 
in  a  line  nourishing  hand,  wrote  as 
follows : — 

"  Please  To  Admit  ye  Barer  To  The 
•  iv  of  Th  i  House  of  I  lommons. — 
T.  Tr'r.M.  iuse.  Wednesday,  March  Oth, 
18—." 

But  the  reader,  who  must  have  been 
highly  gratified  by  the  unexpectedly 
rapid  progress  of  Mr.  Titmouse  in 
Parliamentary  life,  will  he,  doubtless, 
as  much  interested  hy  hearing  that 
serresponding  distinction  awaited  him 
in  the  regions  of  science  and  literature  ; 
hifl  pion  «r  thither  heing  one  who  had 
long  enjoyed  a  very  distinguishing 
eminence  ;  successfully  combining  the 
character  and  pursuits  of  scholar  and 
philosopher  with  those  of  a  man  of 
fashion — I  mean  a  Doctor  Diaroltjs 
Gander.  Though  upwards  of  sixty, 
he  found  means  so  effectually  to  dis- 
guise his  ago,  that  ho  would  have 
passed  for  barely  forty.  He  had  him- 
self so  strong  a  predilection  for  dress, 
that  the  moment  his  saw  Titmouse  he 
conceived  a  certain  secret  respect  for 
that  ".tit  I  man  ;  and,  in  fact,  the  two 
dressed  pn  tty  nearly  in  the  same 
style.  The  Doctor  passed  for  a  phi- 
losopher in  society.  He  had  spenl 
most  of  his  days  in  drilling  youth 
in  the  (dements  of  the  mathematics  ; 
of  which  he,  had  the  same  kind  and  de- 
of  knowledge  that  is  possessed  id 
I  i  dish  lit.  ratlin;  hy  an  old  governess 
who  has  spent  her  life  in  going  over 
the  first  part  of  Lindley  Murray's 
English  Grammar  with  children.  Just 
so  much  did  the  Doctor  know  of  the 
scope,  the  object,  the  application  of 
tie-  mathematics.  His  great  distin- 
guishing talent  was,  that  of  rendering 
tin-  most  abstruse  i  nee,  "j  ipular;  " 
— ?'.  e,  utterly  unintelligible  to  those 
who  did  understand  i  aence,  and  very 
exciting  and  cut'  rtaining  to  those  who 
did  not.  II'-  had  a  knack  of  getting 
hold  of  oli  cure  and  starving  men  of 
genius  and  :  tly  avail- 

ing himself  of  their  labours.  lie 
would  pay  them  with  comparative 
liberality  to  write,  in  an  elegant  stj  le, 
•  f  pure  and  mixed  science  ; 
hut  v.lii  n  publi  hed,  the  a  ime  "i 


bolus  Gander  would  appear  npon  the 
title-page  ;  and,  to  enable  the  Doctor 
to  do  this  with  some  comfort  to  his 
conscience,  he  would  actually  copy 
out  the  whole  of  the  manuscript,  i 
make  a  few  alterations  in  it.  But, 
alas!  omnc  quod  tetigit fcedavit ;  and 
it  invariably  happened  that  these  were 
the  very  maculas  pitched  upon,  ex- 
posed, and  ridiculed  hy  reviewers. 
No  man  could  spread  his  small  stock 
over  a  larger  surface  than  Dr.  Gandei  ; 
no  man  he  more  successful  in  ingra- 
tiating himself  with  those  persons  so 
U3eful  to  an  enterprising  empiric — viz. 

.thy  fools.  He  paid  constant  court 
to  Titmouse,  from  the  first  moment 
he  saw  him  ;  and  took  the  liberty  of 
calling — unasked — the  very  next  day, 
at  his  rooms  in  the  Albany.  He  soon 
satisfied  Titmouse  that  he — Gander — 
was  a  great  philosopher,  whom  it  was 
an  advantage  and  a  distinction  to  he 
acquainted  with.  He  took  my  little 
admiring  friend,  for  instance,  to  hear 
him  Gander — deliver  a  lecture  al  the 
Hanover  Square  Rooms,  to  a  crowd  of 
fashionable  ladies  and  old  gentlemen, 
wdio  greatly  applauded  all  he  said, 
upon  a  subject  equally  abstruse,  in- 
teresting,  and   instructive ;    viz.   the 

It  qualities  of  Triangles.  In 
short,  he  paid  anxious  and  successful 
court  to  Titmouse,  and  was  a  very 
frequent  guest  at  his  dinner  table. 
He  gave  Titmouse,  on  one  of  these 
occasions,  an  amazing  account  of  tlio 
distinction  accruing  to  a  member  of 
any  of  tho  great  learned  societies  ; 
and,  in  fact,  quite  inflamed  his  littlo 
imagination  upon  the  subject — sound- 
ing him  as  to  his  wish  to  become  a 
member  of  some  greal  society,  in  com- 
mon with  half  the  dukes,  marquesses, 
earls,  and  barons  in  the  kingdom — in 
particular    his    own   august    kinsman, 

i  no  Earl  of  Dreddlington  him  elf. 

"  Why — a — 'pon  my  soul — "  quoth 
Til  mouse  grinning,  as  be  to83<  d  off  his 
tenth  glass  of  champagne,  with  tho 
bland  and  voluble  doctor — "I — I  — 
shouldn't  much  dislike  a  thingumbob 
or  two  at  the  end  of  my  name — wdiat's 
the  Bgure?" 

"Certainly,  I  myself,  ns  a  zealous 
lover  of    i  Li  nee,  my  dear  sir,  consider 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


511 


by  Jove  ? "  cried  Tit- 
the  devil  do  they  do 


her  honours  always  well  bestowed  on 
those  eminent  in  rank  and  station  ; 
though  they  may  not  have  gone 
through  the  drudgery  of  scientific 
details,  sir,  their  countenance  irradi- 
ates the  pale  cheek  of  unobtrusive 
science " 

"Ya — a — s,  'pon  honour,  it  certainly 
does,"  quoth  Titmouse,  not  exactly, 
however,  comprehending  the  Doctor's 
fine  figure  of  speech. 

"Now,  look  you,  Mr.  Titmouse," 
continued  the  Doctor,  "  the  greatest 
society  in  all  England,  out  and  out,  is 
the  Credulous  Society.  I  happen 
to  have  some  Uetle  influence  there, 
through  which  I  have  been  able,  I  am 
happy  to  say,  to  introduce  several 
noblemen." 

"  Have  you, 
mouse,  "what 
there  ? " 

"  Do,  my  dear  sir  !  They  meet  for 
the  purpose  of — consider  the  distin- 
guished men  that  are  fellows  of  that 
society !  It  was  only  the  other  day 
that  the  Duke  of  Tadcaster  told  me, 
(the  very  day  after  I  had  succeeded  in 
getting  his  Grace  elected,)  that  he 
was  as  proud  of  the  letters  'F.C.S.' 
added  to  his  name,  as  he  was  of  his 
dukedom  ! " 

"  By  Jove ! — No — but — 'pon  honour 
bright — did  he  ?  Can  you  get  me  into 
it  ?  "  enquired  Titmouse  eagerly. 

"I — oh — why — you  see,  my  veiy 
dear  sir,  you're  certainly  rather  young," 
quoth  the  Doctor  gravely,  pausing  and 
rubbing  his  chin;  "if  it  could  be 
managed,  it  would  be  a  splendid  thing 
for  you — eh  ?" 

"  By  jingo,  I  should  think  so  !  " 
replied  Titmouse. 

"  I  think  I've  been  asked  by  at  least 
a  dozen  noblemen  for  my  influence,  but 
I've  not  felt  myself  warranted " 

"Oh,  well !  then  in  course  there's 
an  end  of  it,"  interrupted  Titmouse 
with  an  air  of  disappointment ;  "  and 
curse  me  if  ever  I  cared  a  pin  about 
it  —  I  see  I've  not  the  ghost  of  a 
chance. " 

"I  don't  know  that  either,"  replied 
the  Doctor  musingly.  His  design  had 
been  all  along  to  confer  sufficient  obli- 
gation on  Titmouse,  to  induce  him  to 


lend  the  Doctor  a  sum  of  four  or  fivo 
hundred  pounds,  to  embark  in  somo 
wild  scheme  or  other,  and  also  to 
make  Titmouse  useful  to  him  for  other 
purposes,  from  time  to  time. — "As 
you  are  so  young,  I  am  afraid  it  wi  1 
be  necessary  in  some  sort  of  way  to 
give  you  a  sort  of  scientific  pretension 
— ah,  by  Archimedes  !  but  I  have  it ! 
— I  have  it ! — You  see,  I've  a  treatise 
in  the  press,  and  nearly  ready  for  pub- 
lication, upon  a  particularly  profound 
subject — but,  you'll  understand  me, 
explained  in  a  perfectly  popular  man- 
ner— in  fact,  my  dear  sir,  it  is  a  grand 
discovery  of  my  own,  which  will  in 
future  ages  be  placed  side  by  side  of 
that  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton •" 

"Is  he  a  member  of  it  too?" 
enquired  Titmouse. 

"No,  my  dear  sir!"  quoth  tho 
Doctor,  slightly  staggered:  "not 
bodily ;  but  his  spirit  is  with  us ! 
We  feel  it  influencing  all  our  delibera- 
tions ;  though  he  died  a  quarter  of  a 
century  before  we  were  established  ! 
But  to  return  to  the  discovery  I  was 
mentioning  ;  as  Sir  Isaac  discovered 
the  principle  of  gravitation,  (other- 
wise weight,  or  heaviness,)  so,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  I  have  discovered  tho 
principle  of  lightness  !  " 

"You  don't  say  so  !  Ton  my  life, 
amazing !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Titmouse. 

"And  equally  true,  as  amazing. 
As  soon  as  I  shad  have  indicated  its 
tendencies  and  results,  my  discovery 
will  effect  a  revolution  in  the  existing 
system  of  physical  science." 

' '  Ah  !  that's  what  they  talked  about 
in  the  House  last  night — Revolution, 
Ton  my  soul,  I  don't  like  revolutions 
though  —  Folks  fight-  then  —  eh  ?  " 
exclaimed  Titmouse  uneasily. 

"I  afm  speaking  of  something  quite 
different,  my  dear  Titmouse,"  said  Dr. 
Gander,  with  a  slight  appearance  of 
pique  ;  "but  to  proceed  with  what  I 
had  intended.  Since  I  have  been  sit- 
ting here,  my  dear  sir,  it  has  occurred 
to  me  that  I  have  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity of  evincing  my  sense  of  your 
kindness  towards  me,  and  my  appre- 
ciation of  your  distinguished  position 
— Sir,  I  intend  to  dedicate  my  work 
to  you ! " 


512 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


"  Sir,  you're  amazing  land — most 
uncommon  polity  I  "  quoth  Titmouse, 
who  h;ii  not  the  slightest  notion  of 
what  a  "dedi  ation  "  meant. — Within 
a  week  or  two's  time,  sure  enough 
appeared  a  handi  tavo  'jolume, 

beautifully  printed  and  Bplendidly 
d,  entitled, 

"Researches  into  Physical  Science, 
with  a  view  to  the  Establishment  of  a 
New  Principle — 

LIGHTNESS. 

BY 

Diabolus  Gander,  EsQUIEE, 
LL.D.  ;  F.C.S.  ;  Q.U.A.K.  ;  G.6.S.  ; 
S  crotary  of  the  Empirical  Society ; 
Corresponding  Member  of  the  Leipzic 
Litnaiic  Son'-  ty ;  Vice-Pre.sident  of  the 
Peripatetic  Gastronomic  Association; 
and  Member  of  Seventeen  Philoso- 
phical  and  Literary  Societies  in  Kams- 
chatka,  Madagascar,  Tartary,  and 
Little  Britain;  &e.  kc.  kc." 

And  it  bore  the  following  "  Dedi- 
eation  " — 

"To  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esquire, 

M.P.,  &c.  &c.  kc, 
This  volume  is  respectfully  inscribed, 
by  his  obedienl ,  obliged, 
faithful  humble  servant, 
Diabolus  Gandee." 

The  work  being  vigorously  pushed, 
ami  systematically  puffed  in  all  direc- 
tions, of  course  brought  the  honoured 
name  of  Mr.  Titmouse  a  good  deal  be- 
fore the  scientific  public  ;  and  about 
three  weeks  afterwards  might  have 
been  seen  the  following  "Testimonial," 
suspended  again  I  the  screen  of  the 
of  the  <  Iredulous  Society, 
in  Bupport  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  preten- 
sions to  be  elected  into  it : — 

"Testimonial.-    We,    the    tu 
iws  of   the    Ci:i  di  i 
Sociei  v,    hereby   c  srl  iV    that,    from 
our  persona]  know  Ledge  of  Tittleb  \t 
Titmouse,  E  iqi  ire,  M.P.,  we  believe 
liim  to  b  u  bed 

ace,  and  equally  capa- 
ble and  desirous  of  promoting  its  in- 
ond,   as  such,   desen  Lng  oJ 


being  elected  a  fellow  of  tho  Credulous 
Society. 

"  Dreddlinoton. 

"Tantallan. 

"Wooden  Spoon. 

"  Flimsy  Crotchet. 

"Diabolus  Canih-.u. 

"Periwinkle  Parallelogram. 

"Placed  Noodle." 

The  above  distinguirhed  names  were 
procured  by  Dr.  Gander  ;  and  there- 
upon tho  election  of  Mr.  Titinouso 
became  almost  a  matter  of  certainty — 
especially  as,  on  the  appointed  day, 
Dr.  Gander  procured  the  attendance 
of  some  amiable  old  gehtlemen,  fellows 
of  the  Society,  who  believed  the  Doctor 
to  be  all  he  pretended  to  be.  The 
above  testimonial  having  been  read 
from  the  chair,  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
balloted  for,  and  declared  elected 
unanimously  a  Fellow  of  the  Credulous 
Society.  He  was  prevented  from  at- 
tending on  the  ensuing  meeting  by  a 
great  debate,  and  an  expected  early 
division :  then,  (I  regret  to  say,)  by 
sheer  intoxication  ;  and  again  by  his 
being  unable  to  return  in  time  from 
i  iroydon,  where  he  had  been  attending 
a  grand  prize-fight,  being  the  backer 
of  one  of  the  principal  ruffians,  Billy 
Bully,  his  boxing-master.  On  the 
fourth  evening,  however,  having  dined 
with  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington,  ho 
drove  with  his  lordship  to  the  So- 
ciety's apartments,  was  formally  in- 
troduced, and  solemnly  admitted  ; 
from  which  time — the  proudest  mo- 
ne nt  of  his  life — lie  was  entitled  to 
have  his  name  stand  thus  : — 

"Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq. 
M.P.,  F.C.S." 

— And  Heaven  knows  how  much  higher 
he     might     not     have     immed 
mounted,   in  the  scale  of  social   dis- 
tinction, but  that  he  came  to  a  \ 
sudden  rupture  with  his  "guide,  phi- 
lo  opher,   and    friend,"    I  »r.   I  lander, 
\.  bo,  "ii  at  length  venturing  to  n 
his  long-meditated  application  to  Tit- 
mouse for  a  temporary  Loan,  to  enable 
him,  Dr.  Gander,  to  prosecute  some 
csive  philosophical  experiments— 
[i.e.,  inter  nos,  on  public  credulity}—* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


513 


was' "unhesitatingly  refused  by  Tit- 
mouse ;  who,  on  being  pressed  by  the 
Doctor,  abused  him  in  no  very  choice 
terms — and  finally  ordered  him  out  of 
the  room  (  He  quitted  the  presence 
of  his  ungrateful  protege  with  disgust, 
and  in  despair — nor  without  reason  ; 
for  that  very  night  he  received  a  pro- 
pulsion towards  the  Fleet  Prison,  which 
suggested  to  his  philosophical  mind 
several  ingenious  reflections  concern- 
ing the  attraction  of  repulsion.  There 
he  lay  for  three  months,  till  he  sent 
for  the  creditor  who  had  deposited  him 
there,  and  who  had  been  his  bookseller 
and  publisher ;  and  the  Doctor  so 
dazzled  him  by  the  outline  of  a  certain 
literary  speculation — to  be  called  The 
Gander  Gallery — that  his  credulous 
creditor  relented,  and  set  his  ingenious 
and  enterprising  debtor  once  more  at 
large. 

,  But  to  return  to  Mr.  Titmouse.  It 
Was  not  long  after  his  election  into  the 
Credulous  Society,  that  a  deputation 
from  the  committee  of  the  Society  for 
the  Promotion  of  Civil  and  Religious 
Discord  waited  upon  him  at  his  ap  rt- 
ments  in  the  Alban}-,  to  solicit  him, 
in  terms  the  most  flattering  and  com- 
plimentary, to  preside  at  their  next 
annual  meeting  at  the  Stonemasons' 
Hall ;  and,  after  some  modest  expres- 
sions of  distrust  as  to  his  fitness  for 
so  distinguished  a  post,  he  yielded  to 
their  anxious  entreaties,  fie  ordered 
in,  while  they  were  with  him,  a  very 
substantial  lunch,  of  which  they  par- 
took with  infinite  relish  ;  and  having 
done  ample  justice  to  his  wines  and 
spirits,  the  worthy  gentlemen  with- 
drew, charmed  with  the  intelligence 
and  affability  of  their  distinguished 
host,  and  anticipating  that  they  should 
have  in  Mr.  Titmouse  one  of  the  most 
rising  young  men  in  the  Liberal  line, 
a  very  effective  chairman,  and  who 
would  make  their  meeting  go  off  with 
great  eclat.  How  Titmouse  would 
have  got  through  the  task  he  had 
undertaken,  the  reader  must  be  left  to 
conjecture  ;  seeing  that,  in  point  of 
fact,  "  circumstances,  over  which  he 
had  no  control,"  prevented  him  from 
fulfilling  his  promise.  The  meeting 
Waited  for  him  at  least  three-quarters 


of  an  hour  ;  when,  finding  that  neither 
he  nor  any  tidings  of  him  came,  they 
elected  some  one  else  into  the  chair, 
and  got  on  as  well  as  they  could.  I 
dare  say  the  reader  is  rather  curious 
to  knew  how  all  this  came  to  pass  ; 
and  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  state  the 
reason  frankly.  On  the  evening  of 
the  day  before  that  on  which  he  had 
promised  to  preside  at  Stonemasons' 
Hall,  he  dined  out  with  one  or  two 
choice  spirits  ;  and,  about  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  they  all  sallied  forth, 
not  a  bit  the  better  for  wine,  in  quest 
of  adventures.  Mr.  Titmouse  gave 
some  excellent  imitations  of  donkeys, 
cats,  and  pigs,  as  the}'  walked  along 
arm  in  arm  ;  and  very  nearly  succeeded 
in  tripping  up  an  old  watchman,  who 
had  crawled  out  to  announce  the  hour. 
Then  they  rung  every  bell  they  passed ; 
and,  encouraged  by  impunity,  pro- 
ceeded to  sport  of  a  still  more  interest- 
ing and  exciting  description  —  viz. 
twisting  knockers  off  doors.  Titmouse 
was  by  far  the  most  drunk  of  the 
party,  and  wrenched  off  several 
knockers  in  a  very  resolute  and  reck- 
less manner,  placing  them  successively 
in  his  pocket— where,  also,  his  com- 
panions contrived,  unknown  to  him, 
to  deposit  their  spoils — till  the  weight 
was  such  as  seriously  to  increase  the 
difficulty  of  keeping  Iris  balance.  When 
tired  of  this  sport,  it  was  agreed  that 
they  should  extinguish  every  lamp 
they  passed.  No  sooner  said  than 
done ;  and  Titmouse  volunteered  to 
commence.  Assisted  by  his  com- 
panions, he  clambered  up  a  lamp-post 
at  the  corner  of  St.  James's  Street ; 
and  holding  with  one  hand  by  tli3 
bar,  while  his  legs  clung  round  tho 
iron  post,  with  the  other  hand  he 
opened  the  window  of  the  lamp  ;  and 
while  in  the  act  of  blowing  it  out, 
"Watch!  watch!"  cried  the  voices 
of  several  people  rushing  round  the 
corner ;  a  rattle  was  sprung ;  away 
scampered  his  companions  in  different 
directions  ;  and  after  holding  on  where 
he  was  for  a  moment  or  two,  in  con- 
fusion and  alarm,  down  slid  poor  Tit- 
mouse, and  dropped  into  the  arms  of 
three-accursed  watchmen,  around  whom 
was  gathered  a  little  crowd  of  persons, 

L  L 


514 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


all  of  whom  had  been  roused  from  Bleep 
by  the  pulling  of  their  lulls,  and  the 
noise  made  in  wrenching  oil"  their 
knockers.  A  pretty  passion  they  all 
were  in,  shaking  their  Qsts  in  the  face 
of  the  captured  delinquent,  and  ac- 
companying him,  with  menacing  ges- 
tures, to  t  lie  watch-house.  There 
having  been  safely  lodged,  he  was  put 
into  a  dark  cell,  where  he  presently 
fell  asleep ;  nor  did  he  wake  till  he 
■was  summoned  to  go  otr  to  the  police- 
ctfice.  There  he  found  a  host  of 
victims  of  his  over-night's  exploits, 
lie  stoutly  denied  having  been  con- 
cerned in  despoiling  a  single,  door  of 
its  knocker  —  on  which  a  breeches- 
maker  near  him  furiously  lifted  up 
the  prisoner's  heavy  coat-tails,  and 
exclaimed  eagerly  —  "  Your  worship, 
your  worship  !  see,  he's  got  his  knocket 
full  of  pockers !  he's  got  his  knocket 
full  of  pockers — see  here,  your  wor- 
ship  "     "What  do  you  mean,  sir, 

by  such  gibberish?"  enquired  the 
magistrate,  in  so  stern  a  tone  as  drew 
the  speaker's  attention  to  the  little 
transposition  of  Letters  which  he  had 
made  in  his  headlong  haste  to  detect 
the  falsehood  of  the  delinquent;  who, 
finding  the  dismal  strait  to  which  he 
was  driven,  and  feeling  really  very  ill, 
1    gged  for  mercy — which,  after  a  very 

re  rebuke,  the  pallid  culprit  being 
confronted  by  seven  knockers  lying 
b  fore  him  in  a  TOW,  allot' them  having 
been  taken  out  of  his  own  pockets,  he 
obtained,  on  condition  of  his  making 
compensation  to  the  injured  parties, 
who  compounded  with  him  for  twelve 
pounds.  After  paying  a  couple-  of 
pounds  to  the  poor-box,  he  was  dis- 
charged ;  crawled  into  a  coach,  and, 
in  a  very  sad  condition,  reached  his 

qs  about  one  o'clock,  and  got  into 

bed  in t  I e — uevcr 

■  that,  at  that  pre 

to  have  1 

the  chair  of  of  the  Society 

for  the  Promol  ion  of<  ivilan  1  tlcli  ?ioua 

D  As,  however,  his  misfortunes 

were,  in  the  newspapi  rs,  a    i  "■■■•  id,  not 

to  "Tittlebat  Titmouse,"  but  to  one 

"John  Smith,"  the  i  to  of  the 

never  transpired   t<>  the  worthy 

ii  who  1  :  n  r, mut- 


ably deprived  of  his  cervices;  and 
who,  on  enquiry,  were  told  by  his 
fluent  valet,  that  Mr.  Titmouse's  lato 
hours  at  the  House  had  brought  on  a 
bit  and  sudden  attack  of — jaundice  ; 
"u  bearing  wl  ich,they  begged  he  might 
bo  assured  of  their  respectful  sympathy, 
and  hearty  wishes  for  his  restoration  ; 
and  tried  very  hard  to  sound  the  valet 
on  the  subject  of  his  master's  com- 
pensating for  his  absence  by  some 
donation  or  subscription  ;  but  tho 
fellow  was  very  obtuse,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  depart  disappointed. 

1  should  have  thought  that  tho 
foregoing  would  have  proved  .\ lesson 
to  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  restrained  him 
for  some  time  from  yi  lding  to  his 
cursed  propensity  to  drink.  Yet  w;is 
it  otherwise  —  and  I  shall  tell  the 
matter  exactly  as  it  happened.  "With- 
in a  fortnight  after  the  mischance 
which  I  have  above  described,  Tit- 
mouse dined  with  tho  members  of  a 
sort  of  pugilistic  club,  which  met 
every  fortnight,  for  the  purpose  of 
settling  matters  connected  with  tho 
"  ring."  On  the  present  occasion  there 
had  been  a  full  muster,  for  they  had  to 
settle  the  preliminaries  for  a  grand 
contest  for  tho  championship  of  Eng- 
land to  which  Titmouse's  master, 
Mr.  Hilly  Bully,  aspired.  Titmouse 
had  scarcely  ever  enjoyed  himself 
more  than  on  that  exciting  occasion; 
and,  confident  of  his  man,  had  backed 
hw  favourite  pretty  freely.  Towards 
eleven  o'clork,  he  found  the  room  very 
close — and  it  was  not  to  bo  wonden  1 
at,  when  you  considered  the  dreadful 
quantity  of  hard  ale,  harder  port 
wine,  and  poisonous  gin  and  water, 
which  the  little  wretch  had  Bwallowed 
i  ce  sitting  down  to  dinner — howevi  r, 
about  the  hour  I  have  named,  he,  Sir 
Pumpkin    Puppy,    and    one    or    two 

:   ,  all  with  cigars  in  their  mouths, 
I    forth    to  walk   al >  nt   town,  in 

b  of  spoil.     1  liiive  hardly  p 
to  write  it-  but  positively  they  bad 
not,  got.  half  way  down  th<-  Haymarket 
when    they    got    into    a    downright 

'■ ; "  and,  e  fged  on  by  his  com- 

ions,  and  i   pecially  inwardly  im- 

polled     by    the    devil    himself,    tho 

table  Titmouse,  after  grossly  i:.- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


515 


suiting  a  little  one-eyed,  one-logged, 
bald-headed  old  waterman  attached 
to  the  coach-stand  there,  challenged 
him  to  fight,  and  forthwith  flung  away 
his  cigar,  and  threw  himself  into 
boxing  attitude,  amidst  the  jeers  and 
laughter  of  the  spectators  —  who, 
however,  formed  a  sort  of  ring  in  a 
trice.  At  it  they  went,  instantcr. 
Titmouse  squared  about  with  a  sort 
of  disdainful  showiness — in  the  racist 
of  which  he  suddenly  received  a  nasty 
teaser  on  his  nose  and  shoulder,  from 
his  active,  hardy,  and  experienced 
antagonist,  which  brought  him  to  the 
ground,  the  blood  gushing  from  his 
nose  in  a  copious  stream.  Sir  Pumpkin 
quickly  picked  him  up,  shook  him, 
and  set  him  fairly  at  his  man  again. 
Nearer  and  nearer  stumped  the  old 
fellow  to  the  devoted  "swell,"  who, 
evidently  groggy,  squared  in  the  most 
absurd  way  imaginable  for  a  moment 
or  two,  when  he  received  his  enemy's 
one  tiro  in  his  eye,  and  on  his  mouth, 
and  again  dropped  down. 

"He's  drunk  —  he  can't  fight  no 
more  than  a  baby ;  I  won't  stand 
against  him  any  more,"  quoth  the 
fair  and  stout-hearted  old  waterman. 
'•  it  warn't  any  o'  my  seeking  ;  but  if 
he  thought  to  come  it  over  an  old 
cripple  like  me " 

"Bravo!  bravo!"  cried  his  com- 
rades. "  Come  along,  old  chap — ctme 
along!"  said  one;  "if  I  don't  give 
you  a  jolly  quartern,  may  I  stick  here 
without  a  fare  all  this  blessed  night ;  " 
and  the  speaker  led  off  the  victor  to 
the  public-house  opposite,  while  Tit- 
mouse's fri  nds  led  him  off,  nearly 
insensible,  to  a  tavern  a  few  doors  oil". 
Having  given  directions  that  he  should 
be  forthwith  taken  to  a  b  d-room  and 
washed,  they  ordered  broiled  bones 
and  mulled  claret  for  themselves. 
After  about  an  hour  and  a  half's  nap, 
Titmouse,  who  probably  had  benefited 
rather  than  suffered  from  his  blood- 
letting, rejoined  his  friends,  and  called 
for  a  cigar  and  a  glass  of  cold  brandy 
and  water;  having  had  which,  they 
s  t  off  homeward  :  lie  reaching  his 
rooms  about  one  o'clock,  with  a  very 
black  eye,  a  swollen  nose  and  mouth, 
a    very   thick   and   indistinct  speech, 


and  unsteady  step  ;  in  fact,  in  a  much 
worse  pickle  than  he  had  as  yet  ex- 
hibited to  his  valet,  who  told  him, 
while  preparing  for  him  a  glass  of 
brandy  and  soda-water,  that  no  fewer 
than  live  messengers  had  been  at  his 
rooms.  "While  he  was  yet  speaking,  a 
thundering  knock  was  heard  at  the 
outer  door,  and  on  its  being  opened, 
in  rushed,  breathlessly,  Mr.  lTielirn 
O'Doodle. 

"  Titmouse  !  —  Titmouse  !  Och, 
murther  and  thunder,  where  are  ye? 
Where  have  yo  been,  wid  ye  ? "  he 
gasped — 

' '  When — a — hen — on — water — swims — 
Too-ra-laddy — 

Too-ra-lad-lad-lnd  " — 

drowsily  sung  Titmouse — it  being  part 
of  a  song  he  had  heard  thrice  encored 
that  evening  after  dinner — at  the  same 
time  staggering  towards  O'Doodle. 

"  Och,  botheration  take  your  too-ra- 
laddy  !  Come,  fait — by  Jasus !  clap 
your  hat  on  and  button  your  coat,  and 
oil'  to  the  House — immediately — or  it's 
all  up  with  us,  an'  out  we  go  every 
mother's  son  of  us — an'  the  bastely 
Tories  '11  be  in.  Come  !  come  !• — off 
wid  ye,  I  say !  I've  a  coach  at  tho 
door " 

"I  —  (hiccup)  —  I  sha'n't — can't — 
'pon  my  life " 

"Och,  off  wid  ye! — isn't  it  mad 
that  Mr.  O'Gibbet  is  wid  ye  ? " 

"He's  one  eye, — ah,  ha  ! — and  one 
leg  —  Too  -  ra  -  laddy, "  hiccuped  the 
young  senator. 

"Hivil  burn  me  if  I  don't  tie  ye 
hand  an'  foot  together ! "  cried  0' 
Doodle  impetuously.  "What  the 
divil  have  ye  been  about  wid  that 
black  eye  o'  j'ours,  and — but  I'll  spake 
about  it  in  the  coach.  Off  wid  ye ! 
Isn't  time  worth  a  hundred  pounds  a 
minute " 

Within  a  minute  or  two's  time 
O'Doodle  had  got  him  safely  into  the 
coach,  and  down  to  St.  Stephen's  they 
rattled  at  top  speed.  There  was  going 
on,  indeed,  a  desperate  fight — a  final 
trial  of  strength  between  Ministers 
and  the  Opposition,  on  a  vote  of  want 
of  confidence  ;  and  a  division  expected 
every   minute.     Prodigious   had  been 

LI  2 


51G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAli. 


tho  efforts  of  both  parties — the  whip 
unprecedented.  Lord  Bulfinch  had, 
early  in  the  evening,  explicitly  Btated 
that  Ministers  would  resign  unless  they 
gained  a  majority :  and,  to  their  in- 
finite  vexation  and  astonishment,  three 
of  their  stanch  adherents — Titmouse 
being  one — were  missing  just  at  the 
critical  moment.  The  Opposition  had 
been  more  fortunate ;  every  man  of 
irs  bad  come  up — and  they  were 
shouting  tremendously,  "Divide! 
divide!  divide  !  " — while,  on  the  other 
hand,  Ministers  were  putting  up  men, 
one  after  another,  to  speak  against 
time,  (though  not  one  syllable  they 
said  could  he  heard,)  in  order  to  get  a 
chance  of  their  three  missing  men 
coining  up.  ]f  none  of  them  came, 
Ministers  would  he  exactly  even  with 
their  opponents  ;  in  which  case  tiny 
■were  very  much  afraid  that  they  ought 
to  resign.  Up  the.  stairs  and  into  the 
lobby  c.nne  (/Doodle  breathlessly,  with 
Ids  prize. 

"Och,  my  dear  O'Doodle! —Tit- 
mouse, ye  little  drunken  divil,  where 
have  ye  been?"  commenced  Mr.  0' 
Gibbet,  on  whom  O'Doodle  stumbled 
suddenly. 

"Thank  Heaven  I  Good  God,  how 
fortunate  !  "  exclaimed  .Mr.  Flummery, 
both  he  and  O'Gibbet  being  in  a  state 
of  intense  anxiety  and  great  excite- 
ment. 

"  In  with  him  ! — in  with  him  ! — by 
Jove,  they're   clearing   the   gallery! 
gasped  .Mr.  Flummery,  while  he  rushed 
into  the  House,  to  make  the  way  clear 

for  ltd' lie  and  O'Gibbet,  who  were 

Literally  carrying  in  Titmouse  between 
m. 

"Sir! — Mr.  Flummery!"  gasped 
O'Doodle, — "ye  won't  forget  what 
I've  done  to-night,  will  ye  ?  " 

"No,  no— honour  I  In  with  you! 
In   with   you!      A  moment  and  all's 

:,    however,   the    House 

iii   safety,    Mr.    O'Gibbet  waving  his 
hand  in  triumph. 

"Oh,    ye    droll    little    divil  !    where 

have    ye   been    biding  I"    he   hastily 

whispered,    as    he   deposited    the   in- 

ouse  on  tlie  nearest  bench, 

and   sat    beside  him.      Mr.    O'Gibbet 


took  off  his  hat,  and  wiped  his  reeking 
head  and  face.  Gracious  heavens ! 
what  a  triumph  ! — and  in  the  very 
nick  of  time. — Titmouse  had  saved 
the  Ministry!  Tremendous  was  now 
the  uproar  in  the  House,  almost  every 
one  present  shouting,  "  Divide  1  — 
divide  !  " 

"Strangers,  withdraw,"  cried  tho 
Speaker. 

Then,  at  it  they  went,  with  nn  air 
of  tumultuous  and  irrepressible  ex- 
citement ;  but,  through  Titmouse,  the 
.Ministers  triumphed.  The  numbers 
were  announced — 

Ayes     .         .        .301 
Noes     .         .         .300 

Majority  for  Ministers    .         1 
On  which  glorious  ami  decisive  result, 
there  burst  forth  immense  cheering  on 

the  ministerial  side  of  the  House,  and 
vehement  counter-cheering  on  the  op- 
position side,  which  lasted  lor  several 
minutes.  The  noise,  indeed,  was  so 
prodigious,  that;  it  almost  roused  Tit- 
mouse from  tint  sort  of  stupor  into 
which  ho  had  sunk.  Mr.  O'Doodle 
accompanied  1dm  home  ;  and,  after 
drinking  a  couple  of  tumblers  of 
whisky  and  water  with  him,  took  Ids 
departure — caring  nothing  that  he  had 
lefl  Titmouse  on  the  floor,  in  a  state  of 
dangerous  insensibility  ;  from  which, 
however,  in  due  lime,  he  recovered) 
but  was  confined  to  his  bed,  by  a 
violent  bilious  attack,  for  nearly  a 
week.  Mr.  O'Doodle's  services  to  the 
Government  wero  not  forgotten.  A 
few  days  afterwards  he  vacated  his 
seat,  having  re<  eived  the  appointment 

of  sab-inspector  of  political  caricatures 

in  Ireland,  with  a  salary  of  six  hun- 
dred pounds  a-year  for  life.  His  place 
in  the  House  was  immediately  tilled  up 
by  his  brother,  Mr.  Trigger  O'Doodle, 
who  kept  a  shooting  gallery  in  Dublin. 
Profuse  were  Phelims  thanks  to  ]\lr. 
O'Gibbet,  when  that  gentleman  an- 
nounced to  him  his  good  fortune, 
claiming,  at  the  same  time,  with  a 
sly  wink  and  smile — "Ye  see  what  it 

is    to    lillder   service    to    the    state-     ah, 

ha!  Ai-y,  aisy  1  —  softly,  say  1. 
Isn't  that  the  way  to  get  along?" 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


517 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

TnE  injuries  which  Titmouse  hud 
received  iu  his  encounter  Avith  the 
waterman  —  I  mean  principally  his 
Mack  eye — prevented  him  from  mak- 
ing his  appearance  in  public,  or  at 
Lord  Dreddlington's,  or  in  the  House, 
for  several  days  after  he  had  recovered 
from  the  bilious  attack  of  which  I  have 
spoken.  His  non-attendance  at  the 
House,  however,  signified  little,  since 
both  parties  had  been  so  thoroughly 
exhausted  by  their  late  trial  of  strength, 
as  to  require  for  some  time  rest  and 
quietness,  to  enable  them  to  resume 
the  public  business  of  the  country. 
As  soon  as  his  eye  was  fairly  convales- 
cent, the  first  place  to  which  he  ven- 
tured out  was  his  new  residence  in 
Park  Lane,  which,  having  been  taken 
for  him,  under  the  superintendence  of 
'the  Earl  of  Dredd  ington  arid  Mr. 
Gammon,  some  month  or  two  before, 
was  now  rapidly  being  furnished,  in 
order  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  his 
lady  and  himself,  immediately  after 
his  marriage — his  parliamentary  duties 
not  admitting  of  a  prolonged  absence 
from  town.  His  marriage  with  the 
Lady  Cecilia  had,  as  usual,  been  already 
prematurely  announced  in  the  news- 
papers several  times,  as  on  the  eve  of 
taking  place.  Their  courtship  went 
on  very  easily  and  smoothly.  Neither 
of  them  seemed  anxious  for  the  other's 
society,  though  they  contrived  to 
evince,  in  the  presence  of  others,  a 
decent  degree  of  gratification  at  meet- 
ing each  other.  He  did  all  which  he 
was  instructed  it  was  necessary  for  a 
man  of  fashion  to  do.  He  attended 
her  and  the  Earl  to  the  opera  repeat- 
edly, as  also  to  other  places  of  fashion- 
able resort  :  he  had  danced  with  her 
occasionally  ;  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  it 
was  only  at  the  vehement  instance  of 
the  Earl  her  father,  that  she  ever  con- 
sented to  stand  up  with  one  whose 
person,  whose  carriage,  whose  motions 
were  so  unutterably  vulgar  and  ridi- 
culous as  those  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  who 
was  yet  her  affianced  husband.  He 
had  made  her  several  times  rather  ex- 
pensive   presents    of    jewellery,    and 


would  have  purchased  for  her  a  great 
stock  of  clothing,  (of  which  he  justly 
considered  himself  an  excellent  judge,) 
if  she  would  have  permitted  it.  He 
had,  moreover,  been  a  constant  guest 
at  the  Earl's  table,  where  he  was  under 
greater  restraint  tha-n  anywhere  else. 
Of  such  indiscretions  and  eccentricities 
as  I  have  just  be  n  recording,  they 
knew,  or  were  properly  supposed  to 
know,  nothing,  Twas  not  for  them 
to  have  their  eyes  upon  him  while 
sowing  his  wild  oats  —  so  thought 
the  Earl ;  who,  however,  had  frequent 
occasion  for  congratulating  himself  in 
respect  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  political 
celebrity,  and  also  of  the  marks  of 
chstinction  conferred  upon  him  in  the 
literary  and  scientific  world,  of  which 
the  Earl  was  himself  so  distinguished 
an  ornament.  Titmouse  had  presented 
copies,  gorgeously  bound,  of  Dr.  Gan- 
der's Treatise  on  Lightness,  both  to 
the  Earl  and  the  Lady  Cecilia  ;  and 
the  very  flattering  dedication  to  Tit- 
mouse, by  Dr.  Gander,  really  operated 
not  a  little  in  his  favour  with  his 
future  lady.  What  effect  might  havo 
been  produced  upon  her  ladyship,  had 
she  been  apprised  of  the  fact,  that  the 
aforesaid  dedication  had  appeared  in 
only  a  hundred  copies,  having  been 
cancelled  directly  Dr.  Gander  had  as- 
certained the  futility  of  his  expectations 
from  Titmous.1,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  I 
believe  she  never  was  apprised  of  the 
fact.  As  far  as  his  dress  went,  she 
had  contrived,  through  the  interfer- 
ence of  the  Earl  and  of  Mr.  Gammon, 
(for  whom  she  had  conceived  a  singular 
respect, )  to  abate  a  little  of  its  fantastic 
absurdity  —  its  execrable  vulgarity. 
Nothing,  however,  seemed  capable  of 
effecting  any  material  change  in  the 
man,  although  his  continued  inter- 
course with  refined  society  could  hardly 
fail  to  elfect  some  advantageous  change 
in  his  manners.  As  for  anything  fur- 
ther, Tittlebat  Titmouse  remained  the 
same  vulgar,  heartless,  presumptuous, 
ignorant  creature  he  had  ever  been. 
Though  I  perceive  in  the  Lady  Cecilia 
no  qualities  to  excite  our  respect  or 
affection,  I  pity  her  from  my  very  soul 
when  I  contemplate  her  coming  union 
with  Titmouse.     One  thing  1  know, 


518 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


that  Boon  as  ever  sho  had  bound  linr- 
Belf  irrevocably  to  him,  she  began  to 
think  of  at  least  fifty  men  whom  she 
had  ever  Bpnrned,  hut  whom  now  Bhe 
would  have  welcomed  with  all  the 
iur  and  affection  of  which  her  cold 
nature  was  susceptible.  As  she  had 
never  been  e  <us  for  animation, 

vivacity,  or  energy,  the  gloom  which 
moreand  more  frequently  overshadowed 
her,  whenever  her  thoughts  turned 
towards  Titmouse,  attracted  scarce 
anyone's  attention.  There  were  those, 
however,  who  could  have  spoken  of 
heT  mental  disquietude  at  the  approach 
of  her  cheerless  nuptials — I  mean  her 
Maid  Annette  and  Miss  Maespleuchan. 
To  say  that  she  loathed  the  bare  idea 
of  her  union  with  Titmouse — of  his 
person,  manners,  andcharai  ter — would 
not  perhaps  be  exactly  correct,  since 
she  had  not  the  requisite  strength  of 
character;  but  she  contemplated  her 
future  lord  with  mingled  feelings  of 
apprehension,  dislike,  and  disgust. 
She  generally  fled  for  Bupport  to  the 
comfortable  notion  of  "fate,"  which 
bail  assigned  her  such  a.  husband. 
Heaven  had  denied  poor  Lady  Cecilia 
all  power  of  contemplating  the  future  ; 
of  anticipating  consequences;  of  re- 
Jlxiiihj  upon  the  step  she  was  about  to 
take.  Miss  Maespleuchan,  however, 
did  so  for  her  ;  but,  being  placed  in  a 
situation  of  great  delicacy  and  diffi- 
culty, acted  with  cautious  reserve 
whenever  the  subject  was  mentioned. 
Lady  Cecilia  had  not  vouchsafed  to 
;lt,  her  before  her  ladyship  had 
finally  committed  herself  to  Titmouse  ; 
and,  after  that,  interference  was  useless 
and  unwarrantable. 

Lady  Cecilia  late  one  afternoon 
entered  her  dressing-room,  pale  and 
dispirited,  as  had  been  latterly  her 
wont;  ami,  with  a  deep  sigh,  sank 
into  her  easy-eh air.  Annette,  "ii  her 
lad;,  i  ,■  gagainsl 

the  window-frame,   reading    a    book, 
which  she  immi  ■  li.it-  ly  el  .  ed  and  laid 
down.   "  Whatare  you  reading  there  1  " 
red  Lady  (  oguidly. 

"  oh,  nothi  r,  my  lady !  " 

replied      .\mietle,       Colouring       a      little; 

"  if  was  only  the  prayer-book.     J 

Rooking    at    the    mar:  .  .  ice,     my 


lady.     I  wanted    to   eeo  what  it  was 
that  your  ladyship  has  to  say — — " 

"  It's  not  very  amusing,  Annette. 
/  think  it  very  dull  and  stupid." 

"  La,  my  ladj — now  I  should  have 
thought  it  quite  interesting,  if  I  had 
been  in  your  la'ship's  situation  !  " 

"Well,  what  is  it  that  they  expect 
me  to  repeat  ?  " 

"Oh!  I'll  read  it,  my  lady — hero 
it  is,"  replied  Annette,  and  read  as 
follows : — 

"  Then  shall  (he  priest  say  unto  the 
woman,  *N,  wilt  thou  have  this  man 
to  be  thy  wedded  husband,  to  live 
together,  after  God's  ordinance,  in  the 
holy  state  of  matrimony!  Wilt  thou 
ob  y  him,  serve  him,  love,  honour, 
and  beep  him,  in  sickness  and  in 
health,  and,  forsaking  all  other,  keep 
tl.ee  only  unto  him,  so  long  as  ye  both 
shall  live  ? ' 

"  The  woman  shall  answer,  'I 
will.'" 

""Well — it's  only  a  form,  yon  know. 
Annette — and  I  dare  say  no  one  ever 
gives  if  a  thought,"  said  Lady  Cecilia, 
si  niggling  to  suppress  a  sigh. 

"Then," continued  Annette,  "your 
la'ship  will  have  to  s;;y  a  good  deal 
after  the  parson — but  1  beg  your  la'- 
ship's pardon — it's  (in  your  case)  the 
bishop.      Here  it  is  : — 

"  'I,   N,  take  thee,   M,   to   be    my 
wedded  husband,  to  have  and  to  hold, 
from  this  day  forward,  for  better  for 
worse,  for  richer  for  poorer,  in  sick: 
and  in  health,  to  love,  cherish '" 

"Yes,  yes — 1  hear,"  interrupted 
Lady  Cecilia  faintly,  turning  pah-  ; 
"1  know  it  all  —  that  will  do, 
Annette " 

"There's  only  a  word  more,  my 
Lady:— 

"'And  obey,  till  death  us  do  part, 
irding   to  God's  holy  ordinance; 
and   thereto    1   give  thee  my  troth.' 
All    this    your    la'ship    says,    with 
your     light    hand    holding    Mr.    Tit- 
's.' 

Ik  re  a  -\  i  ible  tremor  passed  through 

.    <  .cilia.       "  You   may  have   me 
alone,   Annette,    a    little   while,"  said 

she  ;      '•]    don't    feel    ,|uit,;    Well." 

'•  La,  my  lady,  a'n'l  your  la'ship 
late     already  {       Your    la'ship    knows 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


519 


how  early  her  Graco  dines  ever  since 
her  illness." 

"There's  plenty  of  time  ;  I'll  ring 
for  you  when  I  want  you.  And — 
stay  —  you  may  as  well  leave  your 
prayer-book  with  me  for  a  moment 
— it  will  amuse  me  to  look  in  it." 
Annette  did  as  she  was  bid  ;  and  the 
next  moment  her  melaneholy  mistress 
was  alone.  She  did  not,  however, 
open  the  book  she  had  asked  for,  but 
fell  into  a  reverie,  which  was  disturbed 
only  by  her  maid  tapping  at  the  door ; 
and  who,  on  entering,  told  her  that 
she  had  not  one  moment  to  lose  ;  that 
his  lordship  had  been  dressed  for  some 
time.  On  this  her  ladyship  rose,  and 
commenced  her  toilet  w.th  a  very 
deep  sigh. 

"Your  la'ship,  I  suppose,  wears 
your  gold-coloured  satin  ?  it  matches 
so  well  with  the  pearls,"  said  Annette, 
going  to  the  jewel-case. 

"  I  sha'n't  wear  any  pearls  to-day." 
"Oh!  my  lady  !  not  that  beautiful 
spray  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  ;  your  la'ship 
does  look  so  well  in  it." 

"I  sha'n't  wear  anything  of  Mr. 
Tit — I  mean,"  she  added  colouring, 
"I  sha'n't  wear  anytluny  in  my  hair 
to-day  ! " 

Many  and  anxious,  it  may  be  easily 
believed,  had  been  the  conferences  and 
negotiations  between  the  Earl,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  Mr.  Gammon,  with 
reference  to  the  state  of  his  property, 
and  the  settlement  to  be  made  on 
Lady  Cecilia.  It  appeared  that  the 
extent  of  the  incumbrances  on  the 
Yatton  property  was  £35,000,  and 
which  Gammon  had  many  ways  of 
accounting  for,  without  disclosing  the 
amount  cf  plunder  which  had  fallen 
to  the  share  of  the  firm — or  rather  to 
the  senior  partner.  The  interest  on 
this  sum  (£1750)  would  reduce  Mr. 
Titmouse's  present  income  to  £8250 
per  annum  ;  but  Gammon  pledged 
himself  that  the  rental  of  the  estates 
could,  with  the  greatest  ease,  be  raised 
to  £12,000,  and  that  measures,  in  fact, 
were  already  in  progress  to  effect  so 
desirable  a  result.  Then  there  was  a 
sum  of  £20,000  due  to  Mr.  Titmouse 
from  Mr.  Aubrey,  on  account  of  the 
mesne  profits,  £10,000  of  which  was 


guaranteed  by  Lord  Dc  la  Zouch,  and 
would  very  shortly  become  payable, 
with    interest  ;      and    the    remaining 
£10,000  could   be  at  any  time  called 
in.    The  sum  finally  determined  upon, 
as   a   settlement   upon    Lady    Cecilia, 
was    £3000    a-year  —  surely    a    very 
substantial    "consideration"    for    tho 
"faithful  promise"  to  be,  by-and-by, 
made  by  her  at  the  altar — and  which, 
moreover,    she   conceived    she   had   a 
prosp3ct  of  having  entirely  to  herself 
— really  "for  her  separate  use,  exempt 
from  the  control,  debts,  and  engage- 
ments of  her  said  intended  husband." 
I  am  sony  to  say  that  Lady  Cecilia 
clung   to   the   prospect  of  an  almost 
immediate     separation ;     which,     she 
learned     from     several     confidential 
friends,  some  of  whom  were  qualified, 
by  personal    experience,    to   offer  an 
opinion,  was  a  very  easy  matter,  be- 
coming  daily   more    frequent  on   tho 
ground  of  incompatibility  of  temper. 
A  faint  hint  of  the  kind  which  sho 
had     once     dropped     to     Miss    Mac- 
spleuchan,    was    received    in    such  a 
maimer   as   prevented   her   from  ever 
repeating  it.      As  for   the   Earl,   her 
father,  1  cannot  say  that  he  did  not 
observe  a  depression  of  spirits  in  his 
daughter,    increasing     with     the    in- 
creasing proximity  of  her  marriage. 
Since,  however,  he  had  entirely  recon- 
ciled himself  to  it — and  was  delighted 
at   the  approaching  long-coveted  re- 
union   of    the   famiy  interests  —  ho 
did  not  think  of  her  having  any  real 
objectiot     to   the   arrangements.       As 
for  her  iowness  of  spirits,  and  nervous- 
ness,  doubtless  every  woman  on  tho 
point  of   being   married    experienced 
similar  feelings.     She  herself,  indeed, 
seldom  if  ever  named  the  matter  to 
her  father  in  such  a  way  as  to  occasion 
him  uneasiness.     In  short,  the  affair 
seemed  to  be  going  on  just  as  it  ought 
to  do  ;  and   even  had  it  assumed  an 
untoward   aspect,    circumstances   had 
arisen  which    would    have   prevented 
the    Earl    from    giving    his    wonted 
attention  to  what  in  any  degree  con- 
cerned his  daughter.    In  the  first  place, 
on   his   lordship's  party  coming  into 
power,  to  his  infinite  amazement  his 
old  post  of  Lord  High   Steward  was 


520 


TEX  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


filled  up  by"  some  ono  elso  !  So  also 
v;i.s  the  office  <>f  Lord  President  of  the 
Council  ;  and  bo,  moreover,  was  every 
other  offi  e  ;  and  that,  too,  without 
any  apology  to  the  offended  peer,  or 
explanation  of  such  a  phenomenon  as 
his  entire  exclusion  from  office.  The 
Premier,  in  fact,  had  never  once 
thought  of  his  lordship  while  forming 
his  administration  ;  ami  on  being  sub- 
b  ..iit ly  remonstrated  with  by  a 
venerable  peer,  a  common  friend  of  the 
Premier  and  Lord  Dreddlington,  the 
Premier  very  calmly  and  blandly  ex- 
pn  Bsed  his  regret  that  Lord  Dreddling- 
ton had  not  given  him  notice  of  his 
bill— even  in  his  advanced 
years — disposed  to  hold  office  ;  and 
trusted  that  he  should  yet  he  able, 
and  heforj  any  long  time  should  hive 
elapsed,  to  aval  himself  of  the  very 
valuable  services  "of  my  Lord  Dred- 
dlington." This  was  all  thathe  could 
get  from  the  courteous  hut  marble- 
hearted  Premier;  and,  for  a  long 
while,  the  Karl  could  think  of  only 
one  mode  of  soothing  his  woimded 
feelings  —  viz.  going  about  to  his 
friends,  and  demonstrating  that  the 
new  Lord  Steward  and  the  new  Lord 
President  were  every  day  displaying 
their  unntnes  i  for  office  ;  and  that  the 
only  error  committed  by  the  Premier, 
in  t!i"  difficult  and  respon  iblc  task  of 
forming  a  government,  was  that  *of 
selecting  two  such  individuals  as  he 
had  appointed  to  those  distinguished 
posts.  lie  was  also  greatly  com- 
forted anil  supported,  at  this  period  of 
vexation  and  disappointment,  by  the 
manly  and  indignant   sympathy   of — 

Mr.  Gammon,  who  had  succeeded  in 
gaining  a  prodigious  ascendency  over 

tic  I. ail,  who,  "ii  the  sudden  death  of 
his  own  solicitor,  old  Mr.  Pounce, 
odopl  '1  Gammon  in  Ids  stead  ;  and 
infinitely  rejoic  id  Ins  lordship  was, 
to  have  thn         iired  the  services  of 

one  v.  ho  pi         ed  an  Lnti  II©  I  at  o 

so  practical,  tic  ; 

who  had  formed    o 
of  lii-t  lordship's  powers;  nnd  whom 
hislordship'scondes  ending  familiarity 
never  for  one  m  I  to  lo 

eight  of  the  \ ast  di  tance  and  differ- 
■  n    tin m.      He  appeared, 


moreover,  to  act  between  Titmouso 
and  ths  Karl  with  the  scrupulous  can- 
dour and  fidelity  of  a  high-minded  per- 
son, conscionsly  plac  d  in  a  situation 
of  peculiar  delicacy  and  responsibility. 
At  the  least,  he  seemed  exceedingly 
anxious  to  secure  Lady  Cecilia's  in- 
terests; and  varied — or  a  '  to 
vary — the  arrangements,  according  to 
every  suggestion  of  his  lordship.  The 
Karl  was  satisfied  that  Gammon  was 
disposed  to  make  Titmouse  go  much 
further  than  of  his  own  accord  ho 
would  have  felt  disposed  to  go,  towards 
meeting  the  Karl's  wishes  in  tho 
matter  of  the  settlements  ; — in  fact, 
Gammon  evinced  great  anxiety  to 
place  her  ladyship  in  that  position  to 
which  her  high  pretensions  so  justly 
entitled  her. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  mode  hy 
which  he  augmented  and  secured  his 
influence  over  the  weak  old  peer. 
Not  only  had  Gammon,  in  a  manner 
pointed  out  in  a  previous  portion  of 
this  history,  diminished  the  drain 
upon  his  lordship's  incom  >,  which  had 
SO  long  ago  existed  in  the  shipe  of 
interest  upon  money  lent  him  on 
mortgage,  (ami  which  embarrassments, 
by  the  way,  had  all  arisen  from  hii 
and  extravagance  when 
Lord  High  Steward  ;)  not  only,  I  Bay, 
had  Gammon  done,  all  this,  but  infi- 
nitely more; — he  had  enabled  his 
lordship,  as  it  were,  "to  strike  a  blow 
in  a  new  hemisphere,"  and  at  once 
evince  his  fitness  for  the  conduct  of 
important  and  complicated  affairs  of 
business,  acquire  an  indefinite  aug- 
mentation of  fortune,  and  also  great 
influence  and  popul  iritj . 

England,    about    the    time    I    am 
speaking  of,  was  smitten  with  a  sort 
of  mercantile  madness-    which  showed 
itself   in   the  Bhape  of  a  monstrous 
ion  for  Joint-stock  Companies. 
John  Bull  all  of  a  sudden  took  it  into 
his  head,  that  no  commercial  under- 
taking of  the  least  importance  could 
any  longer  be  carried  on  by  means  of 
vidual  energy,  capital,  and  enter- 
A   glimmering  of    this    great 

truth   he  discovered   that    he    had   had 

from  the  first  moment  that  a  private 

ttership  h  id  been  adopted  ;   and  it 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


521 


was  only  to  follow  out  the  principle — 
to  convert  a  private  into  a  public 
partnership,  and  call  it  a  "  Joint-stock 
Company. "  This  bright  idea  of  John's 
produced  prompt  and  prodigious  re- 
sults— a  hundred  joint-stock  companies 

"  roso  like  an  exhalation  " 

in  the  metropolis  alone,  within  one 
twelvemonth's  time.  But  then  came 
the  question,  upon  what  were  these 
grand  combined  forces  to  operate  ? 
Undertakings  of  commensurate  mag- 
nitude must  l>e  projected — and  so  it 
was.  It  really  mattered  not  a  straw 
how  wild  and  ludicrously  impractic- 
able was  a  project — it  had  but  to  be 
started,  and  announced,  to  call  forth 
monied  people  among  all  classes,  all 
making  haste  to  be  rich — and  ready  to 
back  the  speculation,  even  to  the  last 
penny  they  had  in  the  world  ;  pour- 
ing out  their  capital  with  a  reekless- 
'ness,  of  which  the  lamentable  results 
may  prevent  their  recurrence.  Any 
voluble  visionary  who  was  unluckily 
able  to  reach  the  ear  of  one  or  two 
persons  in  the  city,  could  expand  his 
crotchet  into  a  "company"  with  as 
little  effort  as  an  idiot  could  blow  out 
a  soap-bubble.  For  instance :  one 
wiseacre  (who  surely  ought  never  to 
have  been  at  large)  conceived  a  plan 
for  creating  artificial  kain  at  an 
hour's  notice,  over  any  extent  of 
country  short  of  a  circle  of  three  miles 
in  diameter ;  a  second,  for  conveying 
MILK  to  every  house  in  the  metropolis 
in  the  same  way  as  water  is  at  present 
conveyed — viz.  by  pipes,  supplied  by 
an  immense  reservoir  of  milk  to  be 
established  at  Islington,  and  into 
which  a  million  of  cows  were  to  be 
milked  night  and  morning  ;  a  third, 
for  converting  saio-dust  into  solid  wood  ; 
and  a  fourth,  for  surrounding  the 
metropolis  with  a  wall  twenty  feet  in 
thickness,  and  fifty  in  height.  "With- 
in three  days  of  each  of  these  hopeful 
speculations  being  announced,  there 
were  as  many  completely  organized 
joint-stock  companies  established  to 
carry  them  into  effect.  Superb  offices 
were  engaged  in  the  city  ;  Patrons, 
Presidents,  Vice-Presidents ;  Trustees, 
Chairmen,  Directors ;  Secretaries,  Actu- 


aries, Architects,  Auditors ;  Bankers, 
Standing  Counsel,  Engineers,  Survey- 
ors, and  Solicitors,  appointed  :  and  the 
names  of  all  these  functionaries  forth- 
with blazed  in  dazzling  array  at  the 
head  of  a  "Prospectus,"  which  set 
forth  the  advantages  of  the  under- 
taking with  such  seductive  eloquence 
as  no  man  could  resist ;  and  within  a 
week's  time  there  was  not  a  share  to 
be  had  in  the  market.  Into  affairs  cf 
this  description,  Mr.  Gammon,  who 
soon  saw  the  profit  to  be  made  out  of 
them,  if  skilfully  worked,  plunged 
with  the  energy  and  excitement  of  a 
gamester.  He  drew  in  Mr.  Quirk 
after  him ;  and,  as  they  could  together 
command  the  ears  of  several  enter-? 
prising  capitalists  in  the  city,  they 
soon  had  their  hands  full  of  business, 
and  launched  two  or  three  very  bril- 
liant speculations.  Mr.  Gammon  him- 
self drew  up  their  "  Pros])cctuscs," 
and  in  a  style  which  must  have 
tempted  the  very  devil  himself  (had 
he  seen  them)  into  venturing  half  his 
capital  in  the  undertaking  ! — One  was 
a  scheme  for  providing  the  metropolis 
with  a  constant  supply  of  salt  water, 
by  means  of  a  canal  cut  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  Nore,  and  carried 
nearly  all  round  London,  so  as  to 
afford  the  citizens  throughout  the  year 
the  luxury  of  sea-bathing.  Another 
was  of  a  still  more  extraordinary  and 
interesting  description  —  for  carrying 
into  effect  a  discovery,  by  means  of 
which,  ships  of  all  kinds  and  size3 
could  be  furnished  with  the  means, 
by  one  and  the  same  process — and 
that  remarkably  simple,  cheap,  and 
convenient-  -of  obtaining  pure  fresh 
water  from  the  sea,  and  converting 
the  salt  or  brine  thrown  off  in  the 
operation,  instantcr  into  gunpoivdcr ! 
The  reality  of  this  amazing  discovery 
was  decisively  ascertained  by  three  of 
the  greatest  chemists  in  England  ;  a 
patent  was  taken  out,  and  a  company 
formed  for  immediately  working  the 
patent.  This  undertaking  was  the 
first  that  Gammon  brought  under  the 
notice  of  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington, 
whom  he  so  completely  dazzled  by  his 
description,  both  of  the  signal  service 
to  be  conferred  upon  the  country,  and 


522 


ten  thousand  a- year. 


the  princely  revenue  to  he  derived  from 
it  to  those  early  entering  into  the 
speculation,  that  his  lordship  inti- 
mated rather  an  anxious  wish  to  be 
connected  with  it. 

tod  gracious,  sir  !  "  said  his  lord- 
ship, with  an  air  of  wondeT — "  to  what 
a  pitch  is  science  advancing  I  When 
will  human  ingenuity  end  !  Sir,  1 
doubt  no)  that  oneof  these  days  every- 
thing will  bo  found  out  !'•' 

•■'    rtaitily — I  feel  the  full  force  of 

IT  lordship's  very  striking  observa- 
tion," replied  Gammon,  who  bad 
listened  to  him  with  an  air  of  delighted 
deference. 

"Sir,  this  is  a  truly  astonishing 
discovery  !  Yet,  I  give  you  my  hon- 
our, sir,  I  have  often  thought  that 
something  of  the  hind  was  very  desir- 
,  as  far  as  the  obtaining  fresh 
water  from  salt  water  was  concerned, 
and  have  wondered  whether  it  could 
ever  be  practicable  :  but  I  protest  the 
latter  pari  of  the  discovery — the  con- 
version of  the  brine  into  gunpowder — 
is — is — sir,  I  say  it  is — astounding  :  it 
is  more  ;  it  is  very  interesting,  in  a 
picturesque  and  patriotic  point  of 
view.  Only  think,  sir,  of  our  vessels 
gathering  gunpowder  and  fresh  water 
from  tin-  sea  they  are  sailing  over! 
Sir,  the  discoverer  deserves  a  subsidy  ! 
This  must  in  due  time  be  brought 
before  Parliament."  His  lordship  go! 
quite  excited  ;  and  Gammon,  watching 
his  opportunity,  intimated  the  pride 
and  pleasure  it  would  give  him  to 
make  his  lordship  the  patron  of  the 
atic  undertaking. 

"Sir — sir  —  you  do  me  —  infinite 
1  nour,"  quoth  the  Earl,  quite 
flustered  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
prop 

"  As  there  will  be,  of  course,  your 

,  several  great  capitalists 

srned,    I   must,  for  form's  Bake, 

them  before  any  step  i 

but   I    flatter  myself,  my   lord,   thai 

there  can  be  but  i  oe  opinion,  w  hen    I 

n  line  to  them  the  possibility  of  our 

b  ing  honoured  with  your  lordship's 

and  influence." 

The  Karl  iee,  ived  this  v,  ith  a  i  tab  ly 
ratifii  d  smile  ;  and  on  the 
!    i  for 


munication  from  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap,  soliciting  his  lordship 
to  become  the  patron  of  the  under- 
taking —  which  he  most  graciously 
acceded  to,  and  was  easily  prevailed 
on  to  secure  several  other  highly  dis- 
tinguished names  among  his  friends, 
who  were  profoundly  ignorant  of 
business  in  all  its  departments,  but 
de  ighted  to  figure  before  the  publio 
as  the  patrons  of  so  great  and  laudable 
an  enterprise.  Out  went  forthwith, 
all  over  the  country,  the  advertise- 
ments and  prospectuses  of  the  new 
company,  and  which  could  boas!  such 
commanding  names  as  cast  most  of 
its  sister  companies  into  t ho  shade — 
e.g.  "  The  Eight  Honourable  the  Earl. 

of    DUEDDLI.NCTON,    G.C.B.,     l'.b.S., 

l'.A.S.,&c.&c."— "The  Most  Noble  the 
DUKB  of  T ANTALLAN,  K.T.,  &C.  &0,"— 
"The  Most  Honourable  the  Marqusss 

of  Marmalade,  &c  &c.  &c."  Tho 
capital  to  be  one  million,  in  ten 
thousand  shares  of  one  hundred 
pounds  each.  Lord  Dreddlington  was 
presented  with  a  hundred  shares,  as  a 
mark  of  respect  and  gratitude  from 
the  leading  shareholders  ;  moreover, 
his  lordship  took  two  hundred  shares 
besides,  and  prevailed  on  various  of  his 
friends  to  do  the  same.  In  1  ss  than 
three  weeks'  time  the  shares  had  risen 
to  640  pri  tnium — [i.e.  my  lady  readers 
will  understand,  each  share  for  which 
liis  lordship  was  supposed  to  have 
given,  or  to  be  liable  to  be  called 
upon  for£l00,  he  could  at  airy  moment 
dispose  of  for  £140] — and  then  Mr. 
Gammon  so  represented  matters  to  his 

ship,  as  to  induce  him  to  part 
with   his  shares,  which  ho   found   no 

nlty  in  doing — and  thereby 
realized  a  clearprofitof  £12,000.  Tins 
soemi  d  to  the  Earl  rather  the  effect  of 
magic  than  of  an  everyday  -  lulo 

adventure,     His  respect  for  Gammon 
v.  itli  everything  he  heard  of  that 

•  i  nib  man,    or  saw    him   do  ;  and   his 
hip    allowed    himself    to    be    ini- 

I  ly  guided  by  him  in  all  thin 
i  t   his    advice,   a  ly,    tho 

bail  became  inti  rested  in  sev<  ral  other 
similar  speculations:  all  which  ex- 
ercises so  occupied  hi:;  thoughts,  as 
almost  to  obliten  to  1  of  min- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


isterial  injustice.  Several  of  his  friends 
cautioned  him,  now  and  then,  against 
committing  himself  to  such  novel  and 
extensive  speculations,  in  which  he 
might  incur,  he  was  reminded,  danger- 
ous liabilities ;  but  his  magnificent 
reception  of  such  interference  soon 
eaused  their  discontinuance.  The  Earl 
felt  himself  safe  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Gammon,  forming  an  equal  and  a 
very  high  estimate  of  his  ability  and 
integrity. 

His  lordship's  attention  having  been 
thus  directed  to  such  subjects — to  the 
mercantile  interests  of  this  great 
country — he  soon  began  to  take  a  vast 
interest  in  the  discussion  of  such 
subjects  in  the  House,  greatly  to  the 
surprise  and  edification  of  many  of  his 
brother  peers.  Absorbing,  however, 
as  were  these  and  similar  occupations, 
they  were  almost  altogether  suspended 
as  soon  as  a  day — and  that  not  a 
distant  one — had  been  fixed  upon  for 
the  marriage  of  his  daughter  with  Mr. 
Titmouse.  From  that  moment,  the 
old  man  could  scarcely  bear  her  out  of 
his  presence  ;  following  and  watching 
all  her  movements  with  a  peculiar, 
though  still  a  stately,  solicitude  and 
tenderness.  Frequent,  earnest,  and 
dignified  wero  his  interviews  with  Tit- 
mouse— his  representations  as  to  the 
invaluable  treasure  that  was  about  to 
be  intrusted  to  him  in  tho  Lady 
Cecilia — the  last  direct  representative 
of  the  most  ancient  noblj  family  in 
the  kingdom.  Innumerable  were  his 
lordship's  directions  to  him  concern- 
ing his  future  conduct  both  in 
public  and  private  life  ;  intimating, 
in  a  manner  at  once  impressive  and 
affectionate,  that  the  eyes  of  the 
country  would  be  thenceforward  fixed 
npon  him,  as  son-in-law  of  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington.  His  lordship,  more- 
over— pocketing  the  affront  he  had 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  Ministry 
—made  a  veiy  strenuous  and  nearly  a 
successful  eil'ort  to  procure  for  his 
destined  son-in-law  a  vacant  lordship 
of  the  Treasury.  The  Premier  was 
really  beginning  to  consider  the  sub- 
ject, when  Mr.  O'Gibbet  extinguished 
all  the  aspiring  hopes  of  poor  Lord 
Dreddlington,    by   applying    for    the 


vacant  office  for  a  friend  of  his,  Mr.. 
Och  Hubbaboo,  an  early  friend  of  Mr. 
O'Gibbet ;  and  who,  having  failed  in 
business  and  been  unable  to  re-establish 
himself,  had  come  into  the  Hon.se  of 
Commons  to  repair  his  shattered 
fortunes.  1  need  hardly  say  that, 
within  a  day  or  two,  Mr.  Hubbaboo  wa3 
made  a  lord  of  the  Treasury ;  and 
thereby  were  very  nearly  alienated 
from  Ministers  two  stanch  and  en- 
lightened supporters — to  wit,  the  Earl 
of  Dreddlington  and  Mr.  Titmouse. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  of  Tuesday 
the  1st  of  April,  18 — ,  there  were 
indications  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Lord  Dreddlington's  house  in  Gros- 
venor  Square,  that  an  aristocratic 
wedding  was  about  to  be  celebrated. 
Lady  Cecilia's  bridesmaids,  and  one  or 
two  other  ladies,  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Tantallau,  and  a  few  others  who 
were  to  accompany  the  party  to  church, 
made  their  appearance  about  eleven 
o'clock  ;  and  shortly  afterwards  dashed 
up  Mr.  Titmouse's  cab,  in  which  sat 
that  gentlemen,  enveloped  in  a  magni- 
ficent green  cloak,  which  concealed 
the  splendour  of  his  personal  appear- 
ance. He  had  been  engaged  at  his 
toilet  since  five  o'clock  that  morning, 
and  the  results  were  not  unworthy  of 
the  pains  which  had  been  taken  to 
secure  them.  He  wore  a  light-blue 
body  coat,  with  velvet  collar  ;  tight 
black  pantaloons  tying  round  his 
ankles  ;  gossamer  white  silk  stockings, 
and  dress-shoes  with  sin  all  gold  buckles. 
His  shirt  was  of  snowy  whiteness,  and 
there  glittered  in  the  centre  of  it  a 
very  superb  diamond  brooch.  Ha  had 
two  waistcoats,  the  under  one  a  sky- 
blue  satin,  (only  the  roll  visible,)  tho 
outer  one  a  white  satin  waistcoat, 
richly  embroidered.  He  wore  a 
burnished  gold  guard-chain,  disposed 
very  gracefully  over  the  outside  of  his 
outer  waistcoat.  His  hair  was  parted 
down  the  middle,  and  curled  forward 
towards  each  temple,  giving  his  coun- 
tenance a  very  bold  and  striking  ex- 
pression. He  wore  white  kid  gloves, 
a  glossy  new  hat,  and  held  in  his  hand 
his  agate  headed  ebony  cane.  Though 
he  tried  to  look  at  his  ease,  his  faco 
was   rather  pale,    and  his  manner  a 


524 


TEN   THOUSAND  A  YEAR. 


little  flurried.  As  for  the  bride— she 
had  Blept  scarcely*  quarter  of  an  hour 
th  ■  whole  night ;  ami  a  glimpse  at  her 
•ountenance,  in   the  glass,  convinced 

her  of  the  necessity  of  yielding  to 
Annette's  suggestions,  and  rouging  a 
little.  Her  eyes  told  of  the  sleepless 
and  agitated  night  she  had  passed  : 
and  while  dressing,  she  was  twice 
1  d  to  drink  a  little  sal  volatile  and 
water.  She  was  cold,  and  trembled. 
When  at  length  she  had  completed 
her  toilet,  what  a  figure  did  her  cheval- 
glass  present  to  her  !  The  dress— rich 
white  Batin — a  long  and  beautiful 
blonde  1  icovoil — and  a  delicate  wreath 
of  orange  blossoms,  was  that  of  a 
bride,  certainly  ;  hut  was  the  haggard 
cnuii  that  of   a  bride  ?      Miss 

W  i  ispleuchan  burst  into  tears  at  the 
sight.  When,  attended  by  her  brides- 
maids, and  Miss  Macspleuchan,  she 
in.i'le  her  appearance  in  the  drawing- 
room,  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  ap- 
proached her,  and  saluted  her  with 
it  tenderness.  Then  Titmouse 
came  up,  with  a  would-be  familiar  air 
— "ll^pe  you're  quite  well,  dearest, 
this  happy  day,"  said  he,  and  kissed 
her  gloved  hand.  She  made  him  no 
reply  ;  Btepped  back  and  sank  upon 
the  sofa  ;  and  presently  the  carri 
Were  announced  to  be  in  readiness. 
The  Karl  led  her  down,  followed  by 
her  two  bridesmaids,  and  entered 
the  first  carriage,  which  then  di 
oil'  to  St.  Gei  i  hurch  ;  Titrrn 

and  the  rest  of  the  party  im- 
mediately following.  The  ceremony 
\,  f ii  }«■  perfoi nied  by  the  Li  hop  of 
I  tic,  an  old  friend,  and  in- 

mt  rclal  ion  of  Lord  Dred- 
dlington's.     Mcthinks  I  now  see  his 
]        -  and  commanding  figure,  stand- 
:  in:  altar,    with   the  little 
disti  I   party  before  him  ;  and 

1.  r  his  clear,  sonorous  voice  reading 
tie',  man  Titmouse  was 

I  flushed  hy  turns,  and  look  d 
frightened — behaving,  however,  with 
more  sedatei  m   1  should  I 

expected.     Lady  I 

she  i  ould,  b  ails  ;  and  re- 

peated  her  Pew  allotted   words  in  a 
ly   audible,      Winn   Tit- 
mouse alii  ced  the  ring  up  n  hi  i  Ri 


she  trembled  and  shed  tears — avert- 
ing  her  countenance  from  him.  and 
at  length  concealing  it  entirely  in 
her  pocket-handkerchief.  She  looked 
indeed  the  image  of  misery.  The 
Earl  of  Dreddlington  maintained  a 
countenance  of  rigid  solemnity.  At 
length  the  all-important  ceremony 
came  to  a  close  ;  the  necessary  entries 
and  signatures  were  made  in  the  vestry, 
to  which  the  wedding  party  followed 
the  Bishop;  and  then  Mr.  Titmouse, 
taking  ms  wire's  arm  within  his  own, 
led  her  from  the  Vestry  to  the  private 
door,  where  stood  waiting  fir  them  tho 
Karl's  chariot.  He  handed  her  into  it, 
and  popped  in  after  her — a  little  crowd 
standing  round  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  distinguished  bride  and  bride- 
groom ;  and  they  drove  rapidly  home- 
ward. He  sat  in  one  corner,  and  sho 
in  the  other ;  each  so  occupied  with 
their  own  thoughts  that  they  uttered 
scarce  two  words  all  the  waj\ 

A  splendid  n'  ]•  uner  a  hi  fourehctU 
was  prepared,  and  a  very  brilliant 
party  attended  to  pay  their  resp. 
to  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  and  the 
Karl  of  Dreddlington;  and  about  two 
o'clock  the  Lady  Cecilia  withdrew  to 
prepare  for  her  journey,  which,  was  to 
Poppleton  Hall,  her  father's  residence 
in  Hertfordshire,  where  they  were  to 
spend  their  honeymoon.  She  hid 
[•  shown  so  much  emotion  in  her 
life  as  when  she  parted  with  V 
Macspleuchan  and  her  bridesmaids — 
sveral  times  on  the  verge  of 
hysterics.  Mr.  Titmouse's  travelling 
chariot — a  dashing  chocolate-colon 
one,  with  four  horses — stood  at  the 
door,  her  ladyship's  maid  and  his 
valet  seated  iu  the  rumble.  Some 
hundred  people  stood  round  to  see  the 

"  Happy,  happy,  happy  pair," 

set  off  on  their  journey  of  happim 
The  Earl  hd  down  Lady  Cecilia,  fol- 
lowed by  Titmouse,  whohadexi 
his   hit  for  a  gaudy  travelling  cap, 
with    a    gold    band    round    it  I     Lady 
i  lecilia,  with  drooping  head  and  f  i 
Btep,    suffered    the    Marl,    whom    she 
!  fervently,  to  place  her  in  the 
e  burst  into  a  flood  of 
i    n  i.  Th  :i  Mr.  Titmouse  shook  hands 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


525 


cordially  with  his  distinguished  father- 
in-law — popped  into  the  chariot — the 
steps  were  doubled  up — the  door  closed 
— the  side-blinds  were  drawn  down  by 
Mr.  Titmouse;  "All's  right  1  "  cried 
one  of  the  servants,  and  away  rolled 
the  carriage-and-four,  which,  quicken- 
ing its  speed,  was  soon  out  of  sight. 
Lady  Cecilia  remained  in  a  sort  of 
stupor  for  some  time,  and  sat  silent 
and  motionless  in  the  corner  of  the 
chariot ;  but*1  Titmouse  had  now  be- 
come lively  enough,  having  had  the 
benefit  of  some  dozen  glasses  of  cham- 
pagne. 

' '  Ah,  my  lovely  gal — dearest  gal  of 
my  heart ! "  he  exclaimed  fondly,  at 
the  same  time  kissing  her  cold  cheeks, 
and  putting  his  arm  round  her  waist 
■ — "Now  you're  all  my  own!  Ton 
my  soul,  isn't  it  funny  ?  We're  man 
and  wife !  By  Jove,  I  never  loved 
you  so  much  as  now,  ducky  !  eh  ? " 
Again  he  pressed  his  lips  to  her  cold 
cheek. 

"Don't,  don't,  I  beg,"  said  she 
faintly,  "  I'm  not  well ; "  and  she 
feebly  tried  to  disengage  herself  from 
his  rude  and  boisterous  embrace  :  while 
her  drooping  head  and  ashy  cheek  fully 
corroborated  the  truthof  her  statement. 
In  this  state  she  continued  for  the  whole 
of  the  first  stage.  "When  they  stopped 
to  change  horses,  says  Titmouse,  start- 
ing up — having  very  nearly  dropped 
asleep — "Cicely,  as  you're  so  uncom- 
mon ill,  hadn't  you  better  have  your 
maid  in,  and  I'll  sit  on  tho  box? — It 
would  be  a  devilish  deal  more  comfort- 
able for  you — eh  ? " 

"  Oh,  I  should  feel  so  obliged  if  you 
would,  Mr.  Titmouse  ! "  she  replied 
faiutly.  It  was  done  as  she  wished. 
Titmouse  enveloped  himself  in  his 
cloak ;  and,  having  lit  a  cigar, 
mounted  the  box,  and  smoked  all 
the  way  till  they  reached  the  Hall. 

Gammon  was  one  of  those  who  had 
seen  them  set  off  on  their  auspicious 
journey.  He  contemplated  them  with 
deep  interest,  and  anxiety. 

"Well,"  he  exclaimed,  walking 
awny  with  a  deep  sigh,  when  the 
carriage  had  got  out  of  sight — "So 
far,  so  good :  Heavens !  the  plot 
thickens,  and  tho  game  i-j  bold  1  " 


Were  "  you,  oh  unhappy  Lady 
Cecilia !  in  entering  into  this  ill- 
omened  union,  to  be  more  pitied  or 
despised  ?  'Twas,  alas  !  most  deliber- 
ately done ;  in  fact,  we  have  already 
had  laid  before  us  ample  means  of 
determining  the  question — but  'tis  a 
delicate  and  painful  one,  and  had 
perhaps  be  better  left  alone. 

They  spent  about  a  fortnight  at 
"Poppleton  Hall,  and  then  went  on  to 
Yatton ;  and  if  the  reader  be  at  all 
curious  to  know  how  Mil.  and  Lady 
Cecilia  Titmouse  commenced  their 
matrimonial  career,  I  am  able,  in  some 
measure,  to  gratify  him,  by  the  sight 
of  a  letter  addressed  by  the  Lady 
Cecilia,  some  time  afterwards,  to  one 
of  her  confidential  friends.  "lis  melan- 
choly enough,  with,  in  addition,  all 
the  feebleness  and  dulncss  which  might 
have  been  expected  from  one  of  her 
ladyship's  temperament  and  capacity  ; 
yet,  methinks,  may  it  suggest  topics 
of  instructive  reflection. 

"  Yatton,  2Sth  April,  18—. 
"Dear  Blanche — 

*  *  *  "Fate  should  have  some- 
thing pleasant  in  store  for  me,  since 
it  has  made  me  most  unhappy  now, 
but  it  is  some  consolation  that  I  took 
this  step  purely  to  please  my  papa, 
who  seemed  to  think  it  was  a  thing 
that  ought  to  be  done  :  You  know  he 
always  fretted  himself  greatly  about 
the  division  of  the  family  interests, 
and  so  on  ;  and  when  he  proposed  to 
me  this  truly  unhappy  alliance,  I  sup- 
posed it  was  my  duty  to  comply,  as 
indeed  he  said  it  was.  I  am  sure  but 
for  this  I  should  never  have  dreamed 
of  such  a  thing  as  doing  what  I  did, 
for  if,  by  the  way,  fate  chose  us  to 
come  together,  it  ought  surely  to  have 
Cv  ted  us  to  each  other ;  but  really  dear 
Blanche,  (en/re  noxos)  you  cannot  think 
what  a  creature  it  is.  He  is  always 
smoking  cigars,  &c,  and  he  by  that 
means  not  only  carries  the  nasty  odour 
of  the  smoke  about  him  everywhere, 
but  also  in  spite  of  all  I  can  do,  when 
we  come  together  in  the  carriage  (which 
is  not  often)  and  at  meals,  he  com- 
municates the  odious  smell  to  my 
clothes — and  Annette  wastes  a  fortuno 


526 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAU. 


in  cau-dc-cologne  to  scatter  over  my 
dresses  aud  her  own  too,  and  he  has 
very  nasty  habits  besides,  nam  ly 
picking  his  t  "th,  (often  at  dinner,) 
eating  with  his  knife,  &c.  &c.',  and  he 
is  continually  running  his  lingers 
through  his  horrid  hair,  to  curl  it, 
anl  carries  a  comb  with  him,  and 
several  times  has  combed  liis  hair  in 
the  carriage  just  before  we  got  out  of 
the  door  of  the  place  we  were  to  dine 
at,  and  he  always  takes  too  much  wine, 
and  comes  up  the  very  last  to  the  draw- 
ing-room, and  sometimes  in  such  a 
.  1  am  resolved  I  will  never  come 
home  with  him  from  dinner  again, 
even  if  I  ever  go  out  together  with 
him.  I  do  believe  the  wretch  has 
been  guilty  of  some  impudence  to 
Annette,  for  the  girl  always  colours 
when  I  mention  his  name,  and  looks 
confused  and  angry,  but  of  course  I 
cannot  ask  her.  And  he  is  such  a 
horrid  liar  there  is  no  believing  a 
word  he  says,  he  is  always  saying  that, 
he  might  if  he  had  chose  many  Lady 
This  and  Lady  That,  and  says  Miss 
Aubrey  was  dying  to  have  him  (I  wish 
dear  15.  sho  had  instead  of  me,  she 
would  hive  been  welcome  for  me,  to 
return  and  become  mistress  of  Yatton 
again) — by  the  way  it  certainly  is  a 
truly  delightful  spot,  quite  old-fash- 
ioned and  all  that  and  delightful 
grounds  about  it  but  it  seems  like  a 
nunnery  to  me,  I  am  so  unhappy  and 
no  one  seems  anxious  to  come  to  sec 

ni'1,  though  there  are  the 's,  and 

the  \s,  and  's,  within  an 

hour  or  two's  drive  of  us,  but  how  can 
you  wonder?  for  if  you  only  saw  the  sort 
of  people  tint  come  here,  such  horrid 
hi  i,  a  Unitarian  parson  and  his 
vulgar  wife  and  daughter,  and  a  low 
apothecary  and  auctioneer  and  so  on, 
which  he  says  is  i  y  (forsooth)  to 

keep  up  his  interest  in  the  borough. 
Thm  1,.-  goes  on  in  such  a  Bhameful  o  nd 
unfeeling  and  disri  spectful  way  b 
the   \  Lc  ir  1 1  >r.  Tal  B  im,  a   very  nice 
person,  who  I  am    are,  by  his  Li 
jcela forme)  that  Dr.  T.  will  scarcely 
ever  come  near  us  under  one  pretence 
or  ari"t!:i  r,     1  am  Borry  to   t>  il  you 
Mr.  Til  mom  e  has  no  tnoi 
I-  i  <<-!    than    a    cat    or   a    dog,    and    I 


understand  he  has  left  a  great  many 
of  bis  election  bills  unpaid  (so  that  ho 
i-;  M-ry  unpopular)  and  positively  dear 
Blanche  !  the  diamond  spray  the  crea- 
ture bought  me  turns  out  to  be  only 
/  /  He  never  goes  to  church, 
and  has  got  up  one  or  two  dog-fights 
in  the  village,  and  be  is  hated  by  the 
tenants  for  he  is  always  raising  their 
rents.  I  forgot  to  mention  by  tho 
way  he  had  the,  monstrous  assuranco 
one  morning  to  open  my  L  Iters  ! — and 
said  he  had  a  right  to  do  so,  with  bis 
own  Avife,  for  we  were  one  (I  hate  to 
write  it)  so  I  have  had  a  letter-bag  of 
my  own  which  is  always  delivered  in 
to  my  own  room.  Oh  Heavens!  the 
idea  of  his  succeeding  to  the  barony  ! 
but  to  be  sure  you  have  no  notion 
bow  bard  lie  lives  ;  (and  eiltre  , 
the  other  day  the  doctor  was  called  in 
to  him  and  had  to  put  leeches  on  his 
head,  and  certainly  (-  ntre  nous  (dearest 
B,)  I  understand  such  things  some- 
times do  often  lead  to  very  sad  results, 
but  however  he  certainly  seems  better 
now.  My  papa  knows  nothing  of  all 
this  yet,  but  he  soon  must,  and  1  am 
confident  a  .  %  must  ensue,  or 

1  shall  die,  or  go  mad.  Oh  how  thank- 
ful  1  should  be  I  *  *  *  Hut  I  could 
fill  two  or  three  sheets  more  in  this 
way,  and  y<  t  I  have  not  told  you  a 
hundredth  part  of  his  gauckeries,  but 
really  you  must  be  quite  si'  k  of  hear- 
ing of  them.  ](  he  will  but  leave  mo 
here  win  ii  he  goes  up  to  town,  you 
will  surely  pay  me  your  promised  visit 
—  and  1  will  tell  you  many  more 
miserable  things,  in  the  mean  while, 
oh  dearest  B,  how  I  envy  you  being 
single,  and  wish  I  were  so  again  I-  Bi 
.s-urc  you  hum  this  when  you  have,  read 
it— and  believe  me,  your  unhappy, 

"C  KC  ILIA. 

"  P.S.  Of  course  T  shall  not  ask  him 
for  one  of  his  ridiculous  franks,  I  nev<  r 
do;  and  as  your  brother  is  not  with 
you,  you  must  not  grumble  at  paying 
the  po  itage  of  this  long  letter. 

"The  Lady  Blanche  Lkwisham." 

A  dull  and  phlegmatic  disposition! 
like  th  it  of  Lady  Cecilia,  must  have 
been  roused  and  slung  indeed,  before 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


527 


she  could  have  attained  to  snch  bitter- 
ness of  expression  as  is  occasionally  to 
he  met  with  in  the  above  communica- 
tion. Though  it  shailows  forth,  with 
painful  distinctness,  several  of  the 
more  disadvantageous  features  of  Mr. 
Titmouse's  character  and  conduct, 
there  were  far  darker  ones,  with  which 
its  miserable  writer  had  not  theu  be- 
come acquainted.  I  shall  but  hastily 
glance  at  one  of  them  ;  viz.  that  he 
was  at  that  moment  keeping  a  mistress 
in  town,  and  commencing  the  seduc- 
tion of  a  farmer's  daughter  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Yatton  !  Execrable 
little  miscreant ! — why  should  I  defile 
my  paper  by  further  specifying  his 
gross  misdeeds,  or  dwelling  upon  their 
sickening  eifects  on  the  mind  and  feel- 
ings of  the  weak  woman  who  could 
sutler  herself  to  be  betrayed  into  such 
a  union  ? — But  is  she  the  only  one 
that  has  done  so  ? 

Whatever  may  be  the  accidental  and 
ultimate  advantages,  in  respect  of  for- 
•tune  or  social  station,  expected  to  be 
realized  by  a  woman  in  forming  a 
union  with  one  who  would  be  other- 
wise regarded  with  indiiference,  or  dis- 
like, or  disgust,  she  may  rely  upon  it 
that  she  is  committing  an  act  of  de- 
liberate wickedness,  which  will  be 
attended,  probably,  for  the  rest  of  her 
life,  with  consequences  of  unutterable 
and  inevitable  misery,  which  even  the 
obtaining  of  her  proposed  objects  will 
not  compensate,  but  only  enhance. 
It  is  equally  a  principle  of  our  law, 
and  of  common  sense,  that  people  must 
be  understood  to  have  contcmiilatcd  the 
natural  and  necessary  consequences  of 
their  own  acts,  even  if  hastily — but 
by  so  much  the  more,  if  deliberately 
done.  "When,  therefore,  they  come  to 
experience  those  consequences,  let  them 
not  complain.  A  marriage  of  this  de- 
scription is,  so  to  speak,  utter  dis- 
location and  destruction  to  the  delicate 
and  beautiful  fabric  of  a  woman's 
character.  It  perverts,  it  deflects  the 
noblest  tendencies  of  her  lovely  nature  ; 
it  utterly  degrades  and  corrupts  her ; 
she  sinks  irretrievably  into  an  inferior 
being:  instead  of  her  native  simplicity 
and  purity,  are  to  be  seen  thenceforth 
only  heartlessness  and  hypocrisy.  Her 


affections  and  passions,  denied  their 
legitimate  objects  and  outlets,  accord- 
ing to  their  original  weakness  or 
strength  of  development,  either  dis- 
appear and  wither — and  she  is  no 
longer  woman — or  impel  her  headlong 
into  coarse  sensuality,  perhaps  at 
length  open  criminality  ;  and  then 
she  is  expelled  indignantly  and  for 
ever  from  the  community  of  her  sex. 
'Tis  then,  indeed,  an  angel  turned  into 
a  fiend  ! — Remember,  remember,  oh 
woman  !  that  it  is  not  the  mere  ring, 
and  the  orange  blossom,  which  con- 
stitute the  difference  between  virtue 

— and  vice  ! 

Had  Lady  Cecilia  been  a  woman  of 
acute  perceptions  or  lively  sensibilities, 
she  must  have  fled  from  her  sufferings 
—she  must  have  gone  mad,  or  com- 
mitted suicide.  As  it  was,  dull  as 
was  her  temperament,  when  the  more 
odious  points  of  Titmouse's  character 
and  habits  were  forced  upon  her  notice 
by  the  close  and  constant  contiguity 
of  daily  intercourse,  the  reflection  that 
such  must  be  the  case  for  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives,  became  even  hourly 
more  intolerable,  and  roused  into  exist- 
ence feelings  of  active  hatred  and  dis- 
gust ;  she  became  hourly  more  alive  to 
the  real  horrors  of  her  position.  The 
slender  stay  she  had  sought  for  in  the 
reflection  that  she  had  incurred  all  by 
a  dutiful  submission  to  her  father's 
wishes,  quickly  gave  way ;  she  knew 
that  it  was  false  !  As  for  Titmouse, 
he  had  never  cared  one  straw  about 
anything  beyond  becoming  the  hus- 
band of  the  future  Baroness  of  Drelin- 
court — and  that  on  account  not  merely 
of  the  dignity  and  splendour  conferred 
upon  him  by  such  an  alliance  with  the 
last  remaining  member  of  the  elder 
branch  of  his  ancient  family,  but  also 
because  of  the  grave  and  repeated 
assurances  of  Mr.  Gammon,  that  it 
was  in  some  mysterious  way  essential 
to  the  tenure  of  his  own  position.  Had, 
however,  Lady  Cecilia,  instead  of  being 
cold  and  inanimate,  haughty  even  to 
reprdsion  in  her  manner,  and  of  person 
lean  and  uninviting — been  of  fascinat- 
ing manners,  affectionate  disposition,  of 
brilliant  accomplishments,  and.  of  ripe 
loveliness  of  person,   it  would,   I   am 


52S 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


persuaded,  havo  made  little  or  no 
difference  to  Mr.  Titmouse  j  since  such 
n  radiant  being  would,  as  it  were, 
stand  always  surrounded  by  the  in- 
ile  but  impassable  barrier  of  refine- 
ment — for  ever  forbidding  communion 
and  sympathy.  As  for  Lady  Cecilia, 
Titmouse  could  scarcely  avoid  per- 
ceiving how  the  despised  him,  and 
avoided  his  company  on  every  possible 
occasion.  No  person,  from  merely 
Seeing  them,  could  have  dreamed  of 
their  being  husband  and  wife.  He 
made  no  secret  at  all  (at  hast  in  his 
own  peculiar  visiting  circles)  of  his 
wishes  that  the  Kail's  increasing  age 
and  infirmities  might  quicken,  and 
Lady  Cecilia's  apparently  delicate 
health  decline  apace— and  thus  accel- 
erate the  accession  of  Mr.  Titmouse  to 
the  barony  of  Drelincourt. 

"Ha,  ha!"  would  exclaim  his 
choice  boon  companions,  "  won't  it  be 
comical,  Tit,  to  sea  you  take  your 
seat  in  the  Upper  House  ] " 

"Ton  my  soul,  jolly,  ah,  ha! — 
Dcmme,  I'll  show  the  old  stagers  a 
funny  trick  or  two  !  " 

"Capital  I— ah,  ha,  ha!— Do  the 
donkey  1  eh  ? — You'd  make  the  Chan- 
cellor's wig  jump  oft"!  " 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!— I'll  tickle  'cm,  or 
my  name  isn't  Tittlebat  Titmouse  !  " 
— By  all  which  was  meant,  that  he 
purposed  introducing  into  the  House 
of  Lords  that  peculiar  mode  of  debating 
which  had  earned  him  such  quick 
distinction  in  the  House  of  Commons  ! 

After  tluy  had  spent  about  a  mouth 
at  Yatton,  his  urgent  parliamentary 
duties  required  Mr.  Titmouse  to  tear 
himself  from  that  lovely  seclusion — 
that  "  bower  of  bliss  " — and  resume  his 
arduous  posl  in  tho  House.  Though 
Lady  Cec  Lia  would  have  vastly  pre- 
ferred being  left  behind  at  Yatton, 
med  to  require  that  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  should  make 
their  reappearance  in  the  world  jointly, 
and  she  was  tie  refore  compelled  to 
accompany  him  to  low  q  ;  and  they 
were  \>  bed  in  his 

new  re  idem  e  in  Park  Lane.     It  was 
i ;  a*  ioua  and  elegant — indeed   it    ivo 
furnished  with   great  splendour,    in. 
inch  aa  carte  bin iichc  had  been  given 


to  a  fashionable  upholsterer.  In  a 
moment  they  were  both  in  the  great 
whirling  world  of  fashion.  Lord 
Dreddlington  gave  a  series  of  dinner 
parties  on  their  account,  as  did  several 
of  their  distinguished  kinsfolk  and 
friends  ;  and  in  due  time  their  hospi- 
talities were  returned  by  Mr.  Titmouse. 
His  first  dinner  party  went  off  with 
great  eclat,  no  fewer  than  four  peers  of 
the  realm,  with  their  ladies,  being 
among  his  guests.  Mr.  Titmouse  led 
down  to  dinner  the  gigantic  Duchess 
of  Tantallan,  blazing  in  diamonds,  his 
Grace  the  Duke  bringing  up  the  rear 
with  tho  Lady  Cecilia — and  the  splen- 
did affair  was  duly  announced,  tho 
ensuing  morning,  in  the  obsequious 
columns  of  the  Aurora.  For  some 
little  time  Mr.  Titmouse  occupied  his 
novel  and  dazzling  position  with  an 
approach  towards  decorum  and  svlf- 
deiiial ;  but,  as  he  became  familiar 
with  it,  his  old  tastes  revived — and 
Lady  Cecilia  and  her  friends  were 
gratified,  for  instance,  while  in  tho 
drawing-room  after  dinner,  by  catch- 
ing occasional  Bounds  of  Mr.  Titmouse's 
celebrated  imitations  of  animals,  which 
once  or  twice,  when  considerably  ele- 
vated, he  insisted  upon  giving  on  his 
re-entering  the  drawing-room  I  In- 
deed, he  spared  no  pains  to  acquire 
the  power  of  pleasing  society  by  tho 
display  of  rare  accomplishments  ;  for 
which  purpose  he  took  lessons  every 
other  day  in  the  art  diabolic — i.  e.  in 
conjuring;  in  which  he  soon  became 
an  expert  proficient,  and  could  play 
marvellous  tricks  upon  cards  and  with 
dice,  eat  pocket-handkerchiefs,  cause 
wine-glasses  visibly  to  sink  through  | 
solid  tables,  and  perform  sundry  other 
astounding  feats.  Nor  was  he  long  in 
collecting  round  him  guests,  who  not 
only  tolerated,  but  professed  infinite 
delight  in,  such  entertainments — "lit 
audience,  nor  few" — consisting  prin- 
cipally of   those    adventurous    gentle? 

men  who  have  entered  Parliament  in 

vout    reliance    on    1'rovidence    to 

find  them  dinners.    'Twos h 

society    as   this  that    Titmouse    could 

fei  1  i  In-  lea  t  si  Dse  of  i  njoyment,  ami 

from   which    Lady   Cecilia   altogether 

utcd  herself,  often  without  deign* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


529 


ing  the  slightest  reason,  excuse,  or 
apology.  '  In  fact,  the  intemperate 
habits  and  irregular  hours  of  Titmouse 
soon  rendered  it  necessary  that  he  and 
the  Lady  Cecilia  should  occupy  separ- 
ate sleeping  apartments  ;  for  either  his 
club,  the  House,  or  his  other  engage- 
ments, kept  him  out  till  a  very  late — 
or  rather  early — hour  every  morning. 

It  was  about  half-past  eleven  o'clock 
one  day  towards  the  litter  end  of 
June,  that  Mr.  Titmouse,  having 
finished  breakfast,  (which  was  surely 
very  early,  since  he  had  not  got  to 
bed  till  four  o'clock  that  morning,) 
a  meal  to  which  he  invariably  sat 
down  alone,  often  not  catching  a 
glimpse  of  Lady  Cecilia  during  the 
day,  except  on  a  chance  encounter 
iu  the  hall,  or  on  the  stairs,  or  when 
they  were  forced  to  go  out  to  dinner 
together — had  entered  his  library  to 
enjoy  undisturbed  the  luxury  of  his 
hookah.  The  library  was  a  large  and 
handsome  room,  all  the  sides  of  which 
were  occupied  by  very  curious  antique 
carved  oak  bookcases,  which  had  be- 
longed to  the  former  tasteful  occupant 
of  the  house,  and  from  whom  they 
had  been  purchased  by  Titmouse, 
who  then  bethought  himself  of  pro- 
curing a  library  to  fill  them.  For  this 
purpose,  it  luckily  occuiTed  to  him,  on 
seeing  an  advertisement  of  a  library 
for  sale  by  auction  one  day,  that 
it  would  be  a.  good  speculation  to 
be  beforehand  with  the  expected  au- 
dience, and  purchase  the  aforesaid 
library  in  a  lump,  by  private  con- 
tract. He  did  so — and  at  a  remarkably 
low  price  ;  giving  directions  that  they 
should  forthwith  be  carried  to  a 
bookbinder,  named  by  the  obs?quious 
auctioneer — with  orders  to  bind  them 
all  in  elegant  but  as  varied  bindings 
as  possible.  Certainly  the  works  were 
of  a  somewhat  miscellaneous  character; 
■ — old  Directories ;  Poems  by  Young 
Ladies,  and  Gentlemen  ;  Ready-reck- 
oners ;  Doddridge's  Expositor ;  Hints 
on  Etiquette ;  two  hundred  Minerva 
press  novels  ;  triplicate  copies  of  some 
twenty  books  on  cookery  ;  the  art  of 
war  ;  charades  ;  Cudworth's  Intellect- 
ual System  ;  books  of  travels  ;  bibles, 
dictionaries,  prayer-books,  plays ;  Trea- 


tises on  Political  Economy,  and  Danc- 
ing ;    adventures   of  noted  highway- 
men ;  the  classics  ;  moral  essays  ;  and 
Burn's  Ecclesiastical   Law.     If  these 
respectable  works  had  had  the  least 
sense  of  the  distinction  that  had  been  so 
unexpectedly  bestowed  upon  them,  they 
ought  not  to  have  murmured  at  never 
afterwards  receiving  the  slightest  per- 
sonal attention  from  their  spirited  and 
gifted  proprietor  ! — The  room  was  lit 
by  a  large  bow-window,  which,   being 
partially  open,  admitted  the  pleasant 
breeze   which    was    stirring   without, 
while  the  strong  light  was  mitigated 
by    the    half-drawn    blinds,    and   the 
ample    chintz  window-draperies.     On 
the  mantelpiece  stood  one  or  two  small 
alabaster  statues  and  vases,  and  a  veiy 
splendid  and   elaborately  ornamented 
French  timepiece.     The  only  unplea- 
santness perceptible,  was  the  sort  of 
disagreeable  odour  prevalent  in  rooms 
which,  as  in  the  present  instance,  are 
devoted  to  smoking.      To   this  room 
had  been  also  transferred  many  of  the 
articles    which   I  have    described   as 
having  been  visible   in  his  rooms  at 
the   Albany.      Over   the   mantelpiece 
was  placed  the  picture  of  the  boxers — 
that  of  Titmouse  being  similarly  situ- 
ated  in   the   dining-room.     Mr.    Tit- 
mouse wore  a  full  crimson  dressing- 
gown,  with  yellow  slippers  ;  his  shirt- 
collar  was  open  and  thrown  down  over 
his  shoulders — leaving  exposed  to  view 
a  quantity  of  sand-coloured  hair  under 
his  throat.   In  fact  he  looked  the  imago 
of  some  impudent  scamp  of  a  valet, 
who    has,    in    his    master's   absence, 
chosen  to  dress  himself  in  that  master's 
clothes,  and  affect  his  luxurious  airs, 
lie  lay  on  the  sofa  with  his  hookah  in 
his  left  hand  ;  near  him  was  the  table, 
on  which  stood  the  Morning  Growl, 
and  some   eight  or  ten  letters,  only 
one  or  two  of  which  had  as  yet  been 
opened.     He  had  just  leaned  back  his 
head,  and  with  an  air  of  tranquil  en- 
joyment very  slowly  expelled  a  mouth- 
ful of  smoke,  when  a  servant  submis- 
sively entered,    and    announced    tho 
arrival  of  a  visitor — Mr.  Gammon. 

"How  d'ye  do,  Gammon! — early, 
eh  ? "  commenced  Titmouse  without 
stirring,  and  with  infinite  composure 

M  M 


TEX  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


and  nonchalance    Mr.  Gammon  made 

the  usual  reply,  ami  presently  sat 
down  in  the  chair  placed  for  him  by 
the  servant,  I  i   Ti'- 

monsi — who,  had  he  been  accustom  id 
to  obsc.  .  or  capable  of  it,  might 

have  detected  something  rather  un- 
nsual  in  the  flushed  face,  the  anxious 
and  i  eye,  and  the  forced  man- 

f  his  visitor. 

"Likely  to  be  devilish  hot  day — 
']>"'!  Diyi  >ul!" — exclaimed  Titmou  e, 
after  again  emptying  his  mouth  — 
adding,  in  a  tolerably  conceited  man- 
ner— "By  the  way  —  here's  a  letter 
from  Snap — just  opened  it! — Bather 
cool,  after  what's  passed — eh  ?  Dem 
him,  asks  me  for  a  place  under  govern- 
ment ; — All — a — what's  ho  fit  for  ?" 

"For  what  he  is,  and  nothing  el:  e," 
replied  Gammon  with  a  bit  er  smile, 
glancing  over  poor  Snap's  letter,  which 
Titmouse  handed  to  him,  though 
marked  ".strictly  confidential"  — 
G  Lmmon  being  undoubtedly  the  very 
last  man  upon  <  artli  whom  Snap  would 
have  wished  to  know  of  his  application. 

"Were  yon  at  the  House  last 
Bight?"  enquired  Gammon — "They 
Bat  very  late  I  Lord  Bulfinch  made, 
1  think,  a  very  powerful  speech " 

"Yes — devilish  good — rather  long 
though;  and  too  many  of  those  rinsed 
figures  that — by  Jove — no  one   i 
about !  "  replied  Titmouse  languidly. 

He  had  by  this  time  turned  him- 
self towards  Mr.  Gammon  ; — his  right- 
arm  and  leg  hanging  carelessly  over 
the  further  side  of  the  sofa. 

"Lady  Cecilia  is  well,  I  hope?" 

"Can't  say  —  not  seen  her  this 
week,"  drawled  Titmouse.  "  I'll  ring 
and  ask,  if  you  wish,"  he  added  with 
an  affected  smile. 

"Ah,  my  dear  Titmouse,"  quoth 
Gammon  blandly,  and  with  a  .smile 
of  delicious  flattery,  "I  hope  you 
don't  give  her  lady  hip  just  c  iu:  e  for 
jeale  i     i   must  no1   avail 

youi  your — y  owledged 

power  over  the  Bex-   ahem  !  " 

Mr.  Tit:: 
silently  i  a  mouth 

while  an  ineffabli 

I'eS. 

"  You  must  not  neglect  her  lady- 


ship, Titmouse,"  quoth  Gammon, 
gently  shaking  his  head,  and  with  an 
anxiously  deferential  air. 

"Ton  my  life,  ]  don't  neglect  herl 
■ — Public  life,  you  know — eh  ?  "  replied 
Titmouse  slowly,  with  his  eyes  closed, 
and  speaking  with  the  air  of  one  suf- 
fering from  ennui.  Here  a  pause  of 
some  moments  ensued, 

"Can  we  have  about  half-an-hour 
to  ours.lves,  uninterruptedly?"  at 
lmfith  enquired  Mr  Gammon. 

"Ah — a — why — my  singing-master 
i.?  coining  here  a  little  after  twelve," 
quoth  Titmouse,  turning  himself 
round,  so  as  to  be  able  to  look  at  the 
clock  on  the  mantelpiece. 

"  Oh,  probably  less  than  that  period 
will  suffice,  if  we  shall  not  be  interrupt- 
ed— may  I  ring  the  bell,  and  will  you 
give  orders  to  that  effect?"  With 
this,  Gammon  rang  the  bell;  and  ou 
the  servant's  app  aring  : — 

"  1  say,  sir — do  you  hear,  domme  ?" 
said  Titmouse,  "not  at  home  —  till 
this  gentleman's  gone."  The  man 
bowed,  .and  withdrew  ;  and  on  his 
closing  the  door,  Gammon  softly 
stepped  after  him  and  bolted  it;  by 
which  time  Titmouse,  somewhat 
startled,  withdrew  his  hookah,  for 
an  instant,  from  his  mouth,  find  gazed 
rather  anxiously  at  Gammon,  about 
whose  appearance  he  then,  for  the 
first  time,  fancied  he  saw  something 
unusual. 

"Ah,  ha  ! — My  stars,  Mr.  Gammon, 
we'ic  going  to  lie  devilish  secret  — 
aren't  we  !  "  exclaimed  Titmouse  with 
a  faint  smile,  having  watched  Mr. 
Gammon's  movement  with  great  stir- 
prise  ;  and  he  began  to  smoke  rather 
more  energetically  than  before,  with 
his  eye  fixed  on  the  grave  countenanco 
of  Mr.  Gammon. 

"My  dear  Titmouse,"  commenced 
Ids  visitor,  drawing  his  chair  near  to 
Titmouse,  and  speaking  in  an   earnest 

and  kindly  maimer,  "does  it  never 
i  tonish  you,  when  you  reflect  on  the 
e  of  fortune  w In  h  has  elevab  1 
you  to  your  pi  oint  of  splendour 

and  di  itinction  ! " 

"  Most  amazing  !  —  uncommon  !  " 
replied  Titmouse  apprehen  ively. 

"  It  is  I — marvellous!  un precedent- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


531 


ed!  You  are  the  envy  of  hundreds 
upon  hundreds  of  thousands  !  Such 
an  affair  as  yours  does  no1  happen 
above  once  or  twice  in  a  couple  of 
centuries — if  so  often  !  You  cannot 
imagine  the  feelings  of  delight  with 
which  /regard  all  this — this  brilliant 
result  of  my  long  labours,  and  untir- 
ing devotion  to  your  service." — He 
paused. 

"Oh,  'pon  my  life,  yes  ;  it's  all 
very  true,"  replied  Titmouse  with  a 
little  trepidation,  replenishing  the 
howl  of  his  hookah  with  tobacco. 

"May  I  venture  to  hope,  my  dear 
Titmouse,  that  I  have  established  my 
claim  to  he  considered,  in  some  mea- 
sure, as  the  sole  architect  of  your  ex- 
traordinary fortunes — your  earliest — 
your  most  constant  friend  ?  " 

' '  You  see,  as  I've  often  said,  Mr. 
Gammon  —  I'm  most  uncommon 
obliged  to  you   for  all  favours  —  so 

help  me 1  and  no  mistake,"  said 

Titmouse,  with  a  countenance  of  in- 
creasing seriousness  ;  and  he  rose  from 
his  recumbent  posture,  and,  stid  smok- 
ing, sat  with  his  face  turned  full  to- 
wards Mr.  Gammon,  who  resumed — ■ 

"  As  I  am  not  in  the  habit,  my  dear 
Titmouse,  of  beating  about  the  bush, 
let  me  express  a  hope  that  you  con- 
sider the  services  I  have  rendered  you 
not  unworthy  of  requital." — 

"Oh  yes — to  be  sure — certainly," 
quoth  Titmouse,  slightly  changing 
colour — "anything,  by  Jove,  that's 
in  my  power— but,  it  is  most  parti- 
cular unfortunate  that  —  ahem  !  —  so 
deuced  hard  up  just  now — but — ah, 
'pon  my  soul,  I'll  speak  to  Lord  Bul- 
finch,  or  some  of  those  people,  and 
get  you  something — though  I  sha'n't 
do  anything  of  the  kind  for  Snap — 
dem  him !  You've  no  idea,"  con- 
tinued Titmouse  anxiously,  "how 
devilish  thick  Lord  Bulfmch  and  I 
are — he  shakes  hands  with  me  when 
we  meet  in  the  lobby — ho  does,  'pon 
my  life." 

"I  am  very  much  obliged,  my  dear 
Titmouse,  for  your  kind  offer — but  I 
have  a  little  political  influence  myself, 
when  I  think  fit  to  exert  it,"  replied 
Gammon  gravely. 

"  Well,     then,"     interrupted    Tit- 


mouse eagerly — "as  for  money,  if 
that's  what  —  by  jingo  !  but  if  you 
don't  know  how  precious  hard  up  one 
is  just  now " 

"My  dear  sir,"  replied  Gammon, 
with  a  countenance  sensibly  darkening 
as  he  went  on,  "  the  subject  on  which 
we  are  now  engaged  is  one  of  inex- 
pressible interest  and  importance,  in 
my  opinion,  to  each  of  us  ;  and  let  us 
discuss  it  calmly.  I  am  prepared  to 
make  a  communication  to  you  imme- 
diately, which  you  will  never  forget  to 
the  day  of  your  death.  Are  you  pre- 
pared to  receive  it  ? " 

"  Oh  yes  ! — Never  so  wide  awake  in 
my  life!  oh  Lord!  fire  away" — replied 
Titmouse  ;  and  taking  the  tip  of  his 
hookah  from  his  lips,  and  holding  it  in 
the  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  he  leaned 
forward,  staring  open  -  mouthed  at 
Gammon. 

"Well,  my  dear  Titmouse,  then  I 
will  proceed.  I  will  not  enjoin  you 
to  secrecy  ; — and  that  not  merely  be- 
cause I  have  full  confidence  in  your 
honour — but  because  you  cannot  dis- 
close it  to  any  mortal  man  but  at  tho 
peril  of  immediate  and  utter  ruin." 

"Ton  my  soul,  most  amazing! 
Demme,  Mr.  Gammon,  you  frighten 
me  out  of  my  wits  ! "  said  Titmouse, 
turning  paler  and  paler,  as  his  recol- 
lection became  more  and  more  distinct 
of  certain  mysterious  hints  of  Mr. 
Gammon's,  many  months  before,  at 
Yatton,  as  to  his  power  over  Titmouse. 

' '  Consider  for  a  moment.  You  aro 
now  a  member  of  Parliament ;  the  un- 
questioned owner  of  a  fine  estate  ;  tho 
husband  of  a  lady  of  very  high  rank-  - 
the  last  direct  represen!  ative  of  one  of 
the  proudest  and  most  ancient  of  the 
noble  families  of  Great  Britain ;  you 
yourself  are  next  but  one  in  succession 
to  almost  the  oldest  barony  in  tho 
kingdom  :  in  fact,  in  all  human  pro- 
bability you  are  the  next  Lord  Due- 
lincourt  ;  and  all  this  through  me." 
He  paused. 

"  Well — excuse  me,  Mr.  Gammon — 
but  I  hear  ; — though — ahem  !  you're 
(meaning  no  offence)  1  can't  for  the 
life  and  soul  of  me  tell  what  the  devil 
it  is  you're  driving  at" — said  Tit- 
mouse, twisting  his  finger  into  his  hair, 

M  It    2 


532 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


and  gazing  at  Gammon  with  intense 
anxiety.  For  sonic  moments  Mr.  Gam- 
mon remained  looking  very  Bolemnly 

and  in  silence  at  Titmouse  ;  and  then 
procei  ded. 

"  Vet  yon  are  really  no  more  en- 
title.! to  be  what  yon  seem — what  you 
arc  thought — or  to  possess  what  you 
at  pn  ;i!  possess — than — the  little 
wr<  tch  that  last  swept  your  chimneys 
hei    !  " 

The  hookah  dropped  out  of  Tit- 
monse's  hand  upon  the  floor,  and  lie 
mad''  no  effort  to  pi  sk  it  up,  hut  sat 
staring  al  '  lammon,  with  checks  almost 
as  white  as  his  shirt-collar,  and  in 
uay. 

"  I  perceive  that  you  are  agitated, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  said  Gammon  kindly. 

"By  Jovo— I  should  think  so!" 
replied  Titmouse  faintly  ;  but  he  tried 
to  as, ■niie  an  incredulous  smile — in 
vain,  however  ;  and  to  such  a  pitch 
had  his  agitation  rea<  hed,  that  he  ro  le, 
opem  d  a  cabinet  near  him,  and  taking 
out  from  it  a  brandy-flask  and  a  wine- 
glass, poured  it  out  full,  and  drank  it 
off.  "  Wu  a'n'tjoA  ing,  Mr.  Gammon, 
eh?"  Again  he  attempted  a  sickly 
smile. 

"God  forbid,  Mr.  Titmouse!" 

"  Well  -but,"  faltered  Titmou  . 
"vl  va'n't  J  entitled  toitall  !  Hasn't 
the  1  ".-.-  given  it,  to  mo  .'  And  can't  the 
law  do  a  ? " 

"No  one  on  earth  knows  the  what 
and  the  whyof  thi  i  ro  ttter  hut  myself ; 
and,  if  you  choo  ie,  no  one  ever  shall ; 
nay,  1  will  take  care,  if  you  come  this 
morning  to  my  terms,  to  deprive  even 
If  of  all  means  of  proving  what 
I  i  rove,   at  any  moment    1 

choose." — 

"  Lord,  Mr.  Gammon)"  ejaculated 
Titmouse,  passing  his  hand  hastily 
over  his  damp  fop  hi  ad  hi  agitation 
■\  isibly  i  "  What's  to  be  the 

h  mi"  <"    ho   faltered    presently,    and 
looked  as  if  lie  dreadod  to  hear  the 
or. 

"  If  you  mean,  what  are  my  I  rms 
— I  will  at  once  tell  you ;  -they  are 
term  on  which  I  si 
in  i-t  ;  Ihoy  have  been  long  fixed  in 
my  own  mind  ;  I  am  quite  inflexible  ; 
bo  h<  Ip  I   w  ill  not  var) 


from  them  a  hair's-hrcadth  !  I  require 
first  to  sit  in  Parliament  for  Yattori, 
at  the  next,  election  ;  and  afterwards 
alternately  with  yourself;  and  secondly, 
That  you  immediately  grant  me  an 
annuity  for  my  life  of  two  thousand 
pounds  a-year  em  your " 

Titmouse  sprang  from  the  sofa,  dash- 
ing his  fist  on  the  table,  and  uttering 
a  frightful  imprecation.  He  stood  for 
a  moment,  and  then  threw  himself 
desperately  at  full  length  on  the  sofa, 
muttering  the  same  execration  that  had 
first  issued  from  his  lips.  Gammon 
moved  not  a  muscle,  hut  fixed  a  stead- 
fist  eye  on  Ti  mouse  :  the  two  might 
have  been  compared  to  the  affrighted 
rabbit,  and  the  deadly  boa-constrictor. 

"It's    all    a    swindle! — a    d d 

swindle  !  "  at  length  he  exclaimed, 
starting  up  into  a  sitting  posture)  and 
almost  grinning  defiance  at  Gammon. 

"You're  a  swindler!" — ho  ex- 
claim* d  vehemently. 

"  Possibly — hut  you,  sir,  are  a  BAS- 
tav.d  " — replied  ( lammon  calmly.  Tit- 
mouse looked  the  picture  of  honor, 
and  trembled  in  ever'/-  limb. 

"It's  a  lie!— It's  all  a  lie  I  "—ho 
gasped. 

"Sir,  you  are  a  bastard" — repeated 
Gammon  bitterly,  and  extending  his 
forefinger  threateningly  towards  'fit- 
mouse.  Then  he  added  with  sudden 
vehement — "Wretched  miscreant — 
do  you  presume  to  tell  me  I  lie? 
You  base-born  cur!"  —  a  lightning 
ce  shot  from  his  eye  ;  hut  he  re- 
strained himself.  Titmouse  sat  at 
I  agth  as  if  petrified,  while  Gammon 
in  a  low  tone,  and  with  fearful  bitter- 
of  manner, proceeded — "  You  the 
owner  nl"  Yatton  I  You  the  next  Lord 
1  'relincourt  ?  No  more  than  the  helper 
in  your  Btablcs !  One  breath  of  mine 
blights  you  for  ever — as  an  impostor — 
a  mere  audacious  swindler — to  he  spit 
upon  !  to  he  kicked  out  of  Bociety — ■ 
pi  ilnps  to  be  transported  for  life. 
Gracious  Heavens!  what  will  the  Earl 
•  ■I'  Dreddlington  say  when  he  hears  that 
his  sole  daughter  and  heiress  is  married 
—  It  v.  ill  kill  him,  or  he  will  kill 
you." 

"Two  (in  play  at  that,"  whispered 

Titmou  IC     I ';i:,t  ly      indeed    almost    in- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


533 


articulately.  There  was  nearly  a 
minute's  pause. 

"  No— hut  is  it  all  true  ? — honour  !  " 
enquired  Titmouse  iu  a  very  subdued 
voice. 

' '  As  God  is  my  witness  1  "  replied 
Gammon. 

"Well,"  exclaimed  Titmouse,  after 
a  prodigious  sigh,  "  then,  at  any  rate, 
you're  in  for  it  with  me  ;  you  said  just 
now  you'd  done  it  all.  Ah,  ha !  I 
recollect,  Mr.  Gammon  !  I  should  no 
more  have  thought  of  it  myself — Lord  ! 
than  —  what  d'ye  say  to  that,  Mr. 
Gammon  ? " 

"Alas,  sir!  it  will  not  avail  you," 
replied  Gammon  with  a  fearful  smile  ; 
"for  I  never  made  the  dreadful  dis- 
covery of  your  illegitimacy  till  it  was 
too  late— till  at  least  two  months  after 
I  had  put  you  (whom  I  believed  the 
true  heir)  into  possession  of  Yatton  !  " 

"Ah — I  don't  know  —  but- — why 
didn't  you  tell  Lord  Dreddlington  ? 
"Why  did  you  let  me  marry  Lady 
Cicely  ?  By  Jove,  but  it's  you  he'll 
kill,"  quoth  Titmouse  eagerly. 

"  Yes  ! — Alas  !  I  ought  to  have  done 
so,"  replied  Mr.  Gammon  with  a  pro- 
found sigh — adding,  abstractedly,  "It 
may  not  be  too  late  to  make  his  lord- 
ship some  amends.  I  may  save  his 
title  from  degradation.  Lord  Drelin- 
court " 

"Oh  Lord!"  ejaculated  Titmouse 
involuntarily,  and  almost  uncon- 
sciously, staring  stupidly  at  Gammon, 
who  continued,  with  a  renewed  sigh — 
"Yes,  I  ought  to  have  told  his  lord- 
ship— but  I  own — I  was  led  away  by 
feelings  of  pity — of  affection  for  you 
■ — and,  alas  !  is  this  the  return  ? "  He 
spoke  this  with  a  look  and  in  a  tone  of 
sorrowful  reproach. 

"Well,  you  shouldn't  have  come 
down  on  one  so  suddenly — all  at  once 
— how  can  a  man — eh  ?  Such  horrid 
news !  " 

"It  has  cost  me,  sir,  infinitely 
greater  pain  to  tell  you,  than  it  has 
cost  you  to  hear  it !  " 

"By  the  living  Jove!"  exclaimed 
Titmouse,  starting  up  with  a  sort  of 
recklessness,  and  pouring  out  and 
tossing  olf  a  large  glassful  of  brandy 
-—"it  can't  be  true — it's  all  a  dream  ! 


I — I  a'n't — I  can't  be  a  has perhaps 

yoio'rc  all  this  while  the  true  heir,  Mr. 
Gammon  ? "  he  added  briskly,  and 
snapped  his  fingers  at  his  companion. 

"  No, sir,  I  am  not,"  replied  Gammon 
calmly  ;  "  but  let  me  tell  jon,  I  know 
where  ha  is  to  be  found,  Mr.  Titmouse  ! 
Do  you  commission  me  to  go  in  search 
of  him  1"  he  enquired,  suddenly  fixing 
his  bright  penetrating  eye  upon  Tit- 
mouse, who  instantly  stammered  out 
— "  Oh  Lord !     By  Jove  !  no,  no  !  " 

Gammon  could  scarcely  suppress  a 
bitter  smile,  so  ludicrous  were  the  look 
and  tone  of  Titmouse. 

"You  shouldn't  have  let  mo  spend 
such  a  lot  of  money,  if  it  wasn't  mine 
all  the  while •" 

"  The  estate  was,  in  a  manner,  Mr. 
Titmouse,  in  my  gift;  aud  in  pitching 
upon  you,  sir,  out  of  several,  I  had 
imagined  that  I  had  chosen  a  gentle- 
man—  a  man  grateful  and  honour- 
able  " 

"  Ton  my  solemn  soul,  so  I  am  !" 
interrupted  Titmouse  eagerly. 

"  I  had  but  to  scrawl  a  line  or  two 
with  my  pen,  the  very  first  day  that  I 
saw  you  at  the  shop  of  Mr.  Tag-rag — 
and  there,  sir — or  in  some  similar  hole 
— you  would  have  been  at  this  mo- 
ment !  "  replied  Gammon  with  a  sud- 
den sternness  that  quite  overawed 
Titmouse,  but  totally  losing  sight  of 
the  very  different  account  of  the  mat- 
ter which  he  had  given  Titmouse  fivo 
minutes  before  ;  but  the  very  best 
and  most  experienced  liars  have  short 
memories.  Here  it  was,  however, 
Liarv.  Fool;  and  the  latter  did  not 
perceive  the  slip  made  by  his  adversary 
—  who,  however,  suddenly  became 
aware  of  his  little  inconsistency,  and 
coloured. 

"  You'll  excuse  me,  sir,"  quoth  Tit- 
mouse presently ;  and  with  an  air 
which  was  becoming  momentarily  moro 
timid  and  doubtful — "but  will  you, 
if  all  this  isn't  a  bottle  of  smoke,  tell 
me  how  you  can  prove  it  all  ?  Because, 
you  know,  it  isn't  only  saying  the 
thing  that  will  do — you  know,  Mr. 
Gammon  ? " 

"Certainly  —  certainly!  You  are 
quite  right,  Mr.  Titmouse  !  Nothing 
can  be  more  reasonable  !     Your  curi- 


O.t  1 


TEX   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


osity  shall  bo  gratified.  Aware  that 
natural  acateness,  my  dear  sir, 
•would  in  all  probability  prompt  you 
to  make  tin'  very  obs  xvation  yon  have 
now  made,  I  have  provided  myself  with 
the  two  principal  documents,  and  you 
shall  Bee  tin  in  ;  though  I  doubt 
whi  ther  yon  will  at  first  sight  under- 
stand tin m,  or  appreciate  their  im- 
portance ;  bat,  if  you  desire  it,  I  will 
fully  explain  them  to  you." 

With  this  In;  produced  his  pocket- 
.,  and  took  out  carefully  two  small 
]  «s  of  paper,  folded  up,  which, 
after  a  very  brief  preliminary  expla- 
nation which  made  Titmouse  tremble 
from  head  to  font,  and  no  longer 
disbelieve  the  representations  of  (i  im- 
mon,  he  unfolded  and  read — Titmouse 
looking  affrightedly  over  his  shoulder. 

"Do  I  know  the  handwriting  ?  "  he 
enquired  faintly, 

"  Probably  not,"  replied  Gammon. 

"It's  a  devilish  queei  sorl  of  writing, 
ami  precious  little  of  it " 

"It  is,  and  when  you  consider " 

"Are  both  in  the  samo  hand- 
writing?" enquired  Titmouse,  taking 
them  into  his  tremulous  hand  ;  while 
Gammon  observed  that  his  count''; 
indicated  the  despair  which  had  taken 
possession  of  him. 

"  That  cursed  curtain  is  so  much  in 
the  light,"  said  Titmou  -  .  Looking  up  ; 
and  going  towards  it,  as  if  to  draw  it 
aside,  he  started  suddenly  away  from 
Gammon,  and  with  frenzied  gestures 
tore  the  little  papers  to  pieces  with  in- 
conceivable rapidity,  and  Hung  them 
out  of  the  window,  where  a  brisk 
broeze  in-;  'iitly  took  them  up,  and 
scatteK  (I  them  abri  ad  —the  glistening 
nents — never  to  be  again  reunit  id. 

I!   ring  performed  this  astounding 

feat,   he  instantly  turned   round,  and 

mg  his  back  against  the  window, 

i  rammon  with  a  desperal 
ingled  apprehei  Bion  and  triumph, 
but  spoke  not  a  word.     Nor  did  Gam- 
mon ;   bul — oh  the  look  with  which 
he  regarded  Titmouse  as  he  slowly 
appro    ;    1   towards  him  I  who 
ide,   as    Gammon    advai 
bed  the  cabinet,  and  with  ddBper- 
rapidity  threw  open  tin-  door, 

it  iil  had  !>•  en  v.  litin  !   his 


bidding,  in  a  moment  turned  rounl 
upon  Gammon  with  a  pistol. 

"So  help  me  God,  111  lire!  "gasped 
Titmouse,  conking  and  presenting  it — 
"  I  will— I  WILL— One  !—Two  .'—For 
God's  sake  !  be  off! — It's  loaded,  and 
no  mistake  !— If  I  say  Th— I'll  fire, 
if  I'm  hanged  for  it  1  " 

"  Booby  !  You  may  ]  ut  your  pistol 
down,  sir!"  said  Gammon  calmly 
and  resolutely,  a  contemptuous  smilo 
passing  over  his  pale  features. 

"Demme  ! — distance  ! — Keep  your 
distance  !  "  cried  Titmouse,  his  voice 
quivering  with  agitation. 

"Ridiculous  simpleton  ! — You  poor 
rogue!"  said  Gammon  laughingly. 
There  was,  however,  murder  in  his 
smile  ;  and  Titmouse  instinctively 
perceived  it.  lie  kept  his  deadly 
weapon  pointed  full  at  Gammons 
breast, but  his  hand  trembled  violently. 
Twas  wonderful  that  some  chanco 
motion  of  the  shaking  finger  of  Tit- 
mouse, did  not  send  a  bullet  through 
Mr.  Gammon's  heart. 

He  stood,  for  a  minute  or  two, 
gazing  steadfastly,  and  without  mov- 
ing, at  Titmouse;  and  then,  shrugging 
his  shoulders,  with  a  bitter  smile  re- 
turned to  his  chair,  and  resumed  his 
seat.  Titmouse,  however,  refused  to 
foliow  his  example. 

"So  help  me  God,  sir!  I  will  not 
hurt  a  hair  of  your  head,"  said  Gam- 
mon earnestly.  Still  Titmouse  re- 
mained at  the  window,  pistol  in  hand. 
"  Why  should  I  hurt  you?  What 
have  you  to  fear,  you  little  idiot!" 
e  quired  ('.amnion  impatiently.  "l>o 
you,  then,  really  think  you  have  in- 
jured  me ?    Do  you   |  ly  think 

me  so  great  a  fool,  my  little  friend,  as 
really  to  have  in;  ted  you  with  the 
precious  originals,  of  which  those  were 
only  the  copies ! — Copies  which  I  can 
replace  in  a  minute  or  two's  time  } 
ina]  i,  bi  lieve  me.  are  faraway, 
ami  sal.'  enough  under  lock  and  hey  !  " 

"I — I — I  don't  believe  you, "gasped 
Titmouse,  dropping  the  hand  that  held 
the  pistol,  and  speaking  in  a  truly 
dismal  lone. 

"Thatdoi  tnoi  signify,  my  worthy 
lit  tie  friend,"  .'-aid  <  lammon,  with  an 
infernal     mile,    "  if  the  / 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


535 


That  you  are  a  fool,  you  must  by 
this  time  even  yourself  begin  to 
suspect;  and  you  can't  doubt  that 
you  are  an  arrant  little  rogue  after 
what  has  just  taken  place  ?  Eh  ? 
'Twas  a  bright  ilea  truly — w#ll  con- 
ceived and  boldly  executed.  I  give 
you  all  the  credit  for  it  ;  and  it  is 
only  your  misfortune  that  it  was  not 
successful.  So  let  us  now  return  to 
business.  Uncock  your  pistol  —  re- 
place it  in  your  cabinet,  and  resume 
your  scat,  or  in  oue  minute's  time 
I  leave  you,  and  go  direct  to  Lord 
Dreddlington  ;  ami  if  so,  you  had 
better  use  that  pistol  in  blowing  out 
your  own  brains — if  you  have  any." 

Titmouse,  after  a  moment  or  two's 
pause  of  irresolution,  passively  obeyed 
— very  nearly  on  the  point  of  crying 
aloud  with  disappointment  and  impo- 
tent rage  ;  and  he  and  Gammon  were 
presently  again  sitting  opposite  to  one 
another. 

Gammon  was  cold  and  collected — 
yet  must  it  not  have  cost  him  a  pro- 
digious effort  ?  Though  he  had  told 
Titmouse  that  they  were  copies  only 
which  he  had  destroyed,  they  were, 
nevertheless,  the  ouiginals,  which, 
with  such  an  incredible  indiscretion, 
he  had  trusted  into  the  hands  of  Tit- 
mouse; they  Mere  the  originals 
which  Titmouse  had  just  scattered  to 
tin:  winds  ;  and  who  in  so  doing  had 
suddenly  broken  to  pieces  the  wand  of 
the  enchanter  who  had  long  exercised 
over  him  so  mysterious  and  despotic 
an  authority! — How  comes  it,  that  we 
not  unfrecpuently  find  men  of  the  pro- 
foundest  craft,  just  at  the  very  crisis 
of  their  fortunes,  thus  unexpectedly, 
irretrievably,  and  incredibly  commit- 
ting themselves  ?  In  the  present  in- 
stance, the  only  satisfactory  way  of 
accounting  for  Mr.  Gammon's  indis- 
cretion, would  seem  to  be  by  referring 
it  to  a  sense  of  security  engendered  by 
his  profound  contempt  for  Titmouse. 

"Are  you  now  satisfied,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, that  you  are  completely  at  my 
mercy,  and  at  the  same  time  totally 
undeserving  of  it  ? "  said  Gammon, 
speaking  in  a  low  and  earnest  tone, 
and  with  much  of  his  former  kindness 
of   manner.      To   an   observant    eye, 


however,  what  was  at  that  moment 
the  real  expression  in  that  of  Gam- 
mon ?  Soothing  and  gentle  as  was 
his  voice,  he  felt  as  if  he  could  in- 
stantly have  destroyed  the  audacious 
little  miscreant  before  him.  But  lie 
proceeded  with  wonderful'  self-com- 
mand— "Do  not,  my  dear  Titmouse, 
madly  make  me  j'our  enemy — your 
enemy  for  life— but  rather  your  friend 
—your  watchful  and  powerful  friend, 
whose  every  interest  is  identified  with 
your  own.  Remember  all  that  I  have 
done  and  sacrificed  for  you — how  I 
have  racked  my  brain  for  you  day  and 
night  —  always  relying  upon  your 
ultimate  gratitude.  Oh,  the  endless 
scheming  I  have  had  to  practise,  to 
conceal  your  fatal  secret  —  and  of 
which  you  shall  ere  long  know  more  ! 
During  these  last  two  years  have  I  not 
ruinously  neglected  my  own  interest 
to  look  after  yours  ?  " 

Gammon  paused,  and  abruptly  added 
— "I  have  but  to  lift  my  ling  r,  and 
this  splendid  dressing  gown  of  yours, 
Titmouse,  is  exchanged  for  a  prison- 
jacket " 

"Oh  Lord!  oh  Lord!  oh  Lord!" 
suddenly  exclaimed  Titmouse  with  a 
shudder — "1  wish  I  were  dead  and 
forgotten  !  oh  Lord  !  what  shall  I  do  ? 
Ton  my  sold" — he  struck  his  fore- 
head with  some  violence — "  I'm  going 
mad— — " 

"  Consider,  Mi".  Titmouse,  calmly, 
how  reasonable  and  moderate  is  my 
offer  "  —  proceeded  Gammon  ;  who 
now  and  then,  however,  experienced 
changes  of  colour,  on  the  sudden 
recurrence  of  a  sense  of  his  last 
misfortune. 

"  Here's  Lady  Cicely  to  have  £3000 
a-year,"  passionately  interposed  Tit- 
mouse. » 

"  Not  till  after  your  death,  my  dear 
sir " 

"Then  she  shall  have  it  directly; 
forcirse  me  if  I  don't  kill  myself — ■ — ■ !" 

"  Then  she  would  never  have  a  far- 
thing— for  I  should  instantly  produce 
the  real  heir " 

"Yah!  "  exclaimed  Titmouse,  utter- 
ing a  sound  like  the  sharp,  furious 
bark  of  a  cur,  foiled  at  all  points. 
He  threw  himself  on   the  sofa,  and 


53G 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


folded  his  arms  on  his  breast,  com- 
pressing them  as  it  were  with  convul- 
sive vehement  e. 

"  Do  not  excite  yourself,  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse— you  are  still  one  of  the  most 
fortunate  men  upon  earth,  to  have 
fallen  into  hands  like  mine,  I  can 
assure  you  !  You  will  still  enjoy  a 
truly  splendid  income— 'little  short  of 
nine  thousand  a-ye  uc — for  I  will  under- 
take to  raise  the  Yattou  rental,  within 
a  year  or  two,  to  twelve  or  thirteen 
thousand  a-year,  as  1  have  often  told 
you — I  have  explained  to  you  over 
and  over  again,  how  absurdly  under 
their  value  they  were  let  in  the  time 
of " 

"  And  you've  perhaps  forgotten  that 
I've  borrowed  nearly  fifty  thousand 
pounds — that  costs  nothing,  I  sup- 
pose !  " 

"Well,  certainly,  you  must  be  a 
little  careful  for  a  year  or  two,  that's 
all " 

"  Demme,  sir! — I  must  give  up  my 
yacht!"  exclaimed  Titmouse,  desper- 
al  ily  snapping  his  thumb  and  finger 
vehement  ly  at  Gammon, 

"  Yes — orYatton,"  replied  Gammon 
sternly.     "After  all — what  more  shall 

I  be  than  a  sort  of  steward  of  yours  J  " 

"I  don't  want  one,"  interrupted 
Titmouse  ;  and,  stalling  from  the  sofa, 
walked  to  the  window,  where  he  stood 
with  his  hark  turned  towards  <i  mi- 
nion, andcryingl  Gammon  eyed  him 
for  Beveral  minutes  in  silence  ;  and 
then  slowly  approaching  him,  tapped 
him  briskly  on  the  shoulder.  Tit- 
mouse   started.       "Come,    sir  —  you 

hive  ]|oW,    I    hope,    relieved    your   little 

feelings,  and  must  attend  to  me — and 
he  prompt,  too,  sir!  The  time  for 
trifling,  and  playing  the  baby,  or  the 
girl,  is  gone.  J  lark  you,  sir! — yield 
me    my    ;  or    this   very   day    I 

sprii  i'  your  feet,   you 

little  villain  !  that  shall  blow  you  into 
ten  thon  ami  atom  ;,  and  Bcatter  them 
wider  than  ever  you  -  ca  ;■  red  just 
now  those   bits  ol  worthless   paper! 

I I  >  '.on  l,  ir  that  '< "  A  i  he  said  this, 
he  took  hold  of  the  collar  of  Titmo 

dre  ling-gown,  which  Titmou  e  ('•  !t  to 
1 i  i  ped  by  a  hand,  tightening  mo- 
mentarily,   With    Vchclir  lit    I 


Titmouse  made  no  reply ;  hut  gazed 
at  ( lammon  with  a  countenance  full  of 
distress  and  terror. 

"Pause,"  continued  Gammon,  in  a 
low  vehement  tone  and  manner,  "ami 
you  are,  lost — stripped  of  this  gaudy 
dress  —  turned  out  of  this  splendid 
house  into  the  streets,  or  a  prison  ! — 
If  1  quit  this  room — and  1  will  not 
wait  much  Longer — without  your  plain 
ami  written  consent  to  my  terms.  I 
shall  go  direct  to  my  Lord  Dreddling- 
ton,  and  till  him  the  obscure  and 
base-born  impostor  that  has  crept " 

"Oh,  Mr.  Gammon — Mr.  Gammon  1 
have  mercy  on  me!"  exclaimed  Tit- 
mouse, shaking  like  an  aspen-leaf — at 
length  realizing  the  terrible  extent  of 
danger  impending  over  him. 

"Have  mercy  on  yourself!"  re- 
joined Gammon  sternly. 

"I  will!— I'll  do  all  you  ask— I 
will,  so  help  me !  " 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  it!  "  said  Gam- 
mon, relaxing  his  hold  of  Titmouse  ; 
and,  in  a  voice  of  returning  kimli; 
adding— "Oh,  Titmouse,  Titmouse] 
how  fearful  would  he  the  scene — when 
your  noble  father-in-law — alas!  you 
must  have  quitted  the  country!  His 
lordship  would  have  instantly  divorced 
you  from  the  Lady  Cecilia  !  " 

"You  can't  think  how  I  love  Lady 
Cicely ! "  exclaimed  Titmouse  in  a 
broken  voice. 

"Ay — but  would  she  love  you,  if 
she  knew  who  and  what  you  Were  i  " 

"Oh  Lord!  oh  Lord!  I  love  Lady 
I  li  ely  !   I  love  Lady  Cicely  !  " 

"Then  get  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  if 
you  would  not  lose  her  for  ever  !  " 

"  Here  they  are,  Mr.  Gammon  !  " 
exclaimed  Titmouse,  hastily  slipping 
to  his  desk  which  lay  on  the  tab 
and  with  tremulous  eagerness  he  got 
out  a  quire  of  writing  paper  and  took 
a  pen.  "  Suppose  you  write,  Mr.  Gam* 
moo,"  said  he  suddenly — "my  hand 
trembles  so!  Lord,  1  led  so  sick,  I'll 
sign  anything  you  like  !  " 

"Perhaps   it    Would    be    better,"    |c- 

plied  Gammon,  sitting  down,  and 
dipping   his  pen    into    the    in' 

"  it  may  save  lime."  He  commenci  d 
writing;  and,  as  he  went  on,  said  at 
intervals— "  Yes,  Titmouse!     Thank 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


537 


God,  all  is  now  over!  It  shall  no 
longer  bo  in  Lord  Dreddlington's 
power — no,  nor  any  one's — to  beggar 
yon — to  transport  you — to  take  your 
noble  wife  from  you- •" 

"Oh,  no,  no!  You  know  Lady 
Cicely's  taken  me  for  better  for  worse, 
for  richer  for  poorer!"  inter. upted 
Titmouse,  in  a  sort  of  agony  of  appre- 
hension. 

"Ah,  Titmouse  !  But  she  did  not 
know,  when  she  said  that,  that  she 
was  speaking  to  a " 

"What!  wouldn't  it  have  held 
good  ? "  exclaimed  Titmouse,  perfectly 
aghast. 

"  "We  need  not  speculate  on  a  case 
that  cannot  arise,  my  clear  Titmouse," 
replied  Gammon,  eyeing  him  stead- 
fastly, and  then  resuming  his  writing. 
■ — "This  paper  becomes,  as  they  say 
at  sea,  your  sheet-anchor ! — Here  you 
shall  remain — the  owner  of  Yatton — 
of  this  splendid  house — husband  of 
Lady  Cecilia — a  member  of  Parliament 
— and  in  due  time,  as  '  my  Lord  Dre- 
lincourt,'  take  your  place  permanently 
in  the  Upper  House  of  Parliament, 
amongst  the  hereditary  legislators  of 
your  country.  Now,  Mr.  Titmouse, 
sign  your  name,  and  there's  an  end 
for  ever  of  all  your  unhappiness  !  " 

Titmouse  eagerly  took  the  pen,  and, 
with  a  very  trembling  hand,  affixed 
his  signature  to  what  Gammon  had 
written. 

"You'll  sign  it  too,  eh?"  he  en- 
quired timidly. 

"Certainly,  my  dear  Titmouse." — 
Gammon  affixed  his  signature,  after  a 
moment's  consideration.— "  Now  we 
are  both  bound — we  are  friends  for 
life  !  Let  us  shake  hands,  my  dear, 
dear  Titmouse,  to  bind  the  bargain  !  " 

They  did  so,  Gammon  cordially  tak- 
ing into  his  hands  each  hand  of  Tit- 
mouse, who,  in  his  anxiety  and  excite- 
ment, never  once  thought  of  asking 
Mr.  Gammon  to  allow  him  to  read 
over  what  he  had  signed. 

"Oh  Lord  !  "  he  exclaimed,  heaving 
a  very  deep  sigh,  "it  seems  as  if  we'd 
been  only  in  a  dream  !  I  begin  to  feel 
something  like  again ! — It's  really  all 
right  ? " 

"On  my  sacred  word  of  honour," 


replied  Gammon,  laying  his  hand  on 
his  heart,  • '  provided  you  perform  tho 
engagement  into  which  you  have  this 
day  entered." 

"  Never  fear  !  honour  bright !  "  said 
Titmouse,  placing  his  on  his  heart, 
with  as  solemn  a  look  as  he  could 
assume. 

Mr.  Gammon,  having  folded  up  his 
paper,  put  it  into  his  pocket-book. 

"I  was  a  tiille  too  deep  for  you, 
Titmouse,  eh  ?  "  said  he  good-humour- 
cdly.  "  How  could  you  suppose  me 
green  enough  to  bring  you  the  real 
documents  ? "  he  added,  with  perfect 
command  of  voice  and  feature. 

"Where  are  they?"  enquired  Tit- 
mouse timidly. 

"At  a  banker's,  in  a  double-iron 
strong-box,  with  three  different  locks." 

"Lord! — But,  in  course,  you'll  put 
them  into  the  fire  when  I've  performed 
my  agreement,  eh  ?  " 

Gammon  looked  at  him  for  a  mo- 
ment, doubtful  what  answer  to  make 
to  this  unexpected  question. 

"My  dear  Titmouse,"  said  ho  at 
length,  "I  will  be  candid — I  must 
preserve  them  —  but  no  human  eye 
shall  ever  see  them  except  my  own." 

"My  stars! — Excuse  me" — stam- 
mered Titmouse  uneasily. 

"  Never  fear  my  honour,  Titmouse  ! 
Have  you  ever  had  reason  to  do  so  ? " 

"No  —  never!  It's  quite  true  1 
And  why  don't  you  trust  me? " 

"Have  you  forgotten! — Did  I  not 
trust  you — cos  you  supposed  " — qiiickly 
sul -joined  Gammon,  positively  on  tho 
point  of  again  committing  himself — ■ 
"and  when  yoir  fancied  you  really 
had  in  your  power  the  precious  docu- 
ments?" 

"Oh!  well"— said  Titmouse,  his 
face  flushing  all  over — "  but  that's  all 
past  and  gone." 

"You  must  rely  on  my  honour — 
and  I'll  tell  you  why.  What  would 
be  easier  than  for  me  to  pretend  to 
you  that  the  papers  which  you  might 
see  me  burn,  were  really  the  originals 
— and  yet  bo  no  such  thing  ?  " 

"In  course — yes;  I  see!"  replied 
Titmouse — who,  however,  had  really 
not  comprehended  the  case  which  Gam- 
mon had  put  to  him.     "  Well — but— 


538 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


I  say — excuse  me,  Mr.  Gammon" — 
said  Titmouse,  hesitatingly  returning, 
as  Gammon  imagined,  to  the  charge — 
"Imt — you  BaiJ  something  about  the 
real  heir." 

'•Certainly.  There  &  such  a  per- 
son, I  assure  you  !  " 

"Well— hut  since  you  and  I,  yon 
know,  have  made  it  up,  and  are  friends 
for  l:t'« — eh  I  What's  to  be  done  with 
the  fellow  I  (betwixt  ourselves  !)  " 

"That  is  at  present  no  concern — 
nay,  it  never  will  be  any  concern  of 
yours  or  mine.  Surely  it  is  enough 
for  you,  that  you  are  enjoying  the 
rank  and  fortune  belonging  to  some 
one.  else?  Good  gracious!  I  can't 
help  reminding  you — fancy  the  natural 
son  of  a  cobbler — figuring  away  as  the 
Right  Honourable  Lord  Drelincourt — 
while  all  the  while,  the  real  Lord 
Drelincourt  is — nay,  at  this  moment, 
pining,  poor  soul !  in  poverty  and 
obscurity." 

"Well — I  dare  say  he's  used  to  it, 
bo  it  can't  hurt  him  much  !  But  I've 
been  thinking,  Mr.  Gammon,  couldn't 
we  get  him — pressed?  or  enlisted  into 

the  army? — lie's  a  del 1  deal  better 

out  of  the  way,  you  know,  for  both  of 
US  I" 

"Sir!"  interrupted  Gammon,  speak- 
ing Very  seriously,  and  even  with  a 
melancholy  and  apprehensive  air — 
"leave  the  future  to  me.  I  have 
made  all  requisite  arrangements,  and 
am  myself  implicated  already  to  a  mo  I 
awful  extent  on  your  behalf  ;  the  only 
person  on  earth  beside  myself  that  can 
disturb  my  arrangements  is  yourself." 

Here  a  gentle  tapping  was  heard  at 
the  door. 

"  Be  off!"  shouted  Titmouse,  with 
angry  impatience;  but  Mr.  Gammon, 
Who  was  anxious  himself  to  be  gone, 
sfa  pped  to  tie'  door,  and  opi  oing  it,  a 
servant  entered  a  t  til,  graceful  foot- 
man with  p  i  hair,  shoulder- 
knot,  and  blue  and  yellow  livery- 

ly  intimated  to  Mr. 
Titmoua  ■,  that  e-i  jnor  Sol-fa  had  b  en 
in  attendance  for  at  Leas!  half-an-hour. 

"A --a — 1    don't    mhi    to-day  —  let 

him  come  to  morrow,"  said  Titmouso, 

and  i  :it  \\  ithdiew. 

"Farewell,  Mr.  Titmouse — ]  have  a 


most  important  engagement  awaiting 
me  at  the  ollice — so  I  must  take  my 
leave.  Will  you  executo  the  necessary 
documents  as  soon  as  they  are  ready! 
1  will  cause  them  to  be  prepared  im- 
mediately." 

"Oh!  yes" — and  lie  added  in  a 
lower  tone — "take  care,  Mr.  Gammon, 
that  no  one  knows  why! — eh,  you 
know  ? " 

"  Leave  that  to  me! — Good  morning, 
Mr.  Titmouse,"  replied  Gammon,  but- 
toning his  surtout,  and  taking  up  his 
gloves  and  hat ;  and  having  shaken 
Titmouso  by  the  hand,  he  was  the 
next  moment  in  the  street — where  he 
heaved  a  prodigious  sigh  —  which, 
however,  enly  momentarily  relieved 
his  pent-up  bosom  from  the  long- 
suppressed  rage,  the  mortification,  tho 
wounded  pride,  and  the  wild  appre- 
hension with  which  it  was  nearly 
bursting.  Why,  what  a  sudden  and 
dismaying  disaster  had  befallen  him  ! 
And  what  but  his  own  inconceivable 
folly  had  occasioned  it  ?  His  own 
puppet  had  beaten  him  ;  had  laid  him 
rate:  'twas  as  though  Prospero 
bad  permitted  Caliban  to  wheedle  him 
out  of  hi-t  waul!— What  could  Gam- 
mon possibly  have  been  thinking  about) 
when  he  trusted  the  originals  into  the 
hands  of  Titmouse  ?  As  Gammon  re- 
cognized  no  overruling  Providence,  ho 
was  completely  at  a  loss  to  account  for 
an  act  of  such  surpassing  thoughtless- 
ness and  weakness  as  he  bad  committed 
— at  the  mere  recollection  of  which, 
as   he    walked    along,    he    ground    his 

teeth  together  with  the  vehemence  of 

his  emotions.  After  a  while,  he  re- 
flected that  regrets  were  idle  —  tho 
future,  not  the  past,  was  to  be  con- 
sidered ;  and  how  he  had  to  deal  with 
the  new  state  of  thin,'-;  which  had  so 

sudde.  ly   been  brought  about.       All    llO 

had  thenceforth  to  trust,  to,  was  his 
iver  the  fears  of  a  fool.  But 
.  on  consideration,  in  a 
worse  po  ition  than  before  ?  Had  Tit- 
mouse turned  restive  al  any  time  while 
i  lammon  po  e  ed  the  documents  in 
question,  could  Gammon  have  had 
more  effectual  control  over  him  than 

he  still  had,  while  he  had  succeeded  in 

persuading  Titmouse  that  such  docu* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


539 


merits  were  still  in  existence  ?  Could 
the  legality  of  the  transaction  which 
Gammon  sought  to  effect,  be  upheld 
one  whit  the  more  in  the  one  case  than 
in  the  other,  if  Titmouse  took  it  into 
his  head  resolutely  to  resist  ?  Again, 
could  an  arrangement  of  such  magni- 
tude, could  so  serious  a  diminution  of 
Titmouse's  income,  remain  long  con- 
cealed from  his  father-in-law,  Lord 
Dreddlington,  who,  Gammon  knew, 
was  every  now  and  then  indicating 
much  anxiety  on  the  subject  of  Tit- 
mouse's finances  ?  Was  it  possible  to 
suppose  the  Earl  disposed  to  acquiesce, 
in  any  event,  in  such  an  arrangement  ? 
Suppose  again  Titmouse,  in  some 
moment  of  caprice,  or  under  the  in- 
fluence of  wine,  should  disclose  to  the 
Earl  the  arrangement  which  would 
have  taken  place ;  and  that,  either 
sinking,  or  revealing,  the  true  ground 
on  which  Mr.  Gammon  rested  a  claim 
of  such  magnitude  ?  Gracious  Hea- 
vens ! — thought  Gammon — fancy  the 
Earl  really  made  acquainted  with  the 
true  state  of  the  case !  What  effect 
would  so  terrible  a  disclosure  produce 
upon  him  ? 

Here  a  bold  stroke  occurred  to  Mr. 
Gammon  :  what  if  he  were  himself,  as 
it  were,  to  take  the  bull  by  the  horns 
— to  be  beforehand  with  Titmouso, 
and  apprise  the  Earl  of  the  frightful 
calamity  that  had  befallan  him  and 
his  daughter  ?  Gammon's  whole  frame 
vibrated  with  the  bare  imagining  of 
the  scene  which  would  probably  ensue. 
But  what  would  be  the  practical  use 
to  be  made  of  it  ?  The  first  shock 
over,  if  the  old  man,  indeed,  survived 
it — would  not  the  possession  of  such  a 
secret  give  Gammon  a  complete  hold 
upon  the  Earl,  and  render  Mm,  in 
effect,  obedient  to  his  wishes  1 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  objects  which  Gammon  had 
originally  proposed  to  himself,  and 
unwaveringly  iixed  his  eye  upon  amidst 
all  the  mazy  tortuosities  of  his  course, 


since  taking  up  the  cause  of  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  was  his  own  permanent  es- 
tablishment in  the  upper  sphere  of 
society ;  above  all,  conscious  that 
could  he  but  once  emerge  into  political 
life  his  energies  would  ensure  him 
speedy  distinction.  With  an  inde- 
pendent income  of  £2000  a-year,  he 
felt  that  he.  should  be  standing  on  sure 
ground.  But  even  above  and  beyond 
these,  there  was  one  dazzling  object  of 
his  hopes  and  wishes,  which,  unat- 
tained,  would,  en  several  accounts, 
render  all  others  comparatively  value- 
less— a  union  with  Miss  Aubrey.  His 
heart  fluttered  within  him  at  the  bare 
notion  of  such  an  event.  Whr.t  effect 
would  be  produced  upon  that  beautiful, 
that  pure,  high-minded,  but  haughty 
creature — for  haughty  to  h  im  had  Kate 
Aubrey  ever  appeared — by  a  knowledge 
that  lie,  Gammon,  possessed  the  means 
— Bah  !  accursed  Titmouse  ! — thought 
Gammon,  his  cheek  suddenly  blanching 
as  he  recollected  that  through  him 
those,  means  no  longer  existed. — Stay  ! 
— Unless,  indeed  —  *  *  *  —  which 
would,  however,  be  all  but  impossible 
— perilous  in  the  extreme  !  Absorbed 
with  these  reflections,  he  started  on 
being  accosted  by  the  footman  of  the 
Earl  of  Dreddlington  ;  who,  observing 
Gammon,  had  ordered  his  carriage  to 
draw  up,  to  enable  his  lordship  to 
speak  to  him.  It  was  the  end  of 
Oxford  Street  nearest  to  the  City. 

"  Sir  —  Mr.  Gammon  —  good-day, 
sir !  " — commenced  the  Earl,  with  a 
slight  appearance  of  disappointment, 
and  even  displeasure;  "pray,  has 
anything  unfortunate  happened " 

"Unfortunate  !  I  beg  your  lordship's 

pardon "      interrupted     Gammon, 

colouring  visibly,  and  gazing  with 
.mrprise  at  the  Earl. 

"You  do  not  generally,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, forget  your  appointments.  The 
Marquis,  I,  and  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Direction,  have  been  waiting  for  you 
in  vain  at  the  office  for  a  whole  hour." 

"Good  Heavens!  my  lord — I  am 
confounded  !  "  said  Gammon,  suddenly 
recollecting  the  engagement  he  had 
made  with  the  Earl :  "  I  have  forgotten 
everything  in  a  sudden  fit  of  indis- 
position,   with    which    I    have    been 


540 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


seized  at  tho  house  of  ft  client  at 
Bayawater.  I  can  but  apologize,  niy 
lord " 

"  Sir,  say  no  more  ;  your  lool 

more  than  Bufficienl  ;  ai  d  I  beg  that 

you  will  do  me  the  honour  to  a©  epi  a 

in    my    carriage,    and    tell    me 

whither  yon  will  be  driven.     I'm  at 

Ben  ice,  Mr.  Gammon,  for  ai  I 
an  hour  ;  longer  than   that   I  cannot 
1  have  to  be  at  the   House  ; 
you  remember  our  two  bills  have  to  be 
forwarded  a  Btage " 

Since  hia  lordship  was  as  peremptory 
as  politem  ss  would  permit  him  to  be, 
in  got  Gammon,  and  named  The 
Gunpowder  and  Freshwater  Com- 
pany's Offices,  in  Lothbury,  in  the 
hopes  <>f  finding  yet  some  of  the 
gentlemen  whom  he  had  so  sadly 
!  ;  and  thither,  ha\  ing 
turned  his  horses'  heads,  drove  the 
coachman. 

'•Sir,"  said  the  Earl,  after  much 
enquiry  into  the  nature  of  Gammon's 
recent  indisposition,  "by  the  way, 
what  can  be  the  meaning  of  my  Lord 
Tadpole's  opposition  to  tho  second 
reading  of  our  bill,  No.  2  ?" 

"We  offered  his  lordship  no  shares, 
my  lord — that  is  the  secret.  1  saw 
him  a  few  days  ago,  and  he  Bounded 
me  upon  the  subject  ;  but — I'm  sun- 
your  lordship  will  understand — in  a 
company  such  as  ours,  my  lord " 

"  Sir,  I  quite  comprehend  you,  and 
I  applaud  your  vigilant  discrimination. 
Sir,  in  affairs  of  this  description,  in 
order  to  secure  the  confidence  ol  the 
public,  it  is  a  matter  of  the  last  im- 
portance that  none  but  men  of  the 
I  y  the  way,  Mr.  Gammon, 
Low  are  the  GOLDEN  EGO  shares? 
Would  you  advise  me  to  sell " 

"Hold,  my  lord,  a  little  longer. 
We  are  going,  in  a  few  days'  time,  to 
publish   Borne   imporl  int    inform 

;  the  prospects  of  1  he  under- 

ng,  of  the  most  brilliant  character, 

which   cannot  fail    to   raise   the 

value  of  thi  .  and  then  will  bo 

the  time  to  sell  I    H  c  lord  hip 

I  the  deed  yet  I  " 

.  1  Bigni  d  ii  lasi  Saturday,  in 

company  with  my  Lord    Marmalade. 

I   should    not    like    to  parL  with   my 


interest  in  1  lie  company,  you  see — 
Mr.  (iannnon— hastily  ;  but  I  am  in 
your  hand-; " 

"My  lord,  1  am  ever  watchful  of 
your  lordship's  interests." 

"By  the  way,  will  you  dine  with 
me  to-morrow?  We  shall  be  quite 
alone,  and  1  am  very  anxious  to  ob- 
tain an  accurate  account  of  the  present 
state  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  property  ;  for, 
to  tell  you  the  truth.  1  have  heard  of 
one  or  two  little  matters  that  occasion 
me  some  uneasiness " 

"(Jan.  anything  be  more  unfortun- 
ate, my  lord  ?  1  am  engaged  out  to 
dinner  for  the  next  throe  days  —  if 
indeed.  I  shall  be  well  enough  to  go  to 
any  of  them,"  said  Gammon,  with  an 
agitation    which    could    hi  iped 

the  observation  of  few  persons  except 
I  be  Earl  of  Drcddlington. 

"Sir— I  exceedingly  regret  to  h 
it :    let  me  trust  that  some  day  next 
week     I     shall     be     more     fevtui 
There  are  several  matters  on  win  h   I 
am  desirous  of  consulting  you.    When 

did  you  last  see  Mr.  Titmouse  ?" 

"Let  me  see,  my  lord — I — don't 
think  I've  seen  him  since  Monday 
last,  when  1  casually  met  him  in  one 
of  the  committee-rooms  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  where,  by  the  way,  lie 
seems  a  pretty  frequent  attendant — " 
"I'm  glad'  to  hear  it,"  replied 
the  Earl,  somewhat  gravely  ;  and,  as 
Gammon  imagined,  with  a  slight  ex- 
pression of  surprise,  or  even  distrust. 
( I  iminon  therefore  fancied  that  the 
Earl  had  received  recent  intelligence 
of  some  of  the  wild  pranks  of  bis  hope- 
ful sun-in  law,  and  wished  to  make 
enquiries  concerning  them  of  Gammon. 
"  Will  you,  sir,-  by  the  way — have 

the    goodness    to    write    oil'    to-dny    to 

ral  Epaulette's  solicitors,  and  tell 
them  I  wish  to  pay  off  immediately 
.Cl'i.ooo  of  his  mortgage  !  I  iblige  mo, 
sir,  by  atb  nding  to  this  matter  to- 
day ;  for  1  met  i  he  ( ienera]  the  other 
day  ;it  dinner — and — 1  mi-  ht  po 
have  been  mistaki  a,  sir-  hut  I  fancied 
he  looked  at  mo  as  if  he  wished  me  to 
fee]  myself  his  debtor.  Do  you  under- 
stand me,  sir  J  It  annoyed  me;  and 
I  wish  to  get  out  of  hia  hands  aa  soon 
as  po    iblo." 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


541 


"Rely  upon  it,  my  lord,  it  shall  bo 
attended  to  this  very  day,"  replied 
Gammon,  scarcely  able  —  troubled 
though,  he  was — to  suppress  a  smile 
at  the  increasing  symptoms  of  purse- 
pride  in  the  Earl,  whose  long  empty 
coffers  were  being  so  rapidly  and 
unexpectedly  replenished  by  the  va- 
rious enterprises  into  which,  under 
Gammon's  auspices,  his  lordship  had 
entered  with  equal  energy  and  saga- 
city. "While  the  Earl  was  speaking, 
1he  carriage  drew  up  at  the  door  of 
the  compan3T's  office,  and  Gammon 
alighted.  The  Earl,  however,  finding 
that  all  the  gentlemen  whom  he  had 
left  there  had  quitted,  drove  off  west- 
ward, at  a  smart  pace,  and  reached 
the  House  in  time  for  the  matters 
which  he  had  mentioned  to  Mr.  Gam- 
mon. That  gentleman  soon  dropped 
the  languid  demeanour  he  had  worn 
in  Lord  Dreddlingtoms  presence,  and 
addressed  himself  with  energy  and 
decision  to  a  great  number  of  import- 
ant and  difficult  matters  requiring  his 
attention— principally  connect,  d  with 
several  of  the  public  companies  in 
which  he  was  interested — and  one  of 
which,  in  particular,  required  the 
greatest  possible  care  ana  tact,  in 
order  to  prevent  its  bursting  —  pre- 
maturely. He  had  also  to  get  through 
a  considerable  arrear  of  profes  ional 
business,  and  to  write  several  letters 
on  the  private  business  of  Lord  Dred- 
dlington,  and  of  Mr.  Titmous. — re- 
spectively. Nay,  he  had  one  or  two 
still  more  urgent  calls  upon  his  atten- 
tion. First  came  the  action  against 
himself  for  £4000  penalties,  for  bribery, 
arising  out  of  the  Yatton  election,  and 
as  to  which  lie  had  received,  that  after- 
noon, a  veiy  gloomy  "opinion"  from 
Mr.  Lynx,  who  was  advising  him  on 
his  defence.  Much  in  the  same  plight, 
also,  were  Messrs.  Blood  suck,  Mud- 
flint,  and  Woodlouse,  for  whom  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap  were 
defending  similar  actions  ;  and  who 
were  worried  out  of  their  lives  by 
daily  letters  from  their  terror-strick*  n 
clients,  as  to  the  state,  progress,  and 
prospects  of  the  several  causes  in 
which  they  were  so  deeply  interested. 
All  these  actions  were  being  pressed 


forward  by  the  plaintiffs  with  a  view 
to  trial  at  the  ensuing  Yorkshire  As- 
sizes ;  had  been  made,  by  the  plain- 
tiffs, special  juries;  and,  infinitely  to 
Gammon's  vexation  and  alarm,  he 
had  found,  on  hurrying  to  retain  Mr 
Subtle,  that  he,  Mr.  Sterling,  and  Mr. 
Crystal,  had  been  already  retained  for 
the  plaintiffs !  Lastly,  he  was  dread- 
fully teased  by  an  action  of  seduction, 
which  had,  a  few  days  before,  been 
brought  against  Mr.  Titmouse;  and 
which  Gammon,  finding  it  to  be 
a  very  bad  case,  was  making  great 
efforts  to  compromise.  To  each 
and  every  of  these  matters,  he  gave 
the  attention  that  was  due  —  and, 
about  seven  o'clock,  having  finished 
his  labours  for  the  day,  repaired, 
a  good  deal  exhausted,  to  his  cham- 
bers at  Thavies'  Inn.  After  a  slight 
repast,  he  proceeded  to  draw  up  con- 
fidential "instructions"  for  Mr. 
Frankpledge,  to  frame  the  deeds  neces- 
sary to  carry  into  etfect  his  contem- 
plated arrangement  with  Titmouse. 
That  did  not  take  him  long ;  and 
having  sealed  up  his  packet,  and 
addressed  it,  he  threw  himself  down 
on  the  sofa,  and  gave  himself  up  to 
anxious  meditation,  for  he  was  .aware 
that  he  was  now,  as  it  were,  touching 
the  very  crisis  of  his  fortunes.  Again, 
again,  and  again  he  recurred  to  Iho 
incident  of  tbe  day — the  destruction 
of  his  documents  by  Titmouse  ;  and 
cursed  his  own  inconceivable  stupidity, 
even  aloud.  Yet  he  could  not  avoid 
indulging  at  the  same  time  in  secret 
pride  and  exultation  at  the  admirable 
presence  of  mind  which  he  had  dis- 
played— the  successful  skill  with  which 
he  had  encountered  so  sudden,  singular, 
and  serious  an  emergency.  But  what 
would  be  the  effect  of  the  destruction 
of  those  documents,  upon  certain  secret 
arrangements  of  his  connected  with 
Titmouse's  recovery  of  the  Yatton 
property  ?  —  a  question  which  occa- 
sioned Gammon  great  perplexity  and 
apprehension.  Then,  as  to  Gammon's 
rent  charge  of  £2000  per  annum  on 
the  Yatton  property — lie  bethought 
himself,  with  no  little  uneasiness,  of 
some  expressions  concerning  Titmouse's 
property,  let  fall  by  the   Earl  that 


542 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-VEAH. 


day:  nnd  if  his  lordship  should  per- 
severe in  1. is  determination  to  l» 

mtely  acquainted  with  the  Blate  of 
Tib  ]  roperty,  how  could   the 

.  |  tnce  nix  ul  to 

n  it   ii      ihly  escape  dis- 
I  if  it  aid,  howwaa  it  to  be 
.1  for,   or  supported!     Con- 
it  I     It  set  mod  as  if  fate  were 
bent  upon  urging  on  trophc! 

'..11 1,"  th  ■  I  -  immon,  "  wail 
till  I  am  challengi  d  on  the  sub 
and  then  fire  my  shot,  and  bring  his 
lordship  down  from  the  tight-rope? 
Then,  nowever,  J  cannot  but  appear 
to  have  known  the  thing  from  the 
very  beginning  ;  and  who  knows  what 
liabilities,  civil  or  criminal — of  fraud 
or    conspiracy — may   lie   attached    to 

what  I  have  d !     Shall  1  wait  for 

n  convenient,  though  early  oppor- 
tunity, and  rush,  with  dismay  and 
confu  ion,  into  the  Earl's  presence, 
with  a  discovery  only  just  made? 
I  .  Heaven  !  but  tin;  thing  wears 
already  a  very  ugly  appearance.  IT 
it  comes  out,  what  an  uproar  will  be 
in  tie-  wi  rid  !  The  lightning  will  fall 
(in  my  head  first,  unless  I  take  care. 
The  discovery  will  doubtless  kill  Lord 
Dreddlington  ;  and  as  for  his  daughter, 
it  may  overturn  the  little  reason  she 
has!'1 

I'i    lug  from  this  subject,  Gammon 

surveyed  his  other  relations  with  the 

Karl,  which  were  becoming  daily  more 

involve  I  and  critical,    lie  had  Beduced 

bis  lonlship  into   various   mercantile 

speculations,    such    as    had    already 

•d  him    in  a    very  questionable 

f  view,  as  taking  delibi 

io  advantage  of    (he   raging 

mania  for  bubble  companies.     In  fact, 

Gammon  had,  by  his  skilful  but  nol 

upuloua  manoeuvring,  already 

put  into  I,,, id   1  >n  ddlington's  po<  ket 

■  ty  thou  md  poundi ,  ai  d  at 
the  sai:.  -,,.1  his  lordship 
in  liabilities  which  he  never  dreami  a 
of,  and  even  Gammon  himself  had  not 
eontemplati  d.     Then  In-  v.   rmed  with 

pparent  proximity  to  Pai Liament, 
t    of  Titmou 
1  olvi  d  to  |,.,;, i  him  to  the 

•  which   he  wn  - 

■  i  a   tlie   \'  ry  d 


Y>y  that  time  ho  would  have  realized 
a  sum,  through  his  conuexion  with 
the  various  companies,  which,  even 
ii  depei  di  ntly  of  the  income  to  be 
derived  thereafter  from  the  Yatton 
property,  would  render  him  so  far 
independent  as  to  warrant  him  in 
dissolving  partnership  with  Messrs. 
Quirk  and  Snap,  and  quitting  at  hast 
the  practice  of  the  profession. 

Mr.  Gammon  was  a  man  of  very 
powerful  mind,  possessing  energies  of 
the  highest  order,  and  for  the  d<  velop- 
ment  and  display  of  which  he  felt,  and 
fretted  when  he  felt,  his  present  posi- 
tion in  society  afforded  him  no  scope 
whatever,  till  at  least  he  had  entered 
upon  that  series  of  bold  hut  well- 
coi  ceived  plans  and  purposes  with 
which  he    has    been    represented    as 

0  ■•  upied  since  the  time  when  he  first 
became  the  secret  master  of  the  for* 
tunes  of  Titmouse.  His  ambition  was 
boundless,  and  he  felt  within  himself 
a  capacity  for  the  management  of 
political  affairs  of  no  ordinary  magni- 
tude, could  he  hut  force  himself  into 
the  regions  where  his  energies  and 
qualifications  could  he  discovered  and 
appreciated.     Indeed  i  will  undertake 

•  y,  that,  had  Gammon  only  been 
a  good  man,  he  would,  in  all  j.ro- 
bability,  have  become  a  great  one. — 
But,  to  proceed  with  the  matters 
which  were  then  occupying  his  busy 
brain.  There  was  yet  one  upon  which 
all  his  thoughts  settled  with  a  sort  of 
agitating  interest — his  connexion  with 
the  Aubreys  ;  and  whenever  that  name 
occurred  to  his  thoughts,  ono  beaute- 
ous image  rose  before  him  like  that  of 
an  angel—  I  mean  JUiss  Aubrey.  She- 
was  the  first  object  that  had  ever 
excited  in  him  any,  the  faintest,  Bern- 
hlance  of  the  i  assion  oi  love     that  love, 

1  mean,  whb  h  is  in  a  manner  purified 

ublimated  from  all  grossness  or 

ality   by   a   due   appreciation   of 

intellectual    and    moral     excellence. 

When  he  dwelt  upon   the  character 

of  Miss  Aubrey,  and   for  a  moment 

d  the  possibility  of  a  union  with 

her,  he  fell,  as  it  were,  elevab  d  above 

himself.     Then  her  person  \\as  very 

beautiful;    and    there    was   ft   certain 

'.  iii'j  about  he  r  man* 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


543 


ners,  which  Gammon  could  only/ceZ, 
not  describe  ;  in  short,  his  passion  for 
her  had  risen  to  a  most  extraordinary- 
pitch  of  intensity,  and  became  a  sort 
of  infatuation.  In  spite  of  all  that 
had  happened  at  Yatton,  he  had  con- 
trived to  continue,  and  was  at  that 
moment,  on  terms  of  considerable 
intimacy  with  the  Aubreys  ;  and  had, 
moreover,  been  all  the  while  so  watch- 
ful over  himself  ns  to  have  given  none 
of  them  any  reason  to  suspect  the  state 
of  his  feelings  towards  Miss  Aubrey  ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  had 
ever  transpired  to  give  him  the 
slightest  inkling  of  the  state  of  mat- 
ters between  Miss  Aubrey  and  Dela- 
mere  —  with  the  exception  of  one 
solitary  circumstance  which  had  at 
the  moment  excited  his  suspicions — 
Mr.  Delamere's  contesting  the  borough 
of  Yatton.  Though  he  had  watched 
for  it,  however,  nothing  had  afterwards 
occurred  calculated  to  confirm  his  sus- 
picion. He  had  taken  infinite  pains 
to  keep  a  good  name  in  Vivian  Street, 
a  with  great  art  representing,  from  time 
to  time,  his  disgust  for  the  conduct 
and  character  of  Titmouse,  and  the 
reluctance  with  which  he  discharged 
his  duty  towards  that  gentleman.  He 
made  a  point  of  alluding  to  the  "gross 
and  malignant  insult"  which  had 
been  offered  at  the  hustings  to  the 
venerable  Yicar  of  Yatton,  and  which, 
he  said,  was  a  sudden  suggestion  of 
Mr.  Titmouse's,  and  earned  into  effect 
by  "that  vile  Unitarian  parson,  Mud- 
flint,"  in  defiance  of  Mr.  Gammon's 
wishes  to  the  contrary.  He  repre- 
sented himself  as  still  haunted  by  the 
mild,  reproachful,  sorrowful,  indig- 
nant look  with  which  Dr.  Tatham 
had  regarded  him,  as  though  he  had 
been  the  author  of  the  insult.  The 
account  which  appeared  in  the  True 
Blue  of  his  indignant  interference  on 
the  occasion  of  Mr.  Delamere's  being 
struck  on  the  hustings,  was  calculated, 
as  Mr.  Gammon  conceived,  to  cor- 
roborate his  representations,  and  aid 
the  impression  he  was  so  anxious  to 
produce.  For  the  same  reason  Mr. 
Gammon,  whenever  he  had  been  at 
Yatton,  had  acted  with  great  caution 
and  secrecy,  so  as  to  give  no  cause  of 


offence  to  Dr.  Tatham  ;  to  whom  ha 
from  time  to  time  complained,  in  con- 
fidence, of  those  very  acts  of  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse which  had  been  dictated  to  him 
by  Mr.  Gammon.  Thus  reasoned  Mr. 
Gammon  ;  but  it  would  indeed  hava 
been  singular  had  he  succeeded  as  ho 
desired  and  expected.  He  lost  sight 
of  the  proverbial  influence  of  one's 
wishes  over  one's  belief.  In  imagining 
that  he  had  concealed  from  the  Aubreys 
all  the  unfavourable  features  of  his 
conduct,  was  he  not,  in  some  degree, 
exhibiting  the  folly  of  the  bird,  which, 
thrusting  its  head  only  into  the  bush, 
imagines  that  it  has  thereby  concealed 
its  whole  body  ? 

The  Aubreys  knew  amply  sufficient 
to  warrant  a  general  dislike  and  dis- 
trust of  Mr.  Gammon ;  but  there 
existed  grave  reasons  for  avoiding  any 
line  of  conduct  which  Gammon  might 
choose  to  consider  offensive.  Mr. 
Aubrey  justly  regarded  him  as  stand- 
ing, at  present,  alone  between  him 
and  some  of  his  most  serious  liabilities. 
If  Gammon,  to  accomplish  objects  to 
them  undiscoverable,  wore  a  mask — < 
why  challenge  his  enmity  by  attempt- 
ing to  tear  oil' that  mask  ?  Mr.  Aubrey 
governed  his  movements,  therefore, 
with  a  prudent  caution  ;  and  though, 
after  the  election  and  the  infamous 
decision  of  the  election  committee, 
Gammon  was  received  at  Yivian  Street 
— whither  he  went  with  no  little 
anxiety  and  trepidation — it  was  with 
a  visibly  increased  coolness  and  re- 
serve, but  still  with  studious  arurtesy; 
and  beyond  that  distinct  but  delicate 
line,  none  of  them  ever  advanced  a 
hair's-breadth,  which  Gammon  ob- 
served with  frequent  and  heavy  mis- 
givings. But  he  felt  that  something 
must  at  length  be  done,  or  attempted, 
to  carry  into  effect  his  foud  wishes 
with  reference  to  Miss  Aubrey.  Months 
had  elapsed,  and  their  relative  position 
seemed  totally  unchanged  since  the 
first  evening  that  his  manoeuvre  had 
procured  him  a  brief  introduction  to 
Mrs.  Aubrey's  drawing-room.  In  fact, 
he  considered  that  the  time  had  ar- 
rived for  making  known,  in  some  way 
or  another,  the  .state  of  his  feeKngs  to 
Miss  Aubrey  ;  and  after  long  delibera- 


544 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


tion,  ho  resolved  to  do  bo  without  loss 
of  time,  and,  moreover,  personally. 
He  had  a  fearful  suspicion  that  he 
should  be — at  all  events  at  first — un- 
successful;  and  now  that,  having  taken 
his  determination,  he  passed  in  rapid 
review  all   their   ml  .   he  pei- 

ceived  less  and  less  ground  for  being 
•■line ;  for  he  felt  that  Miss 
Aubrey's  manner  towards  him  had 
been  throughout  more  cold  and  guarded 
than  th  it  of  either  Mr.  or  Mrs.  Aubrey. 
Like  a  prudent  general  contemplating 
the  contingencies  of  an  imporant  ex- 
]  lition,  and  calculating  his  means 
of  encountering  them,  Gammon  con- 
sidered —  iKrsuasio/i  failing  —  what 
means  oi  Isicrn  had  he?      He 

came,  at  length,  finally  to  tho  con- 
clusion, that  his  resources  were  at 
that  moment  most  available  ;  and, 
moreover,  that  his  circumstances  re- 
quired an  immediate  move. 

The  very  next  day.  about  ten 
o'clock,  he  sallied  forth  from  his 
chambers,  and  bent  his  steps  towards 
Vivian  Street,  intending  to  keep 
watch  for  at  least  a  couple  of  hours, 
with  a  view  to  ascertaining  whether 
.Mrs.  An!  :e_v's  going  out  alone  would 
afford  him  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
Miss  Aubrey,  alone  and  undisturbed  ; 
reasonably  reckoning  on  the  absence 
of  Mr.  Aubrey  at  the  Temple, 
whither  he  knew  he  always  went 
out  half-past  nine  o'clock.  That 
day,  however,  Mr.  Gammon  watched 
in  vain — during  the  time  that  he 
stayed,  only  the  servants  and  the 
children  quitted  the  dour.  The  next 
day  he  walked  deliberately  close  pa  I 
the  house:  was  that  brilliant  and 
formance    of   the    piano, 

'     .'        i,  1      ever,  he  was  unsne- 
•  ■     iul.     The  next  <\iy,  from   a 

beheld    both   -Mrs.    and 
i  Aubrey,  accompanied   by  a  fe- 
male  Bervant  i>nd  the  children,   quit 
kvalk  in  the  direction 

e  lark,  whither  he  followed  their 
movi  mi  nts    v.  itft    a    beating    h 
The  next   ii      .  ft, 

1   ive  the  ho  inied  only  by 

littl    l  id  he  instantly  tui 

pondingly    i  a  tward. 
How  little   did    cither  of    those   fair 


beings  dream  of  the  strict  watch 
that  was  thus  kept  upon  their  every 
movement !  Two  days  afterwards, 
however,  Gammon's  perseverance  was 
rewarded;  for  shortly  after  eleven 
o'clock,  he  beheld  Mrs.  Aubrey,  ac- 
companied by  the  two  children,  quit 
the  house,  and  turn  towards  the  Park. 
Gammon's  heart  began  to  beat  hard. 
Though  he  never  cared  much  for  dress, 
his  appearance  on  the  present  occasion 
afforded  indications  of  some  littlo 
attention  to  it  ;  and  he  appeared  simply 
a  well-dressed  gentleman,  in  a  dark- 
blue  buttoned  surtout,  with  velvet 
collar,  and  plain  black  stock,  as,  after 
a  moment's  somewhat  Hurried  pause, 
he  knocked  aud  rang  at  Mr.  Aubrey's 
door. 

"Is  Mr.  Aubrey  within?"  he  en- 
quired of  the  very  pretty  and  respect- 
able-looking maidservant,  who  pre- 
sently answered  his  summons. 

"No,  sir ;  he  is  never  here  after " 

"  Perhaps  Mrs.  Aubrey " 

"No,  sir;  there  is  only  Miss 
Aubrey  at  home ;  my  mistress  and 
the  children  are  gone  out  into  tho 
Park,  and  Miss  Aubrey  is  writing 
letters,  or  she  would  have  gone  with 
my  mistress." 

"  Perhaps — I  could  sec  Miss  Aubrey 
for  a  moment?"  enquired  Gammon, 
with  as  matter-of-fact  an  air  as  he 
could  assume. 

"  Certainly,  sir — she  is  in  the  draw- 
ing-room. Will  you  walk  up-stairs  '<  " 
said  the  girl,  who  of  course  knew  him 
well,  as  not  an  infrequent  visitor  at 
the  house.  So  she  led  the  way  up- 
Mair.;,  he  following,  and  with  soi 
what  fading  colour. 

"Mr.     Ghvmmon!"    he    presently 

heard,   ns  he    Btood    on    the    landing, 

■  d  in   the   rich  and   soft  void'  of 

Miss  Aubrey,  who  a  emed  to  Bp  ak  in 

a  tone  of  great  surprise,  in  answer  to 

the  servant's  announcement.  "  Why, 
Fanny,  did  you  not  say  that  ueitheryour 
master  nor  mistress  was  at  horn 

tmon  next  heard  hastily  asked  in 

a  lower  tone   by  Miss  Aubrey,  and  his 

fell  a  little  ;  for  th<  re  w;n 

a  tone  of  displeasure,  or  chagrin,  in 

roice,   especially  as    she  added, 

"Vou  should    have    said    that    1  was 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


545 


engaged!  However,  show  him  in, 
Fanny  ; "  and  the  next  moment  Mr. 
Gammon  found  himself  bowing  his 
way  towards  Miss  Aubrey,  with 
whom,  for  the  first  lime  in  his  life,  he 
found  himself  alone. 

She  was  sitting  writing  at  her  desk, 
before  which  stood,  in  a  small  flower- 
glass,  a  beautiful  moss-rose.  There 
was  a  little  air  of  negligence  in  the 
arrangement  of  her  hair,  and  her 
light  morning  costume  displayed  her 
figure  to  infinite  advantage.  There 
was  really  something  inexpressibly 
lovely  in  her  whole  appearance,  seen, 
though  sh )  was,  at  that  moment,  by 
Gammon,  through  a  faint  mist  of  dis- 
pleasure which  she  had  thrown  around 
herself. 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Gammon," 
she  commenced,  rising  a  little  from 
her  chair  ;  and  sinking  again  into  it, 
slightly  turned  it  towards  him,  gazing 
at  him  with  some  curiosity. 

"May  I  venture  to  hope,  madam, 
that  I  am  not  intruding  upon  you  ?  " 
said  he,  se  iting  himself  in  the  chair 
nearest  to  him,  and  placing  his  hat 
upon  the  ground. 

"  My  brother  always  leaves  at  half- 
past  nine  ;  is  he  not  at  the  Temple 
to-day,  Mr.  Gammon  ? "  she  added  a 
little  eagerly — for  the  first  time  ob- 
serving something  unusual  in  the  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance. 

"  I  really  don't  know — in  fact,  I 
have  not  been  there  to-day  ;  I  thought 

it   better,    perhaps "     He   paused 

for  a  second. 

"I  sincerely  trust,  Mr.  Gammon," 
interrupted  Miss  Aubrey,  slightly 
changing  colour,  and  looking  with 
great  anxiety  at  Mr.  Gammon — "  that 
nothing  unpleasant  —  unfortunate  — 
has  happened  :  do,  pray,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon !  "  she  continued  earnestly,  turn- 
ing her  chair  full  towards  him — "for 
Heaven's  sake,  tell  me  ! " 

"  I  assure  you,  madam,  upon  my 
honour,  that  nothing  whatever  has 
h  ippened,  that  I  know  of,  since  last  we 
met." 

"Oh  dear — I  was  getting  so 
alarmed ! "  said  she,  with  a  faint 
sigh,  hastily  putting  back  the  curls 
which    were    clustering    rather    more 


luxuriantly  than  usual  over  her  fair 
cheek. 

"  Certainly,  madam,  you  have  no 
occasion  to  be  alarmed  ;  I  have,  how- 
ever, an  errand — one  to  vie,  at  least,  of 
inexpressible  importance,"  he  com- 
menced, and  in  a  lower  key  than  that 
in  which  he  had  previously  spoken  ; 
and  there  was  a  peculiarity  in  his 
manner  which  quite  riveted  Miss 
Aubrey's  eye  upon  his  expressive — 
and  now,  she  saw  plainly,  agitated 
countenance.  "What  can  possibly  be 
the  matter?  thought  she,  as  she  made 
a  courteous  but  somewhat  formal  in- 
clination towards  him,  and  said 
something  about  "begging  him  to 
proceed." 

"  I  hope,  madam,  that  compara- 
tively few  as  have  been  my  oppor- 
tunities of  becoming  acquainted  with 
it,  I  may  venture  to  express  my  pro- 
found appreciation  of  your  superior 
character. " 

"Really,  sir,"  interrupted  Miss 
Aubrey — "  you  are  not  candid  with 
me.  I  am  now  certain  that  you  have 
some  unpleasant  communication  to 
make !  l)o,  I  entreat  of  you,  Mr. 
Gammon,  give,  me  credit  for  a  little 
presence  of  mind  and  firmness  :  let 
me  know  the  worst,  and  be  prepared 
to  break  it  to  my  brother  and  sister." 
Gammon  seemed  unable  to  bear  her 
bright  blue  eyes  fixed  upon  his  own, 
which  he  directed  to  the  floor,  while 
his  cheek  flushed.  Then  he  looked 
again  at  her ;  and  with  an  eye  that 
explained  all,  and  drove  away  the 
bloom  from  Miss  Aubrey's  cheek, 
while  it  also  suspended,  for  a  moment, 
her  breathing. 

"Oh,  forgive  me  for  an  instant — ■ 
for  one  moment  bear  wiih  me,  Miss 
Aubrey !  "  continued  Gammon,  in  a 
voice  of  low  and  thrilling  pathos — 
"  this  interview  agitates  me  almost  to 
death  ;  it  is  that  which  for  a  thousand 
hours  of  intense — absorbing — agoniz- 
ing doubts  and  fears,  I  have  been  look- 
ing forward  to !  "  Miss  Aubrey  sat 
perfectly  silent  and  motionless,  gazing 
intently  at  him,  with  blanched  cheek  : 
he  might  have  been  addressing  a 
Grecian  statue.  "And  now  —  now 
that  it  has  at  last  arrived — when  I 

N  N 


54G 


TEX   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


feci  ns  if  I  were  to  athmg  a  new — n 
maddening  atmosphere,  occasioned  by 
your  presence — by  the  sight  of  your 

surpassing  loveliness " 

acioos  mercy,  sir!  what  can  yon 
mean  !  "  at  length  interrupted  Miss 
Anbrey,  with  a  slight  start — at  the 
same  time  slipping  her  chair  a  little 
further  from  Mr.  Gammon.  "I  de- 
clare,  sir,  I  do  Dot  in  the  least  under- 
stand you,"  Bhe  continued,  with  much 
:  but  her  increasing  paleness 
showed  the  effect  which  his  extraor- 
dinary conduct  had  produced  upon 
her.  She  made  a  strong  and  successful 
',  however,  to  recover  her  self- 
possession. 

"  I  perceive,  madam,  that  3Tou  are 
agitated " 

"  I  am,  sir  !  astonished  ! — shocked  ! 
— I  could  not  have  imagined " 

"  Madam  !  madam  !  at  the  ri.sk  of 
being  deemed  unkind — cruel- — if]  die 
for  it,  I  cannot  resist  telling  you 
that  I  reverence  —  I  love  you  to  a 
,1  .greo " 

"Oh,  Heavens!"  murmured  Miss 
Aubrey,  still  gazing  with  an  air  of 
amazement  at  him.  Several  times  she 
thought  of  rising  to  ring  the  bell,  and 
at  once  get  rid  of  so  astounding  an 
interruption  and  intrusion  ;  but  for 
ons  sho  abstained  from 
doing  so  as  long  as  possible. 

"It  would  he  ridiculous,  sir,"  said 
she,  at  length,  with  sudden  spirit  ami 
dignity,  "  to  affect  ignorance  of  your 
meaning  and  intentions  ;  hut  may  J 
Venture  to  ask  what  conduct  of  mine 
— what  single  act  of  mine — or  word — 
or  look  —  has  ever  induced  you  to 
imagini — for  ono  moment  to  indulge 
so  insane 

"Alas,  madam,  that  which  you 
Could  not  conceal  or  control — your 
incomparable  excelli  nee     j  our  beaul  \ 


incomp 
— lovel 


mere    Bight    of     your    transcendent 
charms  —  my    soul      Bank     prostrate 
ou  the  first  moment  that    1 
— " 

All  this  was  uttered  by  Gammon  in 
iy  low  tone,  and  with  passionate 
fervour  of  manner.    Mi  J  Aubrey  trem- 
bled visibly,  and  had  grown  verycold. 
A  little  vinaigrette  stood  bcsiJ  ■  her — 


and  its  stinging  stimulating  powers 
were  infinitely  serviceable,  and  at 
fh  aided  her  in  making  head 
against  her  rebellious  feelings. 

"I  certainly  ought  to  feel  flattered, 
sir,"  said  she,  rapidly  recovering  her- 
self— "by  the  high  terms  in  which 
you  are  pleased  to  speak  of  me — of 
one  who  has  not  the  slightest  claim 
upon  your  good  opinion.  I  really  can- 
not conceive  what  conduct  of  mine  can 
have  led  you  to  imagine  that  such  an 
— an — application — as  this  could  bo 
successful — or  received  otherwise  than 
with  astonishment — and,  if  persisted 
in — displeasure,  Mr.  Gammon."  This 
she  said  in  her  natural  manner,  and 
very  pointedly. 

"HissAubrey — permit  me "said 

•  rammon,  passionately. 

"  1  cannot,  sir — I  have  heard  already 
too  much  ;  and  I  am  sure,  that  when 
a  lady  requests  a  genth  man  to  desist 
from  conduct  which  pains  and  shocks 
her — sir,"  she  added  hastily  and  pe- 
remptorily— "I  beg  you  will  at  oi  i 
desist  from  addressing  me  in  so  very 
improper  a  strain  and  manner!  " 

"Indulge,  my  agonized  feedings  for 
one  moment,  Miss  Aubrey,"  said  Gam- 
mon, with  desperate  energy — "alas! 
I  had  suspected — I  had  feared — that 
our  respective  positions  in  Bociety  would 
had  you  to  despise  so  comparatively 
humble  and  obscure  a  person,  in  point 
of  station  and  circumstances 

"Sir!"  exclaimed  Kate  magnifi- 
Cently,  drawing  up  her  figure  to  its 
utmost  height— her  manner  almost 
petrifying  Gammon,  whose  last  words 
she  had  most  unaccountably  imagined, 

at  the  moment,  to  amount  to  a  bitter 

sarcastic  allusion  to  their  fallen  for- 

,  and  diminished  personal  conse- 

•  [  ence  in  society ;  but  she  was  quickly 
undeceived,  as  he  proi  eeded,  fervently 
— "Yes,  madam-  your  birth— -your 
family  connexions  your  transcendent 
mental  and  personal  qualities,  Bhining 
all  the  bi  ighter  in  the  gloom  of  adver- 

— " 
"I  —  I — 1  beg  your  pardon,  sir— I 
mi   under  to,,,]     you,"    BBid     Kate,    dis- 

covering  her  error,  ai  d  colouring 
violently-  "but  it  is  even  mora  pain* 

i'ul  to  mo  to  listen  t"  the  language  yov 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


547 


are  addressing  to  me.  Since  yon  urge 
me  to  it,  I  beg  you  to  understand,  sir, 
that  if  by  what  you  have  been  saying 
to  me,  I  am  to  gather  that  you  are 
making  me  an  offer  of  your  addresses 
— I  decline  them  at  once,  most  pe- 
remptorily, as  a  thing  quite  out  of  the 
question."  The  tone  and  manner  in 
which  this  was  said — the  determination 
and  hauteur  perceptible  in  her  striking 
and  expressivs  features — blighted  ali 
the  nascent  hopes  of  Gammon  ;  who 
turned  perfectly  pale,  and  looked  the 
very  image  of  misery  and  despair.  The 
workings  of  his  strongly  marked  fea- 
tures told  of  the  agony  of  his  feelings. 
Neither  of  them  spoke  for  a  few 
moments.  "Alas!  madam, "at length 
he  enquired,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  "  am 
I  presumptuous,  if  1  intimate  a  fear — 
which  I  dare  hardly  own  to  myself 
even — that  I  am  too  late — that  there 

is   some   more  fortunate "     Miss 

Aubrey  blushed  scarlet. 

"Sir,"  said  she,  with  quick  in- 
dignant energy,  "I  should  certainly 
consider  such  enquiries — most — pre- 
sumjrtuoxis — most  oti'ensive — most  un- 
warranted by  anything  that  has  ever 
passed  between  us  " — and  indeed  her 
eye  quite  shone  with  indignation. 
Gammon  gazed  at  her  with  piercing 
intensity,  and  spoke  not. 

"  You  cannot  but  be  aware,  sir,  that 
you  are  greatly  taxing  my  forbearance 
— nay,  sir,  I  feel  that  you  are  taking  a 
very  great  liberty  in  making  any  such 
enquiries  or  suggestions,"  continued 
Miss  Aubrey,  proudly,  but  more  calm- 
ly ;  "  but,  as  your  manner  is  unob- 
jectionable and  respectful,  I  have  no 
objection  to  say,  sir,  most  unhesitat- 
ingly, that  the  reason  you  hint  at  is 
not  in  the  least  concerned  in  the  answer 
I  have  given.  I  have  declined  your 
proposals,  sir,  simply  because  I  choose 
to  decline  them — because  1  have  not, 
nor  ever  could  have,  the  least  dis- 
position to  entertain  them." 

Gammon  could  not,  at  the  moment, 
determine  whether  she  really  had  or 
had  not  a  pre-engagement. 

"Madam,  you  would  bear  with  me 
did  you  but  know  the  exquisite  sufier- 
iiig  your  word3  occasion  me !  Your 
hopeless  tone  and  manner  appear  to 


my  soul  to  consign  it  to  perdition — to 
render  me  perfectly  careless  about  life," 
said  Gammon,  with  irresistible  pathos  : 
and  Miss  Aubrey,  as  she  looked  and 
listened,  in  spite  of  herself,  pitied  him. 
"  I  might,  perhaps,  establish  some 
claim  to  your  favour,  were  I  at  liberty 
to  recount  to  you  my  long  unwearied 
exertions  to  shield  your  noble-spirited 
brother — nay,  all  of  you — from  im- 
pending trouble  and  danger — to  avert 
it  from  you." 

"  We  are  indeed  deeply  sensible  of 
your  kindness  towards  us,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon," replied  Miss  Aubrey  with  her 
usual  sweetness  and  fascinating  frank- 
ness of  manner,  which,  noio  he  could 
not  bear  to  behold. 

"Suffer  me,  Miss  Aubrey,  but  one 
word  more,"  he  continued  eagerly, 
apprehensive  that  she  was  about  to 
check  him.  "  Were  you  but  aware  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  I  come 
to  throw  myself  at  your  feet — myself, 
and  all  I  have — nor  is  that  little,  for  I 
am  in  independent  circumstances — I 
shall  soon  be  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons"— Miss  Aubrey  exhibited  still 
more  unequivocal  symptoms  of  impa- 
tience— "  and  for  ever  have  abandoned 
the  hateful  walk  in  life  to  wdiich  for 
the  last  few  years " 

"  I  suppose  1  must  listen  to  you,  sir, 
however  uselessly  to  yourself  and  dis- 
agreeable and  painful  to  me.  If,  after 
all  I  have  said,  you  choose  to  perse- 
vere," said  Miss  Aubrey  with  calm 
displeasure 

But  Gammon  persevei'ed. — "  I  say, 
Miss  Aubrey,  that  could  you  but  catch 
a  glimpse — one  momentary  glimpse — 
of  the  troubles — the  dangers  which 
lurk  around  you  all — infinitely  greater 
than  any  which  you  have  even  yet 
experienced,  severe  and  terrible  though 
these  have  been — which  arc  every  day 
coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  you " 

"  WhatfZo  youmean,Mr.  Gammon ?" 
interrupted  Miss  Aubrey  alarm  edly. 

' '  — And  which,  eager  and  anxious  as 
may,  and  shall  be,  my  efforts,  I  may 
be  unable  any  longer  to  avert  from 
you — you  would  at  least  appreciate  the 
pure  and  disinterested  motives  with 
which  I  set  out  upon  my  truly  dis- 
astrous mission." 

N  N  2 


548 


TEX   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


11  Once  morn,  Mr.  Gammon,  I  assure 
you  that  1  feel — that  we  all  of  us  feel 
— a  lively  gratitude  towards  you  f>r 
the  great  services  yon  have  rendered 
us;  but  how  can  that  possibly  vary 
my  resolution  I  Surely,  Mr.  Gammon, 
yon  will  not  require  me  to  enter  again 
t  unpleasant "  Gam- 
mon heaved  a  profound  sigh. — "With 
rd  to  y  >ur  intimation  of  the  danger 
which  men  ices  us  -  -alas  !  we  have  sei  n 
much  trouble — and  Providence  may 
desi  i  Bee  much  more — I  own, 
Mr.  Gammon,  that  I  am  disturbed  by 
what    yon  have   said    to  me   on    that 

"  J  have  hut  one  word  more,  to  say, 
madam,"  said  Gammon  in  a  low  im- 
passioned tone,  evidently  preparing  to 
sink  upon  one  knee,  and  to  assume  an 
imploring  attitude;  on  which  Miss 
Aubrey  rose  from  her  chair,  and,  step- 
ping back  a  pace  or  two,  said,  with 
great  resolution,  and  in  an  indignant 
manner — "If  you  do  not  instantly 
pour  seat,  sir,  J  shall  ring  the 
bell  ;  for  yon  are  beginning  to  take 
advanta  of  my  present  defenceless 
1  ion  —you  are  uting  me,  and 

I  will  not  suffer  it. — Sir,  resum  i  your 
scat,  or  I   summon  the   servant  into 
the  room— a  humiliation  I  could  have 
d  to  spore  you." 

II  rvoi  •■  was  not  half  so  imperative 
as  was  her  eye.     lie  felt  that  his  c  i 

hopeless — he  bowed   profoundly, 
and  said  in  a  low  tone — "1  obey  you, 

Neither  >f  them  spoke  for  some 
moments.  At  length — "I  am  sure, 
sii-,"  said  Miss  Aubrey,  looking  at  her 
h,  "  you  w  ill  forgive  me  for  re- 
minding you  that  when  you  entered  I 
wasi  writing  letters" — and  she 

glanced  at  her  desk    -"  for  which  pur- 
po  •■  alone  it  is  that  I   am  not  now 
improving     my    sister    and     the 
children.' 

"  1  f. ,  1  too  painfully,  madam,  th  it 
I      i  intruding  ;  but  I  Bhall  so 

Every  one  lias  some 

t   bittei  net  i   to    pass   through    al 

!  ime   or  olh.T  oi  his  life—  and    I 

instant  passed  through  mine," 

replied  <•  immon  gl  iomily.     "  I   will 

that  tfu  Uh  is 


past;  hut  I  feel  that  life  has  hence- 
forth,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  nothing 
worth  pursuing."  Miss  Aubrey  re- 
ed silent  while  he  Spoke, — "lie  fore 
we  part,  .Miss  Aubrey,  and  close,  as  far 
as  1 — nay,  as  far,  it  may  be,  as  both  of 
us  are  concerned — a  very  memorable 
interview,  I  have  yet  one  communica- 
tion to  make,  to  which  you  w.ll  listen 
with  absorbing  interest.  It  will  be 
made  to  you  in  such  confidence  as, 
having  heard  it,  you  may  consider 
yourself  at  liberty  conscientiously  t  > 
keep  from  every  person  upon  earth  ; 
and  I  shall  leave  it  to  produce  Mich 
effect  upon  you  as  it  may." 

"  I  shall  not  disguise  from  you,  sir, 
that  your  manner  and  your  language 
alarm  me  terribly,"  said  Miss  Aubrey, 
peculiarly  struck  by  the  sinister  ex- 
pression of  his  eye — one  quite  incon- 
sistent with  the  sad,  subdued,  gentle 
lone  and  manner  of  his  address.  ';  I 
am  not  anxious  to  receive  so  dark  and 
mysterious  a  communication  as  you 
hint  at ;  and,  if  you  choose  to  maki 
I  shall  use  my  own  diseivt  on  as  t  I 
keeping  it  to  myself,  or  mentioning  it 
to  any  one  whom  1  may  choose — of 
that  I  assure  you.  You  see  that  1  am 
agitated  ;  1  own  it,"  she  added,  drop- 
ping her  voice,  and  pressing  her  loft 
hand  against  her  Bide;  "but  1  am 
prepared  to  hear  anything  you  m  ry 
choose  to  tell  me — that  1  ought  toh 
— Have  mercy,  sir,"  she  added  in  a 
melting  voice,  "on  a  woman  wh 
nerves  you  have  already  sufficiently 
shaken  !  " 

Gammon  gazed  at  her  with  a  bright 
and  passionate  eye  that  would  have 
drunk  her  very  soul.  After  a  moment's 
pause — "  Madam,  it  is  this,"  said  he, 
in  a  very  low  tone  :  "  I  have  the  means 
— I  declare  in  the  presence  of  Heaven, 
and  on  the  word  and  honour  of  a  man  " 
— [Oh,  Gammon  !  Gammon!  Gain- 
!  have  you  forgotten  what  oc- 
curred between  you  and  your   friend 

oneshorl 
infatuated  man  !  what  can  yoii  mean  ? 
What  if  she  should  take  you  at  your 
word  <1 — "  of  restoring  to  !i<>ur  brother 
all  that  he  has  lost  —tub  Yatton 
property,  Miss  Aubrey-  immediately 
— permanently — with  i  f  future 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


549 


disturbance — by  due  process  of  law — 
openly  and  most  honourably." 

"You  are  trifling  with  me,  sir," 
gasped  Miss  Aubrey,  faintly,  very 
faintly — her  cheek  blanched,  and  her 
eye  riveted  upon  that  of  Gammon. 

"Before  God,  madam,  I  speak  the 
truth,"  replied  Gammon  solemnly. 

Miss  Aubrey  seemed  struggling  in- 
effectually to  heave  a  deep  sigh,  and 
pressed  both  hands  upon  her  left  side, 
over  her  heart. 

"You  are  ill,  very  ill,  Miss  Aubrey, " 
said  Gammon  with  alarm,  rising  from 
his  chair.  She  also  rose,  rather  hastily ; 
turned  towards  the  window,  and  with 
feeble  trembling  Lands  tried  to  open 
it,  as  if  to  relieve  her  faintness  by  the 
fresh  air.  But  it  was  too  late  ;  poor 
Kate  had  been  at  length  overpowered, 
and  Gammon  reached  her  just  in  time 
to  receive  her  inanimate  figure,  which 
sunk  into  his  arms.  Never  in  his  life 
had  he  been  conscious  of  the  feelings 
he  that  moment  experienced,  as  he  felt 
her  pressure  against  his  arm  and  knee, 
and  gazed  upon  her  beautiful  but  death- 
like features.  He  felt  as  though  he 
had  been  brought  into  momentary 
contact  with  an  angel.  Every  fibre 
within  him  thrilled.  She  moved  not ; 
she  breathed  not.  He  dared  not  kiss 
her  lip,  her  cheek,  her  forehead,  but 
raised  her  soft  white  hand  to  his  lips, 
and  kissed  it  with  indescribable  ten- 
derness and  reverence.  Then,  after  a 
moment's  pause  of  irresolution,  he 
gently  drew  her  to  the  sofa,  and  laid 
her  clown,  supporting  her  head  and 
applying  her  vinaigrette,  till  a  deep- 
drawn  sigh  evidenced  returning  con- 
sciousness. Before  she  had  opened  her 
eyes,  or  coxild  have  become  aware  of  the 
assistance  he  had  rendered  her,  he  had 
withdrawn  to  a  respectful  distance, 
and  was  gazing  at  her  with  deep 
anxiety.  It  was  several  minutes  before 
her  complete  restoration — which,  how  - 
ever,  the  fresh  air  entering  through 
the  windows,  which  Gammon  hastily 
threw  open,  added  to  the  incessant  use 
of  her  vinaigrette,  greatly  accelerated. 

"I  hardly  know,  sir,"  she  com- 
menced, in  a  very  low  and  faint  tone  of 
voice,  and  looking  languidly  at  him, 
"whether  I  really  heard  you  say,  or 


only  dreamed  that  I  heard  you  say, 
something  most  extraordinary  about 
Yatton  ?  '* 

"  I  pray  you,  madam,  to  wait  till 
you  are  completely  restored  ;  but  it 
was  indeed  no  dream — it  was  my  voice 
which  you  heard  utter  the  words  you 
allude  to  ;  and  when  you  can  bear  it, 
I  am  ready  to  repeat  them  as  the 
words,  indeed,  of  truth  and  soberness." 

"  I  am  ready  now,  sir — I  beg  you 
will  say  quick' y  what  you  have  to  say, " 
replied  Miss  Aubrey,  with  returning 
firmness  of  tone  and  calmness  of  man- 
ner ;  at  the  same  time  passing  her 
snowy  handkerchief  feebly  over  her 
forehead. 

He  repeated  what  he  had  said  before. 
She  listened  with  increasing  excite- 
ment of  manner ;  her  emotions  at  length 
overmastered  her,  and  she  burst  into 
tears,  and  wept  for  some  moments  un- 
restrainedly. 

Gammon  gazed  at  her  in  silence  ; 
and  then,  unable  to  bear  the  sight  of 
her  sufferings,  turned  aside  his  head, 
and  gazed  towards  the  opposite  corner 
of  theroom.  Howlittle  he  thought,  that 
the  object  on  which  his  eyes  accident- 
ally settled,  a  most  splendid  harp,  had 
been,  only  a  few  days  before,  presented 
to  Miss  Aubrey  by  Mr.  Delamere  ! 

"What  misery,  Miss  Aubrey,  has 
the  sight  of  your  distress  occasioned 
me  !  "  said  Gammon  at  length  ;  "and 
yet  why  should  my  communication 
have  distressed  you  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  doubt,  Mr.  Gammon,  the 
truth  of  what  you  have  so  solemnly 
told  me,"  she  replied,  in  a  tremulous 
voice  ;  "  but  will  you  not  tell  my  un- 
fortunate, my  high-minded,  my  almost 
broken-hearted  brother  ? "  Again  she 
burst  into  a  fit  of  weeping. 

"Must  I — dare  I — say  it,  Miss 
Aubrey  ? "  presently  enquired  Gam- 
mon in  a  broken  voice  ;  "can  I  say  it 
without  occasioning  what  I  dread 
more  than  I  can  express — your  dis- 
pleasure ?  The  use  to  be  made  of  my 
power  rests  with  you  alone." 

She  shook  her  head  bitterly  and  de- 
spairingly, and  hid  her  face  in  her 
handkerchief  while  he  proceeded. 

"  One  word — one  blessed  word  from 
your  lips — and  before  this  very  day 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


I  have  passed  away,  I  strike  down 
the  wretched  puppet  that  at  present 
defiles  Yatton — replace  your  noble- 
minded  brother  at  Yatton— restore  you 

all  to  its  delicious  shades — Oh,  -Miss 
Aubrey,  how  you  will  love  them  !      A 

osand    times    dearer    than    ever! 

Every  trace  <<(  the  wretched  idiot  now 

there"  shall  vanish  ;  and  let   all    this 

e    to   pass    before    I    presume   to 

claim " 

"  It  is  impossible,  sir,"  replied  Miss 
Aubrey,  with  the  calmness  of  despair, 
"even  Mere  you  to  place  my  brother 
on  the  throne  of  England.  Is  it  not 
cruel — shocking  —  that  if  you  know 
my  brother  i-;  really  entitled — nay,  it  is 
istrous  injustice! — "What  may  he 
the  means  at  your  command  1  know 
not— 1  shall  not  enquire  ;  if  it  is  to  be 
ho  ■  'I  onlj  "ii  1  e  terms  you  men- 
lion"-  she  involuntarily  shuddered — 
"  be  it  so — I  cannot  help  it  ;  and  if 
my  brother  and  his  family  must  perish 
becau  e  1  reject  your  addrei  *es " 

"Say  not  that  word,  Miss  Aubrey! 
Do  not  shut  out  all  hope — Recall  it  ! 
For  God's  sake   consider   the  conse- 

?  ueiices  to  your  brother — to  his  family! 
tell  you  that  malice  and  rapacity  are 
at  this  moment  gleaming  like  wild 
wolves  within  a  few  paces  of  you — 
)■  idy  to  rush  upon  you.  Did  you  hut 
Bee   them   as  distinctly  as  I   do,  you 

would  indeed  shudder  and  shrink " 

"Ido.sir  ;  hut  we  trusl  in  a  merci- 
ful Providi  i ,"  replied  Miss  Aubrey, 

r    her    hands,     "and 

i    ign  oui  e  ires  t.i  the  will  of  1  leaven.'' 

"May   not    Heaven    have    brought 

nx-i/iiiij  between  U3  as  a 

e  of " 

"  Monstrous  !  "  i  '1      Miss 

Aubrey,    in    a   voice   and    with   a  look 

that  f  >r  a  moment  silenced  him. 
"It  is  high  time  that  you  should 
me,     sir,"      presently     said 
rmin  dly.    "  I  have 
suffered    sui  Uciently  aire. 

I 
1  ■ .  I  ;  v.  ill  retire." 

"  Madam,  you  are  o  I,"  n  plied 
1  -,    and   8]  in   b 

t"i  u Jul  d<  '  lie  felt 

that  his  fate   i  ed.      "I  now 

seem  fully  aware,  to  raj  elf  e\ m,  ,  f 


the  unwarrantable  liberty  I  have  taken, 
and  solicit  your  forgiveness — "  Mi<3 
Aubrey  bowed  to  him  loftily. — "I  will 
not  presume  to  solicit  your  silence  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey  concerning  the 
visit  1  have  paid  you  ?  "  he  continued 
very  anxiously. 

"  I  am  not  in  the  habit,  sir,  of 
concealing  anything  from  my  brother 
and  sister  ;  but  1  shall  freely  exercise 
my  own  discretion  in  the  matter." 

"  'Well,  madam,"  said  he,  preparii 
to  move  towards  the  door,  while  Miss 
Aubrey  raised  her  hand  to  the  bell  — 
"in  taking  leave  of  you,"  he  paused, 
— "let  me  hope,  not  forever — receive 
my   solemn    assurance,    given    before 
Heaven  I  that,  haughtily  as  you  have 
n  polled    my    advances    this    day,    I 
will    yet     continue    to    do    all    that 
is  in  my  power  to  avert  the  troubles 
now  threatening  your  brother — which, 
I   fear,  however,  will  be  but  of  little 
avail!        Farewell,        farewell,       Miss 
A   brey  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  and  was  the 
next  moment  rapidly  descending  the 
stairs.      Miss  Aubrey,  bursting  afresh 
into  tears,  threw  herself   again   upon 
the  sofa,  ami  continued  long  in  a  state 
of  excessive  agitation.     Mr.  Gammon 
walked  eastward  at  a  rapid  pace,  and 
ina  state  of  mind  which  cannot  be  de- 
scribed.    How  he  loathod  the  sight  of 
Saffron  Hill,  and  its  disgusting  ap- 
proaches!   lie  merely  looked  into  the 
office  for  a  moment,  saying  that  he  felt 
too   much   iii* I i  iposod    to    attend    to 
business   that  day  ;  and  then   betook 
himself   to    his  solitary  chambers — a 
thousand    times    more    solitary    and 
cheerless  than  ever  they  had  appeared 
liefoia — where  he  remained  in  a  sort  of 
reverie  for  hours.   About  eleven  o'clock 
that  night,  he  was  guilty  of  a  strange 
pieoe  oi  extravagance ;  for  his  fevered 
soul  being   unable   to  find   rest   any- 
where, he  set  off  for  Vivian  Street,  and 
I  up  ami  down  it,  with  his   eye 
tantly  fixed   noon   Mr.    Aubrey's 
house  ;    he  Baw  the  lights  disappear 
i  the  dr  ro  ing-room,  and  reappe  ir 
in    the    bed-rooms:     them     also    he 
n  atched  oui     still  he  lingered  in  the 
libourhood,  which  Beemed  to  have 
t  of  fatal  fa  cination about  it ;  and 
it  was  past  three  o'clock  before,  ex« 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


551 


hausted  in  mind  and  body,  he  regained 
his  chamber,  and  throwing  himself 
upon  the  bed,  slept  from  mere 
weariness. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  a  man  of  a  very 
different  description  —  Mr.  Aubrey. 
He  had  spent  nearly  a  year  in  the 
r  ;il  study  of  the  law  ;  during  which 
time  I  have  not  the  least  hesitation  in 
saying  that  he  had  made — notwith- 
standing all  his  dreadful  drawbacks — 
at  least  five  times  the  progress  that  is 
generally  made  by  even  the  most  suc- 
cessful of  those  who  devote  themselves 
to  the  legal  profession.  He  had,  more- 
over, during  the  same  period,  produced 
five  or  six  exceedingly  able  political 
dissertations,  and  several  important 
contributions  to  historical  literature  ; 
and  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to 
learn,  that  such  exertions  as  these, 
and  such  anxieties  as  were  his,  had 
told  visibly  on  the  appearance  of  Mr. 
Aubrey.  He  was  very  thin  ;  his  cheek 
had  lost  its  colour  ;  his  eye  was  op- 
pressed ;  his  spirits  had  lost  their 
buoyancy,  except  in  the  few  intervals 
which  he  was  permitted,  by  his  harass- 
ing labours,  of  domestic  enjoyment. 
He  still  bore  up,  however,  against  his 
troubles  with  an  unyielding  resolution  ; 
feeling  that  Providence  had  called 
upon  him  to  do  his  uttermost,  and 
await  the  result  with  patience  and 
faith.  Nothing  had  occurred  during 
this  long  interval  to  brighten  his  pros- 
pects— to  diminish  his  crushing  load 
of  liability  by  a  hair's  weight.  But 
his  well-disciplined  mind  now  stood 
him  in  noble  stead,  and  enabled  him 
to  realize  a  daily  consciousness  of  ad- 
vancement in  the  pursuits  to  which  he 
had  devoted  himself.  Well  indeed 
may  it  be  said,  that  there  is  no  grander 
spectacle  tor  angels  or  men,  than  a 
great  mind  struggling  with  adversity'. 
To  us,  indeed,  it  is  consolatory,  en- 
couraging, ennobling.  Therefore,  oh 
Aubrey,  do  we  now  continue  to  con- 
template you  with  indeed  profound 
interest,  nor  the  less,  because  we  per- 
ceive the  constant  presence  with  thee 
of  One  whose  mighty  assistance  is  de- 
pendent upon  thy  confidence  in  it. 
Hope  ever,  therefore,  and  struggle  on  ! 

The  reader  may  imagine  the  alarm 


occasioned  Mr.  Aubrey  on  his  return 
from  the  Temple  on  the  evening  of  the 
day  on  which  Gammon  had  paid  his 
remarkable  visit  to  Miss  Aubrey, 
which  I  have  been  describing,  by  the 
sight  of  the  troubled  countenances  of 
his  wife  and  sister.  Mrs.  Aubrey  had 
returned  home  within  about  half  an 
hour  after  Gammon's  leaving  Vivian 
Street,  and  to  her  Miss  Aubrey  in- 
stantly communicated  the  extraordin- 
ary proposal  which  he  had  made  to 
her,  all,  in  fact,  that  had  passed  be- 
tween them — with  the  exception  of 
the  astounding  information  concerning 
the  alleged  possibility  of  their  restora- 
tion to  Yatton.  The  two  ladies  had, 
indeed,  determined  on  concealing  the 
whole  matter  from  Mr.  Aubrey — at  all 
events  for  the  present ;  but  their  per- 
ceptible agitation  increasing  as  he 
questioned  them  concerning  the  cause 
of  it,  rendered  concealment  impossible, 
and  they  told  him  frankly  (excepting 
only  the  matter  above  mentioned)  the 
singular  and  most  embarrassing  inci- 
dent which  had  happened  in  his  ab- 
sence. Blank  amazement  was  suc- 
ceeded by  vivid  indignation  in  Mr. 
Aubreyr,  as  soon  as  he  had  heard  of 
this  attempt  to  take  advantage  of  their 
circumstances  ;  and  for  several  hours 
he  was  excessively  agitated.  In  vain 
they  tried  to  soothe  him  ;  in  vain  did 
Kate  throw  her  arms  fondly  round 
him,  and  implore  him,  for  all  their 
sakes,  to  take  no  notice  to  Mr.  Gammon 
of  what  had  happened ;  in  vain  did 
she  protest  that  she  would  give  him 
instant  intelligence  of  any  future  at- 
tempt by  Mr.  Gammon  to  renew  his 
offer  ;  in  vain  did  they  both  remind 
him,  with  great  emotion,  of  the  fearful 
power  over  all  of  them  which  was  in 
Mr.  Gammon's  hands.  He  was  per- 
emptory and  inflexible,  and,  moreover, 
frank  and  explicit ;  and  told  them,  on 
quitting  home  the  next  morning,  that, 
though  they  might  rely  on  his  discre- 
tion and  temper,  he  had  resolved  to 
communicate  that  day,  either  person- 
ally or  by  letter,  with  Mr.  Gammon ; 
not  only  peremptorily  forbidding  any 
renewal  of  his  proposals,  but  also  re- 
questing him  to  discontinue  his  visits 
in  Vivian  Street. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAll. 


" Oh, Charles  I  Charles!  bo  punctu- 
ally home  by  six  !  "  excl  dmed  they,  as 
he  embraced  them  both  at  parting, 
aud  added,  bursting  afresh  into  tears, 
"do  consider  the  agony — the  dreadful 
suspense  we  shall  1"'  in  all  day  !" 

"  I  will  return  by  six,  to  a  minute  ! 
t  fear  for  me  .' "  be  replied,  with  r 
■mile — which,  however,  instantly  dis- 
appeared,   as  soon   as  ho  had   quitted 
their  preset] 

Old  Mr.  Qnirk  was  the  next  morning, 
about  ti  D  o'clock,  over  head  and  ears 
in  bHsiness  of  all  kinds  —  and  sad  y 
missed  the  clear-headed  and  enei 

imon ;  bo,  fearing  that  that  gentle- 
man's indisposition  must  still  continue, 
inasmuch  as  then-  were  no  symptoms 
of  his  coming  to  the  office  as  usual,  he 
took:  oil"  his  spectacles,  locked  bisroom- 
door,  in  order  to  prevent  anyone  by 
any  possibility  looking  on  any  of  the 
numerous  letters  and  papers  lying  on 
his  table;  and  set  oil'  to  make  a  call 
npon  Mr.  Gammon — whose  counten- 
ance, flushed  and  harassed,  strongly 
corroborated  what  he  said  on  the  sub- 
jet  of  his  indisposition.  Still,  he 
said,  he  could  attend  to  any  business 
which  Mr.  Quirk  was  prepared  then  to 
mention;  whereupon  Mr.  Quirk  took 
from  bis  pocket  a  piece  of  paper,  put 
on  his  glasses,  and  put  questions  to 
him  from  a  number  of  memoranda 
which  he  had  made  for  tin:  purpose, 
t's  answers  were  brief,  and 
pointed,  and  explicit,  on  all  matters 
mi  ntioned — as  might  have  been  ex- 
i  ted  from  one  of  his  great  ability 
and  i  oergy — but  his  muddle-headed 
companion  could  not  carry  away  a 
Bingle  clear  idea  of  w  hal  bad  be< 

;  ly   told  him  ;  and  without    avow- 
bich  lie  felt,  however, 
a  painful  consciousness,  simply  deter- 
mined  to  do  le.tim:  could 

.  til]  Mr.  Gam 
m  ide  hi  •  re  ippearance  at    the  office, 
and  little  chaos  tl 

■  hing  Like  form  and  order. 

B<  fore    he    quit  ted    Mr.    <  ramm 
that  gentleman  quietly  and  easily  led 
nds  the  Bubji  'i  of  tlie 
various  out-standing  debts  due  to  the 
firm, 

"  Ah,  drat  it !  "  quoth  thi 


tleman,  briskly — "the  heaviest,  you 
know,  is — eh  J — I  suppose,  however," 
he  atlded  apprehensively,  and  scratch- 
ing his  head,  "  I  mustn't  name  thut — 
i  mean  that  fellow  Aubrey's  account — 
without  our  coming  to  words.'' 

"Why  —  stay!  stay,"  said  Mr. 
Gammon,  with  a  gravely  thoughtful 
air — "I  don't  see  that,  either,  Mr. 
Quirk.  Forbearance  has  its  limits. 
It  may  be  abused,  Mr.  Quirk." 

"  Ecod  !  I  should  think  so  !  "  quoth 
Mr.  Quirk  eagerly — "and  I  know 
who's  abused  somebody  s  forbearance — 
eh,  Gammon  ? " 

"  I  understand  you,  my  dear  sir," 
replied  Gammon  with  a  sigh — "I  fear 
1  must  plead  no  longer  for  him — 1 
have  gone  already,  perhaps,  much 
further  than  my  duty  to  the  firm 
warranted." 

"  It's  a  heavy  balance,  Gammon — a 
very  heavy  balance,  i.'14-iG  odd,  to  be 
outstanding  so  long — he  agreed  to  pay 
interest  on't  —  didn't  he,  eh?  —  But 
really  something  ought  to  be  done  in 
it;  and — come,  Gammon  I  as  you've 
had  your  turn  so  long,  now  comes 
mine  ! — Tip  him  over  to  vie." 

"  1  should  be  very  sorry  to  distress 
him,  poor  devil !  " 

"Distress  him?  Our  bill  must  be 
paid.  ]) — n  him  !  why  don't  he  pay 
Ins  debts?  I  pay  mine  —  you  pay 
yours    die  must,  pay  his." 

"Certainly.  By  the  way,"  said 
Gammon,  suddenly,  "if  you  were  to 
take  bold  and  decided  steps,  his  friends 
would  undoubtedly  come  forward  and 
relieve  him." 

"Ay!  ay!  —  What  think  you  of 
three  days— give  lam  three  days  to 
turn  about  in  {-—There's  he  living  all 
the  while  in  a  d — d  tine  house  at  the 
'  End,  like  a  gentleman-  looks 
down,  I'll  be  sworn,  on  us  poor  attor- 
neys already,  beggar  as  he  is,  be 

ling   to  the   bar.     Now  mind, 
t  (amnion,  no  nonsense  !    1  won't  • 
your ci. in  ii  did  before 

— if  ]  write — honour  In  tween  tide 

"  1  pledge  my  honour  to  you,  my 
dear  sir,  that  I  will  interfere  no  mora ; 

but   I  he  law   must   lake  its  course." 

"That'.;  it!  "  said  Mr.  Quirk,  rub- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


553 


bing  Iris  hands  gleefully;  "I'll  tip 
him  a  tickler  before  he's  a  day  older 
that  shall  wake  him  up— ah,  ha  !  " 

"You  will  do  me  one  favour,  Mr. 
Quirk,  I  am  sure,"  said  Mr.  Gammon, 
with  that  civil  but  peremptory  manner 
of  his,  which  invariably  commanded 
Quirk's  assent  to  his  suggestions  — 
' '  you  will  insert  a  disclaimer  in  the 
letter  of  its  emanating  from  me — or 
being  with  my  consent." 

"Ohlud,  yes!  yes!  anything." 

"  Nay — rather  against  my  wish,  you 
know — eh  ?  Just  for  appearance's  sake 
— as  I  have  always  appeared  so  infer- 
nally civil  to  the  man,  till  now." 

"YTill  you  draw  it  up  yourself? 
And  then,  so  as  the  other  matter's  all 
right — no  flinching — stick  in  as  much 
palaver,  Gammon  ! — -ah  ha  ! — as  you 
like  ! "  replied  Quirk  ;  who,  as  the 
proposal  involved  only  a  greater  mea- 
sure of  discourtesy  on  his  part,  without 
any  sacrifice  of  his  interest,  regarded  it 
with  perfect  indifference.  He  took  his 
leave  of  Gammon  in  better  spirits  than 
those  which  he  had  carried  with  him. 
It  having  been  thus  determined  on  by 
the  partners,  that  within  a  day  or  two's 
time,  Mr.  Aubrey  should  be  required 
to  pay  the  whole  balance,  under  penalty 
of  an  arrest — Gammon,  on  being  left 
alone,  folded  his  arms  as  he  sat  beside 
his  breakfast-table — and  meditated  on 
the  probable  results  of  this  his  first 
hostile  move  against  Mr.  Aubrey.  ' '  I 
wonder  whether  she's  told  him," 
thought  he,  with  a  slight  palpitation 
— which  was  somewhat  increased  by  a 
pretty  sharp  knock  at  his  outer  door. 
The  colour  suddenly  deserted  his  check 
as  he  started  from  his  seat,  scattering 
on  the  floor  nearly  a  dozen  unopened 
letters  which  had  been  lying  at  his 
elbow  on  the  table  ;  and  he  stood  still 
for  a  moment  to.  subdue  a  little  of  his 
agitation,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  pre- 
sent himself  with  some  show  of  calm- 
ness before  the  visitor  whom  he  fe.t 
perfectly  certain  that  he  should  see  on 
opening  the  door.  He  was  right. 
The  next  minute  beheld  him  ushering 
into  his  room,  with  a  surprising  degree 
of  self-possession,  Mr.  Aubrey,  whose 
countenance  showed  embarrassment 
and  citation. 


"  I  have  called  upon  you,  Mr. 
Gammon,"  commenced  Aubrey,  taking 
the  seat  to  which  Mr.  Gammon,  with 
great  courtesy,  motioned  him,  and 
then  resumed  his  own,  "inconsequence 
of  your  visit  yesterday  in  Vivian 
Street — of  your  surprising  interview 
with  my  sister — your  most  unexpected, 
extraordinary  proposal  to  her." 

Mr.  Gammon  listened  respectfully, 
with  an  air  of  earnest  attention,  evi- 
dently not  intending  to  make  .any 
reply. 

"  It  cannot  surprise  you,  sir,  that  I 
should  have  been  made  acquainted 
with  it  immediately  on  my  return 
home  yesterday  evening.  It  was  un- 
doubtedly my  sister's  duty  to  do  so  ; 
but  she  did  it,  I  am  bound  to  acknow- 
ledge to  you,  sir,  with  great  reluctance, 
as  a  matter  of  exquisitely  painful 
delicacy.  Sir,  she  has  told  me  all  that 
passed  between  you." 

"  I  cannot  presume,  Mr.  Aubrey,  to 
find  fault  with  anything  Miss  Aubrey 
may  have  thought  proper  to  do  ;  sho 
cannot  do  wrong,"  replied  Gammon, 
calmly,  though  Mr.  Aubrey's  last 
words  had  occasioned  him  lively 
anxiety  as  to  the  extent  of  Miss 
Aubrey's  communications  to  her 
brother.  He  observed  Mr.  Aubrey's 
eyes  fixed  upon  him  steadfastly,  and 
saw  that  he  was  labouring  under 
much  excitement.  "If  I  have  done 
anything  calculated  to  inflict  the 
slightest  pain  upon  a  lady  for  whom 

I  have  so  profound "  he  saw  the 

colour  mounting  into  Mr.  Aubrey's 
cheek,  and  a  sterner  expression  ap- 
pearing in  his  eye — "a  respect,  or 
upon  you,  or  any  of  your  family,  I 
am  distressed  beyond  measure." 

"I  perfectly  appreciate,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, the  position  in  which  we  stand 
with  regard  to  each  other,"  said 
Mr.  Aubrey,  with  forced  calmness. 
"Though  I  am  fearfully  changed  in 
respect  of  fortune,  I  am  not  a  whit 
changed — we  are  none  of  us  changed," 
he  continued  proudly,  "in  respect  of 
personal  feelings  and  character." 

He  paused :  Gammon  spoke  not. 
Presently  Mr.  Aubrey  resumed — "I 
am,  as  we  are  all,  very  deeply  sensible 
of  the  obligation  which  you  have  con- 


554 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


ferred  upon  us,  ami  at   tin-  same  time 
feel  that  we  are,  to  a  great  extent, 

Jil.e 

"  Praj  — 1    beg,    Mr.  .   that 

you  will  ik  in  a  strain  which 

I      ly  hurts  my  feelings,"  interrupted 
i  "and  which  no- 

thing  en  my  part  has  justified,  nor  can 
ly." 

ontinued  Mr.  Auhreyfirmly, 

"  I  mi  mi  nothing  in  Ihe  least  cal  u- 

1    t.)  wound    your    feelings,    but 

merely  to  express  my  own  ;  and  let 

onion,  without  the  least 

reserve  or  circumlocution,  inform  you 

that  both  my  sister  and  1  have  fell 

vivid  dissatisfaction  at  yo  r  conduct 

of  yesterday ;  and  1  have  deemed   it 

expedient  to  lose  no  time  in  informing 

that   your   propo  als  are  utterly 

out  of  the  question,  and  can  never  be 

i  i.t.  i;  iini  d,  und<  r  any  circumstances, 

for  one  moment." 

Had  Auhrey  been,  instead  of  the 
mere  pauper  he  really  was,  and  in  the 
of  one  whom  lie  knew  to  1"' 
able  to  east  him  instantly  into  prison, 
at  thai  momenl  in  the  position  lie  Lad 
formerly  occupied,  of"  wealth  and 
greatness,  he  could  not  have  spoken 
with  an  air  of  more  dignified  deter- 
mination, and  even  hauteur;  which 
Gammon  perceived  and  fully  appre- 
ciated. 

"I  am  undoubtedly  aware,  sir,  of 
the  :    between    Miss   Aul 

and  myself  in  point  of  position,"  said 
In-,  coldly. 

"1  have  said  nothing  of  the  kind 
iware  of,  nor  would    I,  on 
■ .  say  anything  offensive  t<. 
you,  Mr.  Gammon  ;  but  it  is  my  duty 
1"    ;  •  •'.   e    plicitly  and  derisively.      J 
then  fore  now  beg  you  to  understand 
that  your  overtures  must  not,  in  any 
shape,   "i-  at  any  lime,   lie  renewed  ; 
and  this  1  must  in  isl  upon  without 
-    or   suggesting  any   rei 
r." 
:    listened    att<  ntively  and 
*>ili- 1 

"  I  pn  sume,  Mr.  Gammon,  ti>  I    1 

cannot     be    mi  (understood  I  "    added 

Air.  .  with  a  very   pi  rci  ptibly 

in  emptorineaa  "f  manner. 

"It  wi  ild  be  difficult  to  mil  under- 


stand what  you  say,  sir,"  replied 
Gammon;  in  whose  dark  bosom  Mr. 
Aubrey's  words  had,  as  it  were,  stung 
and  roused  the  &  rpent  pride — which 
might  have  been  seen  with  crest  erect, 
ami  glaring  eyes.  But  Mr.  Gammon's 
external  manner  was  calm  and  sub- 
dued. 

"  It  gives  me  pain  to  be  forced  to 
add,  Air.  Gammon,"  continued  Air. 
Auhrey,  "that  after  what  has  taken 
I  i :  e,  we  all  of  us  feel  — that — it  will 
lie  butter  for  you  to  discontinue  your 
visits  at  my  house.  I  am  sure  your 
own  sense  of  delicacy  will  appreciate 
the  i  which  exists  for  such  a 

suggestion  on  my  part  ?  " 

"  I  perfectly  understand  you,  Air. 
Auhrey,"  replied  Gammon,  in  the 
same  grave  and  guarded  manner  which 
he  had  preserved  throughout  their 
interview.  "  I  shall  oiler  no  Rpology, 
sir,  for  conduct  winch  I  do  not  feel  to 
require  one.  I  conceive  that  I  had  a 
perfect  right  to  make,  with  all  due 
deference  and  respect,  the  oiler  which 
it  appears  has  given  you  so  much 
offence  ;  for  reasons,  it  may  he,  which 
justify  you,  but  which  I  cannot  specu- 
late upon,  nor  do  1  wish  to  do  so.  It 
is  impossible  ever  to  sec  Aliss  Auhrey 
without  becoming  sensible  of  her  love- 
liness, both  of  person  and  character. 
I  have  ]  aid  them  homage:  for  the 
rest,  the  issue  is  simply — unfortunate. 
While  1  may  not  ted  disposed,  even  if 
inclined,  to  di.sr  gard  your  strict  and 
solemn  injunctions,  I  take  have  to 
say,  that  my  feelings  towards  Aliss 
Aubrey  cannot  alter  ;  and  if  in  no 
other  way  they  can  he  gratified,  there 
is  yet  one  which"— hen;  ho  looked 
greatly  moved,  and  changed  colour — 
"yet  remains  open  to  me,  to  exhibit 
my  regard  for  her  in  a  tenfold  anxi  ty 
in  preserve  her-  -to  preserve  all  of  you, 
.Mr.  Aubrey,  from  the  approach  of 
ulty  and  danger.  That  much 
Mi-s  Aubrey  may  have  also  told  to 
ymi,  of  what  pa  jed  between  us  y< .  t,  ,. 
day."  lie  J  auscd  -  -  {v>\n  emot  on 
appan  ill !;.  ;  but  he  was  only  con- 
ing intently  whether  he  should 
endeavour  to  ascertain  whether  Air. 
Aubrey  ha  1  been  put  ly  his  sister 
in  ]"  n   "f  his-  Gammon's  last 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


555 


communication  to  her ;  and  then, 
however  that  might  be,  whether  he 
should  himself  break  the  matter  to 
Mr.  Aubrey.  But  he  decided  both 
questions  n  the  negative,  and  pro- 
ceeded, wi;h  a  little  excitement  of 
manner — "There  arc  dangers  menacing 
you,  I  grieve  to  say,  Mr.  Aubrey,  of 
the  most  serious  description,  which  I 
may  possibly  be  unable  to  avert  from 
you  !  I  fear  I  am  losing  that  hold 
7/ pon  others  which  has  enabled  me 
hitherto  to  save  you  from  rapacity  and 
oppression  !  I  regret  to  say  that  I  can 
ansiocr  for  others  no  longer  ;  but  all 
that  man  can  do,  still  will  I  do.  I 
have  been  most  bitterly — most  fear- 
fully disappointed  ;  but  you  shall 
ever  find  me  a  man  of  my  word— of  as 
high  and  rigid  honour,  perhaps,  even, 
Mr.  Aubrey,  as  yourself" — he  paused, 
and  fL-lt  that  he  had  made  an  im- 
pression on  his  silent  auditor — "and 
1  hereby  pledge  myself,  in  the  presence 
of  God,  that  so  far  as  in  me  lies,  there 
shall  not  a  hair  of  any  of  your  heads 
be  touched."  Again  he  paused.  "  I 
wish,  Mr.  Aubrey,  you  knew  the 
pressure  which  has  been  for  some  time 
upon  me — nay,  even  this  very  morn- 
ing  "  he   cast  a  melancholy  and 

reluctant  eye  towards  the  let'ers  which 
he  had  gathered  up,  and  which  he  had 
placed  beside  him  on  the  breakfast 
table — "  I  have  received  a  letter — here 
it  is  —  I  know  the  handwriting  ;  I 
almost  dread  to  open  it."  Mr.  Aubrey 
changed  colour. 

' '  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  to  what  in 
particular  you  are  alluding,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon ? "  he  interrupted  anxiously. 

"  I  will  not  at  present  say  more  on 
the  subject ;  I  devoutly  hope  my 
negotiations  may  be  successful,  and 
that  the  affair  may  not  for  many 
months,  or  even  years,  be  forced  upon 
your  a'tention  !  Still,  were  I  to  do  so, 
one  effect,  at  least,  it  would  have — to 
satisfy  you  of  my  honourable  and  dis- 
interested motives  in  the  offer  which  I 
presumed  to  make  Miss  Aubrey." 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey, 
with  a  melancholy  air,  and  sighing 
deeply,  "I  can  only  place  my  trust  in 
Providence — and  I  do.  I  have  suffered 
much  already  ;  and  if  it  bo  the  will  of 


Heaven  that  I  should  suffer  more,  I 
hope  it  will  be  proved  that  I  have  not 
suffered  already — in  vain  !  " 

"Mr.  Aubrey,"  said  Gammon, 
gazing  at  him  with  a  brightening  eye, 
"  my  very  soul  owns  the  sublime 
presence  of  VIRTUE,  in  your  person ! 
it  is  exalting — it  is  ennobling — merely 
to  be  permitied  to  witness  so  heroic 
an  example  of  constancy  as  you  ex- 
hibit !  " He  paused,  and  for  some 

moments  there  was  silence—"  You  do 
not  distrust  me,  Mr.  Aubrey  ?  "  said 
Gammon  at  length,  with  a  confident 
air. 

"  No,  Mr.  Gammon  !  "  replied  Mr. 
Aubrey,  eyeing  him  steadfastly.  "  I 
am  not  aware  that  I  ever  had  any 
reason  for  doing  so. " 

Shortly  afterwards  he  took  his  de- 
parture ;  and  as  he  bent  his  steps 
slowly,  and  with  thoughtful  air,  to- 
wards the  Temple,  he  saw  one  or  two 
things,  on  his  own  part,  during  his 
interview  with  Gammon,  to  regret — 
his  sternness  and  pride  ;  but  nothing 
on  the  part  of  Gammon  that  had  not 
been  admirable.  Could  Mr.  Aubrey, 
however,  but  have  seen  the  satanie 
smile  which  settled  upon  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's features,  as  soon  as,  after  cordial- 
ly shaking  his  hand,  he  had  calmly 
shut  the  door  upon  Mr.  Aubrey,  ifc 
might  have  occasioned  some  few  mis- 
givings as  to  that  gentleman's  sincerity. 
Mr.  Gammon  resumed  his  seat,  and 
meditated  upon  their  recent  interview. 
Almost  the  first  glance  which  he  had 
caught  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  countenance, 
and  the  very  first  tones  of  his  voice 
which  had  fallen  on  Gammon's  ear, 
had  inspired  him  with  a  deadly  ani- 
mosity against  poor  Aubrey,  whose 
pride  Gammon  resolved  to  trample 
upon  and  crush  into  the  dust.  He 
was  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
Aubrey's  little  finances,  almost  to  a 
pound  ;  for  Aubrey  had,  under  the 
circumstances,  felt  it  even  a  duty  to 
be  frank  with  him  upon  that  subject. 
He  turned  over  in  his  mind,  with 
great  anxiety,  the  matter  of  the  two 
promissory  notes  for  five  thousand 
pounds  each,  which  he  held  in  his 
hands,  and  which  would  be  the  best 
mode  of  setting  into  motion,  hut  with 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


th.-  J  f  another,  those  two  dn 

ful  instruments  of  tortnre  and  oppres- 
sion —  which,    judiciously    applied, 
ht  have  the  effect  of  humbling  the 
and  breaking  the  determination 
of  Aubrey  and  of  his  sister.     Long  he 
d  the  subject,  in  every  point 
riew  ;  and  at  length— "Ay,    that 
vi.l   do  I  "  said  he  to  himself  aloud  ; 
sighed,  smiled,  and  gently  tapped  bis 
a    his    ample    forehead. 
B     rtly    afterwards,    having    ordered 
his  la  ndrcss  to  take  away  the  break- 
.    he   took    pen,   ink,  and 
[id  sketched  off  the  follow 
draft  of  a  letter,  to  be  copied  by  Mr. 
rk,  and  Bigned  in  the  name  of  the 
linn,  and   a  mmon   finally  de- 

termined, early  in  the  ensuing  week  : — 

«',s  a, 11,  <.>//,  July,  18—. 

"Di.ah    Bib,  — Owing  to  a  most 
i  nd  unexpected  pecuniary  out- 
lay which  we  are  called  upon  to  make, 
feel  ourselves  compelled  to  avail 
ourselves  of   whatever    resources    lie 
within  our  reach.     Having  been  dis- 
appointed  in  several  quarters,  we  are 
obliged  to  remind  you  of  the  heavy 
1     ance  wo  have  against  you  of  £1  I  16, 
1  |  .  6d.     You  must  be  aware  of  the 
length   of  time  during  which  it  has 
1      ,      aiding  ;  and  trust  you  will  for- 
[  we  af  length  apprise  you  that 
i!  ;    Lbsolutelyimpossibleforustoallow 
of  anymore  delay.     Unless,  then 

i  the  above  balance,  or  at 

]      •  £  1000  of  it,  be  paid  within  three 

of  the  date  hereof,  we  regret  b> 

inform  you  we  have  finallymade  up 

our  minds  to  let  the  law  take  its  usual 

We  feel  the  less  hesitation  in 

ing  thus  much,  because  we  are  per- 

that,   with  a  little  ex<  i 

you  mi  o  fa  ive  liquidated 

heavy  b  dance,  or  th  c  part 

tli.  reof."      (Mr.    Gammon    wrot 

:ly  in   the   peculiar  .style  of  Mr. 

"  In   writing  thus,   M<     <  .   Quirk 
and  6n  it  only  due   to  their 

'.     '     mmon,  to  add  that  he 
i  ion.    M< 

Q,  and  B,  have  felt,  however,  in  mak- 
ing it,  l'1 1  ni 
1 


through  their  deference  to  the  personal 
wishes  and  feelings  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  ;  and  but  for  whom, 
their  heavy  balance  would  have  been 
(ailed  for  long  ago,  and,  i  3  doubt,  in 
due  course  discharged. 

"  We  regret  being  unable  to  vary  or 
depart  from  the  determination  above 
expressed;  and  most  sincerely  hope 
your  resources  are  of  that  nature  that 
we  shall  be  spared  the  unpleasantness 
of  letting  the  law  take  its  usual  course. 

"And  we  remain,  dear  sir, 
"Yours  most  respectfully, 
"Quirk,  Gammon,  &  Snap. 

"Chakles  Aubrey,  Esquire, 
"  Vivian  Street." 

Exactly  on  the  seventh  day  from 
that  on  which  Mr.  Gammon  had  made 
his  ill-omened  advances  towards  -Miss 
Aubrey,  did  the  above  dreadful  and 
heartless  letter  reach  its  destination — 
being  delivered  into  Mr.  Aubrey's 
hands  while  he  was  intently  perusing 
a  very  heavy  set  of  papers,  which,  at 
his  request,  Mr.  "Weasel  had  allowed 
him  to  take  home.  The  painful  so 
which  ensued  I  shall  spare  the  reader 
— only  mentioning  that  poor  Miss 
Aubrey  became  almost  frantic,  treating 
herself  as  the  sole  occasion  of  this  dis- 
aster. That  very  morning,  at  break- 
fast, had  he  been  talking  of  selling  out, 
of  their  precious  remnant  in  the  funds, 
the  sum  of  £105,  to  enable  him  to  bo- 
come  a  pupil  with.  Mr.  Crystal — at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Attorney-General. 

What  was  to  be  done  in  this  fearful 

emergency,  none  of  them  knew — except 

uting  to  an  immediate   sale   of 

all  their  plate,   books,   and  furniture. 

Their  affliction,  indeed,  knewnobounds. 

'i  Mr.  Aubrey,  though  for  a  long 

time  he  bore  up  heroically,  was  at 

ime  by  t  he  agonies  of  the 

dear  beings  whose  ruin  was  involved 

in  his  own. 

Had  not  Gammon  been  prompt  in 

bis  -■  e  I    So  thought  they  all. 

W  :  to  bo  done  I    A  word  will 

Buffice  to  explain  Mr.  Aubrey's  position 

fully.      It  will    be   recollected,    I 

.t  a  twelvemonth  before,  he  had 

been  lefl  in  pi  m  of  a  balance  of 

!:■  i  payii  ■  the  sum  of  liouu 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


557 


to  Mes.crs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
Messrs.  Ruimington,  and  Mr.  Parkin- 
son, in  the  way  which  has  been  already 
mentioned.  Since  then,  by  his  inces- 
sant exertions,  he  had  realized  the  sum 
of  £150  by  his  contributions  to  literary 
journals  ;  and,  by  means  of  a  severe 
and  systematic  economy,  this  sum, 
together  with  about  £200  taken  from 
his  store  of  £1063,  had  sufficed  to 
cover  their  whole  year's  expenditure. 
'Twas  impossible  to  cany  economy 
further  than  they  did,  without,  poor 
souls,  positive  injury  to  their  health, 
and  stinting  the  little  children,  as  Mr. 
ami  Mrs.  Aubrey  often  said  to  each 
other  when  alone,  with  tears  and  si0hs 
of  anguish. 

Alas  !  misfortune  followed  him  like  a 
bloodhound,  let  him  turn  his  steps 
whithersoever  he  might !  Naturally 
anxious  to  make  the  most  of  his  little 
store  of  £1063,  so  long  as  any  consider- 
able portion  of  it  could  be  spared  from 
their  immediate  personal  necessities, 
he  looked  about  in  all  directions  for 
some  safe  and  profitable  investment, 
which  might  produce  him  a  little  more 
income  than  could  be  derived  from  the 
funds.  He  cautiously  avoided  having 
the  slightest  connection  with  any  of 
the  innumerable  joint-stock  specula- 
tions then  afloat,  and  of  which  he  saw 
distinctly  the  mischievous  and  ruinous 
tendency  ;  and  this,  moreover,  in  spite 
of  the  artful  occasional  representations 
of  Mr.  Gammon.  Having  consulted 
his  banker,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons — one  of  the  city 
members — a  man  of  immense  wealth, 
and  great  mercantile  experience  and 
sagacity,  and  with  whom  he  had  been 
intimate  while  in  the  House — con- 
firmed by  their  approval,  and  also  that 
of  air.  Weasel  and  Messrs.  Ruimington, 
all  of  whom  poor  Aubrey  anxiously 
consulted  concerning  the  disposal  of 
this  his  little  all  ;  about  six  weeks 
after  the  period  of  his  settlement  with 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon*  and  Snap, 
he  invested  five  hundred  pounds  in  the 
purchase  of  a  particular  foreign  stock. 
Safe  and  promising  as  it  appeared, 
however,  at  the  very  moment  when  it 
was  in  the  highest  repute  with  capital- 
ists of  all  descriptions  both  at  home 


and  abroad — from  scarce  any  assignable 
reason,  but  for  one  of  the  many  un- 
accountable instances  of  fluctuation  to 
which  property  of  that  kind  is  proverb- 
ially liable — Aubrey  had  hardly  held 
his  scrip  for  a  month,  when — alas  ! — 
to  his  dismay,  he  found  the  stock 
falling — falling — falling — down,  down, 
down,  it  went,  till  his  scrip  was  so 
much  waste  paper  !  His  loss  was  irre- 
trievable. The  wealthy  member  whom 
he  had  consulted,  lost  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  pounds,  and 
was  driven  to  the  very  verge  of  ruin. 
Mr.  Weasel  even — caution  personified, 
in  dealing  with  the  little  accumulation 
of  his  hard  earnings  —  lost  upwards 
of  a  thousand  pounds  ;  and  Mr.  Run- 
nington,  about  double  that  sum.  It 
required  a  great  stretch  of  fortitude  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Aubrey  to  sustain  this 
severe  and  sudden  blow  with  anything 
like  equanimity.  You  should  have  seen 
and  heard  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Au- 
brey, on  that  occasion,  in  order  fully 
to  appreciate  the  rich  and  melting 
tenderness  of  woman's  sympathy  ! 

This  catastrophe — for  surely  such  it 
was — had  left  him  a  sum  of  about  £350 
only  in  the  funds,  and  in  his  banker's 
hands  a  little  balance  of  some  fifty  or 
sixty  pounds  to  meet  his  current  ex- 
penses. The  above  sum,  at  the  time 
when  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap's  letter  reached  him,  had  been 
necessarily  diminished  to  about  £290 ; 
this  was  all  the  money  he  had  in  the 
world,  to  save  himself,  and  those  de- 
pendent on  him,  from  absolute  destitu- 
tion. Yet  he  w_as  now  peremptorily 
called  upon,  within  three  days'  time, 
to  pay  the  sum  of  £1446,  14s.  6d.- 

He  hurried  off,  early  the  next  morn- 
ing, in  consternation,  to  Messrs.  Run- 
nington.  Mr.  Ruimington,  with  a 
heavy  heart  and  a  gloomy  countenance, 
set  off  instantly,  alone,  to  the  office  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap. 
He  saw  Mr.  Gammon,  who  told  him, 
with  a  well-dissembled  air  of  disgust, 
to  go  in  to  Mr.  Quirk,  or  Mr.  Snap. 
He  did  so,  and  found  them  inexorable. 
Mr.  Quirk  doggedly  told  Mr.  Run- 
nington  that  he  had  been  out  of  pocket 
long  enough,  and  would  not  be  fooled 
by  one  of  his  own  partnei'3  any  longer. 


558 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


Mr.  Runnington  quitted  them,  fairly 
at  his  wits'  end;  and,  on  his  return, 
told  Mr  Aubrey,  whom  he  had  left  at 
his  office,  that  be  had  done,  and  could 
do,  "nothing  with  the  vultures  of 
•  in  Hill.  Mr.  Runnington  felt 
that  his  unhappy  client,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
.  critically  situated  with 
reap  rs.   Quirk,  Gammon, 

and  Snap,  to  admit  of  his  threatening, 
on  Mr.  Aubrey's  behalf,  to  refer  their 

rbitant  and  monstrous  bill  to  tax- 
ation. He  knew  not,  in  fact,  what 
suggestion  to  offer  —  what  scheme  to 

ise— to  e:  Mr.  Aubrey  from 

hi  pn  en t  dreadful  dilemma.  As  for 
applying  for  pecuniary  assistance  from 
friends,  Mr.  Aubrey's  bouI  revolted  at 
the  bare  thought.  What  —  borrow! 
<>.  Imed   as  he  already  was,   it 

would  be  indeed  grossly  unprincipled  ! 
Was  not  one  alone  of  his  generous 
friends  at  that  moment  under  a  lia- 
bility on  his  behalf  of  more  than  ten 
thousand  pounds  ?  No  :  with  gloomy 
composure   he  felt  that,   at  last,  his 

r  was  come;  that  a  prison  wall 
must  soon  intervene  between  him — 
poor  broken-hearted  soul!  —  and  the 
dear  beloved  beings  from  whom,  as 
yet,  he  had  never  been  once  separated — 
no !    not  for  one  moment  deprived  of 

9  d  intercourse  ai  d  communion 
with  them — his  wife — Kate — his  un- 
conscious little  children 

Kate,  however,  go1  desperate  ;  and, 
unknown  to  her  brother,  though  with 
the  full  privity  of  his  weeping  wife, 
v.  rote  oil' a  long — a  heart-rending  letter 
to  good  old  Lady  Stratton,  whose  god- 
r  she  was,  telling  her  every- 
thing. Ka'e  was  up  half  the  night 
writing  that  letter,  and  it  was  blistered 
with  her  tears.  She  tool  it  very  early 
in  the  morning,  herself,  to  the  post- 
office,  ai  :  i  Mrs.  Aubrey  awaited 
the  i  sue  with  thi  tri  tnbling  and 

fearful  Bolii  il 

I  have  hardly  heart  I  t  the 

events  which  follow*  d  upon  poor  Kate's 
adv(  but  they  form  a  striking 

man- 
ner in  which    frequently   Providi 
for  its  own  awful  and  wise  purpo 
lit    to  accumulate   troubles  and 

upon  the  virtuous. 


Old  Lady  Stratton  had  been  for 
some  months  in  very  feeble  health, 
and  the  receipt  of  Kate's  letter  oc- 
casioned her  infinite  distress.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  she  had  long  be- 
fore effected  a  polity  of  insurance 
upon  her  life  for  £15,000,  always  in- 
truding to  bequeath  it  as  a  little 
portion  to  poor  Kate.  She  had  many 
months — in  fact,  nearly  a  year  and  a 
half  before — given  the  necessary  in- 
structions to  her  solicitor,  good  Mr. 
Parkinson  of  Grilston,  for  making  her 
« ill,  so  as  to  carry  into  effect  her  kind 
intentions  towards  Kate  ;  bequeathing 
also  legacies  of  £500  a-picec  to  each  of 
Mr.  Aubrey's  little  children.  How  it 
came  to  pass,  however,  I  scarcely  know 
— except  by  referring  it  to  that  sad 
superstitious  weakness  which  makes 
people  often  procrastinate  the  exe- 
cution of  so  all-important  an  instru- 
ment as  a  will  ;  but,  at  the  time  when 
Kate's  letter  arrived,  her  ladyship's 
will  had  not  been  executed,  but  stiil 
lay,  merely  in  draft,  at  Mr.  Parkin- 
son's office.  Feeling  greatly  indis- 
posed, however,  shortly  after  she  had 
received  Miss  Aubrey's  letter,  she  sent 
off  an  express  to  Mr.  Parkinson  to 
nd  with  her  will  ;  and,  a  few  mi- 
nutes afterwards,  her  attendants  found 
it  necessary  to  s  nd  off  another  express 
for  her  physician,  Dr.  Goddart.  Re- 
fore  drawing  a  check  for  the  sum  of 
£700  or  £800,  which  she  intended 
instantly  to  place  at  Mr.  Aubrey's 
disposal,  she  awaited  Mr.  Parkinson's 
return,  that  he — who  managed  all  her 
affairs — might  inform  Jut  or  the  exact 
balance  then  at  her  banker's.  He  was 
absent  from  Grilston  when  the  expi 
arrived;  but  he  was  followed,  and 
about  seven  o'clock  that  evening 
entered  Lady  Stratton's  residence, 
carrying  with  him  the  draft  of  her 
will,  ready  prepared  for  execution. 
His  r-1 1 i<  f  i  leik  also  accompanied  him, 
lest,  by  any  possibility,  a  witness 
hould  be  wanting.  The  countenances 
ho  domestics  warned  him  that 
there  was  not  one  moment  to  be  lost; 
and    he  hastened  a1   once  into  Lady 

St  rat  Ion's    lx-il-ehan  !>er.        There    sho 

venerable   old    lady,  propped  up 
by  pillows     her  long  white  hair  par- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


559 


tially  visible  from  under  her  cap.  A 
hasty  whisper  from  Dr.  Goddart  ap- 
prised him  of  the  very  critical  situa- 
tion of  Lady  Stratton.  Writing 
materials  stood  ready  prepared  in  the 
room  against  Mr.  Parkinson's  arrival. 
She  recognised  him  on  his  passing  the 
foot  of  the  bed,  and  in  a  feeble  voice 
yhispered — "My  will! — my  will!  " 

[Oh,  hasten  !  delay  not  an  instant, 
Mr.  Parkinson  !  If  you  did  but  know 
what  depends  on  your  movements — 
could  you  but  at  this  instant — oh  me  ! 
— could  you  but  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  scene  this  instant  passing  in  Vivian 
Street !—  Give  her  the  pen,  Mr.  Park- 
inson— guide  her  hand — place  it  upon 
the  paper.] 

But  it  was  too  late.  Before  the  pen 
could  be  placed  within  her  fingers, 
those  fingers  had  become  incapable  of 
holding  it— for  Lady  Stratton  at  that 
moment  experienced  the  paralytic 
seizure  which  Dr.  Goddart  had  been 
dreading  for  three  or  four  hours  before. 
Alas,  alas  !  'twas  all  useless  :  pen,  ink, 
and  paper  were  removed.  She  lingered 
till  about  nine  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, when,  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Parkinson,  who  had  not  quitted  the 
room  for  one  instant,  death  released 
the  venerable  sufferer.  She  had  thus 
died  intestate ;  and  all  her  personal 
property  —  Lady  Stratton  had  none 
other  —  became  the  property  of  her 
ladyship's  next  of  kin.  Had  this 
event  happened  but  two  years  before, 
that  next  of  kin  would  have  been— 
Mr.  Aubrey  ;  but  now — will  the  reader 
have  patience  to  read  it  ? — that  next 
of  kin  was  —  Tittlebat  Titmouse  ! 
Alas  !  there  could  be  no  question  a'  <out 
the  matter  ;  and  it  was  the  knowledge 
of  that  contingency  which  had  dis- 
tracted Mr.  Parkinson  from  the  moment 
that  he  received  his  last  ineffectual 
summons  to  the  bedside  of  Lady  Strat- 
ton. Yes,  Mr.  Titmouse  had  now  be- 
come entitled  to  all  the  goods,  chattels, 
credits,  and  effects  which  were  of  the 
late  Lady  Stratton  ;  and  before  she 
had  been  laid  in  Yatton  churchyard, 
not  far  from  her  beloved  friend  who 
had  preceded  her  by  a  few  months  only 
■ — Mrs.  Aubrey  —  Mr.  Parkinson  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Messrs.  Quirk, 


Gammon,  and  Snap,  as  the  solicitors 
of  Mr.  Titmouse,  giving  him  formal 
notice  of  the  title  of  their  client,  and 
requesting  Mr.  Parkinson  to  lose  no 
time  in  making  an  inventory  of  the 
eti'ects  of  her  ladyship,  to  whom  Mr. 
Titmouse  intended  to  administer  im- 
mediately. Mr.  Gammon  himself  went 
down,  and  arrived  the  day  after  the 
funeral.  Guess  his  excitement  on  dis- 
covering the  windfall  which  came  to 
his  client,  Mr.  Titmouse,  in  the  policy 
£15,000,  the  existence  of  which  they 
had,  of  course,  never  dreamed  of ! 

But  there  was  another  discovery, 
which  occasioned  him  not  a  little  ex- 
citement, as  his  flushed  cheek  and 
suspended  breath  testified — alas  !  poor 
Aubrey's  bond  for  £2000,  with  interest 
at  five  per  cent! — an  instrument  which 
poor  Lady  Stratton,  having  always  in- 
tended to  destroy,  latterly  imagined 
that  she  had  actually  done  so.  It 
had,  however,  got  accidentally  mingled 
with  other  papers,  which  had  found 
their  way,  in  the  ordinary  course,  t» 
Mr.  Parkinson,  and  who  was  himself 
ignorant  of  its  existence,  since  it  lay 
folded  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Lady 
Stratton,  till  it  turned  up  while  he 
was  sorting  the  papers,  in  obedience 
to  the  instructions  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap.  He  turned  pale 
and  red  by  turns,  as  he  held  the 
accursed  document  in  his  fingers ; 
probably,  thought  he,  no  one  on  earth 
but  himself  knew  of  its  existence ; 
and — but  his  sense  of  duty  prevailed. 
Of  course  the  obligee  of  the  bond,  and, 
as  such,  entitled  to  the  principal  money 
secured  by  it,  together  with  all  arrears 
of  interest  which  might  be  due  upon 
it,  was  now  Mr.  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 

Surely  it  is  hard  to  imagine  a  more 
dismal  and  wanton  freak  of  fortune 
than  this — as  far,  at  least,  as  concerned 
poor  Kate  Aubrey. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"Fly!  Fly  !— For  God's-sake  fly! 
Lose  not  one  moment  of  the  precious 
respite  which,  by  incredible  efforts,  I 


5G0 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


have  contrived  to  secure  you — a  respite 
of  but  :i  few  hours— ami  wrong  from 
hcarUessaeaa  and  rapacity.    In  ju 

b  injured  man!  to  yourself — to 
all  you  hold  dear  opon  earth — to  the 
precious  interests  entrusted  to  your 
keeping,  and  involved  in  your  destruc- 
tion—again I  say  Fly  ■'  Quit  the  eoun- 
but  for  never  so  short 
•.ill  you  or  your  friends  shall 
have  succeeded  in  arranging  your  dis- 

red  affairs.  Regard  this  hasty  and 
perhaps  incoherenl  uote,  in  what  light 
you  |  I  bnt  1  tell  you  it  comes,  in 

,  from  a  firm  and  in- 
alienable friend,  whose  present  des- 
ixertions  in  your  behalf  you 
will  one  day  perhaps  be  able  to  appre- 
ciate.  On  •  more  I  conjure  you  to 
fly  ! — From  other  and  greater  dangers 
than  you  at  present  apprehend.  /  ■ 
the  rack  preparing  for  you  ! — Will  you 
stay  to  be  tortured? — and  in  the  pre- 

e  of  the  incomparable  beings  who 
— but  my  feelings  overpower  me  !    In- 

i.  Mr.  Aubrey,  if  you  disregard 
this  note,  through  weak  fears  as  to  its 
writer's  sine,  riiy,  or  a  far  weaker  and 
a  wild  notion  i  f  Quixotic  honour  and 
heroism  remember,  in  the  moment  of 
being  overwhelmed,  (his  note  —  and 
then,  do  justice  to  its  writer. — Your 
faithful,  unhappy,  distrusted  friend, 

"0.  G. 

"P.S.  —  For  God's-sake  burn,  or 
otherwise  destroy  this  note,  as  soon  as 
you  shall  have  read  it." 

Buch  was  the  letter  which  found  its 
way  into  Mr.  Aubrey's  hands,  just  as 
the  time  which  had  been  fixed  by 
M  rs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
for  payment  of  their  bill,  was  expiring, 
and  which  occa  iuned  him,  as  may  be 

y  imagined,  dreadful  disquietude. 
Jt  had  found  him  in  a  stal  ■  of  the 
da  ["•  t  depn  -  ion  but  yel  vigorously 
striving  to  |  .   in   the  i 

of  his  wife  .'in*!  sister,  a  semblance  of 
composure  and  cheerfuln  More  to 

j     ify  than  to  satisfy  himself,  he  had 

_ed    about    town   during    the 
]  lys  till  ready  to  d 

.  m  fruit  li 

who  d  to  adv. in.  e  him 

n   thou  ind    pound  i  on  his  om  □ 


sonal  security,  and  on  terms  lie  scarce 
i  ired  how  exorbitant,  to  free  him,  at 
all  events  for  a  while,  from  his  present 
exigency.  All  had  been,  however,  i:i 
vain — indeed  he  had  had  no  hopes 
from  the  first.  And  wdiat  was  then 
to  be  done  ?  His  soul  seemed  dying 
away  within  him.  At  times  he  almost 
lost  all  consciousness  of  his  situation, 
and  of  what  was  passing  around  him. 
It  appeared  to  be  the  will  of  Heaven 
that  his  misfortunes  should  press  him 
down,  as  it  were,  by  inches  into  the 
dust,  and  crush  him.  Those  there 
were,  he  well  knew,  who  needed  but  to 
be  apprised  of  his  circumstances,  to 
step  forward  and  generously  relieve 
him  from  his  difficulties.  But  where 
was  all  that  to  end  ?  What  real  good 
could  it  serve  ?  Awfully  involved  as 
he  was  already — one,  alone,  of  his 
friends  being  at  that  moment  under 
a  liability  which  must  bo  discharged 
within  a  fv\v  months,  of  nearly  eleven 
thou  and  pounds — was  he  to  place 
others  in  a  similar  situation?  What 
earthly  prospect  had  he  of  ever  repay- 
ing  them?  Lamentable  as  was  his 
position,  his  soul  recoiled  from  the 
bare  thought.  But  then  came  before 
his  anguished  eye,  his  wife  -his  sister 
— his  children  ;  and  he  flung  himself, 
in  an  ecstasy,  on  las  knees,  remaining 
long  prostrate — and,  for  a  while,  the 
heaven  (hat  was  over  his  ,'  did 

to   be  brass,   and  lite  earth   tlmt  was 
r   him,    iron.     His   heart   might 
be   wrung,    however,    ami    his    spirit 
heavy    and  darkened  ;    but  no  extent 
or  depth  of  misery  could  cause  him  to 
t  those  principles  of  honour  and 
rity    by    which    all    his    life    had 

been  regulated.     He   resolved,  tie 

fue,  to  submit  to  the  stroke  appar- 
ently impending  over  him,  with  calm- 
.  as  to  inevitable  ruin  ;  nor  would 
he  hear  of  any  further  applications  to 
bis  friends,  which,  indeed,  lie  felt 
would  be  only  encouragement  to  th 
who  held   him   in   thraldom,  to  renew 

their  exactions,  when  they  found  each 

succeeding  pressure  i  .     Poor 

e    had    told  him,  as  soou  as   In  r 

i-  b  id  been  put  into  the  post,  of 

her  application  to  Lady  Btral  ton,  and 

:  with  trembling  apprehci 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YE  Alt. 


as  to  the  consequences  ;  but  did  she 
think  her  fond,  broken-hearted  bro- 
ther could  chide  her  ?  He  looked  at 
her  for  a  moment,  with  quivering  lip 
and  eyes  blinded  with  tears — and  then 
wrung  her  hand,  simply  expressing 
a  hope,  that,  since  the  step  had  been 
taken,  it  might  be,  in  some  measure 
at  least,  successful. 

Mr.    Gammon's    letter,   as   I    have 
already  intimated,   filled  Mr.  Aubrey 
with  inexpressible  alarm.     Again  and 
again  he  read  it  over  with  increasing 
agitation,  and  at  the  same  time  uncer- 
tain as  to  its  true  character  and  import 
— as  to  the  real  motive  and  object  of 
its  writer.     "Was    he    guilty    of    the 
duplicity    which    Mrs.    Aubrey    and 
Kate  so  vehemently  imputed  to  him  ? 
Was  he  actuated  by  revenge  1     Or  was 
he,    as    represented    by    Mr.    Quirk's 
letter,  overpowered  by  his  partners, 
and  still  sincere  in  his  wishes  to  shield 
Mr.  Aubrey  from  their  rapacity  ?     Or 
was   Mr.    Gammon    suggesting  flight 
only  as  a  snare  ?    "Was  Mr.  Aubrey  to 
be    seduced   into   an    act   warranting 
them  in  proceeding  to  instant  extre- 
mities against  him  ?     What  could  be 
the  other  matters  so  darkly  alluded  to 
in  the  letter  ?    Were  they  the  two  pro- 
missor}7  notes  of  five  thousand  pounds 
each,   which   he   had   deposited   witli 
Mr.    Gammon,    who    at    length    was 
peremptorily  required    by    Mr.    Tit- 
mouse to  surrender  them  up,  and  per- 
mit them  to  be  put  in  suit  ?    They 
were  payable  on   demand — he   shud- 
dered !     Might  it  be,   that  Titmouse 
was  desperately  in  want  of  money,  and 
had  therefore  overpowered  the  scruples 
of  Gammon,  and  disregarded  the  sacred 
pledge  under  which   he  assured   Tit- 
mouse the  notes  had  been  given  ?    Mr. 
Aubrey  rejoiced  that  Mr.  Gammon's 
letter  had  been  placed  in  his  hands  by 
the  servant  when  alone  in  his  study, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  write  a  note  to 
Mr.  Runnington  ;  and  resolved  not  to 
apprise  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  of  its 
arrival.     The  fourth  day  after  the  re- 
ceipt of  Messrs.    Quirk    and    Snap's 
letter  had  now  elapsed.     Mr.  Aubrey 
did  not  venture  to  quit  the  house.  All 
of  them  were,  as  may  well  be  imagined, 
in  a  state  of   pitiable   distress,   and 


agitation,  and  suspense.  Thus  also 
passed  the  fifth  day — still  the  blow  de- 
scended not.  "Was  the  aim  extended 
to  inflict  it,  held  back,  still,  by  Mr. 
Gammon  continuing  thus  the  "  in- 
credible efforts  "  spoken  of  in  his  note  ? 

The  sixth  morning  dawned  on  the 
wretched  family.  They  all  rose  at  a 
somewhat  earlier  hour  than  usual. 
They  could  scarce  touch  the  spare  and 
simple  breakfast  spread  before  them, 
nor  enjoy — nay  they  could  hardly  bear 
— the  prattle  and  gambols  of  the  lively 
little  ones,  Charles  and  Agnes,  whom 
at  length  they  dispatched  back  again 
to  the  nursery  ;  for  they  were,  in  the 
highest  possible  state  of  excitement 
and  anxiety,  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  postman  —  this  being  the  first 
morning  on  which  they  could,  in  the 
ordinary  course,  receive  a  letter  from 
Lady  Stratton  in  answer  to  that  of 
Kate.  'Twaa  now  a  little  past  ten. 
The  breakfast  things  had  been  re- 
moved ;  and  on  hearing  the  agitating 
though  long  expected  rat-tat  of  the 
postman  a  few  doors  down  .the  street, 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  started  to  the 
window.  Their  hearts  beat  violently 
when  their  eye  at  length  caught  sight 
of  him,  with  his  arm  full  of  letters, 
knocking  at  the  door  opposite.  Oh, 
had  he  a  letter  for  them?  How  long 
were  their  opposite  neighbours  in  an- 
swering his  summons,  and  in  paying 
the  postage  !  Then  he  stood  for  nearly 
a  minute  laughing  with  a  servant  in 
the  adjoining  area — intolerable  indeed 
was  all  this,  to  the  agitated  beings 
who  were  thus  panting  for  his  arrival ! 
Then  he  glanced  at  his  letters,  and 
taking  one  in  his  hand,  crossed  the 
street,  making  for  their  door. 

"  Heavens  !  He  has  a  letter  !  "  cried 
Miss  Aubrey,  excitedly — "  I  sha'n't 
wait  for  Fanny !  "  and,  flying  to  the 
front  door,  plucked  it  open  the  instant 
after  the  postman  had  knocked.  He 
touched  his  hat  on  seeing,  instead  of 
a  servant,  the  beautiful  but  agitated 
lady,  who  stretched  forth  her  hand 
and  took  the  letter,  exclaiming, 
"Fanny  will  pay  you" — but  in  an 
instant  her  cheek  was  blanched,  and 
she  nearly  fell  to  the  floor,  at  sight  of 
the  black  border,  the  black  teal,  and 

0  o 


5C2 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


the  handwriting,  which  she  did  not  at 
the  instant  recognize.  For  a  moment 
or  two  she  Beamed  to  have  lost  the 

■  :'  B]       it  or  i ion  ;  but  pre- 
sently bent  her  trembling  steps  into 
jarlour.     "Oh  !    I  .  tfles  -Agnes 
— I  feel  as  if  I  were  going  to  d 
look" — she               .  sinking  into  the 
hair,  while  Mr.  Aubrey,  with 
much    agitation,    took  the    ominous- 
looking  letter  which  Bhe  extended  to- 
ts him.      Twas    from    Mr.    Par- 
kinson ;  and  told  the  news  of  Lady 

teath,  and  the  lamenl 
circumstances  attending  it  ;  that — as 
the  reader  has  heard — she  had  died 
intestate — and  that  Mr.  Titmouse  had, 
as  m-xt  of  kin,  become  entitled  to  all 
she  had  left  behind  her.  All  this  dis- 
astrous intelligence  was  conveyed  in  a 
very  few  hurried  lines.     "  My  Clod  !  " 

[aimed  Mr.  Aubrey,  on  having 
glanced  over  them.  His  colour  fled, 
and  he  pressed  his  hand  against  his 
forehead.  ".She  is  dead!"  said  lie 
in  alow  tone,  at  the  same  time  giving 
Kate  the  letter,  and  hastening  to  Mrs. 
Aubrey,  who  seemed  nearly  fainting. 
Each  had  uttered  a  faint  scream  on 
hearing  his  words.  Mrs.  Aubrey 
swooned  in  his  arms — and  Kate  sat 
like  a  Btatne,  without  even  glancing  at 
the  fetal  letter  which  she  held  in  her 
hand,  but  gazing  in  a  sort  of  stupor  at 
her  brother.  She  was  unable  to  rise 
to  Mrs.  Aubrey's  assistance — of  who  <■ 
state,  indeed,  she  appeared,  from  her 
vacant  eye,  to  be  hardly  aware.  At 
length   a  slight  sigh  announced   the 

trning  consciousness  of  Mrs.  Au- 
;    and    at.    the    same    time    Miss 

Aubrey,  with  a  manifestly  desperate 

effort,  regained  her  consciousness,  and 

a  cheek  white  as  the  letter  she 

it  over. 
"This    is    very — very  —  dreadful  — 
II    iven   is  forsaking  us!"  at  lei 
murmured,  gazing  woefully  at  her 

brother  and  sister. 

al  rather  God's  will 
be  done,"   filtered  Mr.  Aubrey,   his 

•  e\  neii. 

depth  of  his  affliction.     "  '  !od   help 

US !  "    he   -dded    in    a    tone,    whil  h    at 

th,   thrilling    through   the   over- 
t  of  his  Bister,  caused  her 


to  weep  bitterly  ;  and  if  ever  there  was 
a  mournful  scene,  it  was  that  which 
ensued,  ere  this  doomed  family,  slowly 
Ming  from  i he  first  stunning 
effects  of  the  shock  which  they  had 
just  received,  had  become  aware  of 
full  extent  of  their  misery.  They  had 
ever  felt  towards  Lady  St  rat  ton — who, 
as  has   been   already  said,  had   been 

poor  Kate's  godmother — as  towards  a 
parent;  and  their  affection  had  been 
doubled  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Aubrey. 

Now  she  was  gone;  she  who  would 
bave  stood  for  at  least  a  little  while 
between  them  and  ruin,  was  gone  ! 
And  by  an  inscrutable  and  awful  Pro- 
vidence, that  which  she  had  sacredly 
destined  to  them — and  which  would 
have  effectually  shielded  them  from 
the  cruelty  and  rapacity  of  their  ene- 
mies— had  been  diverted  from  them, 
into  the  coffers  of  the  most  selfish  and 
worthless  of  mankind — who  seemed, 
indeed,  as  if  he  had  been  called  into 
existence  only  to  effect  their  ruin  ; 
even,  as  it.  were,  the  mcs.  •  ngcr  of  Satan 
to  buffet  ihemt  At  length,  however, 
the  first  natural  transports  of  their 
grief  having  subsided,  their  stricken 
hearts  returned  to  their  allegiance  to- 
wards Heaven ;  and  Mr.  Aubrey,  whose 
constancy  at  once  strengthened  and 
encouraged  his  partners  in  affliction, 
with  many  just  and  pious  reflections 
reminded  them  that  they  were  in  the 
hands  of  God,  who  intended  all  earthly 
suffering  —  however  unaccountable  — 
however  har  h  and  apparently  unde- 
served its  infliction — to  contribute  in- 
fallibly to  the  ultimate  benefit  of  his 
children.  And  he  reminded  them,  on 
that  melancholy  occasion,  of  the  ex- 
ample afforded  by  one  whoso  suffer- 
ings had  far  transcended  theirs — the 
patriarch  Job ;  on  whom  were  suddenly 
— and  to  him  apparently  without  any 
rea  on  or  motive,  except  the  infliction 
of  suffering— -accumulated  almost  every 
Ii  Bofi  \  il  that  can  befall  humanity. 
The  sudden  and  total  loss  of  his  bud- 

tance,  and  of  all  his  servants,  ho 
appears  to  have  borne  with  fortitude. 
At  length,  however,  was  announced  to 
him    the    lo;  j   of    all    his    sons    and 

daughters 

Then  Job  aro.ic  and  rent  his  mantis, 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


563 


and  shaved  Ms  head,   and  fell  down 
upon  the  ground  and  worshipped, 

And  said,  Naked  came  T  out  of  my 
mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I  re- 
turn thither:  the  Lord  gave,  and  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord. 

In  all  this  Job  sinned  not,  nor 
charged  God  foolishly. 

Out  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
their  clear,  venerable  departed  friend, 
they  drew  down  all  the  blinds  of  their 
little  house,  thereby  spreading  around 
thein  a  gloom  similar  to  that  within. 
A  sad,  a  mournful  little  group  they 
looked !  This  last  sorrow  seemed  for 
a  while  to  divert  their  thoughts  from 
the  peril  which  momentarily  menaced 
them.  They  talked  with  frequent 
emotion,  and  with  many  tears,  of  their 
late  friend — recalling  fondly  innumer- 
able little  traits  of  her  gentle  and 
benignant  cha  acter.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  day  their  souls  were  sub- 
dued into  resignation  to  the  will  of 
the  all-wise  Disposer  of  events  :  they 
had,  in  some  measure,  realized  the 
consolations  of  an  enlightened  and 
scriptural  piety. 

They  met  the  next  morning,  at 
breakfast,  with  a  melani  holy  compo- 
sure. The  blinds  being  drawn  down, 
prevented  the  bright  sunshine  out  of 
doors  from  entering  into  the  little  room 
where  their  frugal  breakfast  was  spread, 
and  where  prevailed  a  gloom  more  in 
unison  with  their  saddened  feelings. 
To  all  who  sat  round  the  table,  except 
little  Charles,  the  repast  was  slight 
indeed  :  he  had  shortly  before  begun 
to  breakfast  down-stairs,  instead  of  in 
the  nursery  ;  and,  merry  little  being  ! 
— all  unconscious  of  the  destitution  to 
which,  in  all  human  probability,  he 
was  destined — and  of  the  misery  which 
oppressed  and  was  crushing  his  pa- 
rents— he  was  rattling  away  cheerfully, 
as  if  nothing  could  disturb  or  interrupt 
the  light  -  heartedncss  of  childhood. 
They  all  started  on  hearing  the  unex- 
pected knock  of  the  general  postman. 
He  had  brought  them  a  letter  from 
Dr.  Tatham  ;  who,  it  seemed,  was 
aware  of  the  letter  which  had  been  the 
day  before  dispatched  to  them  by  Mr. 
Parkinson.     The  little  Doctor's  letter 


was  exceedingly  touching  and  beauti- 
ful ;  and  it  was  a  good  while  before 
they  could  eomplete  its  perusal,  owing 
to  the  emotion  which  it  occasioned 
them.  'Twas  indeed  full  of  tender 
sympathy — of  instructive  incentives  to 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God. 

"  Is  not  that  indeed  the  language  of 
a  devout  and  venerable  minister  of 
God?"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  —  " whose 
figure  is  daily  brightening  with  the 
glory  reflected  from  the  heaven  which 
he  is  so  rapidly  approaching  ?  In  the 
order  of  nature,  a  few  short  years  must 
see  him,  also,  removed  from  us." 

"  Then  we  shall  indeed  be  desolate  1  " 
said  Miss  Aubrey,  shedding  tears. 

"Heaven  is  speaking  to  us  through 
one  of  its  ministers  in  this  letter  1 
Let  us  listen  in  reverend  humility!" 
They  remained  silent  for  some  mo- 
ments, Mr.  Aubrey  re-perusing  the 
long  and  closely  written  letter  of  which 
he  had  been  speaking.  Presently  ho 
heard  a  knock  at  the  street  door — an 
ordinary  single  knock— such  as  was  by 
no  means  unusual  at  that  period  of  the 
morning ;  yet  he  scarce  knew  why — 
it  disconcerted  him.  He  kept,  how- 
ever, his  eye  upon  the  letter,  while  he 
heard  Fanny  opening  the  door — then 
a  word  or  two  whispered — after  which 
the  parlour  door  was  hastily  opened, 
and  Fanny  stood  there,  pale  as  death, 
and  unable,  evidently  from  fright,  to 
speak — a  heavy  step  was  heard  in  the 
passage — and  then  there  stood  behind 
the  terror-stricken  girl  a  tall  stout  man 
in  a  drab  great-coat,  with  a  slouched 
hat,  and  a  thick  walking-stick  in  his 
hand — looking  over  her  shoulder  into 
the  parlour,  whose  dismayed  occupants 
soon  shared  the  panic  of  poor  Fanny. 

"Beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  he, 
civilly  advancing  into  the  room,  and 
removing  his  hat — "is  your  name 
Charles  Aubrey  i " 

"  It  is,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey,  rising 
from  his  chair — by  which  time  a  se- 
cond man  was  standing  at  the  door. 

"You're  my  prisoner,  sir,"  said  the 
man,  stepping  close  up  to  the  wretched 
Aubrey,  and  touching  him  on  the 
shoulder,  at  the  same  time  holding  out 
a  thin  slip  of  paper — the  warrant  by 
virtue  of  which  he  was  then  acting. 

0  0    2 


5C4 


TKN    Tllol'SAND    A- YEAR. 


The  moment  that  he  advanced  towards 
Mr.  Aubrey  a  dreadful  Bhrick  burst 
from  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate,  who 
sprung  forward,  and  threw  their  arms 
wil  .  i  him.     He  implored  them 

to  restrain  their  feelings — though  evi- 
dently frreatly  agitated  himself. 

"  Will  you  let  me  look  at  your  war- 
rani  ■  "  Bald  he  mildly  to  the  man  who 
.  him,  and  n  mained  Btand- 
leside  him.  Mr.  Aubrey, 
glancing  over  the  warrant,  saw  that 
In  was  arrested  for  fourteen  hundred 
pounds  and  upwards,  at -the  suit  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap. 

'•  Yon  see,  sir,  it's  only  my  duty  to 
do  this  here,"  said  the  officer  respei  i- 
fully,  evidently  touched  by  the  agony 
of  the  two  beautiful  women  who  still 
clung  mildly  round  our  about  to  be 
torn  ruthlessly  from  their  arms; — 
"don't  take  on  so,  ladies — there's  no 
great  harm  done  yet." 

"For  mercy's  Bake,  Agnes  I  Kate! 
as  you  love  mel-  -Be  calm!  You 
nJ'.lirt  me  beyond  measure,"  said  MY. 
Aubrey,  who,  though  he  had  grown 
very  pale,  yet  preserved  under  the 
circumstances  a  remarkable,  degree  of 
self -possession.  "1'was,  however,  a 
be  had  been  endeavouring 
t"  rea  tzo  to  himself,  and  prepare  for 
daily,  if  not  hourly,  for  the  last  week, 
mercy  1  mercy  1  for  God's  Bake 
lia\c  mercy  on  him!  On  us!" — ex- 
clnimed  .Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate. 

••  i  lh,  good  men  !  kind  men  I     have 
3  !  "    cried     Kate     despi  lately — 
"V  you  going  to  do  with 

him 

"No  harm,  miss,  you  may  depend 
on't  go  v,  ith  u  . 

to  take  him." 

"  Foi    ll.i'.   ii's  Baki ,  don't — don't, 

I  "     cried  Kate,  turn- 

towards  the  man 

p  hair  partially  dishevelled,  and 

1  ping  her    brother 

with!  .Mrs.  A.ubn  y  had 

swooned,  and  Lay  hus- 

I  .  supported  by  1 

whil  ,  herself  half-.' 

r  by  nil 
1.'  i  •  old  han 

"  Lord,    lad]     •   &    ,'t     don'i    I  t] 
on  in  1 1  i  ou're  only  a 


hurting  of  yourselves,  and  you  don't 
do  the  gentleman  any  good,  you  know 
— 'cause,  in  course,  he's  all  the  sorrier 
for  going,"  said  the  second  man,  who 
had  by  this  time  entered  the  room, 
and  stood  looking  on  concernedly. 
But  Miss  Aubrey  repeated  her  en- 
quiries with  wi'.d  and  frantic  impetu- 
osity, for  some  time  not  aware  that 
.Mrs.  Aubrey  lay  insensible  beside  her. 

"Jemmy — run  and  fetch  the  lady  a 
glass  i  f  water  from  the  kitchen — she's 
one  clean  dead — run,  my  man!"  said 
the  officer  to  his  follower,  who  im- 
mediately obeyed  him,  and  presently 
returned  with  a  glass  of  water;  by 
which  time,  both  Kate,  and  her 
brother,  and  Fanny,  were  endeavour- 
ing, with  great  agitation,  to  restore 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  whose  prolonged  swoon 
alarmed  them,  and  in  whose  suffer- 
ings the  sense  of  their  own  seemed  for 
a  while  absorbed.  The  two  men  stood 
by,  grasping  their  huge  walking-sticks, 
and  their  hats,  in  silence.  At  length 
Mrs.  Aubrey  showed  symptoms  of  re- 
covi  i  ,     uttej  ing  a  long  deep  sigh. 

"1  say — master,"  at  length  whis- 
pered the  follower,  "I'll  tell  you 
what  it  is  —  this  here  seems  a  bad 
business,  don't  it  ?  " 

"Jemmy,  Jemmy!  You  a'n't  got 
half  the  pluck  of  a  bum!  —  There's 
nothing  in  all  this  when  one's  used  to 
it,  as  I  am." 

" P'r'aps  the  gemman  don't  rightly 

owe  the  money,  alter  all." 

"Don't  be.'    And  they've  sworn  he 

( lome,  come,  .bin,  no  chaffing  ! 

— The  sooner  (I'm  thinking)  we  have 

him  off  from  all  this  here  blubbering, 

i  he  li,  tter." 

"Bless'd  if  ever  I  see'd  two  such 
beautiful  women  afore.  I  don't  half 
like  it  ;   ]  wish  we'd  nal  bed  him  in  the 

I  tr<  el — and"- — he  Lowered  his  whisp<  r 

— "if  there's  much  o'  this  here  son  .,' 

work  to  be'  done,  I've  had  enough  of 
being  a  bum  already,  an'  '11  go  hack  to 
my  business  again,  bad  as  it  is." 

"Kind — good    men!"     said    Kate, 

approaching  them,  and  speaking  with 

I'  c  ahnm  sa      pui  hing  aside   her 

den  d   hair  from    her  pale  eh.  i 
I    yon   have    him    here—  on!;, 
i  t  " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


5(55 


"  Can't,  miss — it's  quite  impossible  ; 
it's  not  to  be  done  for  no  money  short 
of  debt  and  costs,"  said  the  officer 
respectfully,  but  rather  doggedly — as 
if  he  were  getting  tired  of  the  scene — 
"one  would  think  we  were  a-goin'  to 
murder  the  gemman  !  Once  for  all,  if 
so  be  as  he  will  only  go  as  a  gemman 
should,  to  my  little  place  in  Chancery  - 
Lane— (my  name's  Grab,  miss,  at  your 
service,  and  there  a'n't  a  better  con- 
ducted lock-up  nor  mine  in  London,  I 
assure  you,  nor  where  debtors  is  more 
comfortably  looked  arter) — he's  no  need 
to  be  there  above  a  day  or  two — it  may 
be  less — and  of  course  his  friends  will 
tome  and  bail  him  out ;  so  don't  be  a- 
going  on  so  when  it's  no  manner  o' 
use  !  " 

"Charles!  My  love!"  murmured 
Mrs.  Aubrey  faintly — "they  surely 
Will  not  separate  us  ?  Oh  !  let  us  go 
together  ;  I  don't  care  where  we  go  to, 
so  long  as  I  am  with  you." 

"Do  not  ask  it,  my  darling!  my 
heart's  love!"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey 
tenderly,  as  he  supported  her  in  his 
arm,  and  against  his  knee — and  a  tear 
fell  from  his  eye  upon  her  cheek — "  I 
shall  be  exposed  to  but  little  incon- 
venience, I  am  certain  ;  there  can  be 
no  violence  or  insult  offered  me  so  long 
as  I  submit  myself  peaceably  to  the 
laws  !  And  I  shall  soon,  please  God, 
lie  back ! " 

"Oh,  Charles!  I  shall  die— I  shall 
never  survive  seeing  you  earned 
away  !  "  she  was  becoming  increasingly 
vehement. 

"  Agnes,  Agnes  ! "  said  her  husband 
reprovingly,  "the  mother  must  not 
desert  her  children  ;  my  heart  will 
ache  every  moment  that  I  am  absent, 
if  I  think  that  my  dear  little  ones 
have  not  a  mother's  protection." 

"Kate  will  take  care  of  them, 
love  !  "  said  Mrs.  Aubrey  faintly  ; 
and  her  husband  tenderly  kissed  her 
forehead.  "While  this  hurried  colloquy 
between  the  wretched  couple  was  pro- 
ceeding, Kate  was  talking  in  low  but 
impassioned  tones  to  the  two  officers, 
who  listened  to  her  respectfully,"  but 
shook  their  heads. 

"No,  miss — it  can't  be;  it  can't 
ii-deed." 


"But  you  shall  have  everything  in 
the  house  for  your  security — I  have 
still  a  good  many  handsome  dresses ; 
jewels,  all — -all ;  surely  they  will  fetch 
something;  and  then  there's  plate, 
and  books,  and  furniture — you  can't 
think  Mr.  Aubrey's  going  basely  to  run 
away !— — -" 

"  If,  as  how,  miss,  (you- see,)  it  was 
only  ourselves  that  you  had  to  do  with 
— (but,  Lord  love  you,  miss !  we're 
only  officers,  and  has  our  duty  to  do, 
and  must  do  it !) — why,  we'd  go  a 
little  out  of  our  way  for  to  oblige  a 
lady ;  but  the  people  you  must  go  to 
is  the  gemmen  whose  names  is  here," 
pointing  to  the  warrant ;  "they're  the 
people  as  the  money's  owing  to  — 
Quirk,  Gamm — " 

"Don't  name  them!  They  are 
fiends  !  They  are  villains  !  They  are 
robbing,  then  ruining,  my  wretched 
brother  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Aubrey 
with  dreadful  vehemence. 

"Kate,  Kate!"  cried  Mr.  Aubrey, 
kindly  but  peremptorily — "in  mercy 
to  me,  be  silent !  Restrain  your  feel- 
ings, or  really  I  must  hasten  my 
departure." 

"Oh,  Charles!"  faltered  Miss  Au- 
brey, sinking  down  on  a  chair  ex- 
hausted, and  burying  her  face  in  her 
handkerchief. 

"Now,  sir — if  you  please,"  com- 
menced Grab,  turning  to  Mr.  Aubrey, 
"we  must  be  thinking  of  going,  see- 
ing, I  expect,  I've  another  job  on 
hand  to-day  ;  would  you  prefer  coach- 
ing or  walking  it  ?  Excuse  me,  sir — 
I've  seen  many  such  things  as  this; 
and  I  know  it's  only  a  haggrawating 
of  your  feelings  to  be  stopping  here — ■ 
the  longer  the  worse  !  What  must  be, 
had  better  be  done  at  once,  and  got 
over  with.  I've  been  a-telling  thi3 
here  young  lady  a  many  times,  that 
it's  no  use  fretting — and  that  in  course 
you'll  be  soon  back  again,  when  you've 
done  what's  needful ;  so  hadn't  my 
man  here  better  go  and  get  a  coach  ? " 

"  It  is  so,  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Aubrey,  with  a  profound  sigh — and 
endeavoured  for  some  time,  by  all  the 
means  in  his  power,  to  soothe  and 
pacify  his  wretched  companions. 

"Can   I   speak    a  word   with    you 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


alone,  before  I  go?"  ho  presently 
enquired  of  the  officer. 

'•  In  course,  sir,"  replied  Grab  ;  and, 
promising  to  return  within  a  minule 
<>r  two's  time,  Mr.  Aubrey  quitted  the 
a  with  Grab  close  at  his  heels;  and 
presently  they  were  both  standing  in 
ins  little  study. 

"Betwixt  "ourselves,  sir,"  quoth 
Grab,  in  B  confidential  tone,  "you've 
ratlh  r  ko  n  hands  to  deal  with  ; "  here 
he  laid  his  finger  along  his  nose,  and 
winked  his  eyt — "and  you'll  lose  no 
time  in  turning  yourself  about.  You 
understand,  sir  ! " 

"Perfectly,"  replied  Mr.  Aubrey 
with  a  Bigh.  ""Who  gave  you  your 
instructions  in  (his  matter  i " 

'•  Mr.  Snap — the  junior  partner — it 
was  him  that  brought  this  here  warrant 
to  mc " 

"Are  you  sure?  "Was  it  not  Mr. 
Gammon  l" 

"No,  sir— Snap— Snap  ;  that  little 
cockatoo  of  a  chap.  Mr.  Gammon 
called  at  my  office  half  an  hour  after- 
wards, to  be  sun " 

"1  thought  so,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Aubrey  quickly,  his  face  flushing,  and 
feeling  relieved  from  a  vast  pressure. 

"Ay,"  continued  Grab,  phlegmatic- 
ally,  "he'll  see  you  don't  come  to 
much  harm  in  this  matter " 

""What  do  you  mean?"  enquired 
Mr.  Aubrey  surprisedly. 

"  Lord  I  I  could  tell  by  his  way. 
He   railed  to  say  that,  since  they  had 

resolved  to  go  agin  you,  he  hoped  we'd 
show  you  every  attention,  and  deal  easy 

by  you " 

"Indeed!" 

"  Ay    -indeed  !     And    I    think    he 

said  it  w  is  a  cruel  business  -nay,  I'm 

he  did  :  and  that,  as  for  him,  he 

hed  his  hands  on't !  "     Mr.  Aubrey 

1  confounded. 

"I  don't  somehow  think  him  and 

his  partners  are  on  the  besl  of  terms 

it    that's    no    business    o' 
tnii.  now,  sir  !     And   now,  sir, 

igging." 

"  But,  my  friend,  re  dly  no 

,"  enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  with  mani- 

p  ii  arli  ition,    "  by  whi<  h   I  can 

ipanying  you   for  a  few 

hours " 


"  Oh  can't,  sir— u n possible  !  " 

"You  can  remain  in  possession  hero 
— I  will  be  in  your  custody — I  have 
a  little  plate,  books,  and  furniture, 
which  would  surely  stand  sufficient 
security " 

"It's  no  use,  sir  ;  go  you  must — and 
that  without  much  longer  shilly-shal- 
lying.    It's  no  use  !  " 

Aubrey  seemed  for  a  moment  over- 
powered by  his  emotions. 

"I  fear,  myself,  that  there  is  no 
alternative,"  said  he;  "but  it  will 
almost  break  the  hearts  of  those  ladies 

— one  of  whom  is  my  wife "     His 

voice  faltered. 

"  You  take  my  advice,  sir  !  Let  my 
man  start  oir  for  a  coach — you  have  a 
shirt  or  two  put  up,  and  an  amusing 
book — or  a  bit  of  a  cribbage-board,  or 
a  pack  of  cards,  if  they're  at  hand — 
and  give  'em  the  slip;  I  assure  you 
it's  much  the  best  way;  and  when 
you're  once  out  o'  the  house,  they'll 
come  to,  and  make  up  their  minds  to 
it — never  fear  'em." 

"Send,  then,  for  a  coach— .delay,  I 
see,  is  worse  than  useless,"  said  ho 
hastily,  hearing  steps  approaching  the 
study  door,  which  was  thrusi  open,  and 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey  entered, 
mi  ible  any  longer  to  endure  his  absence 
— and  as  if  fearful  lest,  in  mercy  to 
them,  he  should  be  contriving  to  leave 
them  secretly.  Crab,  having  dispatched 
his  follower  for  a  coach,  at  Mr.  Aubrey's 
earnest  request  to  be  left  alone  for  a  few 
minutes,  withdrew  —  but  first,  east  a 
keen  scrutinizing  eye  at  the  window — 
the  chimney — and  then,  having  closed 
the  door,  stood  outside,  in  a  position 
which  commanded  both  door  and 
window. 

"Now,  my  own  Agnes!  my  sweet 
Kate  !  "  commenced  Aubrey,  in  a  low 
earnest  tone,  having  bolted  the  door 
to  secure  themselves  from  interruption 
during  the  few  precious  moments  which 

remained  to  them  before  the  arrival  of 
the  coach — "I  must,  within  a  very 
few  minutes,  have  you!  Remember 
— remember,  loves  1—1  am  unfortun- 
ate, but  I  am  not  disgraced  !—  I  look 
on  this  as  a  di  ipensation  of  Providence 
n  ise  and  good  Providence  ;  let  us 
all    learn    submission  —  resignation  1 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


5G7 


"Whether  or  not  we  aro  really  the 
victims  of  treachery  and  hypocrisy,  I 
am  unable  at  present  to  tell  ;  but  let 
us  learn  to  bear  this  last  crowning 
indignity  with  the  fortitude  of  Chris- 
tians ! — relying  on  it,  that  God  will 
overrule  the  most  trying  and  disastrous 
events  for  our  good  !  Kneel  down  ! 
Let  us  bow  before  the  throne  of  Heaven, 
and  supplicate  its  blessing  and  support, 
in  this  our  greatest  extremity  !  "  He 
said  this  calmly ;  but  his  face  was 
deadly  pale,  and  his  voice  faltered — 
while  they  clung  round  him  and  heaved 
convulsive  sobs,  as  they,  half  uncon- 
sciously, sunk  on  their  knees  with 
him.  Then  they  rose — and  certainly 
a  gracious  Providence  had  not  listened 
in  vain  to  the  earnest,  heartfelt  cries 
that  were  uttered  by  those  persecuted 
and  heart-broken  beings  :  for  they  felt 
a  sense  of  composure  stealing  over  their 
troubled  bosoms — as  if  they  had  seen 
for  a  moment  a  bright  light  glancing 
through  the  gloom  of  their  sorrows. 
Yet  poor  nature  was  wrung — wrung 
indeed !  Mr.  Aubrey  proceeded  to 
make  some  little  preparations  for  his 
departure — putting  a  five-pound  note 
into  his  pocket — and  leaving  but  little 
more  behind  him  ;  and  the  servant 
being  summoned  into  the  room,  was 
dispatched  to  put  up  a  change  of  linen 
for  him.  He  then  implored  and  con- 
jured them,  as  they  loved  him,  to 
struggle  against  their  feelings  ; — and 
to  rely  upon  his  pledge  to  send  them, 
within  two  hours  at  the  farthest,  in- 
telligence of  his  movements — assuring 
them  of  his  confident  belief,  that  in 
less  than  twenty-four  hours  he  should 
have  returned  to  them.  "While  he  was 
speaking  in  this  strain,  Mrs.  Aubrey 
suddenly  quitted  the  room,  and  after 
a  moment's  absence  returned,  her 
pallid,  agitated  countenance  over- 
spread with  a  wild  smile  of  delight,  as 
she  exclaimed  breathlessly — "There, 
love  !  Dearest  Charles  !  He  says  there 
is  no  harm  in  the  world  in  going  with 
you  in  the  coach — and,  indeed,  we 
may  have  rooms  to  ourselves  ! " 

"  My  sweet  Agnes " 

"  I  will — I  will  go  with  you,  Charles ! 
Nothing  shall  prevent  me — even  if  I 
leave  you  at  the  door  of  the  place  you 


are  going  to  !  "  It  was  in  vain  for  Mr. 
Aubrey  to  protest — as  he  did,  both 
earnestly  and  vehemently  ; — her  im- 
passioned importunities  were  irresisti- 
ble, and  she  rushed  breathlessly  up- 
stairs to  prepare  her  dress  to  accompany 
himonhisbriefbutmelancholyjourney. 
Within  a  very  few  minutes  she  re- 
turned, just  as  the  sound  of  the  coach 
wheels  approaching  the  door  was  heard. 
Mr.  Aubrey  and  Kate  perceived  the 
dangerous  excitement  under  which  she 
was  labouring,  and  dreaded  its  effects  : 
yet  what  could  be  done  ?  He  could 
not  prolong  his  stay — and  it  would  be 
infinitely  more  dangerous  to  leave  her 
behind,  now  that  she  had  set  her  heart 
upon  accompanying  him,  than  to  per- 
mit her  to  go  with  them.  She  carried 
down  little  Agnes  in  her  arms — and 
had  been  almost  suffocating  her  and 
little  Charles,  who  walked  after  her, 
with  kisses  and  convulsive  embraces. 
Both  the  children  were  crying  ;  and  as 
soon  as  Mrs.  Aubrey  had  reached  the 
parlour  door,  and  heard  the  coach- 
steps  letting  down,  she  fell  into  violent 
hysterics. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  sir,"  whispered 
Grab,  as  he  stood  close  beside  Mr. 
Aubrey,  who  was  supporting  Mrs. 
Aubrey — "it  wouldn't  be  amiss  if  I 
was  to  say  you  should  come  along  with 
me  at  once,  while  this  \  oor  lady's  in- 
sensible— and  then  when  she'd  have 
come  to  herself,  and  know'd  you  was 
gone,  and  no  mistake — why — she'd  in 
course  think  no  more  of  it — " 

"Oh!  for  God's  sake— for  God's 
sake  !  Remember  your  promise  !  " 
cried  Aubrey,  and  in  a  voice  which 
nearly  reached  the  officer's  heart :  as 
it  was,  he  simply  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders, aud  awaited  the  issue  with  no 
little  impatience,  but  in  silence.  'Twas 
in  the  midst  of  this  heart-rending  scene, 
which  ensued  during  the  next  half- 
hour,  that  Kate  displayed  the  strength 
of  character  which  so  remarkably  dis- 
tinguished her  ;  and  completely  mas- 
tering her  own  agitated  feelings,  sho 
essentially  contributed  towards  Mrs. 
Aubrey's  restoration  to  a  state  which 
would  admit  of  her  at  length  setting 
off.  The  children  had  been  removed 
— Mr.   Aubrey  having   bid   them    an 


TEN   THOUSAND   A -YEAR. 


agonizing  adieu  ;  for  ho  knew  Dot  what 
accident  or  contrivance  might  occur  to 
prevent  his  return  to  them-  and  after 
embracing  his  w  ster,  he 

{torted  Mrs.  Anbr  y,  Grab  closely  foil- 
ing them,  into  the  coach.  All 
three  having  got  in,  "Jem,"  as  he 
called,  Bhut  up  the  door,  and 
jumping  up  on  to  the  coach-box,  they 
drove  away.  Poor  Mrs.  Aubrey,  on 
taking  her  seat,  drew  from  before  her 
.  yet  beautiful  countenance  the 
-  dark  v.il  which  she  had  drawn 
down  while  passing  from  the  house 
i r 1 1 >  >  the  coach,  and  gazed  at  Mr. 
Aubrey  with  sueh  an  expression  of 
mingled  tenderness  and  agony,  as  was 
almost  sufficient  to  have  broken  even 
the  stony  heart  of  Grab.  She  also 
held  her  husband's  hand  convulsively 
grasped  within  her  own  — as  though 
fearful  of  their  being  even  yet  violently 
Beparated  from  each  other.  As  they 
went  along,  in  answer  to  Aubrey's 
anxious  enquiries  concerning  the  na- 
ture of  iln:  scenes  which  awaited  him, 
Mr.  Grab  told  him  that  his— Grab's— 
lock-iip  was  in  Chancery- Lane,  and 
would  be  foun  1  n  i  comfortable  a  place 
as  need  be.  He  informed  his  prisoner, 
further,  that  he  might  have  his  choice, 
— whether  to  occupy  a  private  room, 
with  a  hud-room  opening  into  it — or 
go  into  the  public  room,  where  would 
be  also  some  dozen  other  debtors, — 
and  in  which  case,  of  cours  ■,  Mrs. 
Aubrey  musi  return  home  alone.  Mr. 
Aubrey  enquired  what  would  be  the 
of  the  private  room,  and  was 
horrified  on  hearing — two  guineas  and 
a  half  a- day,  paid  in  advance  ! — exclu- 
sive of  hoard  ai  dance,  which 
doubtless  would  be  charged  for  on  a 
com  men  cale.  The  prisoner 
and  his  wife  gazed  at  each  other  in 
silence,  and  felt  :  art. 

"Th.  [lest  room — at  the  very 

top  of  the  houa — would  for 

both  a  ■••iii   and   bed-room," 

-"and  we  do  not  care  a 

straw  for  furniture  — " 

"The  room   I   told  you  of,  or  the 
pub!  all  I've  to  ofi  t  you," 

lly — 
"and  yon  n<  edn't  cry  out  b<  fore  \  ou're 
hurt  ;  lor  it  may  be  your  friends  will 


bail  you  out  before  the  ni<?-ht — before 
much  harm's  done  !  "  Sick  at  heart, 
his  wretched  companions  continued 
silent  forthe  remainder  of  the  jonn 
till  the  coacli  drew  up  opposite  the 
door  of  the  house  of  which  they  had 
been  speaking.  It  Mas  about  halfway 
up  Chancery-Lane,  on  the  right  hand 
Bide  as  you  entered  from  the  Strand. 
'Twas  a  small,  narrow,  dingy-looking 
house,  at  the  corner  of  a  miserable 
court.  The  solitary  window,  level 
with  the  door,  was  strongly  secured 
within  by  thick  perpendicular  iron 
bars.  The  outer  door,  at  the  top  of  a 
flight  of  aboutadozen  well-worn  steps, 
stood  open,  ha\ing  exposed  to  view 
an  inner  door,  at  about  a  eouple  of 
yards'  distance  from  the  outer  cne  ; 
and  on  this  inner  door  was  a  brass 
plate  bearing  the  terrifying  name — 

GRAB. 

The  upper  part  of  the  door  was  of 
glass,  and  secured  from  within,  like 
the  window,  by  strong  iron  bars. 
Aubrey's  soul  sunk  within  him  as  his 
eye  took  in  these  various  points  of  the 
dismal  building  he  was  thus  compelled 
to  enter.  The  follower,  immediately 
on  the  coach  drawing  up,  jumped 
down,  and  running  up  the  steps  of 
the  house,  knocked  at  the  inner  door, 
and  hurrying  hack,  opened  the  coack- 
door,  and  let  down  the  steps. 

"Now,  Jarvey — what's  the  dam- 
age?" enquired   Grab,  before   any  of 

1  hem  got  OUt. 

"Six  shillings,  your  honour." 

"  You  must  tip,  sir,"  quoth  Grab  to 

Mr.  Aubrey — who  thereupon  counted 

out  .ill  the  silver  he  had,  except  one 

solitary  sixpence,  and  they  descended, 

followed    up    the    BtepS    of    the    house 

closely  by  Grab.  Their  hearts  failed 
them,  as  they  heard  the  sound  of 
heavy  jingling  keys  from  within  open- 
ing the  door  ;  and  the  next  mon 
they  stood  within  a  short,  narri 
and  dark  passage  the  sallow  ill-look- 
ii  -  man  who  had  opened   the  door, 

,  and  lo( 
it  upon  them. 

"This  here's  the  public  room," 
quoth  Grab,  with  the  confident  air  of 

in  who  feels  in  big  own  house; 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


569 


and,  half  opening  a  door  on  his  left — 
they  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  number  of 
men — some  smoking  ;  others  sitting 
with  their  feet  on  the  table,  reading 
the  newspapers ;  others  playing  at 
cards  ;  and  almost  all  of  them  drink- 
ing, and  either  laughing,  talking,  or 
singing. 

' '  Now,  sir — does  this  here  suit  your 
fancy  ? "  enquired  Grab,  rather  sharply. 
Mr.  Aubrey  felt  his  wife  leaning  heavily 
on  his  arm.  "  Mercy  !  I  shall  faint ! 
I  feel  choked !  " — she  whispered. 

"Show  us  instantly  up-stairs,  to 
your  private  room — coSt  what  it  may," 
said  Mr.  Aubrey  hastily. 

"It's  only  fair  to  tell  you,  sir,  you 
pay  in  advance — and  for  the  whole 
day,  though  you  should  be  out  again 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  time  —  it's 
the  rule  of  the  house." 

"Show  us  up-stairs,  sir,  without 
delay,"  said  Mr.  Aubrey  peremptorily. 

"Jemmy  —  show  'em  up!"  ex- 
claimed Grab  briskly — on  which  Jem 
went  forward,  followed  by  Mr.  Aubrey, 
almost  entirely  supporting  Mrs.  Au- 
brey— who  appeared  very  faint— up 
the  narrow  and  angular  staircase. 
This  led  them  into  a  tolerably  well- 
furnished  room  ;  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  on 
entering  it,  sunk  exhausted  on  the 
sofa.  Here,  again,  the  two  windows 
were  strongly  secured  with  iron  bars, 
which  gave  a  peculiarly  miserable  ap- 
pearance to  the  room.  The  unhappy 
couple  gazed  around  them  for  a  mo- 
ment, in  silence. 

"  Beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  Grab, 
entering  the  room — "  but  must  trouble 
you  for  two,  twelve,  six;  always  pay 
in  advance,  as  I  told  you  a-coming." 

Aubrey  involuntarily  shuddering, 
took  out  his  pocket-book — Mrs.  Au- 
brey bursting  into  tears — and  handed 
to  Grab  the  only  money  he  had — his 
five-pound  note,  requesting  change. 

"The  lady  would,  perhaps,  like  a 
glass  of  negus  ? "  enquired  Grab.' 

"Certainly — bring  up  immediately 
a  glass  of  cold  sherry  and  water," 
replied  Aubrey. 

"  That  will  be  just  two,  five,  six  to 
bring  back— shall  have  it  directly,  sir 
— change  and  all.  Here's  your  bed- 
room, sir,"  he  added— opening  a  small 


door  opposite  the  window — and  then 
withdrew  by  that  through  which  they 
had  entered.  When  he  had  with- 
drawn, leaving  them  alone,  Aubrey 
folded  his  arms  tenderly  around  his 
wife,  and  kissed  her  cold  pale  cheek, 
and  then  helped  her  to  remove  her 
bonnef,  which,  with  its  heavy  black 
veil,  evidently  oppressed  her.  Her 
rich  dark  hair  fell  disordered  over  her 
tippet ;  and  with  her  flushed  cheek, 
and  restlets  eye,  would  have  given  the 
beholder  a  vivid  picture  of  beauty  and 
virtue  in  distress. 

"Do  promise  me,  Charles!"  said 
she,  looking  fondly  at  him,  "that  I 
may  go  with  you,  wherever  they  will 
allow  you  to  take  me  !  " 

"  I  trust,  Agues,  that  I  shall  be  at 
large  again  before  long.  This  is  really 
a  comfortable  room,"  he  added,  evad- 
ing her  question. 

"Jf  only  Kate  and  the  children 
were  here,"  she  replied,  tremulously. 
"  Poor  things  !  I  wonder  what  they 
are  doing  just  now  ! — Kate  will  break 
her  heart,  poor  girl,  if  we  don't  return 
soon  !  " 

"Never  fear,  Agnes!  But  let  us 
look  what  kind  of  a  bad-room  they 
have  given  us.  I  hope  we  shall  have 
no  occasion,  however,  to  occupy  it. 
Come,  let  us  see  !  " 

'Twas  very  small  and  close,  to  be 
sure,  and  had  but  one  narrow  window, 
secured,  like  all  the  others,  by  strong 
iron  bars.  It  overlooked  a  little  flagged 
yard,  about  fourteen  feet  square,  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  high  walls, 
portions  of  adjoining  houses.  It  was 
here  that  the  prisoners  "took the  air," 
and  their  escape  was  effectually  pre- 
vented by  close  and  strong  bars  of  iron 
passing  from  side  to  side,  at  about  ten 
feet  distance  from  the  ground.  They 
looked  down,  and  beheld  two  or  three 
men  sitting  and  stamling  beneath,  who 
looked  more  like  animals  caged  in  a 
menagerie  than  mere  human  beings. 
'Twas  to  Aubrey  a  sickening  sight, 
and  he  turned  from  the  window,  and 
they  both  re-entered  the  front  room 
as  Grab  returned  with  the  sherry  and 
water,  and  the  change,  which  he  told 
down  on  the  table.  He  then  asked 
what  they   would    like   to  have  for 


570 


TEX    THOUSAND    A-VKAR. 


dinner — cutlets,  steaks,  or  chops — as  ' 
he  wished  to  know  before  Mrs.  Grab 
went  out  "toorderthe  house  dinner." 
They  seemed,  however,  to  loathe  the 
idea  of  eating,  not  a  little  to  the  an- 
noyance of  their  truly  hospitable  host, 
Aubrey  earni  stlj  ;  him  to  send 

oil'  a  10  ly,  with  his  card, 

to  Mr.  Runnington. 

••  A  i  tupleof  shillings  for  the  man, 
sir,"  said  Grab;  and,  having  received 
it,  withdrew,  having  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Aubrey  to  themselves  for  nearly  an 
hour  and  a  half;  at  the  end  of  which 
period,  their  hearts  leaped  for  joy  to 
see  Mr.  Eunnington  enter  the  room, 
with  a  countenance  full  of  concern  and 
sympathy. 

"  Well,  hut  you  shall  not  be  much 
r  in  this  hateful  hole,  at  any 
rate,"  said  he,  after  some  half-hour's 
anxious  conversation  with  them  ;  and 
rin  ;ing  the  belL  directed  the  man  t  i 
send  Grab  up-stairs,  and  to  fetch  pen, 
ink,  and  piper.  In  a  few  miuu 
Grab  appeared.  "You've  no  objec- 
tion, 1  suppose,  Grab,  to  discharge 
Mr.  Aubrey  on  my  undertaking?" 

"In  course  not,  sir,"  replied  Grab 
readily  ;  hut  lie  was  a  good  deal  dis- 
appointed at  so  abrupt  a  close  to  his 
dons.  Mi1.  Runnington  sit  down 
and  began  to  write.  "  You  hid  better 
Bend  off  to  the  "Hi  ;e,  and  see  if  there's 
anything  else  thi  re,"  lie  added,  (mean- 
ing tli  it  ( hub  Bhould  Bearch,  as  he  was 
bound  to  do,  for  any  other  writs 
ast  Mr.  Aubrey  which  might  he 
lodged  with  the  Bheriff,  before  dis- 
charging hi-;  prisoner  out  of  custody.) 

•■  V.iti  don')  apprehend  anything 
there,  do  you?"  enquired  Mr.  Run- 
nington, rather  seriously,  without  tak- 
ing his  eye  from  the  paper  ou  which 
h    mms  \\  riting. 

"  Heaven  only  knows !  But  I  think 
not,"  n  plie  1  Aubrey. 

The  following  was  the  undertaking 
given  hy  Mr.  Runnin  [ton,  and  which 
i  of 

his  I    and    truly    pi 

client  :  — 

"  Aubrey  fits,  ','uirk  and  others. 
"  We  hereby  undcrtal  •    to  procure 
ation  of  cienl 


bail-bond  herein,  for  the  above-naiaed 
di  fendant,  in  due  time. 

"  RrxxiNGTOK  &  Co. 
"  Defendant's  Attorneys. 
':To  Mr.  Grab, 
"  Officer  to  the  Sheriff  of  Middlesex." 

With    this   document   lying   before 
them,   and   awaiting   the  messenger's 

return  from  the  sheriffs  office,  .Mr. 
Runnington  and  Mr.  Aubrey  conversed 
together  anxiously  on  the  subject  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap's 
bill.  Mr.  Aubrey  was  sufficiently  ac- 
quainted with  the  general  course  of 
practice  to  be  aware,  that  beyond  re- 
quiring him  to  put  in  bail  to  the 
action,  (special  bail,  as  it  is  called,) 
no  effectual  stepcould  be  taken  against 
him  for  several  months  to  come  ;  i.e. 
till  Michaelmas  term  in  the  ensuing 
November,*  however  eager  and  active 
the  plaintiffs  might  be:  so  that  ho 
had  an  interval  of  at  least  four  months, 
in  which,  as  the  phrase  is,  "to  turn 
himself  about,"  and  endeavour  to  dis- 
cover  some  mode  of  extricating  him- 
self from  his  present  serious  dilemma. 
After  reminding  Mr.  Aubrey  that 
n  it hr  a  peer  of  th  •  realm,  nor  a 
member  of  parliament,  nor  an  attor- 

n  :y,  could   beco bail  for  him,  Mr. 

Runnington  requested  the  names  of 
two  or    three    confidential    friends    to 

whom    he    might    apply   to    become 
irity  for  Mr.   Aubrey;  and  as  ho 

should  be  at  any  time  able  to  exonerate 

them  from  liability,  by  surrendering 

Lis  person  to  his  creditors,  he  felt  no 

In   it  ition  in  applying  to  them  to  per« 

form   for  him   this  act  of  kinds 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Mr.  Runnington, 

in   the  course    of  their   conversation, 

and  w  ii  !i  apparent  carelessness,  "could 

I      v  a  word  or  two  to  you  on  a  little 

r   of  busin     i  '     And  will   Mrs. 

Aubrey   excuse   us  for  a   m  mien*  1  " 

ids  in  r.    she  bowed,  and 

they  withdrew  for  a  moment  into  the 

ining  bed-ro  >m. 

■■  i  into  your  pocket,"  said 

Mr.  Runnington,  t  iking  out  the  day's 

•  The  non-professional  reader  ia  informed 
tint    I  I  ir  othi  rw  i.l      il 

i        ; ;i  'y 

Li  i  itoa. 


TEX  THOUSAND  2.-YEA3 


571 


newspaper;  "and  when  you  have  an 
opportunity,  read  the  account  of  what 
took  place  yesterday  in  the  Court  of 
King's  Bench.  It  startled  ma  not  a 
little,  I  can  tell  you  ;  and  the  reason 
of  my  not  having  been  at  the  office 
when  your  messenger  arrived  was, 
that  I  had  not  returned  from  Vivian 
Street,  whither,  and  to  the  Temple,  I 
had  gone  in  search  of  you.  For 
Heaven's  sake  don't  alarm  Mrs.  Au- 
brey, or  Miss  Aubrey  ;  but,  if  any- 
thing occurs  to  you,  do  not  lose  one 
moment  in  putting  yourself  into  com- 
munication with  us.  If  possible,  I 
will  call  at  Vivian  Street  this  evening. " 
With -this  they  returned  to  the  sitting- 
room,  nothing  in  their  appearance  cal- 
culated to  alarm  Mrs.  Aubrey,  or  even 
attract  her  attention. 

Shortly  afterwards  Grab  entered  the 
room. 

"All  right,  sir!"  said  he  to  Mr. 
Eunnington  ;  and  added,  turning  to 
Mr.  Aubrey,  "you're  no  longer  in  my 
custody,  sir ;  and  I  hopj  you  won't 
be,  in  a  hurry,  again  !  " 

"Oh,  Charles!  thank  God !— Let 
us  not  stay  another  moment !  "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Aubrey,  joyously  start- 
ing up,  and  putting  on  her  bonnet. 
"Oh,  let  us  get  once  more  into  the 
open  street ! — the  sweet  fresh  air  ! — 
Kate  will  go  wild  with  joy  to  see  us 
again  ! — Oh,  dear  Mr.  Runnington  ! 
how  can  we  sufficiently  thank  you?" 
she  added,  turning  towards  him  en- 
thusiastically. Within  a  few  minutes' 
time  they  had  quitted  that  dismal 
scene  ;  they  were  again  apparently 
free.  On  first  stepping  into  the  bright 
cheering  sunlight,  and  bustling  noisy 
street,  it  had  a  sort  of  freshness — of 
novelty — to  them.  Now  they  were 
free  to  go  whithersoever  they  chose ! 
— Oh,  blessed  Liberty  ! — let  an  Eng- 
lishman lose  thee  for  but  an  hour,  to 
become  aware  of  thy  value  !  — It  seemed 
to  the  Aubreys,  as  if  ten  times  the 
real  interval  had  elapsed  between  their 
entering  and  quitting  the  scene  of  his 
incarceration.  With  what  exhilarated 
spirits  they  hastened  homeward  !  as 
if  a  millstone  were  no  longer  suspended 
from  their  necks.  But  Mr.  Aubrey 
"suddenly  bethought    himself   of  the 


newspaper  given  him  by  Mr.  Run- 
nington ;  and  it  cost  him,  indeed,  a 
great  effort  to  assume  a  cheerfulness 
so  foreign  to  his  feelings. 

While,  however,  they  are  thus  walk- 
ing homeward,  intending,  in  the  event 
of  Mrs.  Aubrey  becoming  fatigued,  to 
take  a  shilling  drive  on  their  way,  let 
me,  in  order  to  enable  the  reader  to 
appreciate  the  paragraph  to  which 
Mr.  Runnington  had  called  Aubrey's 
attention,  turn  for  a  while  from  the 
virtuous  and  afflicted  couple,  to  trace 
the  leading  movements  of  that  master- 
spirit of  evil,  Mr.  Gammon  ;  for  which 
purpose,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take 
up  the  history  from  the  evening  of  the 
day  in  which  Mr.  Aubrey  had  called 
at  Mr.  Gammon's  chambers,  to  forbid 
him  visiting  any  longer  at  Vivian 
Street.  By  that  time,  Mr.  Gammon 
had  thoroughly  thought  out  his  plan 
of  operations.  What  had  passed  be- 
tween him  and  Miss  Aubrey  and  her 
brother  had  satisfied  him  that  the 
time  for  calling  into  action  all  his 
forces  had  arrived  ;  and  the  exact  end 
he  proposed  to  himself  was  to  plunge 
Mr.  Aubrey  at  once  into  apparently 
inextricable  and  hopeless  difficulty — ■ 
into  total  ruin — so  as  to  render  them 
all  more  accessible  to  Mr.  Gammon's 
advances,  and  to  force  Miss  Aubrey 
into  entertaining  his  addresses,  as  the 
sole  means  of  effecting  her  brother's 
liberation.  For  this  purpose,  it  would 
be  necessary  to  make  him  debtor  to  so 
large  an  amount  as  would  preclude  the 
interference  of  even  the  most  liberally 
disposed  of  his  friends.  Those  might 
very  probably  go  as  far  as  fifteen  hun- 
dred pounds  on  his  behalf,  who  could 
not  be  brought  to  think  of  nearly 
twelve  thousand  pounds  —  it  being 
borne  in  mind,  that  one  alone  of  Mr. 
Aubrey's  friends,  Lord  De  la  Zouch, 
was  already  liable,  on  his  behalf,  to 
some  eleven  thousand  pounds,  which 
would  become  payable  on  the  ensuing 
24th  of  January.  But  the  mask  was 
not  yet  to  be  thrown  off:  Gammon 
resolved  to  appear  the  firm  friend  of 
Mr.  Aubrey  to  the  last ;  deprecating 
vehemently,  and  striving  to  avert  from 
him,  the  very  proceedings  which  lie 
was   all-  the  while,  with   secret  skill 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


and  vigour,  urging  on  against  him. 
Ho  determined,  therefore,  to  recall 
Titmouse's  attention  t  i  the  two  pro- 
mis  Dry    :    ■  -    for    '.'. i    ea  h ;    to 

pn  tend  relu  I  race  to  allow  them  to 
be  put  in  suit,  and  yet  give  him 
clearly  to  u  J  tint  he  might 

do  so,  without  giving  mortal  offence 
to  G 

A:  thi  moment  of  the  reader's  being 
reintroduced  to  Mr.  Gauimon,  that 
gentleman  was  Bitting,  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  :it  his  cham- 
bers, beside  a  table,  on  which  were 
ed  a  lustrous  lamp,  a  number  of 
papers,  and  coffee.  In  one  hand  he 
held  the  rough  draft  of  his  rerrt-charge, 
which  had  that  day  been  Bent  to  him 
bv  Mr.  Frankpledge,  and  he  was  i 
sioinlly  making  pencil  memoranda  on 
the  margin  as  ho  went  along.  lie 
would  sometimes  pause  in  his  task,  as 
if  his  thoughts  wandered  to  other  sub- 
- ;  his  countenance  looked  harass- 
ed, his  ample  brow  seemed  laden  with 
anxiety.  Certainly,  groat  as  was  his 
energy,  clear  as  was  his  head,  and 
accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  despatch 
of  business  of  even  the  most  difficult 
and  varied  description,  all  his  powers 
were  at  that  moment  taxed  to  their 
very  uttermost  stretch,  as  a  hasty 
glance  round  the  room  will  satisfy  the 
reader.  On  the  sofa  lay  several  piles 
of  loose  papers.  First,  there  were  the 
draft  b]  lefs  -  and  voluminous  they 
wen — which  he  was  now  preparing, 
or  rather  settling,  in  the  following 
actions  for  bribery  penalties,  coming 
on  for  trial  at  the  ensuing  Yorkshire 
A  sizes : — 

"Wigijby  v.  Gammon,  {S.  J.)"* 

"    Same       V.    MUDFLINT,    (S.  J.)" 

"  Same     v.  Bloodsuck,  (S.  ./.)" 
"  Same     v.  Woodlouse,  (S.  J.)" 

All    :  rious  actions  were  being 

forward  with  greal  \ 
ince  of  Lord  De  la  Zoui  h,  who 
h  id,  moreover,  dire  :ti  'I    them  al]   to 
ial  jury  causes. 
S  ■■  mdly,    a    monstrou  -     mass    of 
on   the  Bofa,  con- 
taxui  d    the    heterogencoii  i    i  lcm< 


out  of  which  it  required  a  head  as 
clear  as  Gammon's  to  draw  up  a  brief 
for  the  defence  in  a  very  complicated 
case  of  conspiracy,  —  "  The  Kino  v. 
Middleton,  Snake,  and  Others," — 

and  which  was  coming  on  for  trial  at 
the  ensuing  King's  Bench  sitting  for 
London  ;  it  having  been  removed,  on 
account  of  its  great  difficulty  and  im- 
portance, by  certiorari  from  the  Old 
Bailey.  It  ought  to  have  been  by 
this  time  prepared  ;  yet  Mr.  Gammon 
had  scarcely  even  looked  at  the  papers, 
though  the  credit  of  their  office  was  at 
stake,  as  the  case  had  attracted  a  large 
share  of  public  attention. 

Thirdly,  there  were  scattered  about 
complete  masses  of  papers  connected 
with  the  various  joint-stock  companies 
in  which  Mr,  Gammon  was  concerned, 
either  openly  or  secretly — cither  pro- 
fessionally or  as  a  shareholder;  the 
management  of  many  of  them  requiring 
infinite  vigilance  and  tact.  Tl 
matters,  however,  and  many  of 
winch  had  accumulated  upon  him,  till 
the  bare  tli  .ughts  of  them  oppressed 
and  distracted  him,  he  had  altogether 
neglected,  occupied  as  he  was  by  the 
absorbing  pursuit  of  Miss  Aubrey,  and 
the  consummation  of  his  .schemes  and 
purposes  respecting  Titmouse  and  the 
xatton  property.  As  if  all  this  had 
not  been  sufficient,  there  was  yet 
an  ither  of  a  totally  different  descrip- 
tion. Gammon  was  writing  a  series  of 
very  popular  and  powerful  attacks  in 
the  Sivnday  Flash,  upon  a  certain  Tory 
e.\ Minister  —  in  fact,  endeavours  to 
write  him  down — and  this  with  the 
privity,  and  even  occasional  assistance, 

of  one  whom  Gammon  intended,  in  due 
time,  to  make  great  use  of,  as  Boon  as 
his  lordship  should  have  sufficiently 

committed     himself;    viz.    my     Lord 

Blossom  and  Box.  Now,  Gammon 
had  for  three  weeks  running  disap- 
pointed the  numerous  readers  of  the 
Sunday  Flash,  during  which  period, 

he  had  been  almost  baited  to 
death  upon  the  Bubject  by  old  Quirk, 
i  lie  eln,  f  pr  iprietor  of  the  paper  ;  and 

•   \ •ry  •  vening,  the  odious  Yin 
its  editor,  had  been  there,  as  it  were, 
writhing  and  hi    ing  about  him  till  be 

iven  a  p  :    |  ■  ■ 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


573 


an  article  against  the  ensuing  Satur- 
day. All  these  things  put  together, 
were  enough  for  one  strong-headed 
man  to  hear  np  against,  and  Gammon 
felt  very  nearly  overwhelmed  ;  and 
the  reader  will  think  it  very  excusable 
in  Mr.  Gammon,  that  he  felt  such 
difficulty  in  commanding  his  thoughts 
even  to  the  interesting  task  of  set- 
tling the  draft  of  his  own  rent-charge 
on  the  Yatton  projerty.  He  was  not 
quite  satisfied  with  the  way  in  which 
Frankpledge  had  tinkered  up  the 
"consideration"  shadowed  forth  in 
Gammon's  instructions,  and  was  just 
sketching  off  one  compounded  of  a 
'■'  certain  sum  of  five  thousand  pounds 
of  good  and  lawful  money  of  Great 
Britain,  by  the  aforesaid  Oily  Gammon, 
at  or  before  the  execution  of  these 
presents,  paid  to  the  said  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  and  the  receipt  whereof  the 
said  Titmouse  acknowledged,  and  from 
the  same  and  every  part  thereof,  re- 
leased and  discharged  the  said  Oily 
Gammon,  his  heirs,  executors,  admin- 
istrators, and  assigns  "  (!  !  !)  And  "of 
the  great  skill,  and  exertion,  and 
sacrifices  of  the  said  Oily  Gammon,  for 
and  on  behalf  of  the  said  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  in  the  recovery  of  the  Yatton 
property,"  &c.  &c. 

1  say  he  had  just  finished  off  this 
little  matter,  and  was  varying  one  or 
two  of  the  expressions,  when  a  sharp 
knock  at  his  door  announced  the  arrival 
of  the  intelligent  grar.br  of  the  afore- 
said annuity,  Mr.  Titmouse  himself, 
whose  stylish  cab  was  at  that  moment 
standing  opposite  to  the  entrance  to 
Thavies'  Inn,  in  Holborn,  having 
brought  him  direct  from  the  House  of 
Commons,  whither,  however,  he  was 
to  return  by  eleven  o'clock,  till  which 
time  he  had  paired  off,  in  order  to 
enable  him  to  come  and  consult  Mr. 
Gammon  on  one  or  two  important 
matters.  Poor  Titmouse  had  con- 
ceived, since  his  memorable  interview 
With  Gammon  formerly  r  lated,  a 
violent  hatred  of  Mr.  Gamin  n  ;  but 
which  was  almost  absorbed  in  his  dread 
of  that  gentleman,  who  had  such  un- 
limited power  over  him.  The  sudden 
and  serious  diminution  of  his  incomt  by 
Gammon's  rent-charge,  almost  turned 


his  head  upside-down,  and  occasioned 
a  pother  in  his  little  bosom,  which  was 
all  the  greater  for  his  being  unable  to 
admit  any  sympathizing  friend  into  his 
confidence.  He  had  become  fidgety 
and  irritable  to  a  degree;  his  coun- 
tenance and  demeanour  troubled  and 
depressed  :  from  all  which,  the  mora 
intimate  among  his  brother  senators 
naturally  inferred  that  he  had  lost 
large  sums  at  play,  or  was  harassed  by 
his  election  expenses  ;  or  had  quarrelled 
with  his  mistress,  or  been  found  out 
by  his  wife  ;  or  been  kicked,  and  dared 
not  call  out  the  aggressor  ;  or  that  some 
other  such  accident  as  frequently  hap- 
pens to  young  gentlemen  of  fashion, 
had  befallen  him.  Now,  to  be  candid 
with  the  reader,  Titmouse  certainly 
Iran  getting  into  rather  deep  water. 
Formidable  creditors  were  beginning  to 
look  somewhat  sternly  after  him  from 
various  quarters  ;  his  upholsterer  wa3 
becoming  troublesome  ;  his  wine-mer- 
chant insisted  on  at  least  four  hundred 
pounds  on  account ;  Messrs.  Jewel  and 
Nieknack  were  surprised  at  having 
received  no  payment  for  sundry  expen- 
sive articles  of  jewellery  and  vertu. 
His  coach-maker,  his  tailor,  a  host  of 
household  creditors,  were  getting  very 
restless  :  he  had  a  running  account  ut 
some  £600  or  £800  at  the  Gliddingion, 
in  respect  of  his  parliamentary  ai;d 
other  dinners  at  that  fashionable  estab- 
lishment ;  his  yacht  was  a  dreadful 
drain  upon  him  ;  he  had  been  unfor- 
tunate in  his  sporting  speculations  ; 
in  short,  if  Gammon  had  his  anxieties, 
so  had  Titmouse  his.  He  felt  himself 
getting  terribly  out  at  elbows — so  much 
so,  that  he  could  no  longer  give  that 
calm  and  undivided  attention  to  his 
parliamentary  duties,  which  his  en- 
lightened constituents  had  a  right  to 
expect  at  his  hands  :  and,  in  short,  the 
sole  occasion  of  his  calling  on  Gammon, 
was  to  see  if  that  gentleman  could 
devise  some  mode  of  once  more  replen- 
ishing his  empty  coffers  —  a  further 
mortgage  on  the  Yatton  property  being 
the  exact  mode  of  doing  so  which  he 
was  about  to  propose  to  Gammon.  It 
required  some  tact,  however,  as  he  felt, 
to  broach  that  subject,  in  the  present 
position  of  affairs  ;  so  he  avowed  that 


574 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


he  had  called  to  see  if  Mr.  Gammon  s 

■•  y-t-rc  i  ming — as  he, 

Titmous  oxious  to  get  it  off  his 

1.     Time  was  very  precious  with 

Mr.  Gammon  :  1  not  a 

U     thindis- 
g  the 
;'  his  visit.     Mr.  Gammon 
i,  on  hearing 
the  account  of  Titmouse's  prodigal  ex- 
penditure, ami  remonstrated  with  him 
estly,  ami   even    authoritatively; 
but   it    instantly   occurred    to   him — 
could  there  possibly  he  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  broa  hing  the  subject  of  the 
tun  promis!  ory  Dotes  ? 

'•  My  dear  Titmouse,"  said  he,  with 
t  kindness  of  manner,  "notwith- 
standing all  I  have  fell  it  my  duty  to 
say,  J  do  sincerely  wish  it  weir  in  my 
power  to  Berve  you  in  this  emergency. 
But  we  really  must,  spare  old  Yatton 
for  a  little-  you've  sadly  burthened 
her  already  ;—  we  shall  be  killing  the 
goose  to  gel  at  the  golden  egg,  if  we 
((■•n't  mind  what  we're  about !  " 

'* !    But  what  the  devil's  to  be 

done,  Mr.  Gammon  ?  For,  'pon  my 
soul,  I'm  most  particular  hard  up,  and 
something  must  be  done." 

"  We  must  bethink  ourselves  of  our 
other  resources,  my  dear  sir — let  us 
see" — he  pans  d,  with  his  hand  rest- 
ing "ii  his  forehead  for  a  few  moments 
— "Oh!  by  the  way— certainly;"  he 
added  suddenly — "but  no!  it's  a 
thousand  pities;  but  my  word  is 
pledged." 

"Eh?  what?  dms  anything  strike 
you,  Gammon  I  -Ton  my  life,  what  is 
it  ?"  enquired  Titmouse,  pricking  up 
irs. 
"Why,  yes,  certainly,"  replied 
1  imon  musingly  adding,  as  if  he 
did  m>t  intend  Titmouse  to  hear  him, 
"  to  be  sure  it  would  put  ten  thousand 
—  nay,     with     the     interest,    nearly 

eleven " 

"Thodevil  it  would!    What  would? 

I  r.  Gamn  [claimed 

ly— "  Do  let  us  know 

what  il   : 

'•  Why,  i  was  certainly  thinking,  at 
the  moment,"  replied  Gammon  with  a 
oor  de\  il  Aubrey's  two 
not  id  int.  rest." 


Titmouse's  face  suddenly  fell.  "Oh 
Lord  !  Is  that  all  ?  Hang  the  fellow 
— he's  a  beggar — squeezed  dry — no- 
thing more  to  be  got  out  of  him  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  with  mingled  chagrin  and 
contempt.  "  A'n't  worth  powder  and 
shot!  Blood  from  a  stone  —  won't 
have  anything  worth  taking  this  ten 
years  to  come  !  " 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  quoth  Gammon. 

"Ton  my  soul,  Gammon,  it's  me 
you  may  say  that  of,  I  rather  think  !  " 

""Why,"  said  Gammon,  glancing 
rather  keenly  at  Titmouse,  "my  first 
and  greatest  duty  on  earth,  my  dear 
'lit mouse,  is  to  you — to  look  after,  to 
secure  your  interests ;  and  candour 
compels  me  to  say,  that,  whatever 
may  be  my  feelings  towards  that  un- 
fortunate person,  still,  I  think,  you'> 
only  to  squeeze  Jn'm  pretty  hard,  and 
blood  would  come  from  other  people. 
Elh  !  you  understand  ? " 

"By  Jove  I— Indeed !— No !      But 


How  ?  —  Sqm 
—  !    Please  brine 


would  it  really  \ 
away,  then,  and  be  - 
an  action  against  the  fellow,  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning!  Put  him  in 
jail,  and  he'll  get  the  money,  I'll  war- 
rant him  !  Dem  the  fellow  !  why 
don't  he  pay  his  debts?  It's  devilish 
hard  on  mc,  a'n't  it  ?  Didn't  I  forgive 
him  forty  thousand  pounds?  By  the 
way,  I'd  forgot  there's  the  other  ten 
thou  ind  that  Lord  De  la  Zouch  is 
surety  for — when  do  we  touch  that  !" 

"  Oh  !  we've  taken  a  bond  for  that, 
which  will  not  fall  due  before— lei  mo 
see — the  '2 4th  of  next  January." 

"Ton  my  soul,  what  a  cursed  bore  ! 
But  can't  ono  do  anything  with  it 
before  then?" 

"  What  !  Sue  on  it  before  it's  due?" 

"  No — egad  !  1  mean,  raise  the  wind 
on  it.  Surely  Lord  De  la  Zouch'a 
name  is " 

"Whew  1" thought  Gammon,  "that 
stroke  certainly  had  never  occurred  to 
me  !-   A  v.  he's  rigid,    the   litil  ■   fool  ! 
Old  Fangwillad\ 
or  more  evi  n     ['Usee  to  it,  by  Jove  !  " 

Then    he    said     aloud--"  It     may     be 

possible,  certainly,  my  dear  Titmov 
but  I   Bee  ven  great  obstacles  in  tho 

"Si  I  iw  point     eh  ?" 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


575 


"  Yes — but  I  assure  you  I  will  turn 
my  best  attention  to  it,"  lie  added; 
and  proceeded  to  bring  back  Titmouse 
to  the  point  at  which  he  had  started 
off.  "  And  speaking  of  poor  Aubi  ey — 
it's  certainly  true  that  you  have  been, 
I  may  say,  extravagantly  liberal  to 
him — forbearing  beyond  example  ;  and 
I  can't  think  that  any  one  can  be  ex- 
pected, when  he  knows  a  wave  of  his 
hand  will  put  some  eleven  thousand 
pounds  into  his  pocket,  to  stand  by 
idle  for  ever  !  It  is  not  in  human 
nature " 

"No  ;  'pon  my  life  it  isn't,"  quoth 
Titmouse  with  a  puzzled  air,  quite 
unable  to  make  out  whether  Gammon 
intended  to  favour  or  discourage  the 
notion  of  immediately  proceeding 
against  Aubrey  ;  which  Gammon  ob- 
serving, he  proceed-d — "At  all  events 
I  should  say,  that  if  you  consider  that 
your  own  necessities " 

"  Demme  !  I  should  think  so  !  "  in- 
terposed Titmouse. 

"Required  it— and,  as  you  very 
properly  observed,  you  are  the  best 
judge  ;  certainly  " — he  paused  :  surely 
Titmouse  now  saw  his  drift  ! 

"Yes — 'pon  my  soul!"  exclaimed 
Titmouse. 

""Why,  in  that  case,  it  is  only  due 
to  myself  to  say  /  can  bo  no  party  to 
it :  I  have  had  to  bear  enough  already 
that  was  due  to  others  ;  and  since  I 
have  solemnly  pledged  my  word  of 
honour  to  Mi-. " 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean, 
Gammon  ?  Cuss  me,  if  I  can  make 
you  out  a  bit !  "  interrupted  Titmouse 
snappishly. 

"  You  misunderstand  me,  my  dear 
Titmouse  !  Once  for  all,  I  say,  if  you 
want  the  money,  you  must  at  once  sue 
on  these  notes  ;  and  my  opinion  is, 
you'll  get  the  money — only,  I  imcst 
not  ajtycar  in  it,  you  know  !  But  if 
you  choose  to  employ  some  other 
solicitor — there's  that  Mr.  Spitfire, 
for  instance — to  conyxl  me  to  give  up 
the  notes " 

"  Oh  Lord  !  Honour  !  No,  no  ! — 
So  bless  me,  Heaven !  I  didn't  mean 
anything  of  the  kind,"  cried  Titmouse 
alarmedly,  fearful  of  otFending  Gam- 
mon, who  could  scarcely  conceal  his 


impatience  and  disgust  at  the  stupidity 
of  Titmouse. 

"  I  cannot  make  you  understand  me, 
Titmouse  !  What  I  mean  is,  it  is  my 
duty  not  to  let  my  feelings  interfere 
with  your  interests.  I  now,  therefore, 
advise  you  immediately  to  put  your- 
self into  the  hands — as  far  as  this  little 
business  is  concerned — of  some  other 
solicitor,  say  Mr.  Spitfire,  in  Scorpion 
Court  ;  and  whatever  he  tells  you  to 
do — do  without  hesitation.  You  will 
probably  tell  him  that,  if  he  demands 
the  two  notes  on  your  behalf,  I  may, 
for  form's  sake,  resist ;  but  1  know  I 
shall  be  ordered  to  give  them  up! 
Well— I  can't  help  it !  " 

"Honour  now,  Gammon!  May  I 
do  as  I  like  1"  enquired  Titmouse. 

"Honour!" 

"  And  you  won't  be  angry  ?  Not  a 
bit  !  eh  ? " 

"  On  my  sacred  word  of  honour  !  " 
replied  Gammon  solemnly,  placing  his 
hand  on  his  breast. 

"  Then  fire  away,  Flannagan  !  "  cried 
Titmouse  joyfully,  snapping  his  fingers. 
' '  By  Jove,  here  goes  !  Here's  for  a 
jolly  squeeze  !  Ah,  ha  !  Ten  thousand 
drops  of  blood  ! — by  Jove,  he'll  bleed 
to  death  !  But,  by  the  way,  what 
will  Mr.  Quirk  say?'" 

"Curse  Mr.  Quirk  !  "  cried  Gammon 
impatiently;  "you  know  the  course 
you  are  to  pursue — you  are  your  own 
master,  surely  ?  What  has  Mr.  Quirk 
to  do  with  you,  when  I  allow  you  to 
act  in  this  way  ? " 

"  To  be  sure  !  Well !  here's  a  go ! 
Wasn't  it  a  lucky  thought  of  mine  to 
come  here  to-night  ?  But  don't  you 
forget  the  other  ten  thousand — the 
two  makes  twenty  thousand,  by  Jove  ! 
I'm  set  up  again — ah,  ha  !  And  as  soon 
as  ever  the  House  is  up,  if  I  don't  cut 
away  in  my  span-new  yacht,  with  a 
lot  of  jolly  chaps,  to  the  East  Indies, 
or  some  other  place  that'll  take  us  a 
good  six  weeks,  or  so,  to  go  and  come 
back  in.  Hollo!  Is  that  eleven  o'clock 
striking  ?"  he  enquired  with  a  start, 
taking  out  his  watch  ;  "  It  is,  by  Jove  ! 
and  my  pair's  up  ;  they'll  be  dividing 
—I'm  off!     Good-night." 

"  You  remember  where  Mr.  Spitfire 
lives  ?  "  said  Gammon  anxiously.    "  la 


57o 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAll. 


pion  Court,  Strand.     I  must  say 
he's  one  of  the  i  pectable  men 

in  the  ]  :  and  80  qnii 

"  Ah— I  remember  :  I'll  be  with 
him  the  moment  after  br  lakfast  !  " 
replied  Titmouse:  Gammon  .'hook 
him  by  the  hand — feeling,  when  he 
had  shut  both  hia  doors,  as  if  he 
bad  been  playingwith  an  ape.  "Oh, 
,  ible  and  undiscoverabl  i 
principle  regulating  human  affairs  1" 
thought  he,  falling  into  a  reverie,  a 
bitter  scowl  settling  on  his  strongly  - 
marked  features ;  "  of  what  nature 
t  thou  art,  and  if  any  such  there 
|y  be,  what  conceivable  purpose 
can'st  thou  hare  had  in  view  in  placing 
this  execrable  idiot  and  me,  in  our 
relative  positions  ?  "  lie  pursued  this 
line  of  reflection  for  some  time,  till  he 
had  got  into  a  far  more  melancholy 
and  misan  thropicalhumour  than  hehad 
evet  before  fallen  into — till,  recollecting 
himself,  and  with  a  deep  sigh,  be  rang 
for  a  fresh  supply  of  coffee  from  his 
drowsy  laundress  ;  and  then  exerted 
himself  vigorously  till  nearly  five 
o'cloi  k  in  the  morning,  at  which  hour 
he  got,  exhausted,  into  bed. 

I  hiring  the  ensuing  day,  sure  enough, 
he  received  a  letter  signed  "Sim 
Spitfire,"  and  dated  from  "Scorpion 
I  rt,"  informing  him  that  its  respect- 
able writer  "  was  instructed  1"  apply  to 
him,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  for 
the  immediate  delivery  up  of  two 
promissory  notes  for  C."<( "  »0  each,  given 
by  one  ( lharlea  Aubrey  to  the  aforesaid 
Titmouse,"  and  "begging  Mr.  Gam- 
te  attention  thereto." 
Gammon  immediately  copied  out  and 
sent  a  letter  which  he  had  prepared 
beforehand—  taking  very  high  ground 
indeed,  but  slipping  in,  with  a  careful 
inadvertence,  an  encouraging  admis- 
sion of  the  strict  legal  light  of  Mr. 

Bpltfin  '8    ■  til  lit.       "J'was,  in    short,    u 

charmin  w  riter  to 

1  ■■  one  of  the  n        I  high- 

minded  men  living;  but  producing 
favourable  effect  upon  the 
mind  of  Mr.  Spitfire,  who  in  tantly 
forwarded  a  formal  and  peremptory 
d  tnand  of  the  two  documents  in 
( lammon  wrote  a  second 
utter,  alluding  to  an  unguarded  ml- 1 


mission  made  in  his  former  letter, 
which  he  most  devoutly  hoped  would 
not  be  used  against  him  ;  and,  in 
terms  of  touching  and  energetic  elo- 
quence, re-asserted  that,  though  the 
!  stter  of  the  law  might  be  against  him, 
he  conceived  that,  in  point  of  honour, 
and  indeed  of  justice,  he  was  warranted 
in  adhering  to  the  solemn  promise  he 
had  made  to  a  gentleman  for  whom  bo 
entertained  the  most  profound  respect  ; 
and,  in  short,  be  flatly  refused  to  give 
up  the  instruments  demanded.  Irre- 
pressible was  the  exultation  of  Mr. 
S  pi  itire,  on  finding  himself  getting  so 
much  the  better  of  so  astute  a  person 
as  Mr.  Gammon  ;  and  he  took  an  op- 
portunity of  showing  to  every  one  who 
came  to  his  little  office,  how  Mr. 
Gammon  had  laid  himself  open  to 
the  superior  tactics  of  the  aforesaid 
Mr.  Spitfire  ! — He  then  wrote  a  line 
floui  isning  letter  to  wind  up  the  corre- 
spondence, and  stick  into  an  affidavit, 
in  the  course  of  which  he  apprized 
Mr.  Gammon  that  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench  would  be  immediately  applied 
to  for  a  rule  calling  upon  him  forth- 
with to  deliver  up  the  documents  in 
question.  On  this,  Mr.  Gammon  drew 
up  an  imposing  and  admirable  affidavit, 
setting  forth  all  the  correspondence ; 
and,  as  soon  as  be  had  been  served  with 
the  rale  nisi,  he  instructed  Sir  Charles 
Wblstenholme,  (the  late  Attorney- 
General,)  Mr.  Sterling,  and  Mr. 
Crystal,  to  "  show  f<>  unst  it ; 

knowing,  of  course,  as  well  as  counsel, 
with  whom  he  did  not  think  it  neo  B» 
sary  to  hold  a  consultation,  (for  fear 
they  should  press  him  to  give  up  the 
promissory  notes  without  showing 
cause,)  that  there  was  no  earthly 
chance  of  Bucces  fully  resisting  the 
rule.  When  he  took  his  seat  under 
Sir  Charles,  just  before  that  learned 
person  rose  to  show  cause  again- 1  the 
rule,  he  touched  .Mr.  Gammon  on  the 
Ider,  .-"id  very  warmly  compli- 
mented him  on  the  highly  honoui 
ami  frien  lly  fei  ling  « bich  he  had 
in  mifested  towards  the  unfortw 
Mr,  Aubrey  ;  but  he  feared  that  the 

CB    e,    ;is    fai'    aS    the    legal    merits  Went, 

was  too  plain  for  argument  ;     but  ho 
had  looked  with  unusual  care  over  the 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


577 


affidavits  on  which  the  rule  lv,d  been 
obtained,  and  at  the  form  of  the  rule 
itself — and  rejoiced  to  say  he  felt  con- 
fident that  he  should  be  able  to  dis- 
charge the  rule,  with  costs  : — at  which 
Mr.  Gammon  turned  suddenly  pale — 
with  joyous  surprise,  as  Sir  Charles 
imagined — he  not  knowing  Gammon 
so  well  as  we  do.  The  reader  is  now  in 
a  position  to  appreciate  the  following 
report  of  what  took  place — and  (inter 
nos)  which  said  report  had  been  drawn 
up  for  the  Morning  Growl,  by  Mr. 
Gammon  himself. 


Cottrt  of  King's  Bench.  Yesterday. 

(Sittings  in  Banco.)    Ex  parte 
Titmouse. 

"  This  was  a  rule,  obtained  by  Mr. 
Subtle  on  a  previous  day  of  the  term, 
calling  upon  Mr.  Gammon,  of  the  firm 
of  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap,  of  Saff- 
ron Hill,  Hatton  Garden,  to  show  cause 
why  he  should  not  forthwith  deliver 
up  to  Mr.  Titmouse,  M.P.  for  Yatton, 
two  promissory  notes,  each  for  the  pay- 
ment, on  demand  to  that  gentleman, 
of  £5000,  with  interest,  by  Charles 
Aubrey.  Sir  Charles  Wolsten- 
iiolme,  Mr.  Sterling,  and  Mr.  Crys- 
tal, now  appeared  to  show  cause  — 
and  took  a  preliminary  objection  to 
the  form  of  the  rule.  After  a  very 
long  discussion,  the  Court  decided 
that  the  rule  might  be  moulded  so 
as  to  meet  the  facts  of  the  case,  and 
directed  cause  to  be  shown  on  the 
merits. 

"  From  the  affidavits  filed  in  answer 
to  the  rule,  it  appeared  that  shortly 
after  the  termination  of  the  late  im- 
portant case  of  Doe  dem.  Titmouse  v. 
Aubrey,  (in  which,  it  will  be  recol- 
lected, the  lessor  of  the  plaintiff 
succeeded  in  establishing  his  risrlit  to 
very  large  estates  in  Yorkshire,)  Mr. 
Gammon  had  been  very  active  in 
endeavouring  to  effect  an  amicable 
arrangement  concerning  the  mesne 
profits  ;  and  after  great  exertions,  had 
persuaded  his  client  Mr.  Titmouse  to 
enter  into  an  arrangement,  highly  ad- 
vantageous to  Mr.  Aubrey — who  was 


to  be  released,  (as  wo  understood,) 
from  no  less  a  sum  than  Sixty  'ihou- 
sand  Pounds,  due  in  respect  of  the 
mesne  profits,  on  giving  the  two  pro- 
missory notes  M'hich  were  the  subject 
of  the  present  application.  It  further 
appeared,  that  on  obtaining  Mr.  Au- 
brey's signature  to  these  promissory 
notes,  Mr.  Gammon  had  explicitly 
and  repeatedly  assured  him  that  he 
need  be  under  no  apprehension  of 
being  called  on  for  payment  for  several 
years  ;  but  that  the  notes  should  re- 
main in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Gammon, 
and  should  not  be  put  in  suit  till  after 
a  twelvemonth's  notice  had  been  given 
to  Mr.  Aubrey.  It  did  not  distinctly 
appear  whether  Mr.  Titmouse  was  ever 
made  aware  of  this  understanding  be- 
tween Mr.  Gammon  and  Mr.  Aubrey 
— at  all  events,  nothing  had  ever  passed 
in  writing  upon  the  subject.  Mr. 
Gammon,  on  the  contrary,  frankly  ad- 
mitted it  to  be  possible  that  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse might  have  been  under  the 
impression,  while  surrendering  so  great 
a  claim  against  Mr.  Aubrey,  that  the 
sum  secured  by  the  two  promissory 
notes  was  to  have  been  before  this 
time  liquidated.  There  was  no  affi- 
davit made  on  the  subject  by  Mr. 
Aubrey.  It  also  appeared  that  Mr. 
Titmouse  had  not  hitherto  received 
any  portion  of  the  large  amount, 
£20,000,  yet  due  in  respect  of  the 
mesne  profits.  The  affidavits  read  by 
the  Attorney-General  set  forth  a  cor- 
respondence which  had  taken  place 
between  Mr.  Titmouse's  solicitor  and 
Mr.  Gammon,  in  which  the  latter  in- 
sisted, in  the  most  strenuous  terms, 
upon  the  honourable  engagement  under 
which  he  conceived  himself  to  be  to 
Mr.  Aubrey,  and  solemnly  declared 
his  belief  that  ilr.  Aubrey  was  under 
a  similar  impression ;  at  the  same 
time,  there  were  expressions  in  Mr. 
Gammon's  letters,  from  which  it  was 
plain  that  he  admitted  the  right,  in 
point  of  strict  law,  of  Mr.  Titmouse 
to  the  documents  in  question.  It  also 
appeared  from  the  affidavits  of  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  was  not  denied  by  thoso 
of  Mr.  Gammon,  that  the  former  had 
repeatedly  urged  the  latter  to  deliver 
up  the  notes,  or  commence  proceedings 


578 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


agaiist  Mr.  Aubrey  —  but  that  Mr. 
Gnu  mon  had,  on  all  such  occasions 
previous  to  the  present  one,  succeeded 
in  dissuading  him  from  his  purpose. 
It  liad,  mon  ■  d  alleged  on  be- 

half of  Mr.  Titmouse,  that  Mr.  Gam- 
mon was  acting  in  collusion  with  Mr. 
Aubrey,  to  defeat  the  just  claim  of 
Mr.  Titmouse  ;  but  this  Sir  Charles 
^'olstenholme  indignantly  disclaimed 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Gammon,  whose 
conduct  throughout  showed  the  nicest 
sense  of  honour,  and  the  utmost  pos- 
sible anxiety  to  interfere  between  an 
unfortunate  gentleman  and  utter  ruin. 
But, 

"The  Court,  without  calling  on 
Mr.  Subtle,  (with  whom  were  Mr. 
Goose  and  Sir.  Mud,)  said  the  rule 
must  clearly  be  made  absolute.  The 
legal  right  of  Mr.  Titmouse  to  the 
notes  was  admitted  by  Mr.  Gammon's 
own  affidavit ;  and  there  was  no  pre- 
tence for  holding  that,  as  against  Mr. 
Titmouse,  Mr.  Gammon,  who  was  only 
one  of  that  gentleman's  attorneys,  had 
any  right  to  withhold  the  documents  in 
question.  No  authority  from  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse to  Mr.  Gammon  to  make  the 
alleged  representations  to  Mr.  Aubrey, 
had  been  shown,  and  consequently 
that  gentleman  could  in  no  way  be 
bound  by  them.  He  was  not  even 
shown  to  have  been  aware  of  them. 
It  was  not  pretended  that  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, or  any  of  his  partners,  had 
any  lien  on  the  notes,  which  must 
be  therefore  given  up  to  Mr.  Titmouse. 
With  respect  to  the  imputation  against 
Mr.  Gammon,  of  being  in  collusion 
with  Mr.  Aubrey,  Lord  Widdrington 
added,  that  from  what  his  lordship 
himself  knew  of  Mr.  Aubrey,  it  Mas 
impossible  for  a  moment  to  imagine 
him  capable  of  anything  inconsistent 
with  the  Btricti  t.  honour;  and  that 
Mr.  Gammon's  conduct  showed- that, 
though   l  as  to  the  extent  of 

powi  c  "V  c  the  Dotes  entnu  ted  to 
.  lie  had  acted  from  the  pui 
motives,  and  evinced  an  honourable 
anxiety  to  Berve  the  interests  of  one 
i  he  believed  to  be  unfortunate. 
—  The  rule  was  then  made  absolute  ; 
but  mi  Mr.  Subtle  applying  for  the 
coels,  the  i<  mainder  oi  the  day  was 


occupied  in  an  elaborate  discussion 
upon  the  question — which,  however, 
was  eventually  referred  to  the  Master." 
Nor  was  this  all.  The  intelligent 
editor  of  the  Morning  Gfrotol,  happen- 
ing to  cast  his  eye  over  the  above, 
while  lying  in  proofs,  made  it  the 
subject  of  an  eloquent  leading  article, 
in  which  were  contained  many  just 
and  striking  reflections  on  the  con- 
tinual inconsistency  between  law  (as 
administered  in  England)  and  justice — 
of  which  the  present — lie  said — was  a 
glaring  instance.  It  was  truly  lament- 
able—  it  seemed  —  to  find  truth  and 
honour,  generosity  and  justice,  all 
sacrificed  to  the  wretched  techni- 
calities, the  petty  quirks  and  quibbles, 
of  the  law — which  required  a  radical 
reform.  Indeed,  the  whole  system  of 
our  jurisprudence  called  for  the  most 
searching  revision,  which,  he  hoped, 
would  ere  long  take  place.  Then  fol- 
lowed some  powerful  animadversions 
upon  the  conduct  of  Lord  'Widdring- 
ton in  giving  effect  to  such  pettifogging 
subterfuges  as  had  that  day  served 
plainly  to  defeat  the  ends  of  justice  ; 
and  the  article  concluded  by  calling 
upon  his  lordship  to  resign  his  seat  ou 
the  bench  !  and  make  way  for  a  more 
liberal  and  enlightened  successor,  who 
would  decide  every  case  that  came 
before  him,  according  to  the  dictates 
of  natural  equity  and  common  sense, 
without  being  trammeled  by  such  con- 
siderations as  at  present  tittered  and 
impeded  the  due  administration  of 
justice.  It  did  so  happen,  inter  vos, 
that  this  same  incompetent  Lord  Wid« 
dtington  had  called  down  upon  himself 
and  his  court  the  foregoing  philippic, 
by  having  imposed  :i  smart  fine  upon 
the  publisher  of  the  Morning  Gfrowl, 
and  superadded  a  twelvemonth's  im- 
prisonment, for  as  e]  i  crable  libel  upon 

imiable  and  dignified  ecclesiastic; 
and  this,  too,  his  lordship  had  done, 
after  overruling  an  almost  interminable 
series  of  frivolous  and  vexatious  lech- 
nica]  objections  to  the  proceedings, 
urged  by  the  defendant's  counsel,  in 

ormitywith  his  urgent  instruction 
to  take  every  possible  advantage. 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


587 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

At  the  earliest  moment  at  which 
Mr.  Aubrey  could,  without  suspicion, 
extricate  himself  from  the  embraces  of 
his  overjoyed  wife,  sister,  and  children, 
on  his  return  to  Vivian  Street,  he 
withdrew  to  his  study,  in  order  to 
dispatch  some  letters,  but  principally, 
as  the  reader  may  easily  imagine,  to 
peruse  the  paper  given  him  by  Mr. 
Runnington  with  such  ominous  sig- 
nificance. His.  eye  soon  caught  the 
words  "  Ex  parte  Titmouse" — and  he 
read  through  the  above  report  of  the 
proceedings  with  exceeding  agitation. 
He  read  it  over  twice  or  thrice,  and 
felt  really  sick  at  heart. 

"Oh,  unfathomable  Gammon  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  at  length,  aloud,  laying 
down  the  paper,  and  sinking  into  his 
chair.  "Surely  I  am  the  weakest,  or 
you  the  subtlest  of  mankind  !  "  He 
turned  over  in  his  thoughts  every- 
thing that  he  could  recollect  of  Gam- 
mon's conduct  from  the  first  moment 
that  they  had  met.  He  felt  com- 
pletely baffled  and  bewildered — and 
again  perused  the  report  of  the  pro- 
ceedings in  the  King's  Bench — and 
would  have  again  relapsed  into 
thought,  but  his  eye  happened  to 
alight  on  two  or  three  notes  lying  on 
his  table,  where  they  had  been  placed 
by  Fanny,  having  come  in  his  absence. 
He  opened  the  first  listlessly,  not 
knowing  the  handwriting ;  but,  on 
unfolding  it,  he  started  violently  on 
recognising  the  handwriting  of  Gam- 
mon within ;  and  with  mingled  wonder 
and  fear,  read  as  follows  : — 

"  Thavies'  Inn. 
"  Dear  Sir — God  only  knows  when 
or  where  these  hasty  lines  will  find 
you.  I  am  forced  to  address  them  to 
Vivian  Street,  being  in  total  ignorance 
of  your  intended  movements.  If  you 
have  not  taken  my  advice,  and  with- 
drawn from  the  kingdom,  I  know  not 
what  grievous  indignity  may  not  have 
befallen  you.  You  may  have  been 
torn  from  your  family,  and  now  incar- 
cerated in  prison,  the  victim  of  a  most 
cruel  and    inveterate    rapacity.     My 


conscience  bears  me  witness  that  I 'J  par- 
say — I  can  do — no  more  on  yourr )  up. 
half.     I  am  grossly  misrepresented  )ther 
am    insulted,    by    having    base    .  hem 
sinister  motives  attributed  to  me, ' )  one 
my  conduct    towards    you — for     (ded 
anxious  and  repeated  interference  \lded 
your  behalf.     In  the  Morning  Gro^^o 
of  to-day  you   will  probably  see— Seep 
you  have  not  already  seen — the  repol  by 
of  some  proceedings  against  me,  ye.l 
terday,  in  the  Court  of  King's  Benchjh-es 
It  may  apprize  you  of  the  last  desperathe, 
stand  I  have  made  in  your  behalf.     I*"-at 
is   with    bitter  regret— it   is  with  '''.., y 
feeling  of    deep  indignation,    that   l 
tell  you   I   am   unable   to  fulfil  my 
solemn,    my  deliberate,   my  repeated 
promise  to   you   concerning  the   two 
promissory  notes  which  you  deposited 
with  me,  in  implicit  reliance  on  my 
honour.     Alas  !  you  must  prepare  for 
the  worst !      Mr.    Titmouse  and  his 
new  adviser  can  have,  of  course,  but 
one  object  in  requiring  the  surrender  of 
the   two   promissory  notes,    which   I 
have  already  been  compelled  to  give 
up,  under  peril  of  an  attachment  for 
contempt  of  court.     I  have  strained, 
God  knows  !  every  nerve  on  your  be- 
half;  have  all  but  fatally  quirrelled 
with    Mr.    Titmouse,    and    with    my 
partners  ;  and  I  stand  in  some  mea- 
sure compromised,  by  the  recent  pro- 
ceedings, before  the  profession  and  the 
public — and  all  in  vain  !    Yet,  onco 
more — if   you  are    not    blinded    and 
infatuated  beyond  all  example  or  be- 
lief— I  implore  you,  in  the  name  of 
Heaven — by  every  consideration  that 
should  influence  a  man  of  honour  and 
of  feeling — fly  ! — lose  not  a  second  after 
reading  these  lines,  (which  I  entreat 
you   to   destroy  when   read,)  or  that 
second  may  involve   your   ruin — and 
the  ruin  of  all  connected  with  you  ! 
Believe    me    your    distressed  —  your 
unalterable  friend,  0.  G." 

Mr.  Aubrey  laid  down  this  letter ; 
and  sinking  back  again  into  his  chair, 
yielded  for  some  moments  to  an  im- 
pulse very  nearly  akin  to  despair. 
"Oh  God!"  he  exclaimed,  pressing 
his  hand  aeainst  his  aching  forehead 
— "  to  what  hast  Thou  destined  us,  Thy 

v  V  2 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


57' 

I  creatures  ! — I  am  forbiddeii 
ag;  diave — I  cannot — I  will  not  bc- 
GV — that  Thou  hast  made  us  only 
pnrment  aa  ;  yet,  alas  !  my  Bpirit  is 
inength  drooping  under  these  accu- 
I dated  evils!— Oh  God!  Oh  God!  I 
h  blind.  Give  me  sight,  to  discern 
DywilJ  ingme! — Oh  give  me 

■cup  to  despair !  Break  not  the  bruised 
:d!    Quench  not  the  smoking  flax ! 
What  is  to  become  of  me  ?     Js  this 
■an   Thy  messenger  of  evil  to   me? 
S  he  the  subtle  and  vindictive  fiend  I 
fear   him    to   be  ?     What  can  be  his 
*ject — his   motive  —  for    resorting 
to   sucli    tortuous    and    complicated 
scheming  against  us  as  must  be  his,  if 
he  be  playing  the  hypocrite  ? — Or  is 
lie  really  what  he  represents  himself? 
And   am  I   guilty  of  groundless  dis- 
trust— of    gross   ingratitude? — What 
shall  I   think,  what   can  I    do?     Oh 
my  God,  preserve  my  senses  to  me — 
my  understanding  !      My  brain  seems 
ling!     My  perceptions  are  becom- 
ing   disturbed  ! — Perhaps    this    very 
night  the  frightful  scene  of  the  morn- 
ing may  be  acted  over  again  !    again 
my  bleeding  heart  be  torn  from  those 
it  loves — to  whom  Thou  hast  united 
it !  " — A  deep  sigh,  or  rather  groan, 
burst  from  him  ;  and  leaning  over  the 
table,  he  buried  his  face  in  his  hands, 
and   remained  for  some  time  in  that 

posture. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  ?  "  he  presently 
enquired,  rising,  and  walking  to  and 
fro.  "Fly — he  says!  Were  I  weak 
and  unprincipled  enough  to  do  so, 
should  1  not,  in  all  human  probability, 
fall  into  the  deepest  pit  ha  has  dug 
for  me  • — but  be  thai  as  it  may — fly 
I  v.  HI  not !  Never  !  Never  !  Those 
dear—  those  precious  beings  in  yonder 
Mom" — hLs  heart  thrilled  within  him 
— "may  weep  for  me,  but  shall  ni  vex 
n  for  in-'  I  " 

"  Why  how  horrid  is  my  poi  i- 
tion  !  "  he  presently  exclaimed  to  him- 
self! "Ton  thousand  pounds  and 
upwards,  mn  I  j       or  Lord 

1 1.    1 1  /.  i     li    for  me,    wit  fun  a  few 
month  ■,-'■■•  ond  ten  thousand 

pounds,   witli    nearly    live    hundred 
pounds    of    intere  t ;     I    am    to 
arretted    for   nearly   fifteen    hundred 


pounds ;  and  this  man  Titmouse  holds 
my  bond  for  two  thousand  pounds 
more,  and  interest !  Is  it,  then,  Thy 
will,  0  God!  that  I  am  to  sink 
beneath  my  troubles  ?  Am  I  to  perish 
from  Thy  sight  ?  To  be  crushed 
beneath  Thy  displeasure? — Or,  merci- 
ful Father  — wilt  Thou  save  me,  when 
tliere  is  none  other  to  lulji.'' 

Calmness  seemed  stealing  insensibly 
over  his  troubled  spirit  ;  his  agitated 
feelings  sank  gradually  into  an  inde- 
scribable and  wonderful  repose  ;  in 
that  dismal  moment  of  extreme  suffer- 
ing, his  soul  became  blessedly  sensible 
of  its  relationship  to  God  ; — that  he 
was  not  the  miserable  victim  of  ch 
— as  the  busy  spirit  of  darkness  in- 
cessantly whispered  in  his  ear — but  in 
the  hands  of  the  Father  of  the  spirits 
of  all  flesh,  who  listened,  in  his  be- 
half, to  the  pleading  of  One  touched 
with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities — 
who  was  in  all  points  tempted,  even  as 
we  arc.  His  fainting  soul  felt  sus- 
tained as  by  the  grace  for  which  it  had 
sought ;  the  oil  and  balm  of  a  sound 
scriptural  consolation  were  poured  into 
his  wounds.  Ik-fore  his  quickened 
eye  arose  many  bright  figures  of  those 
who  had  gloriously  overcome  the 
fiercest  assaults  of  the  Evil  One,  re- 
sisting even  unto  death  : — he  felt  for 
a  moment  compassed  about  by  a  or 
cloud  of  witnesses  to  the  mercy  and 
goodness  of  God.  Oh,  in  that  moment, 
how  wonderfully  little  seemed  tho 
sorrows  which  had  before  appeared  so 
great  !  He  felt,  in  a  manner,  at  onco 
humbled  and  exalted.  Invisible  sup- 
port elung  to  his  confident  soul — as  it 
were  the  arm  of  Him  who  will  not 
sufferus  to  be  tempted  above  wlmt  we  are 
able;  but  will,  with  the  temptation, 
also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that 
may  be  able  to  bear  it.  He  sank 
:  ly  up. m  his  knees  ;  and  with 
cla  ipeu  hands,  and  his  face  raised 
towards  heaven,  with  profound  con- 
trition of  spirit,  yet  with  firm  faith, 
i  'lit  the  mercy  which  God  has 
promised  to  those  who  thus  will  ask 
for  it.  Thus  occupied,  he  did  not 
tve  the  door  gently  opened,  and 
by.  Mrs.  Aubrey  —  who,  clo  iug  it 
ily  after  her,  Hung  her  arm  round 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


.5S7 


Lis  necK,  sinking  down  beside  him, 
and  in  a  low,  fond  voice,  exclaimed — 
"Oh,  my  own  love!  My  own 
Charles  !  My  poor,  oppressed,  perse- 
cuted, heart-broken  husband !  Pray 
for  me — me  also  !  "  He  gently  returned 
her  embrace,  looking  at  her  unutter- 
able things ;  and  after  they  had  re- 
mained thus  for  a  few  moments,  they 
arose.  He  gazed  at  her  with  unspeak- 
able tenderness,  and  a  countenance 
full  of  serenity  and  resignation.  He 
gently  soothed  her  agitated  feelings, 
and  succeeded  in  communicating  to 
her  a  measure  of  the  composure  which 
he  experienced  himself.  Before  they 
had  quitted  that  little  room,  he  had 
even  apprized  her,  faithfully,  of  the 
peril  which  momentarily  menaced 
them  —  and  again  the  cold  waters 
gushed  over  her  soul.  At  length, 
however,  she  had  recovered  her  self- 
possession  sufficiently  to  return  to  the 
room  she  hid  quitted,  and  instantly 
blanched  Miss  Aubrey's  check  by  com- 
municating the  new  terrors  which 
threatened  them. 

Just  as  they  were  finishing  dinner 
— a  mere  mockery,  however,  of  a 
meal — a  double  knock  at  the  door 
occasioned  them  all  not  a  little  agi- 
tation ;  but,  as  the  event  proved, 
needlessly,  since  it  announced  the 
arrival  of  only  their  kind  experienced 
friend,  Mr.  Runnington — who  evi- 
dently felt  infinitely  relieved  at  find- 
ing that  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Miss  Aubrey 
had  been  made  acquainted  by  Mr. 
Aubrey  with  the  additional  source  of 
apprehension  afforded  by  the  report  of 
the  King's  Bench  proceedings.  Mr. 
Runnington  felt  assured  that  within 
twenty-four  hours'  time  proceedings 
would  be  taken  against  Mr.  Aubrey ; 
whom,  however,  he  reminded,  that  as 
in  the  former,  so,  in  the  antici- 
pated case,  the  extent  of  his  im- 
mediate anxiety  would  be  the 
finding  bail  for  so  very  serious  an 
amount :  but  that  difficulty  sur- 
mounted, he  would  .be  safe  from 
personal  annoyance  and  apprehension 
till  the  ensuing  November.  Mr. 
Aubrey  then  proceeded  to  apprize  Mr. 
Runnington  of  the  death  of  old  Lady 
Stratton,  and  the  grievous  events  con- 


nected with  it,  amidst  the  tejufv* 
sobs    of    Mrs.    Aubrey    and      I  ?P" 
Though  he  said  but  little,  his    "ner 
tenance  showed  how  truly  shock "  e 
was  at  the  intelligence.     "Nev'°*le 
my  experience,"  at  length  he  obser~?  5 
"  a  thirty-six  years'  experience  iiv 
profession,  have   I   heard  of,  or  vSre0 
with,  such  a  case  of  complicated  refP 
fortune  as  yours  !     '  But  it  is,'  as\    * 
old  proverb  has  it,  '  a  long  lane  t\ 
has  no  turning.'     We  must  trust,  l\e^ 
dear  sir,  to  the  chapter  of  accidents,0' 

"Oh,  Mr.  Runnington!"  iri>'lC 
rupted  Aubrey  with  animation,  "  tk.'  - 
is  no  such  thing ! — It  is  the  order  of 
Providence  ! "  They  then  entered  into 
a  long  conversation  ;  in  the  course  of 
which — "  If  our  fears — our  worst  fears 
— be  confirmed,"  observed  Running- 
ton,  "  and  they  venture  to  put  in  suit 
these  two  notes — then  they  will  have 
thrown  down  the  gauntlet.  I'll  take 
it  up — ami  there's  no  knowing  what 
may  turn  up  when  we  come  to  close 
quarters.  First  and  foremost,  I'll  tax 
away  every  farthing  of  the  alleged 
'  balance '  of  their  monstrous  bill — ay, 
I'll  stake  my  reputation  on  it,  that  I 
leave  them  not  a  shilling  ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  prove  that  you  have  already 
greatly  overpaid  them." 

"Alas !  have  I  not,  however,  pledged 
myself  to  Mr.  Gammon  not  to  do  so  ? " 
interrupted  Aubrey. 

"Pshaw! — Forgive  me,  but  this  is 
absurd.  Indeed,  Mr.  Aubrey,  it  is 
really  out-heroding  Herod !  All  is 
fair  against  adversaries  such  as  these  ! 
Besides,  if  you  must  be  so  scrupulous 
and  fastidious — and  I  honour  you  for 
it — there's  another  way  of  putting  it, 
which  I  fancy  settles  the  matter.  By 
Mr.  Titmouse  putting  these  bills  in 
suit,  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap's  promise  to  you  is  not  per- 
formed— it  is  broken  ;  and  so  there  is 
an  end  of  yours,  which  is  dependent 
upon  the  performance  of  theirs." 

"That  is  only  on  the  supposition 
that  they  are  playing  me  false — where- 
as the  proceedings  yesterday  in  court, 
especially  when  coupled  with  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's letters  to  me " 

"  All  hollow  !  hollow  !  "  replied  Mr. 
Runnington,    shaking    his    head.  — - 


57 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


10  could 
ow  Tit- 


iptc  and  hypocritical !     "VV1 
gto  G  t    This  fell 

,,r  ,  whom  they  arc  doubtless  fleec- 
jr.iilv,  is  in  all  probability  desper- 
j    driven   for  ready  money;   and 
jj  have  allowed  him  to  get  hold  of 
j  :  two  hills,  after  a  sham  resistance 
he  pari  of  <  rammon,  in  order  to 
forward  your  friends  to  the  rescue 
pend  upon  it !  " 
Aubrey  fired  at  the  bare  thought. 
"et  1  must  own  1  am  at  a  lo 
,-jcoy,  :•  what  motive  or  object  Mr. 
ton  can  have  for  going  so  far  out 
way  to  secure  your  good  opinion, 
or  for  wrapping  himself  in  so  impene- 
uise.     lie  is  a  very,  very 
deep  devil,   that  Gammon;   and,  de- 
pend upon  it,  lias  Bome  sinister  pur- 
!,  which  you  will  by  and 
by  discover!"    Mr.  Aubrey  then,  for 
Brat  time,  acquainted  Mr.   Run- 
wit  h  Gammon's  recent  pro- 
posals to  Miss  Aubrey,  at  which  Mr. 
Runnington  seemed  for  some  moments 
struck  dumb  with  osl  nt. 

"I   presume,"  at  length  said  he, 

turning  with  a   brief  ami    sad    smile 

towards  Mi     Aubrey,  whose  reddening 

k  betokened  the  inter  st  she  fell 

in  the  conversation — "1  presume,  Miss 

Aubrey,   there   is  no  chance  of  our 

i  into — Mrs.  Gammon?" 

"  J    should    rather  think  not,  Mr. 

id  with  suffi- 

-  "f  manner ;  "and  I  am 

quite  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  could 

My  have  put  such  u  thing  into  his 

1.      1." 

rtainly,  Mr.  Uunnington,"  said 
Aubrey,  "  i  can  undertake  to  say  that 
my  sister  never  gave  him  any  encour- 
ment." 

"En  '—Horrid  man!  " 

J   with    great 

vivacity.     '■  er  bear  him — 

know   ••  les— so  do    you, 

Mr.    Runnington   made  no 

m   "ii    ih-    .  abject, 

he  v.  ■  h    was  b 

to  di  i  over  a  clue  to  much  i 

onducfc— for  (hat  thai  -.nil,-. 
man   was  acting  with   profound   du- 
plicity, Mr.    Runnington  entorl  lined 
ioubt  whatever;  and   lie    I 


to  watch  his  every  motion  connected 
with  Mr.  Aubrey  closely. 

"  What  will  be  the  earliest  period," 
enquired  Mr.  Aubrey,  "at  which  Mr. 
Titmouse,  if  so  disposed,  can  put  in 
suit  my  bond  given  to  the  late  Lady 
Stratton  ? " 

"As  soon  as  he  has  obtained  the 
grant  of  letters  of  administration,  which 
cannot  take  place  till  the  end  of  four- 
t  i<  n  days  from  her  ladyship's  death — 
that  being  one  difference,  as  you  are 
aware,  between  the  powers  of  an  execu- 
tor and  an  administrator."  Mr.  An! 
sighed,  and  made,  no  reply  ;  while  Mr. 
Runnington  looked  at  him  for  some 
moments  in  silence,  as  if  doubting 
whether  to  mention  something  which 
had  occurred  to  him.  At  length — 
"Of  course,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  lie  com- 
menced, "one  does  not  like  to  raise 
groundless  hopes  or  fears  ;  but,  do  you 
know,  1  am  by  no  means  free;  from 
doubts  as  to  the  reality  of  Lady 
Strat  ton's  intestacy- — whether  tho 
draft  of  her  proposed  will,  brought  to 
ler  by  Mr.  rarkinson,  could  not  bo 
admitted  to  probate.  Very — vcrynico 
questions,  as  you  must  be  aware,  often 
arise  out  of  cases  like  these!  Sinco 
ag  you  this  morning,  I  have  writ- 
ten off  to  Mr.  rarkinson  for  full  and 
accurate  information  on  the  point ; 
and  if  1  get  a  satisfactory  answer,  with 
your  consent  I  will  certainly  lodge  a 
U  against  the  grant  of  title  of 
administration.  That  would  indeed 
checkmate  them  !  But  I  have  very 
slight  hopes  indeed  of  receiving  such 
an  answer  as  one  could  wish,"  added 
.Mr.  Runningti  a,  fearful  of  exciting 
fruitless  c  p(  ;  . lions.  Shortly  after- 
wards, Miss  Aubrey,  who  h  ml 
for  Borne  little  time  labouring  under 
considerable  excitement,  addressing 
her  brother,  said,  with  evident  em- 
barrassment—  "Charles,  I  am  very 
anxious  to  mention  something  that 
occurred  to  me  of  a  very  singular 
nature  -  if  yon  think  1  am  at  lib  rty 
'■"  do  so  ;   and  I  sh  dl  i                 vol!  and 

■Mr.  Runnington,  w  bether,  under  the 

'iron  ,    N,,n   consider  me  en- 

so  what  1  allude  to." 

"  Kate,    Kate! —what   is   this?  — 

VVL  it  do  you  mean  ?    You  quite  alarm 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


587 


me ! "  enquired  her  brother,  with  an 
amazed  air. 

"Suppose  Mr.  Gammon,  on  the  oc- 
casion of  his  calling  upon  me,  which 
has  been  recently  mentioned,  volun- 
teered a  statement  of  a  very,  very 
extraordinary  description  —  one  that 
has  ever  since  quite  haunted  me,  day 
and  night.  Mind,  Charles  —  I  say 
that,  in  the  first  instance,  he  volun- 
teered it,  only  expressing  an  earnest 
wish  that  I  should  mention  it  to  no 
one  ;  on  which  I  said  I  should  make 
no  promise,  but  act  as  I  might  think 
proper ;  and  after  my  saying  this,  he 
made  the  communication  I  allude  to. 
Should  I  be  at  liberty,"  continued 
Miss  Aubrey,  eagerly  and  anxiously, 
"now  to  disclose  what  he  told  me? 
I  am  dying  to  do  it,  if  I  may,  hon- 
ourably." 

"My  dear  Kate,  I  really  fear  you 
are  wandering — that  you  are  overcome 
with  the  sufferings  you  have  gone 
through  to-day,"  said  her  brother  ten- 
derly, and  with  infinite  concern. 

"Indeed,  Charles,  I  am  not,"  she 
answered,  with  great  earnestness. 

"Then  I  am  of  opinion  that  you 
may  most  certainly  mention  anything 
so  communicated  to  you — I  have  no 
doubt,  Kate." 

"Nor  I,  Miss  Aubrey,"  added  Mr. 
Runnington  eagerly  ;  "nay,  I  go  fur- 
ther— with  a  man  like  him,  I  think  it 
is  your  duty  to  disclose  anything  he 
may  have  said  to  you." 

Miss  Aubrey  paused  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  then  mentioned  the  sin- 
gular circumstance  with  which  the 
reader  is  already  acquainted  ;  namely, 
Mr.  Gammon's  distinct  and  solemn 
assurance  to  her,  that  he  possessed  the 
power  of  restoring  her  brother  to  the 
possession  of  Yatton ;  and  that,  too, 
by  legal  and  honourable  means ;  and 
that,  if  she  would  but  promise  to 
receive  him  as  her  suitor,  he  would 
pledge  himself  to  replace  them  all  at 
Yatton  before  claiming  the  perform- 
ance of  his  promise. 

Mr.  Aubrey,  Mrs.  Aubrey,  and  Mr. 
Rumnngton,  all  listened  to  this  strange 
story  in  silence,  and  gazed  in  astonish- 
ment at  Miss  Aubrey. 

"  Forgive  me,   dear  madam,"  said 


Mr.  Runnington  at  length,  exch^Par" 
an  incredulous  glance  with  he  '  ^P" 
ther,  "if  I  —  I  — express  a  ™ev 
whether  you  may  not  be  labc'nem 
under  a  complete  misconception-^  °"je 

"  'Tis  impossible,  Kate  !  "  addel£?a» 
brother;  but  he  knew,  at  the  uded 
time,  his  sister's  strong  sense  ;  aiV?reG 
doubt  vanished  both  from  his  A le£ P 
and  that  of  Mr.  Runnington  on\  "J 
calmly  and  distinctly  repeating  v\ 
she  had  just  said — giving  even  yfs 
very  expressions  made  use  of  by  1  r  ' 
Gammon,  and  which,  she  said,  tb'16 
might  easily  believe  had  nude  a  '' ^ 
deep  impression  on  her  mind. 

"It's  inconceivable!"  exclaimed 
her  brother,  after  a  long  pause. 

' '  I  t's  au  audacious  and  cruel  false- 
hood, in  my  opinion,"  said  Mr.  Run- 
nington :  and  all  again  were  silent. 
Then  he  hastily  ran  his  eye  over  the 
main  points  in  the  late  proceedings  by 
which  Mr.  Aubrey  had  been  ejected 
from  Yatton.  ' '  Either,"  he  continued, 
after  a  pause,  "he  is  a  gross  liar,  or 
is  labouring  under  insanity — or  there 
has  been  shocking,  atrocious  villainy 
practised  against  you.  If  he  be  in  his 
senses,  and  be  speaking  the  truth — - 
gracious  Heaveu !  he  must  have 
brought  forward  a  series  of  perjured 
witnesses  at  the  trial." 

"  Did  he  drop  any  hint,  Kate,  as  to 
the  means  by  which  he  could  bring 
about  such  a  result  ? "  enquired  her 
brother  after  a  long  pause,  during 
which  he  too  had  been,  like  Mr.  Run- 
nington, reflecting  on  the  course  of 
proof  by  which  the  case  of  Titmouse 
had  been  supported. 

' '  No — not  the  remotest ;  of  that  I 
am  certain.  I  observed  that  par- 
ticularly ;  though  shortly  afterwards, 
I  was  so  overcome  by  what  he  had 
said,  and  also  by  the  manner  in  which 
he  said  it,  that  I  fainted.  Mr.  Gam- 
mon must  have  carried  me  to  the  sofa  ; 
for  when  I  came  to  myself  I  was  lying 
there — though,  when  I  felt  myself 
losing  my  consciousness,  I  was  stand- 
ing near  the  window,  which  I  had 
risen  to  open." 

"  It's  the  most  amazing  thing  I  ever 
heard  in  my  life,  I  protest ! "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Runnington  thoughtfully : 


57 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


a~-  Mr.  Audrey  rose  from  his  eh  dr, 
QAvalked  ;i  few  Bteps  to  and  fro, 
mtisly  labouring  under  much  ex- 

y  ait 

1       ;■■.    K  ite  !  "    said    he,    r 
•; ,.    •■  you  should  hav< 

that  you  next  saw 

J" 

"'For     Heaven's     sake,    be    calm, 
:  "  cried  -Mrs.  Aubn  y, 
■   a   little  agitated   by   the 
linary   intelligi  in  e   just   com- 
■  .1  by  Kate,  for  the  first  time, 
fen  to  her.     Poor  .Miss  Aubrey,  on 
a  the  wayin  which  her  communi- 
-  had  been  r.  ceived,  heartily  re- 
gretted having  mentioned  the  matter. 
"This  will  require  very  great  con- 
Bideration,  Mr.  Aubrey,  to  know  how 
•  ;il  with  it,  and  with  Gammon," 
Mr.  Runnington.    "Iaminclined 
to  think,  at  present,  that  he  would 
:iv  have  ventured  upon  so  ont- 
b    pi        of  folly,  as  making 
,  a  representation  as  this,  had  there 
foundation  for  it  in  faet  ;  and 
I  am  quite  astonished  that  a  man 

o    Bignally   self-posse 
dd  hive  so  committed  himself — 
h      iusI  have  been  under  some  great 
excit  ■uieiit  at  the  moment." 

"lie.    certainly    was,    or    at    least 
iod  deal  agitato  d  while  he 
with  me,"  quoth  Kate,  colouring 
a  little. 

"That    is    highly    probable,    Miss 
Aubrey,"    replied    Mr.     Runnin 
with   a  faint  smile.      "  It  have 

app  ared  to  him  as  one  of  the  most 
.:  rences,  that  Miss  Aubrey 
should  mention  to  you,  Mr.  Aubrey, 
e  .  extraordinary  a  circumstance!  It 
i,  very,  very  difficult  to  imagine  Mr. 
i  hrown  offhi    guard,  on  any 

i      a  i      uea  an   anxious 
ition    on   the 
Bubject,   in   which   many  conjectures 
.    but    without    1 
lie  ;   quil 
i  now  throw  n  upon  all  his 
nd  the  whole  t  nor  i  f  his 
They  rea  1  over  Ms  last  two 
notes  with  new  mel 

tli  it,     while     W 
I    : 

.  -r  which  he  had  repri  entod. 


All  was  mystery.     Then  was  discussed 
the   question,  as  to  the  propriety  of 
either  Mr.  Runnington  or  Mr.  Aubrey 
applying  to  Mr.    Gammon  upon  the 
subject — a  step  which  was,  however, 
poned   for  future   ami   more   ma- 
ture   consideration.      Another    thing 
sted  itself  to  Mr.  Aubrey,  but  he 
it  to  himself: — should  he  at  oi 
apprise  Mr.  Gammon  of  the  fact  that 
was  in  a  manner  unquestionably 
engaged  to  Mr.  Delamere.  and  so  at 
once  and  for  ever  extinguish  all  hope 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Gammon  ?  " 

The  evening,  however,  was  now  ad- 
vancing, and  Mr.  Runnington  pressed 
upon  Mr.  Aubrey  (he  object  lie  had 
chiefly  had  in  view  in  calling.     It  was 
to  prevail  on  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  him- 
self to  accompany  him  that  evening  to 
his  country  house,  which    lay  in  the 
direction  of  Richmond,  al  about  six 
miles'  distance  from  town,  and  where, 
for  a  brief  interval*  they  might  enjoy 
a  respite  from  the  frightful  suspense 
and    danger   to   which    they    were   at 
present    exposed    in    Vivian    Street. 
Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate        I  earnestly 
aded    the   kind   importunities   of 
Mr.  Runnington  ;  and  after  consider" 
hesitation  Mr.  Aubrey  consented. 
It,  was  accordingly  arranged  that,  Mr. 
Runnington's   cai  ria  y    no1     being  in 
town,  he  should  return  within  an  hour 
with  a  glass-coach  ;  and  that,  during 
the   ensuing    day,    Mrs.     Runnington 
should  drive  to  town  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  hack  with  her  Misa  Aubrey, 
and   little    Charles   and    Agnes.      This 
having    been    determined  upon,    Mr. 
Runnington  quitted  them,  promising 
to  return  within  an  hour,  when  ho 
hoped  to  find  them  ready  to  start,  and 
equipped  for  a  several  days'  sojourn, 
As  soon  a    he  had  left  the  housi .  Mr. 
Aubrey's  Bcruples  began  to  revive  :  it 
app  and  to  him,  that  though  it  might 

Bhort  time  only,  still  it  \ 
in    effect,    an    absconding    from    his 
creditors :    and  there  is  no   knov 
but  that  his  fastidious  Bcruples,   his 

ate  Bcnse  of  rectitude',  mi   It  I 

led  him  after  all  to  Bend  offM  rs.  Aubrey 

,  when,  poor  bou!  !  he  wa  i  Bpared 

the  trial  by  an  incident  which  occurred 

about  half  an  hour  after  Mr.  Running- 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


587 


ton's  departure.  Mrs.  Aubrey  was 
sitting  in  the  parlour  in  travelling 
dress,  fondling  little  Agnes,  and  talk- 
ing earnestly  to  Kate  about  the  man- 
agement of  the  two  children,  and  other 
matters  ;  while  Mr.  Aubrey,  also  ready 
to  start,  was  in  the  study  selecting  a 
book  or  two  to  take  with  him,  when  a 
heavy  single  knock  at  the  door,  un- 
accompanied by  the  sound  of  coach- 
wheels,  nearly  paralyzed  all  three  of 
them.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  within  a 
f  w  minutes'  time  the  wretched  and 
almost  heart-broken  Aubrey  was  a 
second  time  in  custody,  and  at  the 
suit  of  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq.  M.P., 
for  the  principal  sum  of  ten  thousand 
pounds,  and  interest  for  twelve  months, 
at  the  rate  of  five  pounds  per  centum 
per  annum.  The  agonizing  scene 
which  ensued  I  shall  leave  entirely  to 
the  reader's  imagination  —  observing 
only,  that  the  two  minions  of  the  law 
into  whose  hands  Aubrey  had  now 
fallen,  seemed  totally  indifferent  to 
the  anguish  they  witnessed.  The 
chief  was  a  well-known  sheriff's  officer 
—  one  Vice";  short,  fat,  bloated; 
deeply  pitted  with  the  small-pox ; 
close-cut  black  hair,  .almost  as  coarse 
as  that  of  a  hog  ;  while  the  expression 
of  his  features  was  at  once  callous  and 
insolent.  Aubrey  perceived  at  a  glance 
that  he  had  no  consideration  or  mercy 
to  expect  at  the  hands  of  such  a  man 
as  this  ;  and  the  follower  very  much 
resembled  his  master. 

"You're  my  prisoner,  sir,"  said 
Vice,  walking  up  to  Aubrey,  and  with 
an  air  of  matter-of-fact  brutality  taking 
hold  of  his  collar  with  one  hand, 
while  in  the  other  he  held  his  warrant. 
"  If  you  like  to  clap  a  great-coat  on, 
as  it's  getting  late,  you  may  ;  but  the 
sooner  you're  off  out  of  the  way  of  all 
this  here  noise,  the  better — I  should 
say." 

"For  God's  sake  wait  for  a  few 
minutes — I  have  a  friend  coming," 
said  Aubrey,  his  wife  clinging  to  his 
arm. 

"  D— d  if  I  wait  a  moment,  that's 
flat !  "  quoth  Vice,  glancing  at  the  two 
boxes  in  the  passage,  and  guessing 
from  them,  and  the  travelling  dress  of 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  that  ha  had  arrived  just 


in  the  very  nick  of  time  to  prevail  P^r- 

escape.  j  UP* 

"For  the  love  of  Heaven,  stay  ither 

five  minutes!  "  cried  Kate,  passionshena 

wringing  her  hands — but  she  migp  one 
well  have  addressed  a  blacksmlded, 
anvil  as  either  of  the  men  who  tided 
now  masters  of  her  doomed  brotlvgree 
person.  Beep 

"  'Tis  useless,  Kate — 'tis  in  vain,  \  by 
love  !  "  said  he,  with  a  melanchl 
air ;  and  turning  to  Vice,  who,  wires 
his  companion,  stood  at  only  a  iVe, 
inches'  distance  from  him — "perhi-ut 
you  will  allow  me  to  write  down  tl  y 
•address  of  the  place  you  are  taking  mt? 
to  ?"  he  enquired,  somewhat  sternly. 

"  Write  away  then,  and  make  haste; 
for,  write  or  no  write,  you're  off !  " 

Mr.  Aubrey  hastily  wrote  down  in 
pencil,  for  Mr.  Kunnington,  "  Vice — 
Squeezum  Court,  Carey  Street,  Lin- 
coln's-Inn  Fields  ;  "  and  then,  having 
hastily  drawn  on  his  great-coat — with- 
out taking  with  him  even  a  change  of 
linen — (for  Vice  would  seem  to  have 
got  the  idea  of  a  rescue  into  his  head, 
and  was,  besides,  anxious  to  run  not 
the  least  risk  with  a  (en  thousand 
pound*'  debtor) — tore  himself  from  the 
frenzied  embrace  of  his  wife  and  sister, 
and  quitted  the  house.  Vice  had  re- 
fused even  to  let  his  man  go  in  quest 
of  a  hackney-coach,  or  to  wait  while 
Fanny  ran  for  one  ;  and  the  moment 
they  had  got  into  the  street,  the  cries 
of  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  yet  ringing 
in  Mr.  Aubrey's  ears,  Vice  put  his  arm 
with  rough  familiarity  into  that  of 
Mr.  Aubrey,  directing  his  follower  to 
do  the  same ;  and  in  this  style  they 
hurried  Mr.  Aubrey  along  the  whole  of 
the  distance  between  Vivian  Street 
and  Squeezum  Court  ;  he  uttering  not 
one  single  word — but  his  heart  almost 
bursting.  Vice  had  received  his  in- 
structions from  Mr.  Spitfire,  who  was 
a  very  dashing  practitioner  ;  and  per- 
fectly well  knowing  the  value  of  every 
day  towards  the  close  of  term,  had  got 
his  affidavit  of  debt  prepared  and  ready 
sworn,  and  everything  in  readiness, 
even  before  the  rule  had  been  made 
absolute  against  Mr.  Gammon.  As 
the   two   captors  and  their    prize — a 


gentleman 


betwoen    two    rut 


i::s 


5". 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


ged  at  a  smart  pace  along  the 
q-n,  they  attracted  considerable 
pjition;  now  and  then,  even  a 
jr    crowd   would   follow  them  for 

]     tl  t.       OllCC 

vAu  :ht  the  wor  Is — " 

j  >v !     Forgery,   no    doubt — he's    a 
.  man  in  a  month  !  " 

■^  lock-up  was,  though  similar 

its  general   appearance,    yet  of  a 

■h    ::  '  rior  description  to  that  of 

il>.      It  was  smaller  and   meaner. 

ichcd   it  a  little  after  eight 

eloi  k. 

"Are  you  for  the  parlour,  or  the 
common  room!"  enquired  Vice,  as 
soon  as  they  had  entered  the  house. 

"  Which  you  please,"  replied  Aubrey, 
quickly  and  gloomily. 

•'  P'r'aps  you'd  better  show  the 
getnman  up-stairs,"  said  the  follower 
Hesitatingly,  to  his  ma  ter. 

"You  pay  extra  up-stairs,"  quoth 
Vice;  "which  shall  it.  be?" 

"I  have  no  money,  sir,  to  spare — 1 
know     the     extortiouating     practices 

whi  h " 

"Oh,   come  along  then!"   replied 

Yi  :e  in    ilently  ;  and   in  a  minute  or 

two   Mr.  Aubrey  found  himself  in  a 

ably  large,  but  low  room,  at  the 

.  of  the  house,  lit  by  three  or  four 

Ilea      Thj  ro    were    some    ten   or 

twel  ■  ■  pi  rsons  in  it,  who  were  smoki 

ig    the    newspapers, 
pla       '  at  ranis,  dice,  pitch-farthing, 
bo    forth.     All  seemed  in   go  id 
spirits,  and  suspended  for  a  moment' 
their  various  occupations  to  scrutinize 
new-comer  -  on  whom  the-    door 
Was  i;i  a  twinklin  { closi  d  and  locked. 
v,  :  ir,  jnsb  iu  time  to  cut  in," 
said  a  thin  pale  man,  stepping  bri 
up  to  him  from  a  table  at  which  he 
and  two  others  had  just  begun  to  play 
a  robber.     "  Now,  sir,"  he  continui  I. 
in  a  .  .  tinning  the  edges 

of  tl  :  ipidly  tl  ' 

with  th  i,  and   th  (o 

ring  the  pacl  Aubrey. 

'•  I  do  Dot  play,"   replied  Auhivy  ill 

a  card — drive  <1  nil  care 
i   dull    hen 
without  •  :<.rt." 

"  I  do  net  1  certain]  ■ 


shall  not,"  repeated  Mr.  Aubrey,  some- 
what peremptorily. 

"Only  half-crown  points  —  can't 
hurt  you,"  he  continued,  with  a  flip- 
pant air  ;  till  31  r.  Aubrey  walked  from 
him  with  an  air  of  disgust  towards 
another  part  of  the  room. 

"  You're  a  liar!  "  said  one  of  the  two 
I   ] 'laying  at  drafts,  to  the  other, 
a  dispute  having  arisen  about  the  game 
as  Mr.  Anbn  i  them. 

"  You're  a  cheat !  "  wa,s  the  answer  ; 
on  which  the  man  so  addressed  sud- 
denly and  violently  ilung  a  half-empty 
tumbler  of  brandy  and  water  at.  the 
other;  it  took  effect  on  the  forehead  of 
his  companion,  who  fell  stunned  from 
his  chair,  his  forehead,  which  had  been 
cut  open,  bleeding  profusely.  On  this 
there  was  a  general  rush  towards  ihe 
spot.  In  the  midst  of  this  sicl  ening 
scene  the  door  was  opened  by  Vice— 

" Hollo— what's  the  matter?"  said 
he,  locking  the  door  after  him,  and 
coming  up  to  the  group  round  the 
fallen  and  miserable  man  who  had 
been  struck. 

""Who  did  it  ?"  cried  he  fiercely,  ou 
catching  sight  of  the  prostrate  man. 

"1  did,"  answered  the  perpetrator 
of  the  outrage,  "he  called  me  a 
cheat." 

"  You  did!"  quoth  Vice,  suddenly 

grasping  him  by  the  collar,  as   with 

the  hand  of  a  giant,  and  forcing  him, 

dte   his  struggling,  down   to   the 

fl •,  when   he  put  one  knee   on  his 

ist,  and   then   shook  him  till   he 
a  to  get  black  in  the  face. 

"D— nit,  Vice, don't  murderhxm]" 
cried  one  of  the  bystanders — all  of 
whom  seemed  disposed  to  interfere  ; 
but  at  this  point,  the  man  who  had 
been  struck,  and  had  been  lying  for 
some  minutes  motionless,  suddenly 
began  to  dash  about  his  arms  and  I 
convulsively  f,  r  he  had  fallen  into  a 
lit  of  epilepsy.     The  al  tention  of  all 

I  bj  this  one 
dreadful  figure;  and  the  man  wh 

bad   quitted,    i —   (lushed    and 
breathless  from  the  floor,  and  loo 
with  a  face  of  horror  up  m  the  vietim 
of  his  ungovernable  pass  ions. 

"  I  must  get  a  doctor,"  quoth  Vice, 
"  pie  •  :  ''v,"   app  ■    door  ; 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


587 


and  in  passing  Mr.  Aubrey,  who  sat 
down  looking  exceedingly  agitated — 
"  Oh — here  you  are  !  "  said  he ;  "  come 
along  with  me." 

"I    hope   this    poor  man  will    be 

properly  attended  to "  interposed 

Mr.  Aubrey,  very  anxiously. 

"That's  my  look-out,  not  yours," 
replied  Vice  rudely — "come  you  along 
with  me !  "  and,  unlocking  the  door, 
lie  motioned  out  Mr.  Aubrey,  and, 
after  sending  off  a  man  for  a  surgeon, 
led  Mr.  Aubrey  into  a  kind  of  office — 
where  he  was  instantly  clasped  by  the 
hands  by  Mr.  Runnington,  who  had 
been  there  some  five  minutes.  He 
looked  like  an  angel  in  the  eyes  of 
Mr.  Aubrey,  who  returned  his  cordial 
pressure  with  convulsive  energy,  but 
in  silence,  for  his  shocked  and  over- 
charged feelings  forbade  him  utterance. 
Mr.  Runnington  looked  both  annoyed 
and  distressed — for  Vice  had  refused 
to  discharge  his  prisoner  on  Mr.  Run- 
nington's  undertaking,  telling  him  the 
sum  was  a  trifle  too  large  for  running 
any  risk  ;  and,  in  short,  he  peremp- 
torily refused  to  do  it  without  a  written 
authority  from  the  under-sheriff ;  and 
added,  he  knew  it  was  useless  for  Mr. 
Runnington  to  make  the  application — 
for  they  had  only  a  few  months  before 
been  "let  in"  for  eight  hundred 
pounds  in  that  same  way  —  so  that 
Mr.  Runnington  had  better,  said  Vice, 
be  looking  after  a  good  bail-bond.  In 
a  word,  Vice  was  inexorable  ;  and  a 
hint  of  the  possibility  of  Mr.  Aubrey's 
flight  to  the  continent,  dropped  by 
Mr.  Spitfire  to  the  under-sheriff,  had 
caused  that  functionary  to  advise 
Vice  "to  look  sharp  after  his  bird." 

"  At  all  events,  let  Mr.  Aubrey  be 
shown  into  your  parlour,  Vim."  said 
Mr.  Runnington,  "and  I  vili  settle 
with  you  when  I  return.  I  am  just 
going  to  the  office,  to  see  what  I  can 
do  with  Mr.  Ridley." 

"  It's  no  manner  of  use  ;  and  besides, 
it's  ten  to  one  you  don't  catch  him — 
he's  gone  to  Clapham  by  this  time," 
said  Vice,  looking  up  at  the  dusky 
Dutch  clock  over  the  fire-place.  But 
Mr.  Runnington  was  not  to  be  so 
easily  discouraged,  and  started  off  on 
his  friendly  errand  ;  on  which  Vice  led 


Mr.  Aubrey  up-stairs  into  his  'fpar- 
lour,"  telling  him,  as  they  went  up- 
stairs, that  there  were  only  two  Other 
"gentlemen"  there,  and  so  "them 
three  could  make  it  comfortable  to  one 
another,  if  they  liked."  Vice  added, 
that  as  he  had  only  one  double-bedded 
room  at  liberty,  they  must  agree 
among  themselves  which  should  sleep 
on  the  sofa — or  perhaps  take  in  by 
turns.  \ 

On  entering  the  parlour  two  figures 
were  visible  ;  one  that  of  a  tall,  pije, 
emaciated,  gentlemanly  person  of  about 
forty,  who  lay  on  the  sofa,  languidly 
smoking  a  cigar,  more  apparently  to 
assuage  pain  than  for  the  purpose  of 
mere  enjoyment.  The  other  was  a 
portly  grey-haired  man,  apparently 
about  fifty,  and  also  of  gentlemanly 
appearance.  He  was  standing  with  his 
back  to  the  fire-place — one  hand  thrust 
into  his  waistcoat,  and  the  other 
holding  a  tumbler,  which  he  raised  to 
his  lips  as  Vice  entered,  and  having 
drained  it,  requested  him  to  replenish 
it.  'Twas  the  third  tumbler  of  strong 
brandy  and  water  that  evening  that 
he  had  just  dispatched  ;  and  his  rest- 
less and  excited  eye  and  voluble  utter- 
ance, testified  to  the  influence  of  what 
he  had  been  drinking.  On  Vice's 
retiring,  this  gentleman  began  to  ad- 
dress Mr.  Aulmy  in  a  rapid  and 
somewhat  incoherent  strain — telling 
him  of  the  accident  which  had  that 
morning  befallen  him  ;  for  that  Vice 
had  laid  his  rough  hand  upon  him 
just  as  he  was  embarking  in  an  India- 
man,  off  Blackwall,  to  bid  farewell  to 
this  "  cursed  country  "  for  ever.  This 
man  had  been  a  great  merchant  in  the 
city,  and  for  a  series  of  years  uni- 
versally respected.  He  had  married  a 
fashionable  wife  ;  and  their  ambition 
and  absurd  extravagance,  combined 
with  losses  unquestionably  originating 
in  a  want  of  confidence  on  the  part  of 
his  mercantile  connexions,  occasioned 
solely  by  his  ostentation,  irregularities, 
and  inattention  to  business,  drove  him 
to  gambling  speculations.  Unfortunate 
there,  he  took  to  courses  of  downright 
dishonesty ;  availing  himself  of  his 
character  and  power  as  trustee,  exe- 
cutor, and  otherwise,  to  draw  out  of 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


funds,    from   time  to  time,   very 
large  sums  of  money,    to   the    utter 
of   some    twenty    or    thirty    un- 
fortunate families,  whose  deceased  re- 
latives had  quitted  life  with  implicit 
confidence    in     his    integrity.      The 
guilty  splendour    thus    secured    him 
•  I   for  Bome   few   years,  when  an 
accident  set  him  suddenly  wrong ; — a 
itiful  girl,  for  whom  he  was  sole 
and  every  farthing  of  whose 
me  he  had  appropriated  to  his  own 
purposes,  applied  t  >  him  fur  the  im- 
i  nt    of  her   property. 
next   morning    he   had    stopped 
j  ."  Lane   was    in    a 

ferment  —  astonishment    prevailed   at 
Hi"    Exchange.      "Who    could    have 
thought  it!  said  everybody,     tie  was 
to  be  seen  or  heard!  of — but  at 
1       th   intelligence  of  his  movements 
g   bei  u   obtained   by  one  of  his 
numerous  distracted  victims,   led  to 
I         pi  hi  nsion  in  the  way  that  has 
mentioned.     Of  all  this, 
Mr.    Aubrey,   of  course,   could  know 
-hut,   nevertheless,   he  was 
what  struck  witli  the  man's  coun- 
tce  ;  ad  n  anner :  but  with  what 
awful  info  rest  would  '  rey  have 

I   him,  had  he  known  that  the 
misei  1"  fore   him  had  de- 

ini  d  upon  self-d  i  □  —  and 

within  two  da]  .  tim  i  he  would 
illy  accomplish  his  frightful  pur- 
]        !— For  he  was  found   in  bed,  a 
tly  object,  with  his  head  almost 
d  from  hi  i  body. 
In   the   other— a   ruined  roue — Mr. 

d  al  pre- 

iLzing  the  features  of  one 

;htly    known     at 

1       ird.     This  was  a   member  of  an 

::t     and     honoUl  lly,     and 

to  a  princely  fortune,  which  he 
totally  dissipated    in  every  cou- 
th at  home  and  abri 
..  ith  it  had  also  i  ui  con- 

■  ion.     He  had  taken  honoui 
1        rd,   and    w:  ■  1    to   i 

•  minent    in    Parli  iment. 
to  pro* 
I  f.     II- 
1  ■  ..•■ 


lie  had  returned  from  Fiance  only  a 
few  days  before,  in  an  advanced  stage 
of  consumption;  and  having  been 
pounced  up>  n  by  one  of  his  numerous 
infuriate  creditors,  hither  he  had  bei  n 
brought  the  evening  before  —  and 
would  be  the  next  morning  lodged  in 
the  Fleet,  as  he  could  procure  no  bail  ; 
and  there  he  might,  possibly,  live  till 
he  could  apply  to  take  the  benefit  of 
the  Insolvent  act.  If  he  should  bo 
successful  in  this  last  stroke,  he  could 
not  possibly  survive  it  beyond  a  few 
weeks  !  And  he  had  nothing  then  to 
look  forward  to,  but  a  pauper's  burial. 
— lie  at  length  recognized  .Mr.  Aubrey  ; 
and  raising  himself  up  on  the  sofa, 
extended  his  wasted  hand  to  Mr. 
Aubrey,  who  shook  it  kindly — much 
shocked  at  his  appearance.  What  a 
marvellous  difference  between  tho 
characters  of  these  two  men  ! 

After  about  half-an-hour's  absence, 
Mr.  Runnington  returned,  much  dis- 
pirited Mr.  Ridley  was  not  to  be 
found  ;  and,  consequently,  Mr.  Aubrey 
must  remain  in  his  wn  tched  quarters 
all  night,  and  till  probably  an  ad  vane  il 
peiiod  of  the  ensiling  day — till,  in 
short,  Mr.  Runnington  should  have 
obtained  responsible  sureties  for  his 
piitiing  in  bail  to  the  action.  Having 
whispered  a  few  words  to  Mr.  Aubrey 
in  the  adjoining  room,  and  slipped  a 
five-pound  note  into  his  hand,  Mr. 
Runnington  took  his  leave,  pledging 
nimseli  to  lose  not  one  moment  m 
procuring  his  release ;  and  charged 
with  innumerable  fond  expressions  to 
Mrs.  An!  r.v,  to  Kate,  and  to  his 
children  — to  whom  Mr.  Runnington 
promised  to  go  that  ni  lit.  "This  ia 
almost  the  bitten  I  moment  of  my 
life,"  faltered  poor  Aubrey;  "it  is 
\' -ry  hard  to  1  ear  ! "  and  he  wrung 
Mr.  L'liiiiiiugtou's  hand— that  gentle- 
man bein  much  affected  as 

ni  :     who, 
howi  bi  ing  li  ft  by  Mr.   R 

nington,  felt  grateful   indeed   to  tho 
l  t    so    powerful    and    in- 
valual       •-        nd. 

Neither  Mr.  Aubrey  nor  Mr.  Somcr- 
villo — that  was  the  name  of  his  early 
acquaintance  quitted  thesil  ting-room 
during  the  wl    lu  oi  the  nij  h!  ;  bu1 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


their  companion  retired  early  to  the 
adjoining  room,  and  immediately  fell 
into  heavy  sleep,  they  at  length  entered 
into  conversation  together — conversa- 
tion of  a  melancholy,  hut  deeply 
interesting,  and  I  may  even  add  in- 
structive character.  Mr.  Aubrey's 
notes  of  it  are  by  me  ;  but  I  will  not 
risk  fatiguing  the  indulgent  reader's 
attention.  When  the  chill  grey  morn- 
ing broke,  it  found  the  two  prisoners 
still  in  earnest  conversation ;  but 
shortly  afterwards  nature  yielded,  and 
they  both  fell  asleep — Mr.  Aubrey, 
with  an  humble  and  fervent  inward 
prayer,  commending  those  dear  beings 
who  were  absent  to  the  protection  of 
Heaven,  and  imploring  it  also  for 
himself. 

Immediately  on  quitting  Mr.  Au- 
brey, Mr.  Euimington,  according  to 
his  promise,  went  direct  to  Vivian 
Street,  and  the  scene  which  he  had 
endeavoured  to  prepare  for  encounter- 
ing, on  their  finding  him  return  un- 
accompanied by  Mr.  Aubrey,  was 
indeed  mo3t  overpowering  to  his  feel- 
ings, and  heart-rending.  Alas !  how 
confidently  had  they  reckoned  upon 
an  issue  similar  to  that  which  had  so 
happily  occurred  in  the  morning. 
'Twas  the  first  time — the  very  first 
time — since  their  troubles,  that  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Aubrey  had  been  separated 
for  one  single  night.  And  he  was  now 
the  inmate  of  a  prison  !  Mrs.  Aubrey 
and  Kate  sat  up  the  livelong  night — a 
memorable  and  miserable  night  to 
them — counting  hour  after  hour,  whose 
flight  was  announced  by  the  neigh- 
bouring church  clock.  Their  eyes 
were  swollen  with  weeping,  and  their 
throbbing  temples  ached,  as,  at  the 
first  glimpse  of  dull  daybreak,  they 
drew  aside  the  parlour  curtain  and 
threw  open  the  window.  They  were, 
indeed,  with  some  of  old,  weary  of 
watching. 

About  mid-day,  thanks  to  the  ener- 
getic friendship  of  Mr.  Eunningtui, 
and  the  promptitude  of  those  whose 
names  had  been  given  to  him  by  Mr. 
Aubrey,  he  made  his  appearance  in 
Vivian  Street.  He  saw  Mrs.  Aubrey 
and  Kate  as  he  passed,  sitting  at  the 
window,   anxiously  on   the   look-out. 


ak 


They  also  saw  him — sprang  to  the 
door — and  opening  it  while  he  waaia 
the  act  of  knocking,  they  were  in- 
stantly locked  in  each  other's  embrace. 
He  looked  pale  and  harassed,  cer- 
tainly ;  but,  'twas  he,  the  beloved 
husband  and  brother — Providence  had 
permitted  them  once  more  to  merst ! 
All  their  recent  pangs  were  for  a 
moment  forgotten  and  drowned  in  tihe 
overflowing  joy  of  such  a  reunion. 
He  was  already  sufficiently  subdued  ; 
but  when  he  heard  the  footsteps  of  his 
children  pattering  rapidly  down-stairs 
— and  heard  their  little  voices  con- 
tinually, and  in  eager  accents,,  ainu 
claiming,  "  Papa  ! — my  papa  ! — w  <&'*} 
is  papa?" — and  when  they  ran  up  i  > 
him,  and  he  felt  their  little  arms 
round  his  neck — then  he  was  over- 
powered —  his  lip  quivered  convul- 
sively, and  he  could  not  refrain  from 
bursting  into  tears.  Oh,  'twas  home, 
poor  oppressed  soul ! — after  all — to 
which  Providence  had  permitted)  him 
to  return,  and  where  he  saw  himself 
suddenly  surrounded  by  those  precious 
objects  of  his  undivided  and  unutter- 
able love  !  Indeed,  he  was  thankful ; 
his  heart — all  their  hearts — overflowed 
with  gratitude.  Tow  ards  the  evening, 
they  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Neville,  who  were  infinitely 
shocked  on  hearing  of  the  events  of 
the  last  few  days,  and  of  which  they 
had  not  had  the  slightest  intimation, 
living,  as  they  did,  at  so  great  a  dis- 
tance, and  not  having  seen  their 
friends  the  Aubreys  for  several  weeks. 
Poor  souls !  they  also  had  their 
troubles — 'twas  wonderful  how  they 
contrived  to  exist  upon  the  paltry 
pittance  obtained  by  his  ministerial 
duties ;  but  they  came  ever  with 
cheerfulness — unaffected  and  refresh- 
ing cheerfulness ;  they  never  uttered 
a  murmur  at  the  thorny  desert  which 
life  seemed  destined  to  prove  to  them, 
but  had  always  a  comfortable  word 
for  their  weary  fellow-pilgrims.  "What 
a  happy  evening  they  passed  together  ! 
Poor  Neville  was  in  high  spirits  ;  for 
an  article  of  his,  full  of  profound 
research  and  delicate  criticism,  which 
had  cost  him  a  great  deal  of  labour  to 
prepare,  had  at  length  been  accepted 


690 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


by  tho  editor  of  a  classical  and  eccle- 
siastical Review,  who  had  forwarded 
to  him  a  check  for  ten  guineas.  Mr. 
Aubrey  could  scarce  refrain  from  tears, 
v.  hen  the  simple-minded  and  generous 
Neville  pressed  upon  him  the  accept- 
ance of,  at  least,  the  half  of  these,  the 
uwexpeefc  1  proceeds  of  bis  severe  toil 
While  thi  y  were  thus  sitting  together, 
i:  eager  and  delightful  conversation, 
there  i  knock  to  the  door,  which, 

a3  may  be  easily  believed,  a  little  dis- 
i  arbed  them  all  ;  but  it  proved  to  be 
•a  gentleman  who  asked  lor  Miss  Au- 
!  .'  ;  and  on  her  requesting  him  to 
.e  forward,  who  should  it  be,  but 
"gentleman"  of  my  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  ;  and  while  the  colour  mounted 
into  her  cheek,  and  her  heart  fluttered, 
ho  placed  in  her  hands  a  packet, 
which  had  just  arrived  from  the 
Continent. 

They  all  insisted  on  having  it  opened 
then  and  there  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes' 
time,  behold  their  eager  admiring  eyes 
were  feasted  by  the  sight  of  a  most 
superb  diamond  necklace — and  at  the 
bottom  of  the  case  was  a  small  card — 
which  Kate,  blushing  violently,  thrust 
into  her  bosom,  iu  spite  of  all  Mrs. 
Aubrey's  efforts.  There  was  a  long 
li  tter  addressed  to  Mr.  Aubrey  from 
Ix)rd  De  la  Zouch,  who,  with  Lady 
De  la  Zouch,  had  been  for  some  weeks 
at  Paris — and  one  from  her  ladyship 
to  Kate  ;  and,  from  its  bulky  appear- 
ance, 'twas  evident  either  that  Lady 
De  la  Zouch  must  have  written  her  a 
prodigious  long  letter,  or  enclosed  one 
to  her  from  .ionic  one  else.  They  saw 
Kate's  uneasiness  about  this  letter, 
and  considerately  forbore  to  rally  her 
Upon  it.  Poor  girl ! — she  burst  into 
tears  when  she  looked  at  the  glitter- 
ing trinket  which  had  been  presented 
to  1  lected    thai   its  cost 

would  probably  be  more  than  would 
suffice  to  apporl  her  brother  and  his 
family  for  a  couple  of  years.  Her 
heart  y<  u  ned  to  and  Bhe 

I  avert  h<  r  splendid  prea  ol 

into  a  form  that  i  hould  mini  ter  to 
While    touching 
upon  tli  of  my  hi  tory  -  which 

I  always  appro*  h  wiih  diffident  reluct- 
i   matter   too  deli*  ate  to  be 


handled  before  the  public — I  must 
nevertheless  pause  for  a  moment,  and 
apprise  the  reader  of  one  or  two  little 
circumstances,  before  returning  to  the 
main  course  of  the  narrative. 

Mr.  Delamere  was  at  that  moment 
at  Rome,  in  the  course  of  making  the 
usual  tour  of  Europe,  and  was  not 
expected  to  return  to  England  for  some 
months — perhaps  for  a  year.  But  before 
quitting  England  he  had  laid  close 
siege  to  Kate  Aubrey  ;  and  had,  in- 
ched, obtained  from  her  a  promise, 
that  if  ever  she  became  any  one's  wife, 
it  should  be  his.  That  their  engage- 
ment was  sanctioned  most  cordially  by 
Lord  and  Lady  De  la  Zouch — two  per- 
sons of  as  generous  and  noble  a  spirit 
as  breathed  in  the  world — must  have 
been  long  ago  abundantly  manifest  to 
the  reader  ;  and  they  did  not  the  less 
appreciate  the  value  of  the  prize  se- 
cured by  their  son,  because  of  the 
proud  and  delicate  sense  Miss  Aubrey 
manifested  of  the  peculiarly  trying 
position  in  which  she  stood  with  rela- 
tion to  them.  Kate's  own  notion  upon 
the  subject  was  somewhat  indefinite, 
she  having  resolved  not  to  listen  to 
any  proposal  for  a  union  with  Dela- 
mere, until  her  unfortunate  brother's 
affairs  had  assumed  a  more  cheering 
and  satisfactory  aspect ;  and  that 
might  not  be  for  some  years  to  come. 
If  she  replied  to  the  letter  from  Dela- 
mere, enclosed  by  Lady  De  la  Zouch — 
and  reply  she  must,  to  acknowledge 
his  brilliant  present — it  would  be  the 
first  letter  she  had  ever  written  to  him, 
which  will  account,  in  a  measure,  for 
her  embarrassment.  And  although  all 
of  them  kept  up  a  correspondence  with 
Lord  and  Lady  Do  la  Zouch — from 
obvious  considerations  of  honourable 
delicacy  and  pride,  they  never  gave 
the  slightest  intimation  of  the  dreadful 
pressure  they  were  beginning  daily  to 
experience.  Lord  l>e  la  Zouch  re« 
m  lined  under  the  impression  that  Mr. 
Aubrey  was  struggling,  it  might  bo 
slowly,  but  still  successfully,  with  his 
i  lit  its  ;  and  had  made  up  his 
mind,  when  called  upon,  to  pay  the 
amount  of  the  bond  into  which  he  had 
entered  in  Aubrey's  behalf,  almost  as 
a  matter  of  course.  As  Aubrey  desired 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


591 


evidently  to  maintain  a  reserve  upon 
the  subject  of  his  private  affairs,  Lord 
De  la  Zoueh,  whatever  might  be  his 
fears  and  suspicions,  forbore  to  press 
his  enquiries.  How  little,  therefore, 
were  either  Lord  and  Lady  De  la 
Zouch,  or  their  son,  aware  of  the  posi- 
tion in  which  their  packet  would  find 
the  Aubreys ! 

Within  a  few  days,  Mr.  Runnington, 
by  duly  completing  special  bail  in  the 
two  actions  of  Quirk  and  Others  v. 
Aubrey,  and  Titmouse  v.  Aubrey,  had 
relieved  Mr.  Aubrey  from  all  grounds 
of  immediate  personal  apprehension 
for  several  months  to  come — for  at 
least  half  a-year ;  and  on  quitting 
Yivian  Street,  one  evening,  after  an- 
nouncing this  satisfactory  result  of  his 
labours,  he  slipped  into  Mr.  Aubrey's 
hand,  as  he  took  leave  of  him  at  the 
door,  a  letter,  which  he  desired  Mr. 
Aubrey  to  read,  and  if  he  thought  it 
worth  while,  to  answer — at  his  leisure. 
Guess  the  emotions  of  lively  gratitude, 
of  deep  respect,  with  which  he  perused 
the  following : — 

"Lincoln's  Inn. 
"My  dear  Sir, — You  have  once  or 
twice,  lately,  been  so  kind  as  to  ex- 
press yourself  obliged  by  the  little 
professional  services  which  I  have  re- 
cently rendered  you  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  practice.  Permit  me,  in  my 
turn,  then,  to  ask  a  great  favour  of 
you ;  and,  knowing  your  refined  and 
exquisite  sensibility,  I  make  the  re- 
quest with  some  little  apprehension, 
lest  I  should  in  any  way  wound  it.  I 
earnestly  beg  that  you  will  accept  a 
trifling  loan  of  three  hundred  pounds, 
to  be  repaid  as  soon  as  you  may  be 
enabled  to  do  so  with  perfect  conveni- 
ence to  yourself.  If,  unhappily  for 
yourself,  that  time  should  never  arrive, 
believe  me,  you  will  not  occasion  me 
the  slightest  imaginable  inconvenience ; 
for  a  long  and  successful  practice  has 
made  me  long  since  independent  of 
my  profession,  and  of  the  world,  as 
will,  I  am  confident,  be  the  case  with 
you,  should  Providence  spare  your  life. 
I  happen  to  have  been  aware  that,  but 
for  recent  occurrences,  it  was  your 
intention,    about   this  time,    to   Jiave 


commenced  a  second  year's  study,  wftB 
either  Mr.  Crystal,  or  Mr.  Mansfield 
the  conveyancer.  You  will  now|  I 
trust,  carry  your  intention  into  effort, 
without  delay.  I  should  venture  to 
suggest,  that  at  this  period  of  the  year, 
when  the  gentlemen  of  the  common- 
law  bar  quit  town  for  the  circuit,  (as 
will  be  the  case  within  a  few  weeks 
with  Mr.  Crystal,)  it  would  hardly 
answer  your  purpose  to  enter  tjlio 
chambers  of  a  gentleman  in  that  de- 
partment ;  but  that,  as  conveyavavv 
remain  very  much  longer  in  town,  yqu 
will  find  it  answer  your  purpose  imme- 
diately to  enter  the  chambers  of  Mr. 
Mansfield,  and  re-occupy  your  mind 
with  those  invigorating  and  invaluable 
studies  in  which  you  have  already 
made,  as  I  hear,  so  great  a  progress  ; 
and  which  will  serve  to  divert  your 
thoughts  from  those  wretched  objects 
on  which  otherwise  they  will  be  too 
apt  to  dwell. 

"  You  will  find  that  I  have  this  day 
paid  in  to  your  credit,  at  your  bankers, 
the  sum  of  £300.  And  believe  me  to 
remain,  my  dear  sir — Ever  your  most 
sincere  and  faithful  friend, 

"C.  RUNNINGTON. 

"P.S. — Do  not  give  yourself  ono 
moment's  concern  about  the  expense 
of  the  recent  proceedings,  which  is,  I 
assure  you,  very  trifling. " 

I  say  that  Mr.  Aubrey  read  this 
letter  with  heartfelt  gratitude,  and 
permitted  no  morbid  fastidiousness  to 
interfere  with  his  determination  to 
avail  himself  of  the  generous  and  op- 
portune assistance  of  Mr.  Runnington  ;- 
and  he  resolved,  moreover,  to  profit 
by  his  very  judicious  suggestions  as  to 
the  course  of  his  study,  and  to  com- 
mence, as  soon  as  possible,  his  attend- 
ance at  the  chambers  of  Mr.  Mansfield. 
Thus,  suddenly  relieved,  for  a  con- 
siderable and  a  definite  interval,  from 
tho  tremendous-  pressure  to  which  he 
had  been  latterly  subject,  he,  and  in- 
deed all  of  them,  experienced  great 
buoyancy  and  exhdaration  of  spirits. 
Could,  however,  their  sense  of  tran« 
quillity  and  security  be  otherwise  than 
shortlived?  What  sort  of  a  prospect 
was  that  before  them  1    Terrifying  and 


T93 


Tl-N  THOUSAND   A- YE  All. 


hopeless  Indeed.  As  daily  melted 
away  the  precious  interval  between 
the  present  time  and  the  dreadful 
month  of  November  —  midst  whose 
gloomy  haze  wasvisihle  to  his  shudder- 
ing eyes  the  dismal  porch  of  a  prison, 
where  he  must  be  either  immured  for 
his  life,  or  its  greater  portion,  or  avail 
himself  of  the  bitter  ignominious  im- 
munity afforded  by  the  insolvent  laws 
— the  hearts  of  all  of  them  sunk  to 
their  former  depth  of  oppression.  Still, 
he  resolved  to  work  while  it  was  day  ; 
and  he  addressed  himself  to  his  studies 
with  redoubled  energy,  and  of  course 
made  proportionate  advances.  But 
-  ail  this  suffering — amid  all  this  exer- 
tion, mental  and  physical — began  to 
leave  visible  traces  in  his  worn  and 
emaciated  appearance  ;  and  I  grieve  to 
add,  that  the  same  cause  not  a  little 
impaired  the  beauty  and  injured  the 
spirits  of  the  devoted  and  incomparable 
women  whom  Heaven  had  given  to 
him  like  angels  for  his  companions. 

Such  being  the  footing  upon  which 
matters  stood  between  Mr,  Delamere 
and  Kate  Aubrey,  what  chance  had 
Mr,  Gammon  of  obtaining  the  bright 
object  upon  which  he  had  set  his  dark 
ami  baleful  eye,  and  to  secure  which 
he  was  racking  his  brain,  and  devising 
such  intricate  schemes  of  deliberate 
and  cruel  villainy  ?  As  well  might 
Gammon  have  sighed  after  the  planet 
Venus — sweet  star  of  eve  ! — as  sought 
to  get  Kate  Aubrey  into  his  arms. 
Yet  full  before  his  mind's  eye  stood 
ever  her  imago  —  though  one  would 
hav<  it  that  there  was  sufficient 

in  his  own  circumstances  to  occupy 
every  spare  thought  and  feeling,  Sup- 
po  e  the  action  of  penalties  went 
against  him,  and  he  should  be  at  once 

1  with  a  liability  for  some  five 
thousand  pounds,  including  debt  and 

i  !  And  more  than  that  sum  he 
had  recently  lost  in  a  speculation  in 
foreign  stock,  besides  Btanding  in  a 
very  precarL  tion  with  respect 

i  of  the  many  i  peculal  ions  in 
which  he  It  id  launched  both  hii 
and    others.       Under    these    circum- 
.    it     i        i.ie   hourly  of 

to  him  i  ■•  th.:  an. 

i  the  Yatton  prop 


which  lie  had  with  such  difficulty  ex* 
torted  from  Titmouse.  He  resolved' 
moreover,  to  try  the  experiment  o1 
raising  money  on  the  bond  of  Lord  Do 
la  Zoueh  ;  and  it  also  occurred  to  him 
as  possible,  that  even  if  ho  should  fail 
in  the  main  object  which  ho  had  pro. 
posed  to  himself,  in  his  artful  and 
oppressive  proceedings  against  Aubrey, 
yet  they  might  be  the  means  of  bring- 
ing forward  friends  to  extricate  him 
from  his  difficulties,  by  discharging 
the  sums  for  which  he  was  liable.  It 
was,  therefore,  not  till  he  had  set  into 
train  the  various  matters  which  have 
been  laid  before  the  reader,  that  he  set 
off  on  a  hurried  visit  to  Yorkshire,  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  state  of  Lady 
Stratton's  affairs ;  to  make  arrange, 
ments  for  collecting  the  evidence 
against  the  impending  triah  for  bribe- 
ry ;  and  carry  into  effect  some  pre- 
liminary measure  for  augmenting  the 
whole  of  the  Yatton  rent-roll,  by  nearly 
.£2000  a-year.  His  first  interview  with 
Mr.  Parkinson  apprised  him  distinctly 
of  tlio  exceedingly  precarious  nature  of 
the  alleged  intestacy  of  Lady  Stratton. 
Good  Mr.  Parkinson  was  no  match  for 
Mr.  Gammon,  but  would  have  been 
much  more  nearly  so  if  he  could  havo 
done  but  one  thing — h>'l<l  his  tongue: 
but  he  was  a  good-natured,  easy- 
tempered  (batterer,  and  Gammon  al- 
ways extracted  from  him,  in  a  few 
moments,  whatever  lie  knew  upon  any 
subject.  'Twas  thus  that  he  succeeded 
in  obtaining  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
intestacy;  for  Gammon  discovered  that 
the  unexecuted  draft  of  the  intended 
will  had  never  been  seen  by  Lady 
Stratton,  or  read  over  to  her  ;  but  had 
been  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Parkinson  him- 
self, a  day  or  two  after  receiving  her 
ladyship's  instructions;  —  that  thoso 
instructions,  moreover,  had  been  mere. 
ly  oral. 

"It  is  one  of  the  most  melancholy 
cases  I  ever  met  with!"  exclaimed 
Gammon  with  a  sigh.  "I  suppose 
the  reverses  of  the  Aubrey  family  fre- 
quently formed  a  subject  of  her  lady, 
ship's  conversation  ?" 

"  <  >!i,  she  has  talked  with  me  for 
hours  together— and  even  very  shortly 
before  her  last  illness  !  " 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


5&3 


"It  is,  methinks,  enough  to  raise 
the  poor  old  lady  from  her  grave,  to 
find  her  property  diverted  thus  to  one 
■who  does  not  want  it,  and  who  was  a 
total  stranger !  " 

"  Ay,  it  is  indeed  !  " 

"  I  am  a  little  surprised,  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  that,  under  the  circum- 
stances, her  ladyship  should  not  have 
thought  of  at  least  sharing  the  policy 
between  Miss  Aubrey  and  Mr. " 

"I  do  assure  you  that  that  is  tbe 
very  thing  I  have  heard  her  several 
times  talking  about  lately  !  " 

"That  will  do,"  thought  his  wily 
companion  ;  '  thank  God  she's  clearly 
intestate  then,  for  Parkinson's  draught 
does  not  contain  her  last  will  an:1. 
testament — that  will  do — thank  you, 
my  honest  friend  ! "  This  was  what 
was  passing  through  Gammon's  mind, 
while  a  sympathizing  expression  was 
upon  his  face,  and  he  shook  his  head, 
and  deplored  the  untoward  event  which 
had  happened,  in  very  pathetic  terms 
indeed.  On  quitting  Mr.  Parkinson, 
Gammon  thus  pursued  the  train  of  his 
thoughts  :— 

"  What  if  I  should  allow  this  paper 
to  be  admitted  to  probate  ?  Let  me 
see — It  will  give  Miss  Aubrey  some 
fifteen  thousand  pounds  :  — ■  or  one 
might  take  out  administration  in 
favour  of  Titmouse,  and  then  suggest 
to  her  that  I  had  the  means  of  nullify- 
ing the  proceedings,  and  carrying  into 
effect  Lady  Stratton's  intentions — for 
the  Letters  may  be  repealed  at  any 
time. — Stay,  however.  It  is  by  no 
means  impossible,  that  when  Parkin- 
son comes  to  communicate  with  Au- 
brey, or  that  deep  old  fellow  Running- 
ton,  they  may  think  of  lodging  a  caveat 
against  our  letters  of  administration  : 
but  they'll  fail — for  Parkinson  must 
speak  conclusively  on  that  point.  So, 
perhaps,  the  better  way  will  be,  to 
take  out  administration  in  the  usual 
way,  and  see  what  they  will  do. — Then, 
there's  Aubrey's  bond — poor  devil ! — 
is  it  not  unfortunate  for  him  ? — But 
that  shall  be  reserved  ;  let  us  see  the 
effect  of  our  other  movements,  first." 

When  Mr.  Gammon  returned  to 
Yatton  from  the  late  Lady  Stratton's 
residence,    he    found    several    loiters 


awaiting  his  arrival.     One  was  from 
Mr.   Quirk — poor  muddle-headed  old 
soul  ! — all  went  wrong  with  him,  the 
moment  that  he  missed  Gammon  fjjom 
beside   him.     He  wrote  letters  every 
day,  that  were  a  faithful  type  of  the 
confusion  that  always  prevailed  in  his 
thoughts  ;  for  though  he  was  "up  to" 
the  ordinary  criminal   business  of  the 
office,  in  which  he  had  had  some  forty 
years'  experience,  their  general  business 
had  latterly  become  so  extended,  anH, 
to  Quirk,  complicated,  that  his  heafl, 
as  it  were,  spun  round  from  morning 
to  night,  and  all  he  could  do  was  to 
put  himself,  and  everybody  about  him, 
into  a  bustle  and  fever.     So  he  told 
Gammon,  in  this  his  last  letter,  that 
everything  was  going  wrong,  and  would 
do  so  till   "good  friend  Gammon  re- 
turned;" and,  moreover,  the  old  gen- 
tleman   complained    that    Snap    was 
getting  very  careless  and  irregular  in 
his    attendance — and,    in    fact,    he — 
Quirk — had  something  very  particular 
to  say  to  Gammon,  when  they  met, 
about  the  aforesaid  Snap — about  this 
the    reader   shall   hear   in    due    time. 
Then  came  a  letter  from  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlingten,   marked   "Private  and 
confidential,"  containing  a  most  im- 
portant communication,  to  the  effect 
that  his  lordship  had  that  day  granted 
an  audience  to  a  scientific  gentleman 
of  great  eminence,    and   particularly 
well   skilled  in  geology  ;  and  he  had 
satisfied  the  Earl  of  a  fact  which  the 
aforesaid  scientific  gentleman  told  his 
lordship  he  had  discovered  after  a  very 
close  geological   survey  of  the  super- 
ficial strata  of  the  Isle  of  Dogs — viz. 
that  at  a  very  little  depth  from  the 
surface,  there  ran,  in  parallel   strata, 
rich  beds  of  copper,   lead,  and  coal, 
alternately,  such  as  could  not  possibly 
fail  of  making  a  quick  and  enormous 
return.     His  lordship,  therefore,  sug- 
gested the  immediate  formation  of  a 
company  to  purchase  the  Isle  of  Dogs, 
and  work  the  mines  !- 
to  be  favoured  with  " 
views  on   this   subject,  by  return  of 
pest.     In   a  postscript,    his  lordship 
informed   Gammon,  that  he  had  just 
parted  with  all  his  Golden  Egg  shares, 
at  a  considerable  profit ;  and  that  the 

QQ 


-and  "begged 
Mr.  Gammon's 


534 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Gunpowder  and  Fresh  Water  Com- 
pany's shares  were  rising  daily,  on 
account  of  the  increasing  probability 
of  a  uni  it.     <  I  minion  did  no1 

think  it  worth  while  to  send  any 
answer  to  the  letter  of  his  senior 
partner,  but  wrote  off  a  very  polite 
and  confidential  letter  to   the   Earl, 

ppng  his  lordship  would  do  him 
tha  honour  of  taking  no  steps  in  the 
matter  till  Mr.  Gammon  could  have 
the  honour  of  waiting  upon  his  lord- 
ship in  town.  This  letter  over,  Gam- 
mon wrote  off  another  to  the  secretary 
ortpe  Vi  lture  Insurance  Company, 
„  ing  them  notice  of  the  death  of 
Lady  Stratum,  who  w..s  insured  in 
their  office  in  a  policy  to  the  amount 
of  £15,000,  to  which,  her  ladyship 
ha\  tate,    the    writer's 

client,  Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq.,  M.P. 
for  Yatton,  had  become  entitled  as 
only  next  of  kin  :  That  Mr.  Titmouse 
intended  to  administer  forthwith,  and 
formal  evidence  would  he  furnished  to 
the   Company,    in   due   time,   of  the 

rpletion  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  legal 
title  to  the  policy. 

But  lure — 1  am  concerned  to'  say — 
the  skittish,  frolicsome,  and  malicious 
,  ,  Fortune,  after  petting  and  fond- 
ling Titmouse,  and  overwhelming  him 
with  her  favours,  suddenly  turned 
round  and  hit  him  a  severe  slap  in  the 

,  without  the  least  provocation  on 
his  part,  or  rhyme  or  reason  on  hers. 
And  it  happened  in  this  wise.  Dapper 
Esq.,  the  secretary  of  the  Vul- 
ture, wrote  by  return  of  post,  saving 
that  he  had  laid  Mr.  Gammon's  l<  tter 
1  ■  fore  the  directors  ;  and  that  as  soon 
a  hi  Bhonld  have  learned  their  pleasure 

■he  subject,  he  would  write  to  Mr. 

1     nunon  again.     And  so  he  did — hut 

'    that    gentleman    to 

communicate  with  Messrs.  Screw  and 

1  ompany's  solicitors.     This 

Mr.  Gammon  did,  and  in  due  time 

ived    a    htter    to    tl  i 
pui  p  irt   and   effect   follow  in/      that,   U 

to  i  •■■•.  that  they  hail  i  con- 

red  the  case,  and  i  erely 

.  it  their  duty 

amend  the  ii  to  pay  lie 

y  !  1    The  d  bad  a  duty, 

son.  —they  would  have  it  a] 


— a  very  painful  one,  to  perform  to 
the  public  ;  and,  in  short,  it  was  plain 
that  they  intended  to  resist  the  claim 

f ether  !  Gammon  wrote  in  aston- 
ishment to  know  the  grounds  of  their 
refusal ;  and  at  length  discovered  that 
that  truly  respectable  Company  con- 
sidered themselves  in  possession  of 
decisive  evidence  to  show  that  the 
policy  was  vitiated  through  the  con- 
cealment, or  rather  the  non-communi- 
cation of  a  material  fact  on  the  part  of 
the  late  Lady  Stratton — possibly  un- 
intentionally— viz.  that  she  was,  at 
the  time  of  executing  the  policy,  sub- 
ject to  the  gout.  Gammon  inado 
anxious  enquiries  of  the  servants,  of 
Dr.  Goddart,  Mr.  Parkinson,  and  of 
others,  who  expressed  infinite  astonish- 
ment, declaring  that  she  had  never 

exhibited  the  slightest  symptoms 
of  the  complaint.  Messrs.  Screw, 
however,  were  politely  inflexible  — 
they  declared  that  they  had  the  posi- 
tive testimony  of  several  witnesses, 
one  of  them  an  eminent  physician,  to 
the  fact  that,  during  the  very  week  in 
which  the  policy  had  been  executed, 
she  had  experienced  an  attack  of  gout 
which  had  confined  her  to  the  sofa  for 
three  days.  [The  simple  fact  was, 
that  her  ladyship  had  about  that  time 
certainly  been  confined  to  the  sofa, 
but  merely  from  her  heel  having  been 
galled  a  little  by  a  tight  shoe.]  They, 
moreover,  sent  to  Mr.  Gammon  the 
full  name  of  the,  officer  in  whose  name 
the  Company  was  to  be  sued  —  the 
aforesaid  Dapper  Smug  ;  and  requested 
Mr.  Gammon  to  forward  process  to 
them  in  the  usual  way.  Gammon,  on 
airy,  learned  the  character  of  the 

pany,  and  almost  gnashed  his 
teeth  in  rage  and  despair!  — So  at  it 
they  went  —  Titmouse  (Admr.)  v. 
Smug.  Then  came  a  Declaration  as 
long  as  my  arm  ;  J'Icas  to  match  it  ; 
then  a  Commission  to  examine  wit- 
road,  principally  a  Dr.  Poda- 
gra, who  had  settled  in  China  ;  then 
i  Bill  of  Discovi  ry  lib  d  on  l>.  half  of 
the  Company;  a  Crow  Bill  filed  by 
•  ■   against   the   Company  ; 

a  Demurrer  to  the  one,  Exceptions  to 
tie-  Answer  to  the  other. — Hero,  in 
short,  was  in  truth  "a  mighty  pretty 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


59 


f 


adequate  ; 
Titmouse 
and  there 


quarrel."  The  stake  was 
the  Company  rich  ;  _  Mr. 
eager  ;  Gammon  infuriate  ; 
was  not  the  least  chance  of  the  thing 
being  decided  at  all  for  three  or  four 
years  to  come,  and  poor  Titmouse  was 
thus  not  only  kept  out  of  a  comfortable 
round  sum  of  money,  but  obliged  to 
carry  on  all  the  while  an  expensive 
and  harassing  litigation.  So  much  for 
insuring  with  a  Company  that  looks 
so  sharply  after  the  interests  of  its 
shareholders,  in  preference  to  those  of 
the  survivors  of  the  dead  insurers ! — 
But  as  far  as  Titmouse  and  Gammon 
were  concerned,  it  seemed  a  dead-lock, 
and  at  a  somewhat  critical  conjuncture 
too. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


The  sudden  and  unexpected  rebuff 
encountered  by  Mr.  Gammon,  in  the 
Vulture  Insurance  Company's  refusal 
to  pay  the  policy  on  the  late   Lady 
Stratton's  life,  was  calculated  seriously 
to   embarrass  his   complicated  move- 
ments.   He  foresaw  the  protracted  and 
harassing  course  of  litigation  into  which 
he  should  be  driven,  before  he  could 
compel  them  to  liquidate  so  heavy  a 
claim  ;   and  a  glimpse  of  which,    by 
way  of  anticipation,  has  been  afforded 
to  the  reader ;  but,  with  all  his  long- 
heidediiess— his  habitual  contempla- 
tion   of    the    probable    and    possible 
effects  and  consequences  of  whatever 
event  happened  to   him — this  refusal 
of  the  directors  to  pay  the  policy  was 
attended  with  results  which  defied  his 
calculations— results  of  such  a  descrip- 
tion, and  of  such  signal  importance, 
as  will  perhaps  surprise  the  reader, 
and  serve  to  illustrate,  in  a  striking 
manner,  the  controlling  agency  which 
is  at  work  in  the  conduct  of  human 
affairs— an  agency  to  which  the  prin- 
ciples   of    Mr.    Gammon    denied    an 
existence.      Nor  was    this    the    only 
trouble— the  only  reverse — that  about 
this  period  occurred  to  him  ;  and  not 
a  little  perplexed  was  he  to  account  for 
such  a  sudden  confluence  of  adverse 


circumstances  as  he  by-and-by  experi- 
enced, when  he  found  the  truth  of  the. 
King  of  Denmark's  observation — 

"■When  sorrows  come  —  they  como  not 
single  spies, 

But  IN  BATTALIONS."* 

On  applying  at  Doctor's  Commons, 
in  the  ordinary  way,  for  a  grant  to  Mr. 
Titmouse  of  Letters  of  Administration 
to  Lady  Stratton,  Mr.  Gammon  dis- 
covered the  existence  of  a  little  docu- 
ment, for  which  he  certainly  was  nc\t 
entirely  unprepared,  but  which,  neyerf- 
theless,  somewhat  disconcertedhim.  ; 
principally  on  account  of  the  additional 
plea  it  would  afford  the  Vulture  Com- 
pany for  resisting  payment  of  the 
policy.  How,  indeed,  could  they  be 
expected  to  pay  a  sum  of  such  magni- 
tude, to  a  person  whose  title  to  receive 
it  was  disputed  by  another  claimant  ? 
The  document  alluded  to  was  a  caveat, 
and  ran  thus  : — 

"Let  nothing  be  done  in  the  goods 
of  Dame  Mary  Stratton,  late  ofWark- 
leigh,  in  the  parish  of  "Warkleigh,  in 
the  county  of  York,  deceased,  un- 
known to  Obadiah  Pounce,  proctor 
for  John  Thomas,  having  interest." 

Now,  the  reader  will  observe  that 
this    "John    Thomas"    is,    like    the 
"John  Doc"  of  the  common  lawyers, 
a  mere  man  of  straw  ;  so   that   this 
peremptory,  but  mysterious  mandate, 
would  afford  an  enquirer  no  informa- 
tion as  to  either  the  name  of  the  party 
intending  to  resist  the  grant   of  ad- 
ministration, or  the  grounds  of  such 
resistance.      Mr.    Gammon,   however, 
very  naturally    concluded    that    the 
move  was  made  on  the  behalf  of  Mr. 
Aubrey,  and  that  the  ground  of  his 
opposition  was  the  alleged  will  of  Lady 
Stratton.     To  be  prepared  for  such  an 
encounter,  when  the  time  arrived,  he 
noted  down  very  carefully  the  import- 
ant admissions  which  had  been  made 
to  him  by  Mr.  Parkinson ;  and  having, 
for  a  while,  disposed  of  this  affair,  ho 
betook  himself  to  the  great  conspiracy 
case,  which  I  have  already  mentioned ; 
and,  in  bringing  which  to  a  successful 
issue,  he  unquestionably  exhibited  great 
ability,  and  deserved  the  compliments 


*  Hamlet. 


QQ  2 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


paid  him  on  flic  oa  ision  by  the 
counsel,  whose  labours  he  had,  by  his 
licid  arrangement,  materially  abbre- 
viated and  lightened.  This  matter  also 
ever,  ami  fairly  off  his  mind,  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  an  affair,  then  pend- 
ing,  of  great  importance  to  hi; 
personally  —  viz.  a  certain  cause  of 
//  y  v.  Gammon  ;  which,  together 
with  the  three  oth<  r  special  jury  causes 
in  which  the  same  person  was  plain- 
tiff, was  to  come  ou  for  trial  at  York 
early  in  the  second  week  of  the  as: 

to  commence  in  a  few  days' 
,  -  already  intimated,  Mr.  Sub- 
had  been  retained  for  the  plaintiff 
in  all  the  actions,  together  with  .Mr. 
.-  rlingand  Mr.  Crystal  ;  and,  as  .Mr. 
in"  I. old  Blossom 
and  Box,  .Mr.  Gammon  was  sorely  per- 
pl  M'd  for  a  leader  —  his  junior,  of 
course,  being  Mr.  Lynx.  He  had  re- 
tained a  .Mr.  Wilmington  to  lead  lor 
the  other  three  defendants — a  man  of 
unquestionable  ability,  experienced, 
ac  ite,  d  sterous,  witty,  and  eloquent, 
and  excei  dingly  well  qualified  to  con- 
duet  such  a  case  as  Mr.  Gammon's: 
hut  that  gentleman  got  exceedingly 
nei  out  the  matter  as  the  day 

of  battle  drew  near— and,  al  len 
resolved  on  i  iking  down  special  Sir 
1  arles  Wolstenholmc.  Now,  I  do 
why  he  should  have  thought 
it  necessary  to  go  to  so  enormous  an 
expe  ise  when  such  able  assistance 
could  be  had  upon  the  circuit — but, 
hoi  i  •  ■  r,  dov, u  went  thai  eminent  per- 
sonage. Their  consultation  was  gloom]  ; 
Sir  <  barles  acknowledging  that  he  fell 
great  apprehension  as  to  the  result, 
from  the  w  it  were  likely  to 

he  produced  on  the  other 

"It's    a   pity    that    we   haven't    the 

on  election  i  e  to  deal  with, 

Mr.  <  iammon  !  "  said  sir  <  lharles  with  a 

smile.     "  We've  rather  a 

i  tribunal  to  go  before  n 

i     I" 

Mr.  Gammon  uniled  —  how  n  i  er- 
ahly ! — .-.hook  his  heel,  and  Bhrngged 
his   shoulders.     "  We    man  - 
mat  ifferently  in  n  coi 

Inued  Sir  i  vith  a 

W  III  of  the 


trial  arrived,  there  was  a  special  jury 
sworn,  consisting  of  gentlemen  of  tho 
county  —  of  unquestionable  integrity 
and  independence — above  all  suspicion. 

Mr.  Subtle  opened  a  shockingly  clear 
and  strong  case,  to  be  sure  ;  and  what 
was  worse,  he  proved  it,  and  so  as  to 
carry  conviction  to  the  minds  of  all  in 
court.  Sir  Charles  felt  his  opponent's 
case  to  be  impregnable;  and,  in  spite 
of  several  acute  and  most  severe  cross- 
examinations,  and  a  masterly  speech, 
the  stern  and  upright  judge  who  tried 
the  case,  summed  up  dead  against  tho 
defendant,  with  many  grave  remarks 
on  the  profligate  and  systematic  man- 
ner in  which  it.  appeared  the  olleiices 
had  been  committed.  After  a  brief 
consultation,  the  jury  returned  into 
court  with  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff, 
in  the  sum  of  £2500  ;  that  is,  for  five 
p  i.ilties  of  £500!  A  similar  result 
ensued  iii  the  two  following  eases  of 
WigUy  v.  Mudfiini,  and  fyigley  v. 
E  -  d  I  v  ;  both  of  whom  seemed  com- 
pletely Btupi  tied  at  a  result  so  totally 
diff  rent  from  that  which  they  had 
been  led  to  expect,  from  the  very  differ- 
ent view  of  things  which  had  been 
taken  by  the  election  committee.  As 
for  Mudflint,  from  what  quarter  under 
heaven  he  was  to  get  the  means  of 
satisfying  that  truly  diabolical  verdict, 
he  could  not  conjecture;  and  his  ft  e 
became  sevi  t  il  shades  s  dlower  as  soon 
as  he  had  heard  his  doom  pronounced  ; 
but  Bloodsuck,  who  had  turned  quite 
white,  whispered  in  his  ear,  that  of 
cours  Mr.  Titmouse  would  see  them 
harmless 

"  i  >h     Lord  !  "    however,     muttered 

[flint,  in  a  cold  perspiration — "I 
should  bike   to  hear  Mr.  Gammon  re- 
commending   him   to   do   so,   under 
! " 
Poor  Woodlouse  was  more  fortunate 

a  how  or  another  he  coilt  I  ived  to 
creep  and  wriggle  out  of  the.  danger! 
Whether  from  his  utter  insignificance, 

or  from    the  circumstance  of    the:    dc- 

v>  r diets  against    Gammon, 

I  uck  having  sati- 

i\    :e    p,  I  know  not  ;  but  the 

was   not   pre  sod    very  strongly 

against  him,  and  tic  jury  took  a  most 
merciful  view  of  the  evidence.     But, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


597 


alas !  what  a  shock  this  gave  to  the 
Liberal  cause  in  Yatton  !  How  were 
the  mighty  fallen  !  As  soon  after  this 
melancholy  result  as  Messrs.  Mudflint 
and  Bloodsuck  had  recovered  their 
presence  of  mind  sufficiently  to  discuss 
the  matter  together,  they  were  clearly 
of  opinion — were  those  brethren  in  dis- 
tress— that  Mr.  Titmouse  was  bound, 
both  in  law  and  honour,  to  indemnify 
them  against  the  consequences  of  acts 
done  solely  on  his  behalf,  and  at  his 
implied  request.  They  made  the  thing 
very  clear,  indeed,  to  Mr.  Gammon, 
who  listened  to  them  with  marked  in- 
terest and  attention,  and  undertook 
"to  endeavour  to  satisfy"  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse of  the  justice  of  their  claims  ; 
secretly  resolving,  also,  not  to  lose 
sight  of  his  own  :  nay,  in  fact,  he 
made  sure  of  satisfying  Mr.  Titmouse 
on  that  score.  But  the  personal  liability 
which,  in  the  first  instance,  he  had 
thus  incurred,  to  an  extent  of  upwards 
of  £3000,  supposing  him,  by  any  acci- 
dent, to  fail  in  recouping  himself  out 
of  the  assets  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  was  not 
the  only  unfortunate  consequence  of 
this  serious  miscarriage.  Such  a  ver- 
dict as  had  passed  against  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, places  a  man  in  a  very  awkward 
and  nctsty  position  before  the  public, 
and  renders  it  rather  difficult  for  him 
to  set  himself  right  again.  'Tis  really 
a  serious  thing  to  stand  convicted  of 
the  offence  of  bribery  ;  it  makes  a  man 
look  very  sheepish,  indeed,  ever  after, 
especially  in  political  life.  'Tis  such 
a  beam  in  a  man's  own  eye,  to  be 
pulled  out  before  he  can  see  the  mote 
in  his  neighbour's  ! — and  Mr.  Gam- 
mon felt  this.  Then,  again,  he  had 
received  a  pledge  from  a  very  eminent 
member  of  the  government,  to  be  per- 
formed in  the  event  of  his  being  able 
to  secure  the  seat  for  Yatton  on  a 
general  election,  (which  was  considered 
not  unlikely  to  happen  within  a  few 
months ;)  but  this  accursed  verdict 
was  likely  to  prove  a  most  serious 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  advance- 
ment, and  his  chagrin  and  vexation 
mav  be  easily  imagined.  He  conceived 
a  wonderful  hatred  of  the  supposed 
instigator  of  these  unprincipled  and 
vindictive  proceedings,   Lord    De    la 


Zouch — who  seemed  to  have  put  them' 
up  like  four  birds  to  be  shot  at,  ami 
brought  down,  one  by  one,  as  his  lord* 
ship  chose !  As  soon  as  these  four 
melancholy  causes  above  mentioned 
were  over — Gammon  considering  him- 
self bound,  on  the  score  of  bare  decency, 
to  remain  till  his  fellow-sufferers  had 
been  disposed  of— he  went  off  to  Yat- 
ton, to  see  how  matters  were  going  or 
there. 

Alas  !  what  a  state  of  things  existed! 
there  !  Good  old  Yatton  and  all  about 
it  seemed  woefully  changed  for  the 
worse,  since  the  departure  of  the  ex~ 
ctdlent  Aubreys  and  the  accession  of 
Mr.  Titmouse.  The  local  superin- 
tendence of  his  interests  had  been  en- 
trusted by  Gammon  to  the  Messrs. 
Bloodsuck,  who  had  found  their  busi- 
ness, in  consequence,  so  much  increas- 
ing, as  to  require  the  establishment  of 
Mr.  Barnabas  Bloodsuck  at  Yatton, 
while  his  father  remained  at  Grilston; 
their  partnership,  however,  continu- 
ing. He  had,  accordingly,  run  up  a 
thin  slip  of  a  place  at  the  end  of  the 
village  furthest  from  the  park  gates, 
and  within  a  few  yards  of  the  house 
in  which  old  blind  Bess  had  ended 
her  days.  He  was  the  first  attorney 
that  had  ever  lived  in  Yatton.  There 
was  a  particularly  impudent  and  prig- 
gish air  about  his  residence.  The 
door  was  painted  a  staring  mahogany 
colour,  and  bore  a  bright  brass  plate, 
with  the  words — "  Messrs.  Blood- 
suck &  Sox,  Attorneys  and  Soli- 
citors " — words  that  shot  terror  into 
the  heart  of  many  a  passer-by,  especi- 
ally the  tenants  of  Mr.  Titmouse.  At 
the  moment,  for  instance,  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's arrival  at  Yatton,  on  the  present 
occasion,  actions  for  rent,  and  other 
matters,  were  actually  pending  against 
fourteen  of  the  poorer  tenants  !  !  "f  was 
all  up  with  them  as  soon  as  the  Messrs. 
Bloodsuck  were  fairly  fastened  upon 
them.  Let  them  be  a  day  or  two  in 
arrear  with  their  rent,  a  cognovit,  or 
ivarrant  of  attorney — for  the  sake  of 
the  costs  it  produced — was  instantly 
proposed  ;  and,  if  the  expensive  security 
were  demurred  to  by  the  poor  souls, 
by  that  night's  post  went  up  instruc- 
tions to  town  for  wills  to  be  sent  down 


598 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


l>y  return  !  If  Borne  of  the  more  reso- 
lute questioned  the  propriety  of  a 
distress  made  upon  them  with  cruel 
precipitancy,  they  found  themselves 
immediately  involved  in  a  replevin 
suit,  from  whose  expensive  intricacies 
they  were  at  length  glad  to  escape 
terrified,  on  any  terms.  Then  actions 
of  t :  and   so  forth,  were  com- 

menced upon  the  most  frivolous  pre- 
texts. Old  and  convenient  rights  of 
way  were  suddenly  disputed,  and 
made  the  subjects  of  expensive  law- 
suits. Many  of  the  former  quiet  in- 
habitant illagehad  been  forced 
out  of  it,  their  places  being  supplied 
by  persons  "f  a  very  different  descrip- 
tion ;  and  a  bad  sf  tte  of  feeling,  chiefly 
arising  out  of  political  rancour,  had, 
for  instance,  just  given'  rise  to  three 
aetions  —  two  of  assault  and  one  of 
slancL  /• — from  that  once  peaceful  little 
village,  ana  which  had  been  tried  at 
those  very  as  i  i\  Poor  Miss  Au- 
brey's village  school,  alas  !  had  been 
d  into  a  chapel  for  Mr. 
Mudflint,  where  he  rallied  round  him 
every  Sunday  an  excited  throng  of 
ignorant  and  disaffe  te  1  people,  and 
Led  them  with  seditious  and  blas- 
phemous harangues.  'Twould  have 
made  your  hair  stand  on  end  to  hear 
the  language  in  which  he  spoke  of  the 
sacred  mysteries  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gi  -n — it  would  have  filled  you  with 
•:  t  and  indij  iial ion  to  hear  his 
attacks  on  the  Church  of  England  and 
its  ministers,  and  in  particular  o 
dear  little  exemplary  unoffending  old 
Dr.  Tatham,  whom  ho  described  a 
"  battening  upon  cant,  hypocrisy,  and 

:i."     Strange  and  melam  : 
to  ]■  late,  this  novel  mode  of  procedure 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Mudflint  fora  while 
1.     In   vain  did  the  white- 

and   learned  vi  ar  preach  his 
very  b  and  in   his   very 

mm  r    he  beheld   his  church 

tning,   while    the   i  bane]   of    Mr. 

Mudflinl  was  filled.     Ana,  while  he 

•;t  the  village  in  the  zealous, 
1  vigilant,  and  affectionate  disco 

of    his    ' 

■ymptoms,  now  and  then,  of 

ously  nlt>  r<  '1  manner  towards  him, 

tin-  n .it  ■<'  tho  e  who  had  ODl 


his  approach  and  his  ministrations 
with  a  kind  of  joyful  reverence  and 
cordiality.  Mudflint  had  also,  in  fur- 
therance of  his  purpose  of  bitter  hos- 
tility, in  concert  with  his  worthy  coad- 
jutors the  Bloodsucks,  stirred  up  two 
or  three  persons  in  the  parish  to  resist 
the  Doctor's  claim  to  tithe,  and  to 
offer  harassing  obstructions  to  the 
collecting  of  it.  In  justice  to  the 
Church,  and  to  Ins  successors,  he 
could  not  permit  his  rights  to  be  thus 
questioned  and  denied  with  impunity 
— and  thus,  to  his  sore  grief,  the 
worthy  old  vicar  found  himself,  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  involved  in  a 
couple  of  lawsuits,  which  he  feared, 
even  if  he  won  them*  would  ruin  him. 
It  may  be  imagined  tl  at  Mudilint's 
discomfiture  at  the  assizes  was  calcu- 
lated to  send  him,  like  a  scotched 
snake,  writhing,  hissing,  and  snap- 
ping, through  the  village,  at  all  that 
came  in  his  way.  It  is  possible  that 
Mr.  Gammon  was  not  so  fully  apprised 
of  all  these  doings,  as  is  now  tho 
reader  ;  yet  he  saw  and  heard  enough 
to  lead  him  to  suspect  that  things 
were  going  a  little  too  fir.  He  took, 
however,  no  steps  towards  effecting  an 
tement  or  discontinuance  of  them. 
Just  at  present,  moreover,  he  was 
peculiarly  reluctant  to  interfere  with 
any  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Messrs. 
Bloodsuck,  and  confined  himself  to 
receiving  their  report  as  to  some  ar- 
rangements which  he  had  desiri  d  them 
to  carry  into  effect.  In  the  first  pi 
he  did  not  disclose  the  existence  of 
his  heavy  and  newly  treated  rent- 
charge,  but   gave    them  to  understand 

Mr.  Titmou  e's circumstanci  a  were 
such  as  to  make  it  requisite  to 

inch  from  the  property  as  could  pos- 
sibly be  obt  lined,  by  raising  the  rents 
— by  effecting  a  further  mo  L]  on 

the  property,  and  by  a  sale  of  all  the 
timber  thai  was  tit  for  felling.    It  was 
found   necessary  to   look   out   for  new 
tenants  to  one  or  two  of  the 
farms  on  t  he  estate,  as  the  old  I 

-led  themselves  unable  to  sustain 
the  exorbitant  rents  they  were  called 
upon  to  pay  ;    so,  orders  were  givi  a 

to  advert,  e    for  ten. mis  iii    the  county 

and    otbj  r    newspaper  .      Tl  i  u    Mr. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


599 


Gammon  went  all  over  the  estate,  to 
view  the  condition  of  the  timber, 
attended  by  the  sullen  and  reluctant 
wood-bailiff,  who,  though  he  retained 
his  situation  on  the  estate,  mortally 
hated  his  new  master,  and  all  con- 
nected with  him.  Very  little  timber 
was,  according  to  his  account,  fit  for 
felling!  Having  looked  into  these 
various  matters,  Mr.  Gammon  took 
his  departure  for  town,  glad  to  escape, 
though  for  never  so  brief  an  interval, 
the  importunities  of  Messrs.  Mudflint 
and  Bloodsuck,  on  the  subject  of  the 
late  verdicts  against  them,  and  which 
he  pledged  himself  to  represent  in  a 
proper  way  to  Mr.  Titmouse.  On 
arriving  in  town,  he  lost  no  time  in 
waiting  upon  the  great  man  to  whom 
he  looked  for  the  political  advancement 
after  which  his  soul  pined.  He  was 
received  with  manifest  coolness,  evi- 
dently occasioned  by  the  position  in 
which  he  had  been  placed  by  the 
verdict  in  the  action  for  the  bribery 
penalties.  What  the  great  man  ob- 
jected to  was  not  Mr.  Gammon's  hav- 
ing bribed,  but  having  done  it  in  such 
a  way  as  to  admit  of  detection ;  but 
on  solemnly  assuring  his  patron  that 
the  verdict  was  entirely  .against  evi- 
dence, and  that  Sir  Charles  Wolsten- 
holme  was,  in  the  next  term,  going  to 
move  for  a  rule  to  set  aside  the  verdict 
on  that  ground,  and  also  on  several 
other  grounds,  and  that,  by  such 
means,  the  cause  could  be,  at  the  very 
least,  "hung  np "  for  heaven  only 
knew  how  long  to  come — till,  in  short, 
people  had  forgotten  all  about  it — 
the  clouds  disappeared  from  the  great 
man's  brow,  especially  on  his  being 
assured  that  Gammon's  return  for 
Yatton  on  the  next  vacancy  was  a 
matter  of  absolute  certainty.  Then 
he  gave  Mr.  Gammon  certain  assur- 
ances which  flushed  his  cheek  with 
delight  and  triumph  —  delight  and 
triumph  inspired  by  a  conviction  that 
his  deeply-laid  schemes,  his  compre- 
hensive plans,  were,  despite  a  few 
minor  and  temporary  checks  and  re- 
verses, bdng  crowned  with  success. 
It  was  true  that  his  advances  towards 
Miss  Aubrey  appeared  to  have  been 
hopelessly  repelled  ;  but  he  resolved 


to  wait  till  the  time  should  have  ar- 
rived for  bringing  other  reserved  forces 
into  the  field — by  the  aid  of  which,  he 
yet  hoped  to  make  an  equally  unex- 
pected and  decisive  demonstration. 

The  more  immediate  object  of  his 
anxieties,  was  to  conceal  as  far  as  pos- 
sible his  connection  with  the  various  ■ 
joint-stock  speculations,  into  which  h,) 
had  entered  with  a  wild  and  feverish 
anxiety  to  realize  a  rapid  fortune.  Ha 
had  already  withdrawn  from  one  or 
two  with  which  he  had  been  only  for  a| 
brief  time,  and  secretly,  connected — ■ 
but  not  until  he  had  realized  no  incon- 
siderable sum  by  his  judicious  bui.' 
somewhat  unscrupulous  operations. 
He  was  also  anxious,  if  practicable,  to 
extiicate  Lord  Dreddlington,  at  the 
proper  conjuncture,  with  as  little  dam- 
age as  possible  to  his  lordship's  fortune 
or  character :  for  his  lordship's  coun- 
tenance and  good  offices  were  becoming 
of  greater  consequence  to  Mr.  Gammon 
than  ever.  1 1  was  true  that  he  possessed 
information — I  mean  that  concerning 
Titmouse's  birth  and  true  position — 
which  he  considered  would,  whenever 
he  thought  fit  to  avail  himself  of  it, 
give  him  an  absolute  mastery  over  the 
unhappy  peer  for  the  rest  of  his  life  ; 
but  he  felt  that  it  would  be  a  critical 
and  dreadful  experiment,  and  not  to 
be  attempted  but  in  the  very  last  resort. 
He  would  sometimes  gaze  at  the  un- 
conscious Earl,  and  speculate  in  a  sort 
of  reverie  upon  the  possible  effects 
attending  the  dreaded  disclosure,  till 
he  would  give  a  sort  of  inward  start 
as  he  realized  the  fearful  and  irretriev- 
able extent  to  which  he  had  committed 
himself  He  shuddered  also  to  think 
that  he  was,  moreover,  in  a  measure, 
at  the  mercy  of  Titmouse  himself — ■ 
who,  in  some  mad  moment  of  drunk- 
enness or  desperation,  or  pique  or  re- 
venge, might  disclose  the  fatal  secret, 
and  precipitate  upon  him,  when  least 
prepared  for  them,  all  its  long-dreaded 
consequences.  The  slender  faculties 
of  Lord  Dreddlington  had  been  for 
months  in  a  state  of  novel  and  grateful 
excitement,  through  the  occupation 
afforded  them  by  his  connection  with 
the  fashionable  modes  of  commercial 
enterprise — joint-stock  companies,  the 


ceo 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


fortunate  members  of  which  got  rich 
they  scarcely  knew  how.  It  seemed 
a;  though  certain  persons  had  but  to 
ucquire  a  nominal  connection  with 
some  great  enterprise  of  this  descrip- 
tion, to  find  i:  pouring  wealth  into 
their  .■..ll'rrs  as  if  by  i  anditwas 

thus  that  Lord  Dreddlington,  amongst 
Others,  found  himself  quietly  realizing 
ry  considerable  sums  of  money,  with- 
out  apparent   risk  or  exertion— his 
movements  being  skilfully  guided  by 
m,  and  one  or  two  others,  who, 
le  they  treated  him  as  a  in. 're  in- 
strument to  aid  in  effecting  their  own 
s  in  deluding  the  public,  yel 
trived  to  impress  him  with  the  flat- 
ag  notion  that  he  was  most  ably 
guiding  th  ir  movements,  and  richly 
.  to  their  deference  and  grati- 
tude.    'Twas,  indeed,  ecstasy  to  poor 
ol  1  Lord  Dreddlington  to  behold  his 
:  time  to  time,  glitt.  ring  in 
van — himself  figuring  away  as  a 
chief  i>  itron— a  prime  mover     in  some 
and  lucrative  undertaking,  which 
almost,  from  the  first  moment  of  its 
projection,  I    the   notice  and 

ace  of  the  moneyed  classes,  and 
productive  to  its  originators  ! 
Many  at!  mpts  were  made  by  his  bro- 
ther peers,  and  those  who  onca  had 
considerable   influence   over  him,    to 
3  I-,  the  very  questionable 
ore  of  the  concerns  to  which  he  w  is 
so  freely  lending  the  sanction  of  his 
nam  ;  but 

his  pride  and  ol  1  him  to 

turn  n  deaf  ear  1  i  their  suggestions; 
and  the  skilful  and  delicious  Hal 
■  if  Mr.  <  [amnion  and  ol  I 
by  the  substantial  fruits  of  hi 
speculations,  urged  him  on  from  step 
,  till  he  b  ■    e  of  th 

in  his  iiiterf 

mc  m  of  oi r  I 

h  as  have  been  i 
turned  in  a  foi  in  r  pari  of  this  hi 
and  from  which  he  looked  forwai  !  to 

,  the 
urn  t  resplendent  i 
man  obi 

iiimi  over  t1  '  D  in,  at 

wh  table  ho  was  a  frequent 


tunities  of  acquiring  the  good-will  of 
one  or  two  other  persons  of  the  Earl's 
status  and  calibre. 

1 1  is  lordship  was  sitting  in  his  library 
(his  table  covered  with  letters  and 
papers)  one  morning,  with  a  newspaper 
— the  Marn  rig  Growl — lying  in  his 
lap,  and  a  certain  portion  of  the  afo  - 
said  newspaper  he  had  read  oversev<  ral 
linn  s  with  exquisite  satisfaction.  Ho 
had,  late  on  the  preceding  evening, 
returned  from  his  seat  ( Poppleton  1  hill) 
in  Hertfordshire,  whither  he  had  been 
suddenly  called  on  business  early  in  the 
morning;  so  that  it  was  not  until  the 
time  at  which  he  is  now  i  I  to 

the  reader,  that  his  lordship  had  had 
an  opportunity  of  perusing  what  was 
now  affording  him  such  gratification} 
viz.  a  brief,  but  highly  flattering  rc- 
port  of  a  splendid  white-bail  dinner 
which  had  been  given  to  him  the  day 
before  at  Blackwall,  byapartj  ofsome 
thirty  gentlemen,  who  were,  voter  nos, 
inosi  adroit  and  .successful  traders  u 
thai  inexhaustible  capital,  public  <■<■■■- 
i  -as  founders,  managers,  and 
directors  of  various  popular  joint-stock 
companies  ;  and  the  progress  ofwhich, 
in  public  estimation,  had  been  materi- 
ally s  ad  by  the  countenance  of 
bo  distinguished  a  nobleman  as  the 
Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington, 
(i.e.  Ik,  &c.  &C.  &C.  "When  his  lord- 
ship'  e— containing  himself,  in 
evening  dress,  and  wearing  his  red 
riband,  and  on.'  or  two  foreign  orders, 
and  also  Ids  son-in-law,  the  member 
;  ,■  Y.  tton,  who  was  dressed  in  tho 
liigh  i  le  of!  i  gauce— 
dn  w  up,  opposite  the  door-way  of  tho 
iint.1,  he  was  received,  on  alighting, 

evi  ral  of  those  who  had  ass  smbled 
to  do  him  honour,  in  ike  i  ■no"  sort 
of  flattering   a:  n  ial   manner 

which    you   may   conceive   would    he 

bitcd  by  a    party  of  gre  it   East 

i    din  i  tors,    on   the  occasion   of 

their  giving  a  banqn  I    to  n  newly- 

■  aeral  of  India  1 

( lovi  rs  h  id  I  '  for  thu*ty-fi 

and  the  .  otertainmenl  was  in  a  1  ... 

:  j  .,f  thi   ;  np1  aou    ■!     rip* 

every  way  worthy  of  the  i 
na  their  i  ai  led  gu 

.  the  Karl  b;  I  Mr.  Gammon 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


601 


— methinks  I  sec  now  his  gentlemanly 
figure — his  dark-blue  coat,  white  waist- 
coat, and  simple  black  stock — his  calm 
smile,  his  keen  watchful  eye,  his  well- 
developed  forehead,  suggesting  to  you 
a  capability  of  the  highest  kind  of  in- 
tellectual action.     There  was  a  sub- 
dued cheerfulness  in  his  manner,  which 
was  bland  and  fascinating  as  ever  ;  and 
towards  the  great  man  of  the  day,  he 
exhibited   a   marked  air  of  deference 
that  was  indeed,  to  the  object  of  it, 
most    delicious   and  seductive.      The 
Earl  soon  mounted  into  the  seventh 
heaven  of  delight ;  he  had  never  ex- 
perienced anything  of  this  sort  before  ; 
he  felt  glorified — for  such  qualities 
were  attributed  to  him  in  the   after- 
dinner  speeches,  as  even  he  had   not 
before  imagined  the   existence   of  in 
himself;  his  ears  were  ravished  with 
the  sound  of  his  own  praises.     He  was 
infinitely  more  intoxicated  by  the  mag- 
nificent   compliments    which    he    re- 
ceived,   than    by    the    very    unusual 
quantity  of  champagne  which  he  had 
half  unconsciously  taken  during  dinner ; 
the  combined  effect  of  them  being  to 
produce  a  state  of  delightful  excite- 
ment which  he  had  never  known  be- 
fore.    Mr.  Titmouse,  M.P.,  also  came 
in  for  his  share  of  laudation,  and  made 
— said  the  report  in  the  Morning  Growl 
■ — a  brief  but  very  spirited  speech,  in 
return  for  his  health  being  proposed. 
At   length,   it   being   time    to    think 
of    returning   to    town,    his   lordship 
withdrew,    Sir   Sharper    Bubble,  (the 
chairman,)  and  others,  attending  him 
bareheaded  to  his  carriage,  which,  his 
lordship  and  Titmouse  having  entered, 
drove  off  amidst  the  bows  and  courte- 
ous inclinations  of  the  gentlemen  stand- 
ing on  and  around  the  steps.   Titmouse 
almost  immediately  fell  asleep,   over- 
powered by  the  prodigious  quantity  of 
champagne  and  claret  which   he  had 
taken,  and   thus  left   the   Earl,  who 
was  himself  in  a  much  more  buoyant 
humour  than  was  usual  with  him,  to 
revel  in  the  recollection  of  the  homage 
which  he  had  been  receiving.     Now, 
this  was   the  affair,  of  which  a  very 
flourishing  though  brief  account  (pri- 
vately paid  for  by  the  gentleman  who 
sent    it)    appeared    in   the    Morning 


Grcncl,  with  a  most  magnificent  speech 
of  his  lordship's  about  free  trade,  and  [ 
the  expansive  principles  of  commercial ' 
enterprise,  and  so  fortli  :  'twas  true, 
that  the  Earl  had  no  recollection  of 
having  either  meditated  the  delivery 
of  any  such  speech,  or  actually  de- 
livered it — but  he  might  have  done  so 
for  all  that,  and  possibly  did.  He  read. 
over  the  whole  account  nalf-a-dozsnj 
times  at  least,  as  I  have  already  said  i 
and  at  the  moment  of  his  being  pre-j 
sented  to  the  reader,  sitting  in  his, 
easy-chair,  and  with  the  newspaper  on 
his  lap,  he  was  in  a  very  delightful 
state  of  feeling.  He  secretly  owneU 
to  himself  that  he  was  not  entirely 
undeserving  of  the  compliments  which 
had  been  paid  to  him.  Considerably 
advanced  though  he  was  in  life,  he 
was  developing  energies  commensurato 
with  the  exigencies  which  called  for 
their  display — energies  which  had  long 
lain  dormant  for  want  of  such  oppor- 
tunities. What  practical  tact  and 
judgment  he  felt  conscious  of  exhibit- 
ing, while  directing  the  experienced 
energies  of  mercantile  men  and  capi- 
talists !  How  proud  and  delighted  was 
he  at  the  share  he  was  taking  in  direct- 
ing the  commercial  enterprise  of  the 
country  into  proper  quarters,  and  to 
proper  objects;  and,  moreover,* while 
he  was  thus  benefiting  his  country,  ho 
was  also  sensibly  augmenting  his  own 
private  revenue.  In  his  place  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  also,  he  displayed  a 
wonderful  energy,  and  manifested 
surprising  interest  in  all  mercantile 
questions  started  there.  He  was,  con- 
sequently, nominated  one  of  a  Com- 
mittee (into  the  appointment  of  which 
he  and  one  or  two  others  like  him  had 
teased  and  worried  their  Lordships,) 
to  enquire  into  the  best  mode  of  ex- 
tending the  operation  of  Joint-Stock 
Companies  ;  and  asked  at  least  four 
times  as  many  questions  of  the  wit- 
nesses called  before  them,  as  any  other 
member  of  the  Committee.  He  also 
began  to  feel  still  loftier  aspirations. 
His  lordship  was  not  without  hopes 
that  the  declining  health  of  Sir  Miser- 
able Muddle,  the  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  would  soon  open  a 
prospect  for  his  lordship's  accession  to 


G02 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


office,  as  the  successor  of  that  enlight- 
ened statesman  ;  feeling  conscious  that 
the  mercantile  part  of  the  community 
Would  look  With  great  approbation 
upon  bo  satisfactory  an  appointment, 
and  that  thereby  the  King's  govern- 
ment would   be  materially   strength- 

i.  As  for  matter  of  a  more  directly 
business  character,  I  may  mention  that 
his  lordship  was  taking  active  measures 
towards  organizing  a  company  for  the 
purchase  of  the  Isle  of  Dogs,  and 
working  the  invaluable  mines  of  cop- 
per, lead,  and  coal  which  lay  under- 
neath. These  and  other  matters  fully 
upied  his  lordship's  attention,  and 
kept  him  from  morning  to  night  in  a 
pleasurable  state  of  excitement  and 
activity.  Still  lie  had  his  drawbacks. 
The  inexorable  premier  continued  to 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  all  his  solicitations 
fur  a  marquisate  —  till  he  began  to 

rtain  the  notion  of  transferring 
his  support  to  the  opposition  ;  and, 
in  fact,  he  resolved  upon  doing  so,  if 
ano:'  ion   elapsed   without  his 

receiving  the  legitimate  reward  of  his 
steadfast  adherence  to  the  Liberal 
cause.  Then  again  he  becaiur  m  ire 
and  more  sensible  that  Lady  Cecilia 
was  not  happy  in  her  union  with  .Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  that  his  conduct  was 
nut  calculated  to  make  her  so  ;  in  fact, 
his  lordship  began  to  suspect  that  there 
was  a  total  incompatibility  of  tempers 
and  disp  ,  which  would  inevit- 

ably force  on  a  separation  —  under 
existing  circumstances  a  painful  step, 
and  eminently  unadvisable.  His  lord- 
ship's numerous  enquiries  of  Mr.  (lam- 
as to  the  state  of  Mr.  Titmon 
property,  met  occasionally  with  un- 
tory  and  (as  any  one  of  clearer 
head    th  Lordship  would   ha  i  < 

-it.  answers.     Mr. 
Til:  :mt    expenditure 

c  of  notoriety  ;  the  Earl 
himself  bid  been  once  or  twice  com- 
pelled    to  i  I,  i:i  order  to 

•    in    :  son-in-law's 

hou  executii  I    be   re- 

ed  and 
witli  Mr.  Titmouse  on  the  impropriety 

.any   parts  of  hi  Tit- 

',  with 
-I'  i  ompun  tion  and 


sincerity,  that  tho  Earl  had  too  much 
ground  for  complaint,  and  protesting 
that  he  meant  to  change  altogether 
one  of  these  days.  Indeed,  matters 
would  soon  have  been  brought  to  a 
crisis  between  the  Kail  and  Titmouse, 
had  the  Earl  not  been  so  constantly 
immersed  in  business,  as  to  prevent 
his  mind  from  dwelling  upon  the 
various  instances  of  Titmouse's  mis- 
conduct which  from  time  to  time  came 
under  his  notice.  The  condition  of 
Lady  Cecilia  was  one  which  gave  the 
Earl  anxiety  and   interest.     She  was 

nte;  and  the  prospect  which  this 
afforded  the  Earl  of  the  family  honours 
continuing  in  a  course  of  direct  de- 
scent, gave  him  unspeakable  satisfac- 
tion. Thus  is  it,  in  short,  that  no 
one's  cup  is  destitute  of  some  ingredi- 
ents of  bitterness  ;  that  the  wheat  and 
the  tares — happiness  and  anxiety — 
grow  up  together.  The  above  will 
suffice  to  indicate  the  course  taken  by 
his  lordship's  thoughts  on  the  present 
occasion.  He  sat  back  in  his  chair  in 
a  sort  of  reverie  ;  having  laid  down  his 
paper,  and  placed  his  gold  spectacles 
on  the  little  stand  beside  him,  where 
lay  also  his  massive  old  gold  repeater. 
The  Morning  Growl  of  that  morning 
was  very  late,  owing  to  the  arrival  of 
foreign  news  ;  but  it  was  brought  in  to 
bis  lordship  just  as  he  was  beginning 
to  open  his  letters.  These  his  lordship 
laid  aside  for  a  moment,  in  order  to 
skim  ovor  the  contents  of  his  paper ; 
on  wluoli  he  had  not  been  long  en- 

1,     before    his    eye    lit    upon    a 
igraph  that  gave  him   a  dreadful 

i.,  blanching nis  cheek,  and  throw* 
in  '  him  into  an  universal  tremor.  Ho 
it  over  several  times,  almost 
doubting  whether  he  could  be  reading 
correctly.  It  is  possible  that  the  ex- 
perienced reader  may  not  be  taken  as 
much  by  surprise  as  was  the  Earl  of 
Dreddlington ;  but  the  intelligence 
conveyed  by  the  paragraph  in  ques- 
t ion  was  simply  I  it  the  Arti- 

ficial Rain  Company  had,  so  to 
speak,  suddenly  evaporated!  —  and 
thai  this  result  had  been  precipitated 
by  tho  astounding  'i'  ico^ cry  in  tho 
<'ity,  in  the  preceding  afternoon,  that 
the  managing  director)  f  th    I  '■     ;  any 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


had  lolled  with  all  the  available  funds 
of  the  society — and  who  should  this 
he,  but  the  gentleman  who  had  pre- 
sided so  ably  the  evening  before  over 
the  Blackwall  dinner  to  his  lordship, 
viz.  Sir  Sharper  Bubble  !  !  !  The 
plain  fact  was,  that  that  worthy  had,  at 
that  very  time,  completed  all  arrange- 
ments necessary  for  taking  the  very 
decisive  step  on  which  he  had  deter- 
mined ;  and,  within  an  hour's  time  of 
handing  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  to 
his  carriage,  in  the  way  that  has  been 
described,  had  slipped  into  a  boat 
moored  by  the  water  side,  and  got 
safely  on  board  a  fine  brig  bound  for 
America,  just  as  she  was  haulir.g  up 
anchor,  and  spreading  forth  her  canvas 
before  a  strong  steady  east  wind,  which 
was  at  that  moment  bearing  him,  under 
the  name  of  Mr.  Snooks,  rapidly  away 
from  the  artificial  and  unsatisfactory 
state  of  things  which  prevailed  in  the 
Old  World,  to  a  new  one,  where  he 
hoped  there  would  not  exist  such  im- 
pediments in  the  way  of  extended 
commercial  enterprise.  As  soon  as 
the  Earl  had  a  little  recovered  from 
the  agitation  into  which  this  announce- 
ment had  thrown  him,  he  hastily  rang 
his  bell,  and  ordered  his  carriage  to  be 
got  instantly  in  readiness.  Having 
put  the  newspaper  into  his  pocket,  he 
was  soon  on  his  way,  at  a  great  speed, 
towards  the  Poultry,  in  the  City,  where 
was  the  office  of  the  Company,  with 
the  faintest  glimmer  of  a  hope  that 
there  might  be  some  mistake  about  the 
matter.  Ordering  his  servant  to  let 
him  out  the  instant  that  the  carriage 
drew  up,  the  Earl,  not  allowing  his 
servant  to  anticipate  him,  got  down 
and  rang  the  bell,  the  outer  door  being 
closed,  although  it  was  now  twelve 
o'clock.  The  words  "Artificial 
Bain  Company"  still  shone,  in  gilt 
letters  half  a  foot  long,  on  the  green 
blind  of  the  window  on  the  ground 
floor!  All  still- — deserted — dry  as 
Gideon's  fleece  !  An  old  woman  pre- 
sently answered  his  summons.  She 
said  she  believed  the  business  was 
given  up  ;  and  there  had  been  a  good 
many  gentlemen  enquiring  about  it — 
that  he  was  welcome  to  go  in — but 
there  was  nobody  in  except  her  and  a 


little  child.  With  an  ai*  'inconceiv- 
able agitation,  his  lor  vent  into 
the  offices  on  the  gro,...  uoor.  All 
was  silent :  no  clerks,  no  servants,  no 
porters  or  messengers ;  no  books,  or 
prospectuses,  or  writing  materials. 
"I've  just  given  everything  a  good 
dusting,  sir,"  said  she  to  the  Earl,  at 
the  same  time  wiping  off  a  little  dust 
with  the  corner  of  her  apron,  and 
which  had  escaped  her.  Then  the  I 
Earl  went  up-stairs  into  the  "  Board  ! 
Room."  There,  also,  all  was  silent 
and  deserted,  and  very  clean  and  in 
good  order.  There  was  the  green 
baize-covered  table,  at  which  he  had 
often  sat,  presiding  over  the  enlight- 
ened deliberations  of  the  directors. 
The  Earl  gazed  in  silent  stupor  about 
him. 

"They  say  it's  a  blow-up,  sir," 
quoth  the  old  woman.  "But  I  should 
think  it's  rather  sudden  !  There's 
been  several  here  has  looked  as  much 
struck  as  you,  sir  ! "  This  recalled 
the  Earl  to  his  senses,  and,  without 
uttering  a  word,  he  descended  the 
stairs.  "Beg  pardon,  sir — but  could 
you  tell  me  who  I'm  to  look  to  for 
taking  care  of  the  place  ?  I  can't  find 
out  the  gentleman  as  sent  for  me " 

"  My  good  woman,"  replied  the  Earl 
faintly,  hastening  from  the  horrid 
scene,  "I  know  nothing  about  it," 
and,  stepping  into  his  carriage,  ha 
ordered  it  to  drive  on  to  Lombard 
Street,  to  the  late  Company's  bankers. 
As  soon  as  he  had,  with  a  little  in- 
distinctness arising  from  his  agita- 
tion, mentioned  the  words  "Artificial 
Bain " 

"Account  closed!"  was  the  brief 
matter-of-fact  answer,  given  in  a  busi- 
ness-like an  1  peremptory  tone,  the 
speaker  immediately  attending  to  some 
one  else.  The  Earl  was  too  much 
agitated  to  observe  a  knowing  wink 
interchanged  among  the  clerks  behind, 
as  soon  as  they  had  caught  the  words 
"Artificial  Bain  Company!"  —  The 
Earl,  with  increasing  agitation,  re- 
entered his  carriage,  and  ordered  it  to 
be  driven  to  the  office  of  Messrs. 
Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap.  There 
he  arrived  in  a  trice  ;  but,  being  in- 
formed that  Mr.  Gammon  had  not  yet 


C01 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


• 


come,  and  would  probably  be  found 
at  Lis  chambers  in  [nn,  the 

horses'  heads  were  forthwith  turned, 
and  within  a  few  ruinut  a'  time  the 
carriage  had  drawn  up  ■  ; 
enfa  ivies'  ]  an — where  the 

Earl  had  never  been  before.  Withoul 
sending  his  rehand  to 

i  quire,  his  lordship  immediately 
ali  >n  found  out  the  stair- 

Mi*.  <  rammon's  cham- 
bers,  on   the   first   floor.     The  words 
"Mr.  <  Sammon  "  were  painted  in  white 
tcrs  over   ihe  door,   tlie  outer  one 
opi  a.      His    lordship's   rather 
ons  was  answered  by  Mr. 
unon's  laundress,  a  tidy  mid  1  e- 
aged  woman,  who  lived  in  the  cham- 
,  and  informed   the   Earl,  that  if 
he  wished  to  see  Mr.  Gammon,  he  had 
tter  Btep  in  and  wait  for  a  minute 
or  two — as  Mr.  Gammon  had  only  just 
tier's  a  little  way  off, 
and  said  he  should  be  hark  in  a  minute 

Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq.. 

to 
Oily  Gammon,  Gent. 

This  almost  stopped  the  Earl's 
breath.  With  trembling  hands  he 
put  on  his  o  assure  him- 

that  he  read  correctly  ;  and  with 
a  fa  rspread  with   dismay,  was 

gazing  intently  at  the  writing,  holding 
the  parchment  in  his  hands ;  and  while 
thus  ah  mon  enti  red, 

having  Bhot  across  the  inn,  and  sprung 
up-stairs  with  lightning  speed,  the 
insl  t    his    eye    had    caught 

!  lington's  equipage  si  ind- 
ing  oppo  ite  to  the  inn.     He  had  in- 

d  having  left  on  the 
Le  the  de<  d  in  question,  which  had 
!  een  executed  by  Til  mouse  only  the 
evening  before  ;  and  little  anticip 
that,  ol  :  th,  Lord 

Dreddlin   ton  would  be  the  fi 

upon  it.  'I  h  i  >,  per- 
haps, somewhat  indi  ivc  it 
there  ;  but  it  was  in  G  immou's  own 

f>ii  In  re  he  li :'l  \ cry 

ie  of 
the  led  only  a 

tion. 

lit ! 


or  two.  In  went  the  Earl,  and  Fat 
down  in  Mr.  Gammon's  sitting-room. 
It  was  a  fair-sized  r  tly  fur- 

nished, more  for  use  than  show.  A 
plain  deal  bookcase,  stretching  over 
the  whole  of  one  side  of  the  room, 
was  filled  with  hooks,  and  beside  it, 
and  opposite  to  the  fireplace,  was  the 
door  «f  Mr.  Gammon's  bedroom  — 
which  being  open,  appeared  as  if  not 
hiving  been  yet  set  to  rights.  Mr. 
Gammon  had  not  risen  very  early  that 
morning.  The  Earl  sat  down,  having 
removed  his  hat  ;  and  in  placing  it 
upon  the  table,  his  eye  lit  upon  an 
object  that  suggested  to  him  a  new 
source  of  amazement  and  alarm.  It 
was  a  newly-executed  parchment  con- 
veyance, folded  up  in  the  usual  way, 
a' Hint  a  foot  square  in  size  ;  and  as  the 
Earl  sat  down,  his  eye  could  scarcely 
fail  to  read  the  superscription,  in  1 1 
round  hand,  which  was  turned  full 
wards  him,  and,  in  short,  ran  thus: — 

\  Grant  of  Rent-Charge  on 
'-  Estates  at  Yatton,  of  £2000 
J     per  annum. 

"My    Lord    Dreddlington ! "    ex- 
claimed   Gammon,     breathless    with 
haste   and   agitation,  the  instant  he 
saw  his  worst  apprehensions  fulQI 
The  Karl  looked  up  at  him,  as  it  v 
mechanically,  o\  er  hi  .  without 

moving,  or  attempting  to  speak. 

'■  I  —  I — -Leg  your  lordship's  par- 
don :"  he  added  quickly  and  sten  ly, 
mcingtowards  Lord  Dreddlington. 
■■  Pardon  me,  bul  surely  your  lordship 
of  the  liberty  you  are 
taking  —  my  private  papers!"  —  and 
with  an  eager  and  not  over-ceremonioua 
hand,  he  took  the  conveyance  out  of 
the  unresisting  grasp  of  Lis  noble 
visitor. 

"Sir — Mr.   Gammon!"— at  length 

limed  the  Earl  in  a  faltering  \ 

— "  what    is    the  |  of    thai  .'  " 

il  ing  with    a  tri  mulou  r  to 

the  conveyance  which  Mr.   Gammon 

hel  1  in  his  hand. 

•  What  is  it?    A  privati — a  Btri<  ily 

dd  ttl    0?  mine,    my   lord 

replied  < ! amnion  with  breathless  im- 

pye  (lashing  fury,  and 

lie  — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


805 


"one  with,  which  your  lordship  has 
no  more  concern  than  your  footman — 
one  which  I  surely  might  have  fancied 
safe  from  intrusive  eyes  in  my  own ' 
private,  residence  —  one  which  I  am 
confounded  —  yes,  confounded  !  my 
Lord,  at  finding  that  you  could  for  an 
instant  allow  yourself — consider  your- 
self warranted  in  even  looking  at — 
prying  into — and  much  less  presuming 
to  ask  questions  concerning  it."  He 
held  the  parchment  all  this  while 
tightly  grasped  in  his  hands ;  his 
appearance  and  manner  might  have 
overpowered  a  man  of  stronger  nerves 
than  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington.  On 
him,  however,  it  appeared  to  produce 
no  impression — his  faculties  seeming 
quite  absorbed  with  the  discovery  he 
had  just  made,  and  he  simply  en- 
quired, without  moving  from  his  chair 
— "  Is  it  a  fact,  sir,  that  you  have 
obtained  a  rent-charge  of  two  thou- 
sand a-year  upon  my  son-in-law's 
property  at  Yatton  ? " 

"  I  deny  peremptorily  your  lord- 
ship's right  to  ask  me  a  single  question 
arising  out  of  information  obtained  in 
such  a  dis — I  mean  such  an  unprece- 
dented manner !  "  answered  Gammon, 
vehemently. 

"  Two  thousand  a-year,  sir ! — out  of 
my  son-in-law's  property  ? "  repeated 
the  Earl,  with  a  kind  of  bewildered 
incredulity. 

"  I  cannot  comprehend  your  lord- 
ship's conduct  in  attempting  neither 
to  justify  what  you  have  done,  nor 
apologize  for  it,"  said  Gammon,  en- 
deavouring to  speak  calmly ;  and  at 
the  same  time  depositing  the  convey- 
ance in  a  large  iron  safe,  and  then 
locking  the  door  of  it,  Lord  Dreddling- 
ton, the  while,  eyeing  his  movements 
in  silence. 

"Mr.  Gammon,  I  must  and  will 
have  this  matter  explained  ;  depend 
upon  it,  I  will  have  it  looked  into 
and  thoroughly  sifted,"  at  length  said 
Lord  Dreddlington,  with  returning 
self-possession,  as  Gammon  observed — 
"Can  your  lordship  derive  any  right 
to  information  from  me,  out  of  an  act 
of  your  lordship's  which  no  honourable 
mind — nay,  if  your  lordship  insists  on 
my  making  myself  understood — I  will 


say,  an  act  which  no  gentleman  would 

resort  to,  unless "     The  Earl  rose 

from   his    chair  with    calmness    and 
dignity. 

"What  your  notions  of  honourable 
or  gentlemanly  conduct  may  happen 
to  be,  sir,"  said  the  old  peer,  drawing  ■ 
himself  up  to  his  full  height,  ami 
speaking  with  his  usual  deliberation, 
"it  may  not  be  worth  my  while  to' 

enquire  ;  but  let  me  tell  you,  sir " 

"  My  lord,  I  beg  your  forgiveness —  r 
I  havfc  certainly  been  hurried  by  my 
excitement  into  expressions  which  I 
would  gladly  withdraw." 

"  Hear  me,  sir,"  replied  the  Earl, 
with  a  composure  which,  under  the 
circumstances,  was  wonde; ful  ;  "it  is 
the  first  time  in  my  life  that  any  one 
has  presumed  to  speak  to  me  i:i  such 
a  manner,  and  to  use  such  language  ; 
and  I  will  neither  forget  it,  sir,  nor 
forgive  it." 

"Then,  my  lord,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  re-asserting  what  I  had  withdrawn," 
said  Gammon,  his  blood  tingling  in  all 
his  veins.  He  had  never  given  Lord 
Dreddlington  credit  for  being  able  to 
exhibit  the  spirit  and  self-command 
which  he  was  then  displaying.  The 
Earl  bowed  loftily  as  Gammon  spoke  ; 
and  on  his  concluding,  said  with 
haughty  composure — 

"  When  I  entered  your  room,  sir, 
that  document  caught  my  eye  acci- 
dentally ;  and  on  seeing  upon  the 
outside  of  it — for  no  further  have  I 
looked — the  name  of  my  own  son-in- 
law,  it  was  but  natural  that  I  should 
suppose  there  could  be  no  objection  to 
my  looking  further,  at  the  outside. 
That  was  my  opinion,  sir — that  is  my 
opinion  ;  your  presumptuous  expres- 
sions, sir,  cannot  change  my  opinion, 
nor  make  me  forget  our  relative  posi- 
tions," he  added  loftily  ;  "and  I  once 
more  demand,  sir,  what  is  the  meaning 
of  that  extraordinary  document  ?  " 

Mi*.  Gammon  was  taken  quite  by 
surprise  by  this  calmness  and  resolution 
on  the  part  of  the  Earl  ;  and  while  his 
lordship  spoke,  and  for  some  moments 
after  gazed  at  him  sternly,  yet  irreso- 
lutely, his  faculties  strained  to  their 
utmost  to  determine  upon  the  course 
he  should  take  in  so  totally  unexpected 


CQI5 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


fin  emergency,  lie  was  not  long, 
rer,  in  deciding. 

"Since  your  lordship  desires  in- 
formation from  mc,  let  me  request  you 
to  be  seated, "  said  he,  in  a  tone  and 
with  an  air  of  profound  courtesy,  such 
as,  in  its  turn,  took  his  noble  com- 
panion by  surprise  ;  and  he  slowly 
at,  Gammon  also  sitting 
town  nearly  opposite  to  him.  "May 
f,  in  the  first  pi  ice,  ask  to  what  cir- 
cumstance I  am  indebted,  my  lord,  for 
the  honour  of  this  visit?"  he  enquired. 

"Oh,  sir— sir — by  the  way — indeed 
vou  may  well  ask — you  must  have 
d"  —  suddenly  and  vehemently 
interrupted  the  Marl,  whose  mind 
could  hold  but  one  important  matter 
at  a  time. 

"To  what  does  your  lordship 
allude  .; "  enquired  '  lammon,  who  knew 

J.  i !'    ilv  well  all  the  while.     Having 
tad  a  hint  that  mailers  were   going 
ig  with  the  Artificial  Rain  Com- 
j)  my,  he  had  contrived  to  creep  out  of 
it,  by  Belling  such  Bhares  as  he  held,  at 
a  litl  certainly — and  he  would 

have  done  the  same  for  the  Karl  had  it 
been   pra  ;   but  his  lordship's 

sudden  journey  into  Hertfordshire  had 

iirevented  his  communicating  with  his 
.  hip,  till  the  time  for  acting  had 
]  ed.  Now,  therefore,  he  resolved 
to  b  ■  taken  by  surprise. 

"To  what  do  I  allude,  sir!"  echoed 
the  Karl  with  much  agitation,  taking 
tli.-  newspaper  from  his  pocket — "The 

Artificial  Rain  Company,  sir " 

"Well,    my    lord!" exclaimed 

("!  in; ii  impatiently. 

ne  !     Blown  up !     En- 
tirely disappeared,  sir !  " 

"Gone  I    Blown  up!    The  Artificial 

Rain   Company  1    On,   my  lord,  it's 

impossible  !  "    cried    Gammon    with 

tied  amazemi 

"Sir     it  is  clean  gone.     Sir  Sharper 

Bui  !  !  " 

His  lordship  handed  the  pap 
Mr.  Gammon,  who  read  the  p  iragraph 
(which  Lc  had  read  some  hour  or  two 
>re  in  bed,  where  his  own  copy  of 
,  at  thai  mo- 
ment Ij  iie-i  v.  ith  ev<  n  ince  of 
i  aper  quite  shook  in 
'  hands. 


"It  cannot — it  cannot  be  true,  my 
lord  !  "  said  he. 

"  Sir,  it  is.  I  have  been  myself  to 
the  Company's  office — it  isquite  closed 
—  shut  up  ;  there  is  only  an  old  woman 
there,  sir!  And  at  the  banker's,  the 
only  answer  is — '  Account  closed  ! '  " 

"Then  I  am  nearly  a  couple  of 
thousand  pounds  poorer — my  God  ! 
what  shall  I  do  ?  l5o,  my  lord,  let  us 
drive  off  instantly  to  Sir  Sharper 
Bubble's  house,  and  see  if  he  be  really 
gone.  It  may  be  a  villainous  fabrica- 
tion altogether — I  never  will  believe 
that  Buch  a  man — How  miserable,  that 
both  your  lordship  and  I  should  have 
been  out  of  town  yesterday  !  " 

Thus  Gammon  went  on,  with  great 
mess,  hoping  to  occupy  Lord 
Dreddlington's  thoughts  exclusively 
with  the  matter  ;  but  he  was  mistaken. 
The  Karl,  after  a  little  pause,  reverted 
to  the  previous  topic,  and  repeated  his 
enquiry  as  to  the  rent-charge,  with  an 
air  of  such  serious  determination  as 
soon  satisfied  Gammon  that  there  was 
no  evading  the  crisis  which  had  so 
Buddenly  arisen.  With  the  topic,  his 
lordship  also  unconsciously  changed 
his  manner,  which  was  now  one  of 
offended  majesty. 

"Sir,"  said  he,  with  stately  deliber- 
ation, "what  you  have  said  to  myself 
personally,  cannot  be  unsaid  ;  but  I 
desire  a  plain  answer,  Mr.  Gammon,  to 
a  plain  question.  Is  the  document 
which  1  had  in  my  hand,  an  instrument 
giving  you  —  gracious  Heaven! — a 
charge  of  two  thousand  pounds  a-year 
upon  my  son-in-law's  estate?  Sir, 
once  for  all,  I  peremptorily  insist  on 
an  answer  before  I  leave  3'our  cham- 
bers; and,  if  I  do  not  obtain  it,  I 
shall  instantly  cause  a  rigorous  enquiry 
to  be  set  on  foot." 

[•*  You  d ri  vel  1  ingohst  inatc  old  fool ! " 
thought  Gammon,  looking  the  while 
with  mild  anxiety  at  the  Karl,  "if  you 
were  to  drop  down  dead  at  my  feet, 
now,  at  this  moment,  what  vexation 
you  would  save  me!  Dill  it  ever  be- 
fall to  the  lot  of  mortal  man  to 
have  to  d.al  with  two  such  idiots  as 
5    a  and  Titmouse  ?"] 

"  Well,  then,  my  lord,  since  you  are 
rtinacious on  the  point  -retaining 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


C07 


my  strong  opinion  concerning  the  very 
unwarrantable  means  which  enable  you 
to  put  the  question  to  me — I  disdain 
equivocation  or  further  concealment," 
he  continued,  with  forced  composure, 
"  and  distinctly  admit  that  the  docu- 
ment which  was  lately  in  your  lord- 
ship's hands,  is  an  instrument  having 
the  effect  which  it  professes  to  have. 
It  gives  me,  my  lord,  a  rent-charge  for 
the  term  of  my  life,  of  two  thousand 
pounds  a-year  upon  Mr.  Titmotise's 
estate  of  Yatton." 

"Good  God,  sir!"  exclaimed  the 
Earl,  gazing  at  Gammon,  as  if  thunder- 
struck with  an  answer  which,  never- 
theless, he  could  not  but  have  calcu- 
lated upon  —  and  which  was  indeed 
inevitable. 

"  That  is  the  fact,  my  lord,  un- 
doubtedly," said  Gammon,  with  the 
air  of  a  man  who  has  made  up  his 
mind  to  encounter  something  very 
serious  and  unpleasant. 

"There  never  was  such  a  thing 
heard  of,  sir  !  Two  thousand  pounds 
a-year  given  to  his  solicitor  by  my 
son  -  in  -  law  !  Why,  he  is  a  mere 
boy—" 

"  He  was  old  enough  to  marry  the 
Lady  Cecilia,  my  lord,"  interrupted 
Gammon  calmly,  but  very  bitterly. 

"That  may  be,  sir,"  replied  the 
Earl,  his  face  faintly  flushing — "but 
he  is  ignorant  of  business,  sir — of  the 
world — or  you  must  have  taken  ad- 
vantage of  him  when  he  was  intoxi- 
cated." 

"  Nothing — nothing  of  the  kind,  my 
lord.  Never  was  Mr.  Titmouse  more 
sober — never  in  fuller  possession  of  his 
faculties — never  did  he  do  anything 
more  deliberately,  than  when  he  signed 
that  conveyance." 

"  Why,  have  you  purchased  it,  sir  ? 
Given  consideration  for  it  ? "  enquired 
the  Earl,  with  a  perplexed  air. 

"  Why  did  not  your  lordship  ask 
that  question  before  you  felt  yourself 
at  liberty  to  make  the  harsh  and 
injurious  comments  you  have " 

"Sir,  you  evade  my  question." 

"  No,  my  lord — I  do  not  wish  to  do 
so.  I  have  given  value  for  it — full 
value ;  and  Mr.  Titmouse,  if  you  ask 
him,  will  tell  you  so." 


The  Earl  paused. 

"And  is  the  consideration  recorded 
in  the  deed,  sir  ?  " 

"  It  is,  my  lord — and  truly." 

"  I  must  again  ask  you,  sir — do  you 
mean  to  tell  me  that  you  have  given 
full  value  for  this  rent-charge  ? " 

"Full  value,  my  lord." 

"  Then  why  all  this  mystery,  Mr. 
Gammon  ? " 

"  Let  me  ask,  in  my  turn,  my  lord, 
why  all  these  questions  about  a  matter 
with  which  you  have  nothing  to  do  ? 
Wou'd  it  not  be  much  better  for  your 
lordship  to  attend  to  your  own  affaurjj 
just  now,  after  the  very  alarming — •— 

"Sir — sir — I — I — that  is — my  con- 
cern," stammered  the  E:irl,  very  nearly 
thrust  out  of  his  course  by  this  stroke 
of  Gammon's  ;  but  he  soon  recovered 
himself — for  the  topic  they  were  dis- 
cussing had  taken  a  thorough  hold  of 
his  mind. 

"Lid  you  give  a  pecuniary  con- 
sideration, Mr.  Gammon  ? " 

"  I  gave  a  large  sum  in  ready 
money  ;  and  the  remainder  of  the  con- 
sideration is  expressed  to  be,  my  long 
and  arduous  services  to  Mr.  Titmouse, 
in  putting  him  into  possession  of  his 
property." 

"Will  you,  then,  favour  me  with  a 
copy  of  this  deed,  that  I  may  examine 
it,  and  submit  it  to  competent " 

"No,  my  lord,  I  will  do  no  such 
thing,"  replied  Gammon  peremptorily. 

"  You  will  not,  sir  ?"  repeated  the 
Earl  after  a  pause,  his  cold  blue  eye 
fixed  steadfastly  upon  that  of  Gammon, 
and  his  face  full  of  stern  and  haughty 
defiance. 

"No,  my  lord,  I  will  not.  Proba- 
bly that  answer  is  explicit  enough !  " 
replied  Gammon,  returning  Lord 
Dreddlington's  look  with  unwavering 
steadfastness.     There  was  a  pause. 

"  But  one  conclusion  can  be  drawn, 
then,  from  your  refusal,  sir — one  highly 
disadvantageous  to  you,  sir.  No  one 
can  avoid  the  conclusion  that  there 
has  been  foul  play,  and  fraud — — " 

"  You  are  a  peer  of  the  realm,  Lord 
Dreddlington  ;  try  to  be  a  gentleman" 
said  Gammon,  who  had  turned  deadly 
pale.  The  Earl's  eye  continued  fixed 
on    Gammon,    and    his    lip    slightly 


COS 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


quivered.    Tie  seemed  amazed  at  Gam- 
mon's audacity. 

"  Let  me  recommend  your  lordship 
to  ho  more  -  md  measured  in 

year  Lai  M  rammon,  vi 

to    p  iak  with  calmn 
"i-  ning    matters    on 

which   ;  utterly  —  profoundly 

ignorant " 

"J  will  not  long  remain  so,  Mr. 
H  ;•  ..  ■  you    in  ly   rely   upon   it," 

lied  the  Karl  with  sustained  firm- 
ness and  hauteur. 

['Shall  I  ?    shall  I?    shall  I  pros- 

/•  iK '•'  '  .'•'  '''•  :--'-  "'  :;t  °hd  fool !  soul  and 
- • '    tlio  imraon.] 

>"  I  will  instantly  seek  out  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse," continued  the  Earl,  "and 
wiU  soon  pet  at  the  bottom  of  this — 
thi  istrous  transaction." 

"  I   can  cot,  of  course,  control  your 

lordship's  motions.     If  you  do  apply 

to  Mr.  Titmouse,  you  will  in  all  pro- 

bal  the  information  you 

;  for — th  Mr.  Titmouse  - 

wil  me " 

"  If— Mr.— Titmouse— dare,    sir  ?  " 
echoed  the  Earl  calmly  and  scornfully. 
"Yes — dare!"    furiously  retorted 
Gammon,  his  eye,  as  it  were,  moi 
tarily  flashing  fi 

"Sir,  this  is  very  highly amusin  ,{.  " 

fto  Bmile  ; 
it    was  impossible.      His    1 

■1  so  much  that  he  c  >uld  not 

p  on  his  ithont  great  i 

"To  me,  my  lord,  it  is  very— very 

ful,"  replied    Gammon,  with  an 

ation  which  he  could  not  conceal 

— "nol    painful  on  my  own  account, 

dship's " 

"Sir,   I    thank  you  for  your  sym- 

1    thy,"  interrupted   Lord  Dreddlirig 

with  a   faint  ■.      "In    the 

in   n  while,  I  upon  my 

forthwith  of  a  somewhat 

r.     We  shall  see,  sir. 

IS  of  this  sort  can 
I." 

'     ' 

J  i  —  < 

topple  him  do  oi  er 

of  his  L  i  un- 

approachable pride,  as  though  hi 


been  struck  by  lightning.9  Gammon 
felt  himself  getting  colder  every  min- 
ute— his  agitation    driving  the  blood 
his  extremities   back   upon   his 

"Your  lordship  has  spoken  of  con- 
."  he  commenced,  with  visible 
•Motion. — "Your  lordship's  offensive 
and  most  uncalled-for  observations 
upon  my  motives  and  conduct,  irri- 
tated me  for  the  moment- — but  that  is 
gone  by.  They  have,  however,  worked 
my  feelings  up  to  a  point  which  will 
enable  me,  perhaps,  better  than  on 
any  future  occasion,  to  make  a  dis- 
closure to  your  lordship  of  a  secret, 
that  ever  since,  it  has  come  to  my 
knowledge,  s  >  help  me  Heaven  !  has 
made  me  the  most  miserable  of  men." 
There  was  something  ui  Gammon's 
manner  that  compelled  the  Earl  to  sit 
down  again  in  the  chair  from  which 
he  had  risen,  ami  where  he  remained 
gazing  in  wondering  silence  at  Gam- 
mon, who  proceeded — "It  is  a  dis- 
nre  which  will  require  all  your 
lordship's  strength  of  mind  to  prevent 
its  overpowering  you " 

"Gracious  God,  sir,  what  do  you 
mean  8  What  do  you  mean,  Mr. 
Gammon i  Goon!"  said  the  Earl, 
turning  very  pale. 

'•  I  would  even  now,  my  lord,  shrink 
from  the  precipice  which  I  have  ap- 
proached, and  leave  your  lordship  in 
ignorance  of  that  which  no  earthly 
power  can  remedy;  but  your  lord- 
ship's  singular  discovery  of  the  rent- 
charge,  which  we  have  talked  about  so 
and  anxiously,  ami  di  termination 

to  heco fully  acquainted  with  the 

circumstances  out  of  which  it  has 
arisen,  leave  me  no  option." 

'•  Sir,  1  desire  that,  without  so  much 
circumlocution,  you  will  come  to  the 
point.  I  cannot  divine  what  yon  arc 
talking  about  —  what  you  meditate 
i ,'  ui"  ;  but  1  b  ig  of  you,  sir,  to 
t  ill  me  what  you  know,  and  leave  mc 
ti  it  as  best  I  can." 

"  Your  lordship  shell    be   obeyi  d, 

i.  —I   sail!,  some   little   time  ago, 

iment   granting  me  the 

harge  upon  the  Yatton  property, 

id,  as  a  part  of  the  consideration. 

my  arduous,  mid  long-continued,  and 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


609 


successful  exertions  to  place  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse in  possession  of  that  fine  estate. 
It  was  I,  my  lord,  that  searched  for 
him  till  I  found  him — the  rightful 
heir  to  the  Yatton  estates,  the  possible 
successor  to  your  lordship  in  your 
an'  lent  barony.  Night  and  day 
I  have  toiled  for  him  —  have  over- 
come all  obstacles,  and  at  length 
placed  him  in  the  splendid  position 
which  he  now  occupies.  He  is  not, 
my  lord,  naturally  of  a  generous  or 
grateful  di- posit  ion,  as,  perhaps,  your 
lordship  also  may  be  aware  of;  and 
had  I  not  insisted  on  an  adequate 
return  for  my  services,  he  would 
have  given  me  none.  Therefore,  I 
required  him,  nay  I  extorted  from 
him  the  instrument  in  question."  He 
paused. 

"  Well,  sir.  Go  on !  I  hear  you," 
said  the  Earl  somewhat  sternly ;  on 
which  Gammon  resumed. 

"  How  I  first  acquired  a  knowledge 
that  Mr.  Aubrey  was  wrongfully  en- 
joying the  Yatton  estates,  does  not  at 
all  concern  your  lordship  ;  but  one 
thing  does  concern  your  lordship  to 
know,  and  me  to  be  believed  by  your 
lordship  in  telling  you — that  so  help 
me,  Heaven  !  at  the  time  that  I  dis- 
covered Mr.  Titmouse  behind  the 
counter  of  Mr.  Tag-rag,  in  Oxford 
Street,  and  up  till  within  a  couple  of 
months  ago,  I  had  no  more  doubt 
about  his  Wing  really  entitled,  as  heir- 
at-law "     The  Earl  gave  a  sudden 

start.  "My  lord,  I  would  even  now 
beg  your  lordship  to  let  me  take  some 
other  opportunity,  when  we  are  both 
calmer." 

"Goon,  sir,"  said  the  Earl  firmly, 
but  in  a  lower  tone  of  voice  than  he 
had  before  spoken  in,  and  sitting  with 
his  eyes  riveted  on  those  of  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, who,  notwithstanding  his  lord- 
ship's observation,  was  compelled  by 
his  own  sickening  agitation  to  pause 
for  a  moment  or  two.  Then  he  re- 
sumed. "I  was  saying,  that  till 
about  two  months  ago,  I  had  no  more 
doubt  than  I  have  of  your  lordship's 
now  sitting  before  me,  that  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse was  the  legitimate  descendant 
of  the  person  entitled  to  enjoy  the 
Yatton  estates  i:i   preference   to  Mr. 


Aubrey.  His  pedigree  was  subjected 
to  the  severest  scrutiny  that  the  law 
of  England  can  devise,  and  was  pro- 
nounced complete "  Gammon  be- 
held Lord  Dreddangton  quivering  all 
over;  "but  to  my  horror — only  i" 
know  it,  except  Mr.  Titmouse,  to 
whom  I  told  it — I  have  discovered,  by 
a  most  extraordinary  accident  that  wo 
were,  and  are,  all  mistaken."-  Lord 
Dreddlington  had  grown  deadly^  pale, 
and  his  lips,  which  had  lost  •their 
co'oiu*,  seemed  to  open  unconsciously, 
while  he  inclined  towards  Gammon ; 
"and — I  may  as  well  tell  your  lord- 
ship at  once  the  worst — this  young 
man,  Titmouse,  is  only  a  natural  sorre 
and  what  is  worst,  of  a  woman  whoi 
had  a  former  husband  living "        j 

Lord  Dreddlington  started  up  from 
his  chair,  and  staggered  away  from  it,  • 
his  arms  moving  to  and  fro — his  face 
the  very  picture  of  horror.  It  was 
ghastly  to  look  at.  His  lips  moved, 
but  he  uttered  no  sound. 

"Oh,  my  lord  !     For  God's  sake  be.i 
calm  !  "  cried  out  Gammon,  dreadfullp- 
shocked,    rushing  towards   the   Eanat 
who  kept  staggering  V^\  his  hrbcen 
stretched  out  as  if  to  |c  '  ^pffnd  her, 
approaching  object.      '  %-x\  he^  sobbing 
Dreddlington,  hear  me  !    } ,  c0\iisly  by 
sake,  let  me  bring  you  t-i^iin  fact 
chair.     It's  only  a  little  faity^  .sven  out 
He  put  his  arm  round  the'lky  of  exe- 
deavouring  to  draw  him  bacft<5  by  two 
the  easy-chair  ;  but  he  felt  hk,     fuship 
slipping  down  on  the  floor,  his  legs 
yielding  under  him  ;   then  his  head 
suddenly  sank  on  one  side,  and  the 
next  moment  he  lay,  as  it  were  col- 
lapsed,   upon    the    floor,    partly    sup- 
ported by  Gammon,  who,  in  a  fearful 
state  of  agitation,  shouted  out  for  the 
laundress. 

"  Untie  his  neck  handkerchief,  sir  ; 
loose  his  shirt-collar !  "  cried  the  wo- 
man, and  stooping  down,  while  Gam- 
mon supported  his  head,  she  removed 
the  pressure  from  his  neck.  He  was 
breathing  heavily.  "  For  God's  sake, 
run  off  for  a  doctor— any  one — the 
nearest  you  can  find,"  gasped  Gam- 
mon. "The  carnage  standing  before 
the  inn  is  his  lordship's  ;  you'll  sea 
his  footman — tell  him  his  lordship's 

E  it 


CIO 


TEX  THOUSAND   A-YEAlt, 


in  a  fit,  find  send  him  off  also  for  a 
doctor ! " 

The  laundress,  nearly  as  much 
agitated  as  her  master,  started  off  as 
she  had  been  ordered.  Gammon,  find- 
ing no  signs  of  returning  conscious- 
ness, with  a  great  effort  managed  to 
get  his  lordship  into  the  bedroom  ; 
and  had  jnst  laid  him  down  on  the 
bed  wl~yn  the  footman  hurst  into  the 
chamber  in  a  terrible  fright.  lie 
almo-t  jumped  off  the  floor  on  catch- 
ing «ght  of  the  prostrate  and  inani- 
mate figure  of  his  master — and  was  for 
a  few  moments  so  stupefied  that  he 
co'  Id  not  hear  Gammon  ordering  him 
•  start  off  in  quest  of  a  doctor,  which 
■.t  length,  however,  he  did, — leaving 
Gammon  alone  with  his  victim.  For 
a  few  frightful  moments,  he  felt  as  if 
he  had  murdered  Lord  Dreddlington, 
and  must  fly  for  it.  He  pressed  his 
hands  to  his  forehead,  as  if  to  recall 
his  scattered  faculties. 

"What  is  to  be  done  ?  "  thought  he. 

'Is   this   apoplexy  ?    paralysis  ?    epi- 

psy?    or  what?     "Will   he   recover? 

Cv-:]1  it   affect   his   reason? — Will  ?.< 

•<•>•/     ]f  so — how    deal    with    t',e 

™?'**g    discovery    he    has    made? 

,,?.   have  sense  enough  to  keep  his 

If  he  recover,  and  pre- 

— all  is  right — every  - 

I  am  his  master  to 


!: "is  reason- 

\'ni  } Succeeds, 
b] 


I  of  his  days  !     "What  a  horrid 

ey  an;  ! — Curse  those  doctors  ! 

Thewretcb.es  !  never  to  be  found  when 

they  are  wanted,      lie's  dying  In 'fore 

i  !      How  shall  I  say  this 

happened!     A    fit,   brought    on    by 

■  lied  —  (ay,    tint    will 

■by  the  failure  of  the  Company. 

Ah     'li'  re's  the  newspaper  he  brought 

with  him,  and  put  into  my  hands," 

he  I  ed  a1  the 

ln-v.  I .  ing  on  the  table  in  the 

ni     "This  will  give  col- 

to   my  of   the    affair  !  " 

With  this,  ha  hastily  Beized  the  p 

in  question,  and  thrust  it  into  oni   of 

the  coat-pocki  t  j  of   Lord    I  treddli 

t>'n  -,  and  the  momenf  after,  in  c  im< 

the  laun  Mowed  by  the  medical 

Di  in  aha  had  gone  in  quest  of ;  the 

door  hardly  h  i\  ing  been  closed  l- 

a  thundenng  knock  announced    Hu- 


m-rival of  the  footman  with  another 
doctor;  to  both  of  whom  Gammon 
with  haste  and  agitation  gave  the 
account  of  his  lordship's  seizure  which 
he  had  previously  determined  upon 
giving  to  all  enquirers. — "A  decided 
case  of  apoplexy,"  said  the  fat,  bald- 
headed  old  gentleman  brought  in  by 
the  laundress,  and  who  had  been  forty 
years  in  practice  ;  and  he  proceeded 
hastily  to  raise  the  Earl  into  a  nearly 
sitting  posture,  directing  the  windows 
to  he  thrown  open  as  wide'y  as  pos- 
sible. "Clearly  paralysis,"  said  tho 
spectacled  young  gentleman  brought 
in  by  the  footman,  and  who  had  been 
established  in  practice  only  a  fortnight, 
and  was  hot  from  the  hospitals,  and 
had  opened  a  little  surgery  nearly 
opposite  to  that  of  the  old  gentleman. 
"It  isn't,  sir — it's  apoplexy." 

"Sir,  it's  nearer  epilepsy " 

"Listen  to  his  hrca'Jiing,  sir,"  said 
the  old  gentleman  scornfully. 

"For  God's  sake,  gentlemen,  do 
something!  "  interposed  Gammon  furi- 
<  lisly — "Good  God!  would  you  havo 
his  lordship  die  before  your  eyes  ? " 

"Put  his  feet  into  hot  water  in- 
stantly— get  mustard  plasters  ready," 
commenced  tho  old  gentleman  in  a 
mighty  bustle,  turning  up  his  coat- 
sleeves,  and  getting  out  his  lancets; 
while  the  young  gentleman,  with  a 
very  indignant  air,  still  resolved  to 
give  the  distinguished  patient  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  newest  improvements 
in  medical  science,  whipped  out  a  ste- 
thoscope, and  was  screwing  it  together, 
when  the  old  gentleman  in  a  rage, 
cried  "  Pish  !  "  and  knocked  it  out  of 
his  hand:  whereupon  the  young  gentle- 
man seemed  disposed  to  strike  him  ! 

"Oh  my  God!"  cried  Gammon — 
and,  addressing  the  footman  —  "  set 
off  for  Doctor  Bailey  instantly— these 
fools  will  let  him  die  before  their 
eyes  !  "  I  Iff  sprang  the  man,  and  was 
out  of  sight  in  a  twinkling.  Twas 
vi  1  v  vil  a  nil  (though,  1  must  own, 
what  inconvenient  and  unseemly) 
for  these  worthy  rivals  to  behave  m 

this  way,  seeing    it  was    the  first   ' 

in  his  life  that  either  had  been  called 
in  to  a  nobleman,  and  very  prohahly 
it  would  be  the  last — at  hast,  it  ought 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


611 


to  have  been ;  and  each  wished  to  cure 
or  kill  the  distinguished  patient  in  his 
own  way.  'Twas  also  the  conflict 
between  the  old  and  the  new  systems 
of  medical  science  ;  between  old  prac- 
tice and  young  speculation  —  and 
between  these  two  stools  was  his 
lordship  falling  to  the  ground  indeed. 
One  felt  the  pulse,  the  other  insisted 
on  applying  the  stethoscope  to  his 
heart  ;  one  remarked  on  the  coldness 
of  the  extremities — the  other  said  the 
pupils  were  fixed  and  dilated.  One 
was  for  bleeding  at  the  arm,  the  other 
for  opening  the  jugular  vein  :  one  for 
cupping  at  the  nape  of  the  neck — the 
other  on  the  temple  ;  one  spoke  of 
electricity — 'twould  stimulate  the  nerv- 
ous system  to  throw  off  the  blood 
from  the  vein  ; — the  other  said  stimu- 
late the  whole  surface — wrap  him  in  a 
mustard  plaster  from  head  to  foot, 
and  shave  and  blister  the  head.  One 
verily  believed  his  lordship  was  dying  ; 
the  other  declared  he  was  dead  already, 
through  his  mode  of  treatment  not 
having  been  adopted.  Each  would 
have  given  tw'enty  guineas  to  have 
been  the  only  one  called  in.  All  this 
horrid  foolery  occupied  far  less  time 
than  is  requisite  to  describe  it — scarce 
a  minute  or  two,  to  be  sure,  and  almost 
drove  Gammon  into  frenzy  ;  and,  rush- 
ing to  the  window,  he  called  to  a 
porter  in  the  inn  to  start  off  foranother 
doctor — which  brought  the  two  to  their 
senses,  such  as  they  were.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  the  jugular  vein  was  opened 
in  a  trice ;  mustard  plasters  and  hot 
water  applied  as  quickly  as  they  could 
be  procured ;  and  a  cupping-case  having 
been  sent  for,  blood  was  taken  pretty 
freely  from  the  nape  of  the  neck — and 
these  two  blood-lettings  saved  Lord 
Dreddluvgton's  life — whether  to  Gam- 
mon's delight  or  disappointment  I  shall 
not  take  up>on  me  to  say.  By  the  time 
that  the  great  man — the  experienced 
and  skilful  king's  physician,  Dr.  Bailey 
— had  arrived,  the  Earl  was  beginning 
to  exhibit  slight  symptoms  of  returning 
consciousness,  and  was  recoveiing  from 
an  attack  of  partial  apoplexy.  Dr. 
Bailey  remained  with  his  lordship  for 
nearly  half  an  hour  ;  and,  on  leaving, 
gave  it  as  his  opinion  that,  provided 


no  fresh  seizure  occurred  during  the 
ensuing  two  hours,  it  would  be  prac- 
ticable—  as  it  was,  of  course,  very 
desirable — to  remove  his  lordship  to 
his  own  house.  The  period  named 
having  elapsed  without  any  relapse, 
it  was  determined  on  removing  his 
lordship,  who  was  to  be  accom-  . 
panied  by  one  of  the  medical  r^j^ 
—  both  would  fain  have  gof,e  „!.,' 
the  chariot  admitted  of  it  •,  Vint  Gain 
mon  soon  settled  the  matter  by  namiiV 
the  eldest  practitioner,  and  dismissin 
the  younger  with  a  couple  of  guinea 
Then  Gammon  himself  set  off  in  a 
hackney-coach,  about  an  hour  before 
the  carriage  started,  in  order  to  prepare 
the  household  of  the  Earl,  and  secun 
a  safe  communication  of  the  alarming 
event  to  the  Lady  Cecilia.  On  reaching 
the  Earl's  house,  to  Gammon's  surprise 
a  hackney-coach  was  driving  off  from 
before  the  door  ;  and,  on  entering  the 
house,  guess  his  amazement  at  herring 
from  the  agitated  porter  that  Lady 
Cecilia  had  just  gone  up-stairs  in 
terrible  trouble.  Gammon  darted  up- 
stairs, unable  to  imagine  by  what 
means  Lady  Cecilia  could  have  been 
apprised  of  the  event.  He  found  her, 
in  out-door  costume,  sitting  sobbing 
on  the  sofa,  attended  anxiously  by 
Miss  Macspleuchan.  The  plain  fact 
was,  that  she  had  just  been  driven  out 
of  her  own  house  by  a  couple  of  exe- 
cutions, put  in  that  morning  by  two 
creditors  of  Titmouse,  by  whom  they 
had  been  treated,  the  evening  before, 
very  insolently.  Mr.  Gammon's  agi- 
tated appearance  alarmed  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan, but  was  not  noticed  by  hei 
more  distressed  companion  ;  and,  as 
soon  as  Mr.  Gammon  found  the  means 
of  doing  it  unobserved,  he  made  a  sign 
to  Miss  Macspleuchan  that  he  had 
something  of  great  importance  to  com- 
municate to  her.  Leaving  the  La<> 
Cecilia,  a  short  time  afterwards,  ia 
the  care  of  her  maid,  Miss  Macspleu- 
chan followed  Mr.  Gammon  down-stairs 
into  the  library,  and  was  in  a  few 
hurried  words  apprised  of  the  illness 
of  the  Earl — of  the  cause  of  it — (viz. 
the  sudden  failure  of  an  important 
speculation  in  which  the  Earl  was  in- 
terested)— and  that  his  lordship  would 

It  R  2 


C12 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


bo  brought  home  In  about  an  hour's 
time  or  so,  in  company  with  a  medical 
man.  Miss  Macspleuchan  was  for  a 
moment  very  nearly  overcome,  even 
to  fainting  ;  but,  bring  a  woman  of 
superior  strength  of  character,  she 
soon  rallied,  and  immediately  ad- 
dressed herself  to  the  necessity  of 
warding  off  any  sudden  and  violent 
shock  "*&-om  Lady  Cecilia,  especially 
with  reference  to  her  delicate  state  of 
health.  It  was  absolutely  necessary, 
however,  that  her  ladyship  should  be 
promptly  apprised  of  the  painful  oc- 
rrence,  lest  an  infinitely  greater 
shock  should  bo  inflicted  on  her  by 
the  Earl's  arrival.  Gently  and  gradu- 
ally as  Miss  Macspleuchan  broke  the 
intelligence  to  Lady  Cecilia,  it  oc- 
casioned her  falling  into  a  swoon — for 
it  will  be  home  in  mind  that  her 
nerves  had  been  before  sufficiently 
shaken.  On  recovering,  she  requested 
Mr.  Gammon  to  be  sent  for,  and  with 
considerable  agitation  enquired  into 
the  occasion  and  manner  of  the  Earl's 
illness.  As  soon  as  he  had  mentioned 
that  it  was  a  paragraph  in  the  day's 
paper  that  first  occasioned  in  tho  Earl 
the  agitation  which  had  induced  such 


serious  consequences 

"  What !  in  the  papers  already  ?  Is 
it  about  that  fellow  Titmouse  I "  she 
enquired,  with  a  languid  air  of  dis- 
gust. 

"No  indeed,  Lady  Cecilia,  Mr. 
Titmouse  has  nothing  to  do  with  it," 
replied  Gammon,  with  a  slight  inward 
spasm  ;  and,  just  as  lie  had  succeeded 
in  gi  ling  her  to  understand  tho  cause 
to  which  he  choso  to  refer  tho  Earl's 
illness,  carriage  wheels  were  heard, 
followed  in  a  second  or  two  by  a 
tremendous  thundering  at  the  door, 
which  made  even  Gammon  almost 
t  from  his  chair,  and  threw  Lady 
ilia  into  a  second  swoon.  It  was 
providential,  perhaps,  that  it  had  that 
effect  ;  for  had  Bhe  gone  to  the  win- 
dow-., and  seen  her  insensible  father, 
with  care  and  difficulty,  lifted  out  of 
his  i  his  shirt-collar,   and   a 

white  neck  handkerchief,  thrown  round 
1  1 1,    partially    crimsoned  ; 

and   in  that  way,  amid   a  little  crowd 

I  into  tho  house, 


and  borno  up-stairs  to  his  bedchamber 
— it  might  have  had  a  very  serious 
effect,    indeed,    upon    her    ladyship. 
<  lammon  stepped  for  an  instant  to  the 
window — he  saw  the  poor  old  peer  in 
bhe  state   I    have  described,  and   the 
sight   blanched  his  cheeks.      Leaving 
her  ladyship   in    the    hands   of   Miss 
Macspleuchan,  and  her  attendants,  ho 
followed  into  the  Earl's  bedroom  ;  and 
was  a  little  relieved,  some  quarter  of 
an  hour  afterwards,   at  finding   that, 
though  the  Earl  was  much  exhausted 
with  the  fatigue  of  removal,  he  was 
in  a  much  more  satisfactory  state  than 
could  have  been  anticipated.     As  his 
lordship's   own    physician   (who    had 
been  summoned  instantly  on  the  Earl's 
arrival  home)  intimated  that  a  littlo 
repose  was  essential  to  his  lordship, 
and  that  no  one  should  remain  in  the 
room   whose   services  were  not  indis- 
pensable, Gammon  took  his  departure, 
after  an  anxious  enquiry  as  to   Lady 
CeciHa  —  intending    to   return    before 
night,  personally  to  make  his  enquiries 
concerning  the  Earl  and  her  ladyship. 
A  mighty  sigh  escaped  from  the  op- 
pressed bosom  of  Gammon,  as  soon  as, 
having  quitted   the   house,  he  found 
himself  in  the  street  alone.    He  walked 
for  some  minutes  straight  on,  irreso- 
lute as  to  whither  to  direct  his  steps 
— to  his  own  chambers,  to  the  offico 
in   Hatton    Garden,    or   to   Mr.    Tit- 
mouse's residence  in  Lark  Lane.     At 
length  he  determined  on  returning,  in 
the  first  instance,  to  his  own  chambers, 
and  changed  his  course  accordingly  ; 
his  mind  so  absorbed  in  thought  that 
ho  scarcely  saw   any  one  ho   met  or 
passed.      Were  was  a  state  of  things, 
thought  he,  that  he  had  brought  about! 
And  what  must  be  his  own  course  now  ? 
Eor  a  moment  or  two  he  was  in  a  statu 
of  feeling  which  we  may  compare  to 
that  of  a  person  who,  with    ignorant 
curiosity,  lias  set    into    motion    tho 
machinery  of  some  prodigious  engine, 
which  it  required  but  a  touch  to  effect 
— and  then   stands  suddenly  paralysed 

— bewildered — confounded  at  the  com- 
plicated movements  going  on  all 
around  him,  and  perhaps  tho  alarm- 
ing  noises  accompanying  them — not 
daring  to  move  a  hair's-brcadth  in  any 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


613 


direction  for  fear  of  destruction.  He 
soon,  however,  recovered  himself,  and 
began  veiy  seriously  to  contemplate 
the  perilous  position  in  which  he  now 
found  himself  placed. 

Here  was  Lord  Dreddlington,  in  the 
first  place,  involved  to  a  most  alarm- 
ing extent  of  liability  in  respect  of  his 
connexion  with  one  of  the  bubble  com- 
panies, into  an  alliance  with  which  it 
had  been  Gammon  who  seduced  him. 
But  he  quickly  lost  sight  of  that,  as 
a  very  light  matter  compared  with 
what  had  subsequently  happened,  and 
the  prodigious  conseqences  to  which  it 
might  possibly  lead — and  that,  too, 
immediately. 

This  crisis  had  been  precipitated  by 
an  accident — an  occurrence  which  he 
felt  that  no  man  could  have  foreseen. 
Ceitainly  it  might  all  be  traced  to  his 
own  oversight  in  having  the  convey- 
ance of  his  rent-charge— so  all-im- 
portant a  document — upon  his  table, 
though  for  only  a  minute  or  two's 
absence ;  for  he  had  not  quitted  his 
chambers  more  t;  an  five  minutes 
before  he  had  re-entered  them,  finding 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  there — of  all 
persons  in  the  world  the  very  last 
whom  Gammon  would  have  wished 
to  be  aware  of  the  existence  of 
such  an  instrument.  "Who  could  have 
imagined — calculated  en  such  an  oc- 
currence ?  Never  before  had  the  Earl 
visited  him  at  his  own  private  resid- 
ence ;  and  to  come  just  precisely  at  the 
very  moment — and  yet,  thought  Gam- 
mon, almost  starting  back  a  step  or 
two — when  one  came  to  think  of  it — 
what  was  more  likely  than  that,  on 
seeing  the  paragraph  in  the  morning 
paper,  his  lordship  should  have  done 
the  very  thing  he  had,  and  driven 
down  to  Mr.  Gammon  for  an  explana- 
tion ?  Bah!  thought  Mr.  Gammon, 
and  stamped  his  foot  on  the  pave- 
ment. 

[Ay,  Satan,  it  icas  a  very  slippery 
trick  indeed,  which  you  had  played 
this  acute  friend  of  yours.] 

"  But  the  thing  is  done  ;  and  what 
am  I  now  to  do  ?  "What  can  I  do  ? 
First  of  all,  there's  Titmouse — where 
is  that  little  miscreant  at  this  moment  ? 
Will  he  follow  his  wife  to  Grosvenor 


Square  ?  "Will  the  Earl  have  recovered, 
before  I  can  see  Titmouse,  sufficiently 
to  recollect  what  lias  happened  ?  Will 
they  allow  him  to  be  admitted  into 
the  sick-chamber  ?  Suppose  his 
presence  should  remind  the  Earl  of 
what  he  had  this  day  heard  ?  Suppose 
he  should  recover  his  senses — what 
course  will  he  take  ?  Will  he  acquaint 
his  daughter  that  she  is  married  to  a 
vulgar  bastard — oh,  frightful ! — sho 
and  he  the  two  proudest  persons, 
perhaps,  living  !  Will  they  spurn  him 
from  them  with  loathing  and  horror  ? 
— expose  the  little  impostor  to  the 
w-orld  ? — and  take,  God  knows  what 
steps  against  me,  for  the  share  I  havo 
had  in  the  matter  ? — Oh,  impossible  ! — 
inconceivable  !  They  can  never  blazon 
their  own  degradation  to  the  world  ! 
Or  will  Lord  Dreddlington  have  dis- 
cretion and  self-command  sufficient  to 
keep  the  blighting  secret  to  himself? 
Will  he  rest  satisfied  with  my  state- 
ment, or  insist  on  conclusive  proof  and 
corroboration  ?  Will  he  call  for 
vouchers — ah  !  "  here  he  ground  his 
teeth  together,  for  he  recollected  tho 
trick  which  Titmouse  had  played  him 
in  destroying  the  precious  documents 
already  spoken  of.  "If  the  little 
wretch  do  not  hear  of  what  has  hap- 
pened from  any  one  else,  shall  I  tell 
him  that  I  have  communicated  his 
secret  to  Lord  Dreddlington  ?  Fancy 
Mm  and  his  wife  meeting  after  they 
know  all ! — or  him  and  the  Earl  ! 
Suppose  the  Earl  should  die — and 
without  having  disclosed  this  secret  to 
any  one  ?  Oh,  oh  !  what  a  godsend 
would  that  be  !  All  straight  then,  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter  ! — How  near  it 
was,  this  morning ! — If  I  had  1  ut 
suffered  those  two  boobies  to  wrangle 
together  till  it  was  too  late  ! " — 
A  little  colour  came  into  Mr.  Gam- 
mon's cheek  at  this  point — as  if 
he  felt  that  perhaps  he  was  then 
going  a  trifle  too  far,  in  entertaining 
such  wishes  and  regrets  :  still  he 
could  not  dismiss  the  reflection  ;  nay, 
what  was  more  probable  than  that  so 
desperate  a  shock,  suffered  by  a  man 
of  his  advanced  years,  might  be  only 
the  precursor  of  a  second  and  fatal  fit 
of  apoplexy  ? — Doctor  Bailey  expressed 


614 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAH. 


some  fears  of  that  sort  to-day,  recol- 
lected  Gammon ! 

If  .Mr.  Gammon  had  seen  the  watch- 
ful eyes  at  that  moment  Bottled  upon 
him,  by  two  persons  who  were  ap- 
proaching him,  and  who  passed  him 
unobserved  ;  and  could  have  dreamed 
of  the  errand  which  had  brought  these 
two  per  ons  into  that  part  of  the 
t  twn — it  might  have  set  his  busy 
brain  upon  quite  a  new  track  of 
harassing  conjecture  and  apprehension. 
But  he  was  tar  too  intently  occupied 
with  his  thoughts  to  see  any  one,  as  he 
walked  slowly  down  Holborn  ;  and 
some  five  minutes  afterwards,  having 
to  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
Saffron  Hill,  lie  was  startled  out  of  his 
itations  by  hearing  a  voice  calling 
out  his  name— and  looking  towards 
the  middle  of  the  street,  whence  the 
Bound  came,  beheld  Mr.  Titmouse, 
calling  and  beckoning  to  him  eagerly, 
out  of  a  hackney-ceai  h,  which  was 
slowly  driving  up  Holborn,  and  at 
Titmouse's  bidding  drew  up  to  the 
kerb-stone. 

'•  ( >h — I  say  ! — Mr.  Gammon ! — 'pon 
my  life — litre' 8  a  precious  mess  ! — Such 
a  devil  of  a  row  !  " — commenced  Tit- 
mouse alarmedly,  speaking  in  a  low 
voice  through  the  coach  window. 

""What,  sir?"  enquired  Gammon 
sternly. 

"Why— chl    heard   of   it?      Lady 

<    ■    ly " 

'"J  havi  heard  of  it,  sir,"  replied 
Gammon  gloomily — '"and  1  have,  in 
my  turn,  something  of  far  greater 
i  quern  e  to  tell  you.  Let  the 
lnnan  turn  Lack  and  drive  you 
to  my  chambers,  where  I  will  meet 
you  i:i  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  time." 

"  i  >h  Lord  !  Won't  you  get  in  and 
tell  me nowt — Do,  Mr.  Gam " 

"  No, sir!  "  repli  on  sternly, 

and  wall  . ,  leai  ing  Titmouse  in 

a  i  •  lit. 

.  hall  1  tell  him,  or  not  ?  " 
1le"  '  <  innion  :  and  after  some 
minutes'  anxious  eon  ,  a,  deter- 

mined on  doing  so — and  on  threatening 
him,  that  if  be  did    not   i  h  mge  Ins 

.  he — 

irould  instantly  Mast  him, 

icter  and 


circumstances  to  the  .whole  world. 
What  might  he  the  actual  extent  of 
his  embarrassments,  Gammon  knew 
not,  nor  was  lie  aware  of  the  fart,  that 
Titmouse  was  at  that  moment  getting 
into  the  hands  of  swindling  money, 
lenders.  In  point  of  dress  and  man- 
ners, Titmouse  was  the  same  that  he 
had  ever  been,  siuce  fortune  had  given 
him  the  means  of  dressing  according 
to  his  fancy,  and  the  fashion;  bul  any 
one  looking  at  his  face,  could  see  in 
the  slightly  bloodshot  eye,  its  jaded 
expression,  and  the  puffy  appearance 
of  his  face,  the  results  of  systematic 
excess  and  debauchery.  "When  Gam- 
mon joined  him  at  his  chambers,  and 
told  him  the  events  of  the  day,  Tit- 
mouse exhibited  affright,  that  to  any 
other  beholder  than  one  so  troubled  as 
Gammon,  would  have  appeared  ludic- 
rous; but  as  that  gentleman's  object 
was  to  subdue  and  terrifyhis  companion 
into  an  implicit  submission  to  his  will, 
he  dismissed  him  for  the  day,  simply 
enjoining  hint  to  keep  away  from  Gros- 
venor  Square  and  Park  Lane  till  an 
early  hour  in  the  ensuing  morning — 
by  which  time  events,  which  might 
have  happened  in  the  interval,  might 
determine  the  course  which  Gammon 
should  dictate  to  Titmouse.  At  that 
time  Gammon  was  strongly  inclined 
to  insist  on  Titmouse's  going  to  the 
Continent  for  a  little  while,  to  lie  out 
of  harm's  way  ;  hut,  in  fact,  he  felt 
dreadfully  embarrassed  to  know  how 
to  dispose  of  Titmouse — regarding  him 
with  feelings  somewhat,  perhaps,  akin 
to  those  with  which  Frankenstein 
beheld  his  monster. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

But  to  return  to  Lord  Dreddling- 

ton.  The  remedies  resorted  to  so 
speedily  after  his  seizure  at  Mr,  <!am- 
mon's  chambers,  had  most  materially 
counteract*  d  I  he  effects  of  the  terrible 
shock  which  he  had  sustained,  find 
which,  hut  for  such  interference,  would 
in  all  probability  have  proved  fatal  in 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


G15 


its  consequences.  Shortly  after  his 
removal  to  his  own  house,  he  sank 
into  tranquil  and  safe  sleep,  which 
continued,  with  a  few  interruptions, 
for  several  hours — during  which  his 
brain  recovered  itself,  in  a  consider- 
able measure,  from  the  sudden  and 
temporary  pressure  which  had  been 
upon  it.  Towards  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  there  were  sitting,  on 
one  side  of  the  bed  Miss  Macspleuchan, 
and  on  the  other  the  Lady  Cecilia — 
who  also  had  rallied  from  the  shock 
which  she  had  sustained,  and  now, 
occasionally  shedding  tears,  sat  gazing 
in  melancholy  silence  at  the  counten- 
ance of  her  father.  She  was  certainly 
a  miserable  young  woman,  was  Lady 
Cecilia— ignorant  though  she  might  be 
of  the  real  extent  of  disaster  conse- 
quent upon  her  alliance  with  Titmouse, 
whom  she  had  long  hated  and  despised, 
on  all  occasions  avoiding  his  com- 
pany. Their  almost  total  estrange- 
ment was  quite  notorious  in  society. 
His  lordship's  physician  had  quitted 
the  chamber  for  a  few  minutes,  to 
make  arrangements  for  continuing 
with  him  during  the  night ;  and 
neither  Miss  Macspleuchan  nor  Lady 
'  Cecilia  had  spoken  for  some  time.  At 
length  the  Earl,  who  had  become 
rather  restless,  faintly  muttered  at 
intervals  to  himself  the  words — 

"  Bubble— villain—  Blackwall " 

"You  see,"  whispered  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan, "what  he's  thinking  of. 
He  dined  with  those  people,  you 
know."  Lady  Cecilia  nodded  in  silence. 
Presently  his  lordship  resumed — 

" Account  closed! — Call  on  Mr. 
Gammon  —  Is  Mr.  Gammon  at 
home ?  " 

The  current  of  his  recollections  had 
now  brought  him  to  the  point  of 
danger ;  and  after  pausing  for  a 
moment,  a  troubled  expression  came 
over  his  face — he  was  evidently  real- 
izing the  commencement  of  the  terrible 
scene  in  Mr.  Gammon's  room — then 
he  seemed  to  have  lost  the*  train  of  his 
thoughts  for  a  while,  as  his  features 
slowly  resumed  their  previous  placid- 
ity ;  but  the  troubled  expression 
presently  returned :  his  lips  were 
suddenly  compressed,    and  his    brow 


corrugated,  as  if  with  the  emotion  of 
anger  or  indignation. 

"  Monstrous !  Two  thousand 
iwunds?"  He  spoke  these  words  in 
a  much  stronger  voice  than  those 
preceding. 

"  Oh,  dear  ! — I  should  have  thought 
his  lordship  had  lost  much  more  than 
thai,"  whispered  Miss  Macspleuchan 
in  a  low  tone. 

.  "  Insist !—  Titmouse— Titmouse  "— 
his  lips  slightly  quivered,  and  he 
paused    for    a    while.        "Shocking! 

What  will  she "  an  expression  of 

agony  c-'iue  over  his  face. 

"  l'ooi'  papa  !  He's  evidently  heard 
it  all !  "  whispered  Lady  Cecilia  faintly. 

"  Hush  I  "  exclaimed  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan, raising  her  finger  to  her  lips 
— adding  presently,  "if  he  gov-  ^  X 
this  way,  I  shall  go  and  ^C'-'J^3'- 
Whittington  in."  £-0 

"  Cecilia  ! — Cecilia  !  "  continue,  the 
Earl ;  and  suddenly  opening  his  eyes, 
gazed  forward,  and  then  on  each  side, 
with  a  dull  confused  stare.  Then  he 
closed  them,  muttering  — "  I  certainly 
thought  Mr.  Gammon  was  here  ! " 
Shortly  afterwaids  he  opened  them 
again  ;  and  his  head  being  inclined 
towards  the  side  where  Lady  Cecilia 
was  sitting,  they  fell  upon,  and  seemed 
to  be  arrested  by  her  countenance. 
After  gazing  at  her  for  some  moments 
with  a  very,  very  sorrowful  expression, 
he  again  closed  his  eyes,  murmuring — 
"  Poor  Cecilia  !  " 

"I  really  think,  my  dear,  you'd 
better  leave  the  room,"  faltered  Miss 
Macspleuchan  ;  imagining,  from  the 
state  of  her  own  feelings,  that  those 
of  Lady  Cecilia  would  be  overpowering 
her— for  nothing  could  be  more  soul- 
touching  than  the  tone  in  which  the 
Earl  had  last  spoken. 

"No;  he's  asleep  again,"  replied 
Lady  Cecilia  calmly — and  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  all  was  again  silent.  Then 
the  Earl  sighed ;  and,  opening  his 
eyes,  looked  full  at  Lady  Cecilia,  and 
with  a  more  natural  expression. 

"  Kiss  me,  Cecilia,"  said  he  gently  ; 
and  raising  both  his  arms  a  little, 
while  she  leaned  forward  and  kissed 
his  forehead,  he  very  feebly  placed 
them  round  her,  but  they  almost  im- 


61G 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


i lately  sank  on  the  bed  again,  as 
if  he  had  not  strength  to  keep  them 
extended. 

"  We  will  live  together,  Cecilia, 
again,"  murmured  the  Earl. 

"  Dear  papa,  don't  distress  yourself  ; 
if  you  do,  1  really  must  go  away  from 

you." 

"No,  no  ;  you  must  not,  Cecilia," 
murmured  the  Earl  sadly  and  faintly, 
and  shaking  his  head. 

"  Have  you  soen  him  to-day  ?"  he 
presently  asked,  with  a  little  more 
i  •  rgy,  as  if  he  were  becoming  more 
more  thoroughly  awake,  and 
aware  of  his  position  ;  and  tK'.v  was  a 
);  .irked  difference  in  the  expression 
of  his  eye — partly  perplexed,  partly 
alarmed. 

••  \>>,  papa — I  left  the  moment  it 

v    ,-     -eil,   and  came  here  ;  and  have 

'*       3  ever  since.     Do,  dear  papa, 

!  "  added  Lady  Cecilia,  with 

perfect  composure. 

"There  ! — I  am  gone  blind  again," 
said  the  Earl  suddenly,  and  raised  his 
trembling  hands  to  his  eyes. 

"So  you-    l-ncw    it  all?"  said    ho 

{>resently,  tremulously  removing  his 
lands,  and  looking  up,  as  if  the  mo- 
mentary obscuration  of  his  sight  had 
ceased. 

"Oh  yes,  papa,  of  course!  How- 
could  I  help  it?  Try  to  go  to  sleep, 
again,  dear  papa."  There  was  a  faint 
da  ]i  of  petulance  in  her  manner. 
They  were  at  terrible  cross  purposes. 
His  eye  remained  fixed  steadily  on 
that  of  his  daughter.  "Is  it  not 
horrible,  Cecilia?"  said  he,  with  a 
shudder. 

"Dearpapa,  I  don't  know  what  you 

■  1  <  lecilia,  quite  startled 

ry  tho  tone  <  E  his  \  oice,  and  the  ex- 

]       rionofhiseye.    Thero  was  nothing 

wild  or  unnatural  about  it.     The  ej e 

man  in  his  full  sen 
but  horrified  by  .some  frightful  recol- 
■  r  (.: her. 
■■  I    thouj  ht  il  woi  Id  have  killed 
her,"  he  muttered,  closing  bis  eyes, 
faint  fiusl  his  face, 

but  that  of  Lady  Cecilia  turned  deadly 
pale, 

"Don't   Bpeak  again,  dear,"  whis- 
]  ■     d   Mi  ■   Macspleuchan,   herself  a 


little  startled  by  tho  Earl's  manner — 
"he's  wandering  a  little;  he'll  go  to 
sleep  presently." 

"Yes,  in  my  grave,  madam,"  re- 
plied the  Earl  gravely,  and  speaking 
in  a  stronger  voice  than  he  had  yet 
spoken  in — at  the  same  time  turning 
towards  Miss  Macspleuchan  an  ■ 
that  suddenly  blanched  her  face.  She 
gazed  at  him  in  silence  and  appre- 
hensively. 

There  ensued  a  pause  of  a  minute  or 
two. 

"  Oh,  Cecilia  !  "  said  the  Earl  pre- 
sently, shaking  his  head,  and  looking 
at  Inr  with  the  same  terrible  expres- 
sion that  had  so  startled  her  before — 
"  that  I  had  first  followed  you  to  your 


grave  !  " 

"  My  dear  papa,  you  ara  only 
dreaming  !  " 

"  No,  I  am  not.  Oh  !  how  can  you, 
Cecilia,  be  so  calm  here,  when  you 
know  that  you  have  married  a " 

Lady  Cecilia  glanced  hurriedly  at 
Miss  Macspleuchan,  who,  having  risen 
a  little  from  her  chair,  was  leaning 
forward  in  an  agitated  manner,  and 
straining  her  ear  to  catch  every  word 
—  "What  are  you  talking  about, 
papa  ?"  gasped  Lady  Cecilia,  while  her 
face  became  of  a  deadly  whiteness. 

"  Why,  1  thought  you  knew  it  all," 
said  the  Earl,  sustained  and  stimulated 
by  the  intensity  of  his  feelings — "  that 
this  Titmouse — is — Mr.  Gammon  has 
acknowledged  all — an  infamous  im- 
postor— an  illegitimate " 

Miss  Macspleuchan,  with  a  faint 
shriek,  rang  the  hell  at  the  bed-head 
violently  ;  but  before  she  or  any  one 
else  could  reach  her,  Lady  Cecilia  had 
fallen  heavily  on  the  floor,  where  sho 
lay  insensible,  her  maid  falling  down 
over  her  a:  she  rushed  into  the  room, 
alarmed  by  the  Budden  violent  ringing 
of  tin;  bell.  .Ml  was  confusion  and 
horror.  Lady  Cecilia  was  instantly 
carried  out  insensible  ;  the  Earl  was 
found  to  have  bei  n  seized  with  a 
nd  fit  vf  apoplexy.  Dr.  Bailey 
was  quickly  in  attendance,  followed 
ii  after  by  an  eminent  accoucheur, 

whom  it   had  been   found  necessary  to 

Bend  f>>r,  Lady  Cecilia's  illness  having 
assumed  the  most  alarming  character 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


617 


conceivable.  When  Miss  Macspleu- 
chan  had  in  some  measure  recovered 
from  her  distraction,  she  dispatched  a 
servant  to  implore  the  instant  attend- 
ance of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Tantallan,  unable  to  bear  the  over- 
whelming horror  occasioned  to  her  by 
the  statement  of  the  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington ;  and  which,  whether  so 
astounding  and  frightful  a  statement 
was  founded  in  fact  or  not,  and  on'y 
a  delusion  of  the  Earl's,  was  Likely  to 
have  given  the  unfjrtunate  Lady 
Cecilia  her  deathblow. 

Both  the  Duke  and  Duchess — the 
nearest  relatives  of  the  Earl  then  in 
London,  (the  Duke  being  his  brother- 
in-law) — were,  within  half  an  hour,  at 
Lord  Dreddlington's,  and  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  fearful  occasion  of 
what  had  happened.  The  Duke  and 
Duchess  were  quite  as  proud  and 
haughty  people  as  Lord  Dreddlington ; 
but  the  Duke  was  a  little  the  Earl's 
superior  in  point  of  understanding. 
When  first  told  of  the  Earl's  dis- 
closure, he  was  told  it  as  if  it  were  an 
ascertained  fact  ;  and  his  horror  knew 
no  bounds.  But  when  he  came  to 
enquire  into  the  matter,  and  found 
that  it  rested  on  no  other  foundation 
than  the  distempered  wanderings  of  a 
man  whose  brain  was  at  the  time 
labouring  under  the  effects  of  an  apo- 
plectic seizure,  he  began  to  feel  a  great 
relief;  especially  when  Miss  Macspleu- 
chan  could  mention  no  single  circum- 
stance corroboratory  of  so  amazing 
and  frightful  a  representation.  At 
her  suggestion,  the  Duke,  who  could 
be  of  no  service  to  the  Earl,  who  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  physicians,  hur- 
ried home  again,  and  sent  off  a  special 
messenger  to  Mr.  Gammon,  whose 
address  Miss  Macspleuchan  had  given 
him,  with  the  following  note  : — 

"  The  Duke  of  Tantallan  presents 
his  compliments  to  Mr.  Gammon,  and 
most  earnestly  begs  that  he  will,  with- 
out a  moment's  delay,  favour  the  Duke 
with  a  call  in  Portman  Square,  on 
business  of  the  last  importance. 

"  Portman  Sqnare, 
Wednesday  Evening,  y  o'clock." 


A  huge  servant  of  the  Duke's — with 
powdered  hair,  silver  epaulets,  dark 
crimson  coat,  and  white  breeches, 
having  altogether  a  most  splendid 
appearance — created  something  like  a 
sensation  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood of  Thavies'  Inn,  by  enquiring, 
with  a  very  impatient  and  excited  air, 
for  "Thavies'  Inn,"  and  "a gentleman 
of  the  name  of  Gammon,"  who  was 
very  naturally  supposed  to  be  hon- 
oured by  some  special  and  direct  com- 
munication from  the  king,  or  at  least 
some  member  of  the  royal  family. 
Gammon  himself — who  was  in  the  act 
of  opening  his  door  to  go  out  and 
make  his  promised  call  of  enquiry  in 
Grosvenor  Square — was  flustered  for  a 
moment,  on  finding  himself  stepping 
into  the  arms  of  such  an  imposing 
personage  ;  who  said,  as  he  gave  him 
the  letter,  on  finding  him  to  be  Mr. 
Gammon — "From  the  Duke  of  Tan- 
tallan, sir.  His  grace,  I  believe, 
expects  you  immediately,  sir." 

Mr.  Gammon  hastily  opened  the 
letter,  and  having  glanced  at  the  con- 
tents— "Give  my  compliments  to  his 
grace,  and  say  I  will  attend  him  im- 
mediately," said  he.  The  man  with- 
drew, and  Gammon  returned  into  his 
chamber,  and  sat  for  a  few  moments 
in  the  darkness — he  having  just  before 
put  out  his  lamp.  He  burst  into  a 
cold  sweat — ""What's  in  the  wind 
now!"  said  he  to  himself.  "Ah, 
why  did  I  not  ask  the  fellow  ? " — and 
starting  from  his  seat,  he  rushed  down- 
stairs, and  succeeded  in  calling  back 
the  Duke's  servant  just  as  he  was 
turning  out  of  the  inn — "Do  you 
happen  to  have  been  into  Grosvenor 
Square  to-day  ? — And  do  you  know 
how  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  is  ? " 
enquired  Gammon  anxiously. 

"Yes,  sir;  his  lordship,  and  the 
Lady  Cecilia  Titmouse,  are  both  dan- 
gerously ill.  I  believe  his  lordship, 
sir,  has  had  a  stroke — they  say  it's  the 
second  he's  had  to  day — and  her  lady- 
ship is  taken  in  labour,  and  is  in  a 
shocking  bad  way,  sir.  The  Duke 
and  Duchess  were  sent  for  in  a  dread- 
ful hurry  about  an  hour  ago." 

"Dear!  I'm  sorry  to  hear  it !  Thank 
you,"  replied  Gammon,  hastily  turning 


61S 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAH. 


away  a  face  that  ho  felt  must  have 
gone  of  a  ghastly  paleness. 

"It  maybe  only  to  enquire  about 
the  Artificial  Rain  Company" — said 
Gammon  to  himself,  as,  having  pro- 
cured a  light,  he  poured  himself  out  a 
small  glass  of  brandy  and  drank  it  off, 
to  overcome  a  little  sense  of  faintness 
which  lie  felt  coming  rapidly  over  him. 
"  The  Dnke  is  a  shareholder,  I  think. 
Not  at  all  unlikely!  —  Ami  as  for  Lady 
i  lei  ilia's  illness  — nothing  so  extraordi- 
nary about  it — when  one  considers  her 
situation — and  the  shock  occasioned 
by  the  Earl's  sudden  and  alarming 
illness  !     But  I  must  take  a  decided 

se,  one  way  or  another,  with  the 
Duke! —  Suppose  the  Earl  has  dis- 
closed the  cilair  to  Lady  Cecilia — and 
it  has  got  to  the  Duke's  ears  ? — Good 
Heavens  !  how  is  one  to  deal  with  it  ? 
Suppose  I  were  to  effect  total  ignorance 
of  the  thing — and  swear  that  it  is  alto- 
gether a  delusion  on  the  part  of  the 
Earl? — That  would  he  rawer  a  bold 
stroke,  too!— Suppo  e  the  Earl  to  die 
of  this  bout — ah  !  then  there's  an  end 
of  the  tiling,  and  all's  well,  provided 
1  can  manage  Titmouse! — Asecondlit 
of  apoplexy  within  twelve  hours  — 
humph  ! — If  the  Earl  has  mentioned 
the  thing  —  and  distinctly  and  in- 
telligibly —  how  far  has  he  gone  ? — 
Did  he  name  the  rent-charge? — Ah! 
— well,  and  suppose  he  did  !    What's 

•r  than  also  to  deny  that  altogether? 
But  suppose  Titmouse  should  be  tam- 
pered with,  and  pressed  about  the 
business!  Perdition !— all  is  lost! — 
Yet  they  would  hardly  like  to  defy 
me,  and  trumpet  the  tiling  abroad  ! — 
'1  hen  there's  the  other  course— to  own 
that  I  am  in  possession  of  the  fatal 
secret  —that  I  became  so  only  recently; 
and  avow  th<  i  of  my  taking  the 

rent-charge  ;  and  insist  upon  retaining 
it,  as  the  condition  of  my  secrecy  1 
That  also  is  a  hold  stroke:  both  arc 
>ne  of  them  I  must  choose  ! 
•n,  suppose  the  Earl  to  recover :  he 
will  never  1"-  the  same  man  he  was — 

i    1  find  <vs  the  < 

mind,  si  t  is,  will  go  nearly  alto- 

gether!—But  if  he  recovers  a  glim- 
mi  ra  ;of  m  ••  b— egad  !  'twill  r< 
a  little  nerve,  too,  to  deny  the  t 


to  his  face,  and  swear  that  the  whole 
thing  is  a  delusion  of  a  brain  dis- 
ordered by  previous  fright !  —  And 
suppose  Lady  Cecilia  dies  ! — and  leaves 
sue  • — and  then  Lord  Divddling- 
ton  follows  her  —  by  Heavens,  this 
hideous  little  devil  becomes  Lord 
i court  at  one- .' .'" 
This  was  the  way  that  Mr.  Gammon 
turned  the  thing  over  in  his  mind,  as 
he  rapidly  walked  towards  Portman 
Square  ;  and  by  the  time  that  he  had 
reached  the  Duke's  house,  he  had 
finally  determined  on  the  couise  he 
should  pursue  :  and  though  his  face 
was  rather  pale,  he  was  perfectly  self- 
possessed  and  firm,  at  the  moment  of 
his  being  shown  into  the  library,  where 
the  I  »uke  was  walkingabout,  impatient 
for  his  arrival. 

"Gracious  God,  sir  !  " — commenced 
tin;  Duke  in  a  low  tone,  with  much 
agitation  of  manner,  the  moment  that 
the  Bervant  had  closed  the  door  behind 
him — "what  is  all  this  horrible  news 
we  hear  about  Mr.  Titmouse  ?" 

"Horrible  news  —  about  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ?  "  echoed  Gammon  ainazedly — 
"  pardon  mc — I  don't  understand  your 
Grace  !  If  you  allude  to  the  two  exe- 
cut  ions,  which  I'm  sorry  to  hear " 

"Lho,  sir!  you  an'  trilling  !  Believe 
me,  this  is  a  very  awful  moment  to  all 
persons  involved  in  what  lias  tab  n 
place!"  replied  the  Duke,  his  voice 
quivering  with  emotion. 

"  Your  grace  will  excuse  me,  but  I 
really  cannot  comprehend  you  ! " 

"You  soon  shall,  sir!  I  tell  you, 
it  may  be  a  matter  of  infinite  moment 
to  yourself  personally,  Mr.  Gammon  !" 

"  What  docs  your  grace  mean  ? "  en- 
quired Gammon  re8pectfully,but  firmly 
— and  throwing  an  expression  of  still 
greater  amazement  into  his  face. 

"Mean,  sir?    Ly !  that  you've 

killed  my  Lord  Dreddlingtoh,  and 
Lady   Cecilia,"   cried  the  Duke,  in   a 
very  violent  manner. 

"I  wait  to  hear,  as  soon  as  your 
;.d   to    explain," 
on  i     mly. 

*'  lixp  ain,    sir?    Why,  1  have  al- 
ly told  and  explained  everything  !" 
replied   the  choleric  Duke,  who  ima- 
gined that  he  really  Juid  done  so. 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


619 


"Your  grace  has  told — has  explained 
nothing  whatever,"  said  Gammon. 

""Why,  sir — I  mean,  what's  this 
horrible  story  you've  been  telling  my 
Lord  Dreddlington  about  Mr.  Til  mouse 
being  —  in    plain    English,    sir  —  A 

BASTARD  ?  " 

If  the  Duke  1  ad  struck  at  Gammon, 
the  latter  could  not  have  started  back 
more  suddenly  and  violently  than  he 
did  on  hearing  his  grace  utter  the  last 
word  ;  and  he  remained  gazing  at  the 
Duke  with  a  face  full  of  horror  and 
bewilderment.  The  spectacle  which 
he  presented  arrested  the  Duke's  in- 
creasing excitement.  He  stared  with 
amazement.  "Why,  sir,  are  we  both 
— are  we  all — mad  ?  or  dreaming  ?  or 
what  has  come  to  us  ? " 

"I  think,"  replied  Gammon,  a  little 
recovering  from  the  sort  of  stupor  into 
which  the  Duke's  words  had  apparently 
thrown  him,  "  it  is  I  who  have  a  better 
title  than  your  grace  to  ask  the  ques- 
tion ! — I  toll  Lord  Dreddlington  that 
Mr.  Titmouse  is  a  bastard  !  Why,  I 
can  hardly  credit  my  ears  !  Does  my 
Lord  Dreddlington  say  that  I  have 
told  him  so  ?  " 

"He  does,  sir  I  "  replied  the  Duke 
fiercely. 

"And  what  else  may  his  lordship 
have  said  concerning  me  1 "  enquired 
Gammon,  with  a  sort  of  hopeless  smile. 

"  By  Heaven,  sir,  you  mustn't  treat 
this  matter  lLhtly  1  "  said  the  Duke 
impetuously. 

"  May  I  ask  your  grace  whether  this 
is  the  matter  mentioned  in  your  grace's 
note,  as  of  the " 

"It  is,  sir!  it  is! — and  it's  killed 
my  Lord  Dreddlington — and  also  the 
Lady  Cecilia  !  " 

"  What !  "  cried  Gammon,  starting 
and  exhibiting  increasing  amazement 
— "does  her  ladyship,  too,  say  that  I 
have  told  her  so  ? " 

"Yes,  sir  ;  she  does  !  " 

"  What,  Lady  Cecilia !  "  echoed 
Gammon,  really  confounded. 

"  Well,  sir— I  think  she  did " 

"  Think,  your  grace  !  "  interrupted 
Gammon,  bitterly  and  reproachfully. 

"Well,  sir — certainly  the  fact  is,  I 
may  be  mistaken  as  to  that  matter.  I 
was  not  present ;  but,  at  all  events, 


my  Lord  Dreddlington  certainly  says 
you  told  him  —  and  he's  told  Lady 
Cecilia — and  it's  killing  her — it  is,  sir  ! 
— By  Heavens,  sir,  I  expect  hourly  to 
hear  of  both  of  their  deaths  ! — And  I 
beg  to  ask  you,  sir,  once  for  all,  have 
you  ever  made  any  such  statement  to 
my  Lord  Dreddlington  ?  " 

' '  Not  a  syllable — never  a  breath  of 
the  sort  in  my  life  !  "  replied  Gammon 
boldly,  and  rather  sharply,  as  if  in- 
dignant at  being  pressed  about  so 
absurd  a  matter. 

"  What — nothing  of  the  sort  ?  or  to 
that  effect  ?  "  exclaimed  the  Duke  with 
mingled  amazement  and  incredulity. 

"  Certainly  —  certainly  not !  —  But 
let  me  ask,  in  my  turn,  is  the  fact  so  ? 
Does  your  grace  mean  to  say  that " 

"No,  sir,"  interrupted  the  Duke, 
but  not  speaking  in  his  former  con- 
fident tone — "  but  my  Lord  Dreddling- 
ton does  !  " 

' '  Oh,  impossible  !  impossible  !  " 
cried  Gammon,  with  an  incredulous 
air — "  Only  consider  for  one  moment 
— how  could  the  fact  possibly  be  so 
and  I  not  know  it !  Why,  I  know 
every  step  of  his  pedigree  !  "  The 
Duke  drummed  vehemently  with  his 
finger  on  the  table,  and  stared  at  Gam- 
mon with  the  air  of  a  man  suddenly 
and  completely  nonplussed. 

"Why,  Mr.  Gammon,  then  my 
Lord  Dreddlington  must  have  "com- 
pletely lost  his  senses !  He  declares 
that  you  told  him  that  such  was  the 
fact ! — When  and  where,  may  I  ask, 
did  you  first  see  him  to-day  ?  " 

"About  half-past  eleven  or  twelve 
o'clock,  when  he  called  at  my  chambers 
in  a  state  of  the  greatest  agitation  and 
excitement,  occasioned  by  the  an- 
nouncement in  this  morning's  paper 
of  the  sudden  blow-up  of  the 
Artificial " 

"  Good  heaven  !  why,  is  that  gone  ? " 
interrupted  his  grace,  eagerly  and 
alarmcdly.  "When  ?  why  ?how  ? — By 
heaven,  it's  enough  to  turn  any  one's 
head  !  " 

"Indeed  it  is,  your  grace.  My 
Lord  Dreddlington  was  the  first  from 
whom  I  heard  anything  on  the 
subject." 

"It's   very   odd   I   didn't    see  the 


G-20 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAE. 


graph]     "Whore  was  it!     In  the 

"  It  was,  your  grace — it  stated  that 
Sir  Sharper  Babble  had  suddenly  ab- 
Bconded,  with  all  the  funds  of " 

"  Oh,  the  villain  !  "Why  do  you 
make  such  people  chairmen,  and 
treasurers,  and  so  forth?  How  must 
the  loss  be  made  good?  You  really 
don't  look  sharp  enough  after  people 
whom  you  put  into  such  situations  ! 
Who  the  deuce  is  this  fellow — this  Sir 
Bubble  Sharper,  or  Sir  Sharper 
Bubble?" 

"  He  was  greatly  respected  in  the 
City,  or  would  not  have  been  in  the 
situation  he  was.  "Who  could  have 
suspected  it  ? " 

"  And  is  the  thing  quite  blown  up  ? 
All  gone  ? " 

''  Yes,  I  fear  it  is,  indeed  !  "  replied 
Gammon,  shrugging  his  shoulders  and 
sighing. 

' '  Of  course  no  one  can  be  made 
liable — come  the  worst  to  the  worst, 
ell?"  enquired  the  Duke  very  anx- 
iously, "beyond  the  amount  of  his 
Bhares  ?     How's  that,  Mr.  Gammon  1 " 

"  I  devoutly  trust  not !  Your  grace 
sees  it  depends  a  good  deal  on  the 
prominence  which  any  one  takes  in  the 
affair." 

"  Egad !  is  that  the  principle  ? 
Then,  I  assure  you,  Mr.  Gammon,  I 
have  not,  for  my  Tart,  taken  the  least 
public  part  in  the  proceedings " 

"  I  am  very  happy  to  hear  it,  your 
grace  !  Nor  have  1 — but  I  very  much 
Fear  that  my  Lord  Dreddlington  may 
j  further  a  good  deal " 

"I  ve  several  times  warned  him  on 
tl.  ubje  ',  I  assure  you !  By  the 
way,  tli. -n-'s  that  other  affair,  Mr. 
Gammon,  J  hope — eh?— that  thoGun- 

]  r    ad  Fn   h  Water " 

id  In- 1\  ens,  j  <>tir  grace  !  I 
hope  all  is  right  there — or  I,  for  one, 
am  a  ruined  man  1"  replied  Gammon 
qui 

"I — I — hope  so  too,  sir.  So  Lord 
Dreddlington  was  a  good  deal  shocked, 
ah,  this  tnoi  nine  ( " 

"  Ve*,  iudeed,  he  was — nay,  must 
alarmingly  i     iti  1  I      I   waj 

icd  on  his  a  count,  directh  I 
him." 


"And  is  this  Mr.  Titmouse — ch  ? — 
involved  in  the  tiling  ?  " 

"I  really  can't  tell,  your  grace — his 
movements  are  somewhat  eccentric — 
it's  extremely  difficult  to  discover  or 
account  for  them !  By  the  way,  I 
recollect  now  that  I  did  mention  his 
name  to  Lord  Dreddlington." 

"Ah,  indeed  ?  What  about  ? "  in- 
terrupted his  grace  briskly. 

"  Why,  I  just  heard  that  early  this 
morning  there  would  be  one  or  two 
executions  put  into  his  house  —  he's 
been  going  on  lately  in  a  very  wild 
way." 

"Oh,  he's  a  monstrous  little — but 
was  that  all  that  passed  between  you 
and  my  Lord  Dreddlington  about 
him?" 

"I  will  undertake  to  say," replied 
Gammon  pausing,  putting  his  linger 
to  his  lips,  and  trying  to  recollect — 
"that  that  was  the  only  mention 
made  of  his  name,  for  soon  after  his 
lordship  was  seized  with  a  fit,"  and 
Mr.  Gammon  proceeded  to  give  the 
Duke  a  very  vivid  and  feeling  descrip- 
tion of  it. 

"  What  a  singular  hallucination  his 
lordship  must  be  labouring  under,  to 
make  such  an  assertion  concerning  me 
as  he  appears  to  have  made  1  "  pre- 
sently observed  Gammon. 

"  Very  !  "  replied  the  Duke  gravely, 
still  feeling  serious  misgivings  on  the 
subject ;  but  what  could  lie  say  or  do 
further,  after  the  solemn,  the  explicit, 
and  repeated  denials  of  Mr.  Gammon  ? 
His  grace  then  gave  him  an  account 
■  '  what  he  had  heard  as  to  the  lie 
of  Lord  Dreddlingtou's  seizure,  and 
thai  of  Lady  Cecilia;  and  as  he  went 
on,  Gammon  quivered  from  top  to  toe, 
and  it  required  all  his  extraordinary 

powers  of  self-command  to  C01 al  his 

excessive  agitation  from  the  Duke. 

"By  the  way,  where  is  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse!" enquired  the  Duke,  as  he 

rose,   after  saving    that  he  was   g  ing 

on  immediately  to  Grosvenor  Square. 
"I  have  suit  io  Park  Lane,  and  find 
that  he  has  not  been  there  since  the 
morning." 

"1  real!y  don't  know,  I  assure  your 

I  have  nol  seen  him  for  Bcver  il 

!     1/  his  affairs  are  as  seriously 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAK. 


621 


involved  as  your  grace  would  intimate, 
he  may  probably  be  keeping  out  of  the 
way." 

' '  Do  let  me  beg  of  you  to  take  the 
trouble  of  enquiring  after  him  to- 
morrow morning,  Mr.  Gammon.  He 
must  be  very  much  shocked  to  hear 
of  the  lamentable  condition  of  Lady 
Cecilia  !  " 

"Indeed  I  will,  I  assure  your  grace  : 
I  only  hope  he  may  not  have  gone  over 
to  the  Continent." 

"God  bless  my  soul,  but  I  hope 
not !  "  interrupted  the  Duke  earnestly: 
and  added,  after  one  or  two  other  ob- 
servations, "then  I  understand  you 
as  stating,  Mr.  Gammon,  that  there  is 
not  the  least  pretence  or  foundation, 
in  point  of  fact,  for  the  representation 
which  my  Lord  Dreddlington  has 
made  concerning  you,  with  reference 
to  Mr.  Titmouse — excuse  me — is  it  so, 
upon  your  word  of  honour  ? " 

"  Upon  my  sacred  word  of  honour  !  " 
replied  Gammon  steadfastly ;  and  bow- 
ing to  the  Duke,  took  his  leave,  pro- 
mising to  call  on  his  grace  early  on 
the  morrow,  and  to  make  every  exer- 
tion to  see  Mr.  Titmouse — whom  Mr. 
Gammon  was  now,  indeed,  devouringly 
anxious  to  see,  and  would  have  made 
almost  any  sacrifice  to  be  enabled  to 
fall  in  with  him  that  very  night. 
Good  Heavens  !  how  much  now  de- 
pended on  Titmouse  ! — on  the  manner 
in  which  he  would  deal  with  such 
questions  as  would  infallibly  be  asked 
of  him  by  the  Duke,  and  by  any  one 
else  who  might  have  heard  of  the 
rumour  !  In  short,  Gammon  was  quite 
distracted  by  doubts  and  fears,  as  he 
be::t  his  way  back  to  his  chambers, 
not  venturing,  after  what  he  had 
heard,  to  call  in  Grosvenor  Square 
that  eveninc,  lest  he  should  hear  fatal 
news  of  either  the  Earl  or  Lady  Cecilia 
— that  is,  of  either  or  both  of  his 
victims!  The  next  morning,  the  fol- 
lowing announcement  of  the  Earl's 
illness  appeared  in  most  of  the  morn- 
ing papers,  and  created  quite  a  sensa- 
tion in  society : — 

"Sudden  and  alarming  illness 
of  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington 
and  Lady  Cecilia  Titmouse.  — 
Yesterday,  while  sitting  in  the  ofiice 


of  his  solicitor,  the  Earl  of  Dreddling- 
ton experienced  an  apoplectic  seizure  of 
a  most  serious  nature,  and  which,  but 
for  the  most  prompt  and  decisive 
medical  treatment,  must  have  proved 
immediately  fatal.  His  lordship  rallied 
sufficiently  during  the  course  of  the 
day  to  admit  of  his  being  conveyed  to 
his  house  in  Grosvenor  Square,  but  in 
the  evening  experienced  a  second  and 
still  more  alarming  fit,  and  continues 
in  a  state  which  is  calculated  to  excite 
the  greatest  apprehension.  We  regret 
also  to  add,  that  Lady  Cecilia  Tit- 
mouse, his  lordship's  only  daughter, 
happening  to  be  with  his  lordship  at 
the  moment  of  his  sudden  seizure,  was 
immediately  seized  with  illness,  which, 
in  her  ladyship's  critical  state  of  health, 
may  be  attended  with  most  serious 
consequences." 

In  the  evening  papers,  it  was  stated 
that  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  still 
continued  in  a  precarious  condition, 
and  that  Lady  Cecilia  was  not  expected 
to  survive  the  night ;  and  the  instant 
that  Mr.  Gammon  laid  his  hands  on 
the  next  morning's  paper,  he  turned 
with  eagerness  and  trepidation  to  a 
particular  gloomy  corner  of  it — and  a 
faint  momentary  mist  came  over  his 
eyes,  while  he  read  as  follows  : — 

"Yesterday,  in  Grosvenor  Square, 
in  her  29th  year,  after  giving  premature 
birth  to  a  son,  still-born,  Lady  Cecilia 
Titmouse,  the  lady  of  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, Esq.  M.P.,  and  only  daughter 
and  heiress  of  the  Right  Honourablo 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington."  Mr.  Gam- 
mon laid  down  the  paper,  and  for  some 
moments  felt  overcome  with  a  deadly 
faintness.  Having,  however,  recovered 
himself  a  little,  on  casting  a  hasty  ap- 
prehensive glance  over  the  paper  for 
intelligence  of  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington, 
he  read  as  follows  : — 

"The  Earl  of  Dreddlington,  we  re- 
gret to  say,  continues  alarmingly  ill. 
Drs.  Bailey  and  Whittington  are  in 
constant  attendance  upon  his  lordship. 
Our  readers  will  see,  in  another  part 
of  our  paper,  the  melancholy  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  his  lordship's 
lovely  and  accomplished  daughter, 
Lady  Cecilia  Titmouse,  after  giving 
premature  birth  to  a  son,  still-born. 


622 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


We  regret  to  hear  it  rumoured,  that 
the  illness  of  his  lordship  originated 
in  a  shock  occasioned  by  circumstances 
of  a  very  painful  nature  ;  bat  this  re- 
port, we  trust,  will  turn  out  to  be 
Unfounded.  In  the  event  of  his  lord- 
shin's  demise,  he  is  succeeded  in  his 
titles  and  estates  by  his  son-in-law, 
and  heir,  upon  the  death  of  the  Lady 
•  lia,  .Mr.  Titmouse,  M.P.  for 
Yatton." 

It  will  surely  be  a  relief  to  one's 
f  lings  to  pass  away,  for  a  while  at 
■ ,  from  the  contemplation  of  these 
its  of  untoward  and  disastrous  issue, 
to  p  rsons  and  to  incidents  of  a  very 
dill' rent  character.  Turn,  therefore, 
kind  and  patient  reader!  your  eye  to 
that  retreat  of  long-suffering  virtue 
which  is  to  be  found  in  Vivian  Street. 
B  ieved  from  the  immediate  pressure 
which  had,  as  it  were,  forced  him  down 
into  the  very  dust,  poor  Aubrey's  pious 
and  well-disciplined  mind  was  not  long 
in  recovering  that  tone  of  confident 
reliance  upon  the  goodness  and  mercy 
of  God,  which  that  God  had  seen  fit 
bo  severely  to  try  ;  and  such  he  now 
permitted  Aubrey  to  see  had  been  his 
t.  lie  and  his  lovely — his  beloved 
wi  e  and  sister,  soon  recovered  a  con- 
siderable measure  of  composure,  and 
en  d  cheerfulness  ;  yet  felt  they  all  in 
the  deep  waters.  The  generous  and 
timely  interference  of  Mr.  Runnington 
had  secured  them,  indeed,  a  few 
ite  from  the  harassing  and 
tormenting  attacks  of  those  who  seemed 
bent  upon  their  destruction  j  butwhat 
to  become  of  them  all  when  the 
arrival  of  the  riext  term  should  have 
I  into  motion  against  them  the 
liinery  of  the  law  ?  None 
of  them  could  foresee  any  mode  of  exit 
fr  mi  their  troubles;  speculation  was 
idle  :  yet  lost,  they  not  an  humble  but 
pe,  that  Pro\  Idenci  would 
make  a  way  for  th<-ir  e  cape. 

The  one  of  all  the  recent  occurrences 
which  h  id  li  iced  and  dial 

and    driven    him 

in  vest  tn  the  verge  of  downright  de- 

■  Lady  B  trat  ton's  d 
and  ':n!'  concomitants.     How 

ingly  did  the 
m  iid  represent  this 


circumstance  to  him  —  especially  fn 
moods  of  depression  which  are 
incident  to  all  of  us  in  this  fluctuating 
scene  of  trial  and  suffering — as  proof 
that  he  was  the  sport  of  chance,  the 
victim  of  evil  destiny  !  What  has  he, 
his  wife,  his  sister,  done  to  deserve  it  ? 
But,  thank  God  !  in  vain  wero  these 
suggestions  from  beneath ;  totally 
ineffectual 

"  To  shake  his  trust  in  God  !  " 

Certainly,  the  event  alluded  to  baf- 
fled all  his  calculations,  long,  and 
deeply,  and  anxiously  as  be  reflected 
upon  it,  in  all  its  bearings — and  hi3 
only  refuge  lay  in  the  simple  reference 
of  it  to  the  all- wise  providence  of  God. 
Oh,  foolish  Rend  !  and  didst  thou  really 
think  this  little  matter  was  sufficient 
to  make  1 1  lis  Christian  man  doubt  or 
deny  God's  moral  government  of  the 
world? — Far  otherwise,  indeed,  was  it 
with  him,  enlightened  by  intelligence 
from  on  high  ;  and  which  satisfied  Au- 
brey, that  it  was  but  reasonable  to 
expect,  while  there  was  bo  much  that 
was  utterly  incomprehensible  and  inex- 
plicable in  God's  own  character,  in  his 
l<li  >i:<i<-al  and  natural  government  of  the 
world,  corresponding  mystery  and  in- 
comprehensibility in  his  moral  govern- 
ment of  the  world.  We  arc  permitted 
to  obtain  a  few  occasional  glimpses  into 
the  one,  as  well  as  into  the  other — and 
they  should  satisfy  as  of  the  reality  of 
the  sublime  and  awful  system  which 
is  in  existence  around  us.  What  know 
we  of  the  ultimate  scope  and  end  of 
His  working?  What  seeming  good 
shall  we  be  sure  will  not  produce  evil  ? 
What  seeming  evil  shall  we  be  sure 
will  not  produce,  and  is  not  designed 
to  produce)  good?  And  may  not  our 
ignorance  in  these  respects  be  specially 
ordained  b>  tesl  the  faith  of  man — to 
check  presumptuous  confidence — -to 
repel  palsying  despair ;  in  a  word,  to 
in  ike  mat  '  umbly  with  his  God, 

in  constant  and  inij  licit  dependence 
upon  Him  ?    Oh,  blessed  is  the  man  of 
devoutnes  i  of  mind,  and  protected 
from  innumerable  troubles  and  perils 
thai   assail  and  overpower  those  who 
to  live  witi       •  ■    lin  the  world ! 
I      Thu    v.  i    it  tli  it  Aubrey,  a;  he  had 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


623 


not  presumed  in   his   prosperity,   so 
despaired  not  in  his  adversity. 

He  had  commenced  a  sedulous 
attendance  at  the  chambers  of  Mr. 
Mansfield,  within  a  few  days  after  the 
delicate  kindness  of  Mr.  Kunnington 
had  afforded  him  the  means  of  doing 
so.  He  already  knew  sufficient  to 
charm  him  with  the  intricate  but  ex- 
quisite system  of  the  law  of  real  pro- 
perty ;  and  the  immediate  practical 
operation  of  its  principles,  which  he 
witnessed  in  his  new  scene  of  study, 
served  to  enhance  his  estimate  of  its 
importance  and  value.  Mr.  Mansfield 
had  recommended  him  to  address  his 
early  and  close  attention  to  the  in- 
comparable essay  of  Mr.  Fearne,  upon 
Contingent  Remainders.  He  did  so, 
end  was  soon  enchanted  with  the  sim- 
plicity, subtlety,  and  comprehensive- 
ness of  the  system  developed  in  that 
masterly  performance.  In  addition  to 
his  absorbing  professional  labours,  he 
continued  his  occasional  contributions 
to  substantial  literature ;  but  Mr. 
Runnington's  generosity  had  enabled 
him  to  dispense  with  that  severe  and 
incessant  exertion  to  which  he  had 
been  till  then  accustomed,  and  enabled 
him  to  address  himself  to  his  difficult 
yet  delightful  studies  with  unimpaired 
energy. 

Some  short  time  after  he  had  com- 
menced his  attendance  at  Mr.  Mans- 
field's chambers,  Mr.  Aubrey  was,  one 
morning  about  ten  o'clock,  on  his  way 
down  to  Lincoln's  Inn,  and  when  about 
to  cross  Piccadilly,  paused  to  let  pass 
him  a  dusty  post-chaise  and  four, 
dashing  up  St.  James's  Street ;  and  as 
it  went  close  and  rapidly  by  him,  he 
quite  started  with  astonishment,  for, 
unless  his  eye  had  extraordinarily 
deceived  him,  he  had  seen  in  the  chaise 
no  other  a  person  than  Lord  De  la 
Zouch,  who,  however,  if  it  ware  he, 
had  not  appeared  to  see  Mr.  Aubrey, 
and  probably  had  really  not  observed 
him. 

"  Why,  how  can  this  be  ? "  thought 
Aubrey,  standing  and  gazing  for  a 
moment  in  astonishment  after  the 
po.st-ehaise.  "  The  letter  which  Agnes 
had  the  other  day  from  Lady  De  la 
Zouch,  did  not  say  a  word  about  Lord 


De  la  Zouch's  intention  to  return  to 
England  !  And  alone  !  —  And  in  a 
post-chaise — and  travelling  all  night, 
as  he  evidently  has,  from  Dover  !  'Tis 
strange  !  What  can  be  the  matter  ? " 
— And  he  stood  for  a  moment  irreso- 
lute whether  or  not  he  should  retrace 
his  steps,  and  satisfy  his  curiosity  by 
calling  at  the  house  of  Lord  De  la 
Zouch,  in  Dover  Street.  On  consider- 
ation, however,  he  determined  not  to 
do  so.  He  might  be  mistaken  ;  but  if 
not,  Lord  De  la  Zouch  might  have 
been  called  back  to  England  on  a 
matter  of  special  urgency,  and  possibly 
deem  a  call  from  any  one,  except  those 
he  expected  to  see,  intrusive.  Aubrey, 
therefore,  continued  his  way  on  to 
Lincoln's  Inn  ;  and  was  very  soon  en- 
grossed with  the  matters  there  requiring 
his  attention.  But  it  really  was  Lord 
De  la  Zouch  whom  he  had  seen  ;  and 
it  was  solely  on  Aubrey's  own  account 
that  his  lordship,  leaving  Lady  De  la 
Zouch  at  Paris,  had  taken  this  sudden 
journey  to  England  —  not  intending 
Aubrey,  however,  at  all  events  at 
present,  to  be  apprised  of  the  fact. 
'Twas  entirely  owing  to  the  unconscious 
Gammon  that  Lord  De  la  Zouch  thus 
made  his  appearance  in  England  ;  for, 
had  that  gentleman  not  taken  such 
special  pains  to  have  inserted  in  the 
Morning  Growl,  the  full  and  accurate 
account  of  the  proceedings  which  ho 
had  caused  to  be  instituted  against 
himself,  which  the  reader  bus  had  laid 
before  him,  and  which  his  lordship  in 
due  course  read  at  Paris,  with  infinite 
anxiety  and  alarm  on  the  score  of  its 
possible  bearing  upon  Mr.  Aul  >rey,  his 
lordship  would  in  all  probability  have 
continued  at  Paris  for  several  months 
longer,  in  total  ignorance  of  the  thral- 
dom of  the  unfortunate  Aubreys.  The 
moment  that  his  lordship  had  read 
over  the  report  in  question,  he  wrote 
off  to  Mr.  Pamnington  a  strictly  con- 
fidential letter,  begging  an  immediate 
answer,  with  as  full  and  exact  an 
account  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  circumstances 
as  Mr.  Eunnington  could  give.  By 
the  very  next  post,  that  gentbman 
wrote  off  to  his  lordship  a  long  letter, 
acquainting  him  with  what  had  be- 
fallen the  persecuted  Aubrey,  viz.— 


624 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR 


his  doable  arrest,  and  in  respect  of  so 
terrible  a  liability.     Mr.  Runnington 

spoke  in  very  glowing  and  feeling 
terms  of  (he  manly  fortitude  of  Mr. 
Aubrey  under  his  accumulated  mis- 
fortunes ;  and,  in  short,  drew  so  moving 
a  picture  of  the  deplorable  circum- 
in  which  Mr.  Aubrey  and  his 
family  were  plunged,  that  his  lordship 
the  next  day  wrote  off  to  inform  Mr. 
Runnington,  114  confidence,  that  he 
might  expect  to  see  his  lordship  in  Lon- 
don within  a  day  or  two — for  that  he 
was  coming  over  solely  on  the  affairs  of 
the  Aubreys — and  was,  in  fact,  resolved 
upon  bringing  about,  cost  what  it 
might,  either  alone,  or  in  conjunction 
with  such  other  friends  of  Mr.  Aubrey 
a-i  his  lordship  might  think  proper  to 
take  into  his  counsels,  a  complete  and 
finalsettlement  of  Mr.  Aubrey  s  affairs, 
and  so  place  him  at  once  and  forever 
out  of  the  reach  of  all  his  enemies  ;  to 
set  him  once  more  straight  and  free  in 
tho  world,  and  give  him  a  fair  chance 
of  securing,  by  ihe  successful  practice 
of  tho  profession  of  the  bar,  that  inde- 
pendence, affluence,  and  distinction, 
to  which  bis  gnat  talents,  learning, 
industiy,  and  unconquerable  energy, 
warranted  him  in  aspiring.  As  soon 
as  his  lordship  had  recovered  from  the 
fatigues  of  his  journey,  he  sent  off  a 
servant  to  request  tho  immediate 
attendance  of  Mr.  Runnington — -who 
was  ovcrjoye  I  at  receiving  tho  sum- 
mons, and  could  hardly  refrain  from 
stepping  over  to  Mr.  Mansfield's,  in 
order  to  apprise  Mr.  Aubrey  of  the 
arrival  of  lx>rd  De  la  Zouch.  He 
abstained,  however,  from  doing  so,  on 
fleeting  the  strict  injunctions  of 
Lord  De  la  Zouch;  and  immediately 
(.■■t  uif  for  Dover  Street.  But  before 
they  met,  let  me  take  the  opportunity 
of  mentioning  one  or  two  little  matters 
connected  with  tho  previous  move- 
iii'-i  1 .  of  Mr.  Runnington. 

He  was  a  very  able  man;  clear- 
headed, cautious,  experienced,  and 
singularly  prompt  and  determined, 
wh  lie   h  id   re   lived  on  any 

• :  in  Bhort,  he  was 
quil 

1  sin  h  opponent  a 

1  btle,   1  1    un- 


scrupulous as  ho  might  he.  "  Let  me 
once  get  hold  of  .Master  Gammon — 
that's  all ! " — thought,  very  frequently, 
Mr.  Runnington.  Now,  the  astound- 
ing avowal  which  Jliss  Aubrey  repre- 
sented Mr.  Gammon  as  having  made 
to  her,  in  his  insane  attempt  to  prevail 
upon  her  to  entertain  his  addresses — 
viz.  that  he  possessed  tho  power  cf 
immediately,  and  by  legal  means,  dis- 
placing Mr.  Titmouse,  and  repossessing 
Mr.  Aubrey,  of  Yatton — had  made  a 
profound  impression  on  ihe  mind  of 
Mr.  Runnington.  The  more  that  ho 
reflected  upon  the  incident — and  upon 
the  character  of  Mr.  Gammon,  the 
stronger  became  his  conviction  that 
Mr.  Gammon  had  been  in  earnest  in 
what  he  had  said  ;  that  there  was  a 
foundation  in  fact  for  his  assertion ; 
and  that  if  so,  some  scheme  of  pro- 
found and  infernal  wickedness  must 
have  been  had  recourse  to,  in  order  to 
dispossess  Mr.  Aubrey  of  Yatton,  and 
place  Titmouse  there  in  his  stead. 
Then  Mr.  Runnington  adverted,  in  his 
own  mind,  to  the  circumstance  of  Mr. 
Gammon's  exercising  such  a  constant 
interference  and  control  over  Titmouse, 
and  all  matters  connected  with  Yatton. 
Mr.  Runnington  many  and  many  a 
time  pondered  these  things  in  his 
mind — but  was,  after  all,  completely  at 
a  loss  to  know  what  steps  to  take,  and 
how  to  deal  with  the  affair,  as  it 
stood.  Then  a'4ain,  with  reference  to 
tho  death  of  Lady  Stratton,  and  tho 
melancholy  circumstances  attending  it, 
Mr.  Runnington  had  entered  into  a 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Parkinson, 
with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  chances 
there  were,  of  procuring  his  draft  of 
Lady  Stratton's  will,  to  be  admitted 
to  probate  ;  and  laid  tho  correspond* 
ence,  in  tho  shape  of  a  case,  before  an 
eminent  practitioner  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical court,  Tho  opinion  lie  thus 
obtained  was,  however,  adverse ; 
mainly,  on  the  ground  that  there  was 
clearly  evidence  to  show  a  subsequent 
essential  on  of  intention  on  the 

part  of  Lady  Si  r  1  ton     to  Bay  not! 
of  c  irtain  other  difficulties  which  were 
■  1  in  (he  opinion.     Mr.  Run* 
nington  was  much  chagrined  at  this 
!l  ;  and,  of  course,  abandoned  his 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


025 


intention  of  seriously  contesting  Mr. 
Titmouse's  claim  to  administration, 
it  could,  however,  lie  thought,  do  no 
harm  if  he  was  just  to  lodge  a  caveat, 
even  if  he  there  left  the  matter.  It 
might  have  the  effect  of  interposing 
some  delay,  and  staving  otf  any  con- 
templated proceedings  upon  the  boud 
which  Mr.  Aubrey  had  given  to  the 
late  Lady  Stratton.  This  step,  there- 
fore, he  took — and  was  greatly  de- 
lighted in  finding,  some  short  time 
afterwards,  that  the  Vulture  Company 
were  bent  on  pursuing  their  ordinary 
course  in  case  of  policies  which  ren- 
dered it  worth  their  while,  viz.  not 
paying  till  they  were  forced  to  do  so  : 
— and  the  Company,  in  their  turn, 
were  delighted  to  find  that  there  was 
a  chance  of  a  protracted  dispute  con- 
cerning the  right  to  the  policy.  Not 
satisfied  with  thh — still  haunted  by 
Mr.  Gammon's  mysterious  statement 
to  Miss  Aubrey — it  all  at  once  occurred 
to  Mr.  Runnington,  in  the  course  of 
one  of  his  many  meditations  upon  the 
subject,  to  take  an  opportunity  of  dis- 
cussing the  affair,  in  all  its  bearings, 
with  Sir  Charles  AVolstt-nholme,  whose 
penetrating,  practical  sagacity,  sharp- 
ened by  his  zeal  and  sympathy,  might 
hit  upon  something  or  other  undis- 
eemible  to  Mr.  Runnington.  Without 
having  intimated  his  intentions  to  Mr. 
Aubrey,  Mr.  Runnington,  shortly  after 
having  lodged  his  caveat,  succeeded 
in  obtaining  an  interview  with  Sir 
Charles,  expressly  with  a  view  of  talk- 
ing over  the  afi'airs  of  the  unfortunate 
Mr.  Aubrey. 

"God  bless  my  soul!"  cried  Sir 
Charles,  in  a  tone  of  wonder,  as  soon 
as  Mr.  Runnington  had  mentioned  the 
statement  of  Mr.  Gammon  to  Miss 
Aubrey,  and  the  circumstances  accom- 
panying it.  In  short,  it  was  clear 
that  Sir  Charles  was  every  whit  as 
much  struck  with  the  circumstance  as 
had  been  Mr.  Runnington ;  and  for 
some  minutes  after  Mr.  Runnington 
had  named  it,  seemed  lost  in  thought. 
A  considerable  pause  here  ensued  in 
their  conversation  ;  and  Mr.  Running- 
ton  was  quite  delighted  to  see  his 
distinguished  companion  evidently  en- 
g.ged  in  turning  about  the  facts  cf 


the  case  in  his  clear  and  powerful 
understanding ;  viewing  them  from 
every  point  in  which  they  coird  be 
contemplated,  and  in  all  their  bearings. 

"It's  very  likely,  I  am  disposed  to 
think,  that  the-  fellow  was  in  earnest," 
at  length  said  Sir  Charles;  "at  all 
events  that  he  believed  he  possessed 
the  power  he  professed  to  possess  ;  and 
that  he  was  hurried  away  a  little  into 
prematurely  disclosing  it.  Egad,  he's 
a  nice  person,  that  Gammon,  too,  by 
the  way,  to  think  of  his  proposing  to 
sweet,  pretty  Miss  Aubrey — ah,  hah," 
he  added,  with  a  faint  but  contemptu- 
ous smile  ;  and  presently  subjoined, 
in  a  musing  sort  of  way — "I've  got 
the  general  facts  that  came  out  at  the 
trial  still  pretty  fresh  in  my  mind, 
and  I've  been  just  running  over  the 
links  in  his  chain  of  proof.  'Gad!  wo 
could  hardly  have  failed  to  detect  a 
hitch,  if  there  had  been  one  !  Link 
by  link  ve  went  over  it — and  were 
long  enough  about  it,  at  any  rate ! 
I  can  conceive,  too,  that  in  a  case  of 
that  sort  there  was  room  for  a  little 
bit  of  perjury,  if  it  were  cleverly 
managed  ;  and  Mr.  Gammon  is  a  clever 
man  !  By  the  way,  I'm  actually  going 
down  special  for  him  to  York,  in  that 
bribery  case,  ah,  hah!"  "Ay,"  he 
presently  resumed,  "I  suspect;  that 
one  or  two  of  the  links  in  that  chain 
of  his  must  have  been  of  base  metal. 
Devil  take  him  !  he  must  have  done 
it  well,  too  !  "     He  smiled  bitterly. 

"If  that's  your  impression,  Sir 
Charles,"  said  Mr.  Runnington  eagerly, 
"what  do  you  think  of  having  a  shot 
at  them — a  second  ejectment !  " 

"Oh,  by  heaven!  that's  an  awful 
affair  !  "  replied  Sir  Charles,  shaking 
his  head,  and  looking  very  serious  ; 
"besides,  what  he's  done  once,  he 
may  do  again." 

"Ah,  but  wc  know  all  his  witnesses 
now  beforehand  !  Then  we  fought  him 
in  the  dark  ;  but  now " 

"Ay,  there's  something  in  tJiat,  cer- 
tainly," said  Sir  Charles  musingly; 
"but  then  'tis  such  a  frightful  ex- 
pense ;  and  where  poor  Aubrey's  to 
get  the  means " 

"Oh,  never  mind  that,  Sir  Charles ! " 
replied  Mr.  Runnington,  nevertheless 

s  s 


CdG 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


somewhat  seriously  ;  but  thinking  of 
1  rd  Do  la  Zouch,  he  added  rather 
i.lv  —  "if  you  only  intimate  an 
opinion  favourable  towards  venturing 
the  experiment,  I'll  undertake  that 
funds  shall  I  oming." 

While  Mr.  Rnnnington  was  saying 
this,  Sir  Charles  Wolstenholme  sat 
leaning  back  in  his  chair,  his  head 
inclined  on  one  side,  the  fingers  of  one 
band  playing  mechanically  with  his 
chin  ;  in  fact,  he  was  deeply  engaged 
in  thought,  and  Mr.  Rnnnington  did 
not  interrupt  him. 

"All,"  he  presently  exclaimed,  with 

a  sort  of  sigh,  looking  with  much  vi- 

ty  at  his  companion — "I  have  it 

— I  have  it — I  see  a  way  out  of  the 

dl      Well,   if  you  can   only  get 

ammunition,  it's  my  advice  to  you  to 

I    the   battle   over  again — but  on 

quite  a  diffi  n  tUJit  Id." 

"Indeed,  Sir  diaries?  "What,  in  a 
court  of  equity  ?" 

"Oh,  jiho,  no! — You  say  you  Jmrr 
entered  a  caveat  against  the  grant  of 
Letters  (  f  Administration ? " 

"Yes,  certainly,"  replied  Mr. 
Runnington,  a  little  disappointed  ; 
"but,  as  1  explained,  there's  no  chance 
of  establishing  a  will." 

"Never  mind  that!  Throw  the 
will  to  the  digs.  I'll  show  you  a 
wrinkle  worth  a  hundred  wills  !  When 
you're  called  on  to  support  your 
caveat,  do  so  on  the  ground  that  Mr. 
■  i;\i:ri:  at  kin  to  Lady 
il  'a  this  fellow  Titmouse — 
that  will  make  it  necessary  for  Tit- 
mouse,  you  know,  to  set  forth  his 
pedigree  with  tie  t  minuteness  ; 

you  will  have  a  Commission  go  down 
•  the  spot  where  all  the  witnesses  are, 
and  those  fellows,   the   proctors,  you 

ki.ow,  are  as  keen  as  beagles " 

..  S^r  Charles,  Sir  Charles]  I— 
1        i:  all  !     Oh,  admirable   — " 

"To  be  sure!"  continued  Sir 
1  :  much  animation.    "Their 

1  be  as  it  were  laid  on 
t.  hen  the  tical 

applied  to  it.     You  hai 
n  the  spol — all  set 

ferreting  out  all 

and  inn  I  ,•  docu- 

k  of. 


'Tis  quite  in  their  line — bfrths,  deaths, 
and  marriages,  and  everything  con- 
nected with  them.    By  Jove  !  (/'there's 

a  Haw,  you'll  hit  it  in  this  way  1  " 

"  Oh,  heavens  !  "  cried  Mr.  Run- 
nington, with  grateful  glee,  "your 
hint  is  worth  thousands  upon  thousands 
of  pounds " 

"  If  it  only  produces  Ten  Thousand 
a-Tear — all,  hah!"  interrupted  Sir 
Charles,  laughing  good-naturedly  ; 
and  very  soon  afterwads  Mr.  Run- 
nington quitted  his  chamber,  charmed 
and  excited  by  the  masterly  suggestion 
which  had  been  made  to  him,  and 
resolved  to  go  off  to  his  proctor,  and 
see  about  acting  upon  it  forthwith, 
and  get  a  kind  of  general  notion  of 
the  process  which  he  thought  of  com- 
mencing. You  might,  within  an  hour's 
time,  have  seen  Mr.  Runnington 
closeted  with  his  proctor — the  proctor 
always  employed  by  his  firm — Mr. 
Obadiah  Pounce — a  man  whose  look 
told  you  he  was  made  for  penetrating 
into  and  poking  about  in  anything 
musty,  or  obscure.  He  was,  indeed, 
thoroughly  up  to  his  business — not  an 
abler  or  more  experienced  proctor  was 
to  be  found  in  Doctor's  Commons. 
As  Mr.  1 'ounce  was  not  entirely  un- 
acquainted with  the  facts — inasmuch 
as  he  had  drawn  up  the  case  which 
had  been  submitted  to  Dr.  FlARI  for 
his  opinion  as  to  the  admissibility  of 
Mr.  Parkinson's  draft  of  Lady  St  rat- 
ton's  intended  will  to  probate — it  did 
not  take  long  to  put  him  in  possession 
of  the  wishes  and  intentions  of  Mr. 
Runnington. 

"Let  us  come  away  to  Dr.  Flare  at 
once,"  quoth  Pounce,  putting  his  watch 
into  his  fob. — "You'll  catch  him  in 
just  now,  1  know,  and  perhaps  in  gnod- 
humour;  and  a  short  consultation 
with  him  will  be  worth  half-a-dozen 
writ  ten  opinions." 

So  they  set  off  for  the  chambers  of 
Dr.  Flaic,  which  were  at  only  a  few 
yards' distance.  Dr.  Flare  was  a  very 
i  man  in  the  ecclesiastical  court; 
in  fact,  by  far  the  most  eminent 
practitioner  there.  He  was  thoroughly 
d  in  ecclesiastical  law,  and  every 
ipeci  of  learning  connected  with  it; 
in  fact,   lie  hid  for  the  last  thirty 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


627 


years  been  concerned  in  every  case  of 
the  least  importance  which  had  come 
before  that  solemn,  quaint,  and  mys- 
terious tribunal.  He  was  possessed  of 
great  acuteness  and  powers  of  arrange- 
ment, of  wonderful  industry  ;  but  his 
capital  quality  was  that  of  thoroughly 
identifying  himself  with  his  cause, 
into  every  case  in  which  he  was  em- 
ployed, he  entered  with  all  the  keen- 
ness and. vivacity  which  he  could  have 
displayed  in  one  of  vital  personal 
consequence  to  himself.  The  moment 
he  had  possessed  himself  of  the  facts 
of  his  case,  he  was  really  convinced, 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  that  he  was 
on  the  right  side — that  the  legal  and 
moral  merits  were  with  his  client — 
that  he  ought  to  win — and  that  his 
opponents  were  among  the  most  exe- 
crable of  mankind.  But,  to  be  sure, 
such  a  temper  was  his  !  So  fierce  and 
fiery,  that  it  scorched  everybody  that 
came  into  contact  with  him.  He  was 
like  an  angry  dog,  who,  if  he  has 
nothing  else  to  snap  at,  will  snap  at 
his  own  tail — and  Dr.  Flare,  when  he 
had  no  one  else  to  get  into  a  passion 
with,  would  get  into  one  with  himself. 
His  own  quickness  of  perception  was 
calculated  to  render  him  impatient 
and  irritable  under  even  the  clearest 
and  briefest  statement  of  a  case  that 
could  be  addressed  to  him.  He  was, 
in  a  manner,  the  victim  of  his  own 
acumen  nimhim.  In  spite  of  con- 
siderable impetuosity  of  temper,  he 
was  a  kind,  an  honourable,  and  high- 
minded  man  ;  and  when  not  in  actual 
conflict,  lived  on  very  good  terms  with 
the  solemn,  sleepy,  old  gentleman,  to 
whom  he  was  sometimes  opposed.  In 
person,  he  was  short  and  spare  ;  his 
slight  grey  whiskers  looked  as  if  they 
had  been  calcined  by  his  cheeks,  which, 
though  thin,  were  of  a  florid  red  colour  ; 
his  forehead  was  ample  ;  and  there 
was  an  expression  about  his  pierciug 
grey  eyes  which  seemed  to  ask,  with  a 
curse,  of  any  one  entering,  ".  why  d'ye 
interrupt  me?"  When  Mr.  Pounce 
and  Mr.  Runnington  entered  his  room 
— which  was  covered  with  papers  and 
open  books — the  Doctor  was  settling, 
in  furore,  Articles  extending  over 
many  hundred  folios,  against  an  un- 


happy curate,  flourishing  on  forty 
pounds  a-year  in  Rutlandshire,  "touch- 
ing and  concerning  his  souVs  health, 
and  the  lawful  correction  and  reforma- 
tion of  his  manners  and  excesses, "  (such 
was  the  solemn  and  affectionate  strain 
in  which  the  reverend  delinquent  was 
addressed, )  for  having  refused  to  bap- 
tize a  child  by  the  name  of  "Judas 
IsCARIOT" — that  being  the  name  de- 
sired to  be  given  to  his  infant  by  a 
blasphemous  little  Radical  cobbler,  a 
chattering  infidel,  who  sought,  by  that 
means,  to  evince  his  insane  hatred  of 
the  Christian  religion.  Now,  Dr. 
Flare  was  himself  an  ardent  friend  of 
the  church,  and  a  sincere  Christian : 
but  by  virtue  of  the  quality  I  have 
before  alluded  to,  he  had  brought  him- 
self to  look  upon  this  poor  clergyman 
as  guilty  of  a  most  flagrant  piece  of 
wickedness ;  and  was  forging,  con 
amorc,  the  bolt  to  be  presently  levelled 
at  so  enormous  an  offender.  But  a 
few  minutes  before  their  arrival,  more- 
over, an  incident  had  occurred  to  the 
Doctor  which  had  roused  him  into  a 
kind  of  frenzy :  he  had  been  inter- 
rupted by  an  applicant  to  be  sworn  to 
some  matter  or  other,  for  which  the 
Doctor  was  entitled  to  the  usual  fee  of 
one  shilling.  The  deponent  had  only 
half-a-crown  ;  so  the  Doctor  had  to 
take  out  his  purse,  and  give  him  the 
difference,  (eighteenpence,)  with  a 
muttered  curse  :  and  you  may  guess 
the  scene  that  ensued  on  the  deponent's 
presently  returning,  and  requesting 
that  the  sixpence  which  the  Doctor 
had  given  him  might  be  changed,  being 
a  bad  one ! — Mr.  Runnington  was  pre- 
pared to  go  fully  into  his  case  before 
Doctor  Flare ;  but  on  catching  sight 
of  him,  he  looked  so  startling  a  con- 
trast to  the  calm  and  affable  Sir  Charles 
Wolstenholme — so  like  a  hyena  squat- 
ting in  his  den — that  his  heart  sud- 
denly failed  him  ;  and  after  observing, 
that  instead  of  interrupting  the  Doctor 
at  that  time,  he  would  immediately 
lay  a  written  case  before  him,  he  and 
Mr.  Pounce  made  their  escape  into  the 
open  air  ;  the  former  looking  so  re- 
lieved of  apprehension,  that  Mr.  Pounco 
almost  died  with  laughter.  But  it 
occurred  to  Mr.  Runnington,  that  in 

8  S  2 


TEX   THOUSAND    A-YEAR. 


I  resent  Btage  nf  the  business,  Mr. 
Pood  :e  was  just  as  satisfactory  an  ad- 
os Dr.  Flare  could  be— and  he 
determined  upon  being  guided  by  Mr. 

C6,  whom  he  imniedht  ly  in- 
structed to  lvt  lin  Dr.  Flare  ;  and  then 
talked  over  the  whole  case,  in  all  its 
the  result  being,  that  Mr. 
Pounce  entirely  corroborated  the  view 
taken  by  Sir  Charles  Wolstenholme, 
and  pointed  out  so  clearly  and  forcibly 
the  peculiar  advantages  attending  the 
contemplated  mode  of  procedure,  that 
Mr.  Runnington  nearly  made  up  his 
mind  on  the  spot,  to  venture  on  the 
experiment  ;  but  at  all  events,  under- 
took  to  give  his  final  decision  within 
twenty-four  hours'  time.  The  next 
morning,  however,  he  received  inform- 
ation from  Mr.  Pounce,  which  was 
dated  to  quicken  his  motions; 
viz.  that  Mr.  Titmouse  was  moving, 
and  had  just  "warned  the  caveat,"  with 
n  view  to  discovering  who  his  opponent 
v.  t  ,  and  what  was  the  ground  of  his 
opposition.  Now,  this  chanced  to 
ir  on  the  very  day  of  Lord  De  la 
Zouch's  arrival  in  London  ;  his  serv- 
ant calling  at  Mr.  Runnington's  office 
with  a  note  requesting  his  attendance 
in  Dover  Street,  within  a  few  hours  <>f 
Mr.  Runnington's  receiving  intelli- 
gence of  the  movement  of  Mr.  Tit- 
manse.  Tie-  result  of  a  very  long  and 
animated  discussion  between  Mr.  Run- 
nington and   Lord   De  la  Zouch  was, 

that  his  lordship  acquiesced  in  the 
expediency  of  the   course  Suggested    to 

him,  namely,  to  Buspend  for  a  month 

or  two  carrying  into  effect  the  scheme 
which  he  had  formed  for  extricating 
.Mr.  Aubrey  from  all  his  liabilities 

tii'    pi  ings  about  to  be  in- 

stituted    ill     the    ei  ,d    court 

ly  render  unnecessary  the 
ecuni  iry  sacrifice  contem- 
plated by  his  lord-hip,  by  disentitling 
.M  i'.  Tit  tnou  •    to  receive  any  ['art  of 
the  demand  he  was  at  present  enforc- 

" 
tin  •  carte  blanclie  to  .Mr.  Run- 

ton,  and  authorized  him  instantly 
to   e  immcnce,   ■■•-.  1    most    \ 
■  ■  ding  t! 

pen  e  01 
I  take  ii" 


for  Lord  De  la  Zouch  expressed  the 
warmest  indignation  at  the  whole  con- 
duct of  Mr.  Gammon — particularly  his 
presumptuous  advances  towards  Miss 
Aubrey,  and  the  audacious  measures 
he  had  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  her  favour.  His  lordship  also 
felt,  in  common  With  Sir  Charles  "Wol- 
stenholme, and  Mr.  Runnington,  that 
Mr.  Gammon's  avowal  to  Miss  Aubrey 
of  his  absolute  control  over  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  Yatton  property,  war- 
ranted the  suspicion  that  the  vigorous 
proceedings  about  to  be  instituted 
would  had  to  the  most  important  re- 
sults. Thus  fortified,  Mr.  Running' 
ton  immediately  gave  instructions  to 
Mr.  Pounce  to  proceed;  and  that 
person  at  once  entered  formally  into 
battle  with  his  brother  proctor  Mr. 
QUOD,  who  was  acting  for  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse. Supposing  it  to  be  all  a  very 
simple  straightforward  affair  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  Mr.  Quod  did 
not  give  himself  any  particular  concern 
about  the  step  taken  by  Mr.  Pounce, 
and  with  which  he  did  not  acquaint 
Mr.  Gammon,  till  that  gentleman 
called  to  enquire  in  what  state  the 
proceedings  were  ;  and  when  he  found 
the  ground  taken  by  Mr.  Aubrey,  and 
that  it  would  compel  Mr.  Titmouse  to 
prove  over  again  every  link  in  the  chain 
which  connected  him  with  the  elder 
branch  of  the  Aubrey  family,  he  was 
not  a  little  agitated,  though  lie  made 
a  great  effort  to  conceal  it,  while  listen- 
ing to  .Mr.  Quod's  account  of  the  pro- 
cess  about  to  he  commenced.  Each 
parly,  it  seemed,  would  have  to  give 
in   to   the  court  "an  allegation,'   or 

Btatement  of  the  pedigree  he.  intended 
to  establish,  and  which  would  he 
lodged  at  the  registry.  Each  would 
tie  ii,  in  due  course,  obtain  a  copy  of 
his  opponent's  allegation,  in  order  to 
guide  him  in  framing  his  own  proof 
and  interrogatories.  A  COMMISSION 
would  then  he  sent  by  the  court  into 
the  county  where  the  witnesses  reside, 1, 
to  examine  them— the  examiner  tx 
an  officer  of  the  court,  a  proctor-  and 
i   ;:i  biiI  inj*  the  court  in  the  proceed- 

This  officer  having  been  furnished 
by  the  parties  with  a  copy  of  the  two 

itionfl,  the  names  of  the  witne 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


629 


and  the  interrogatories,  would  proceed 
to  examine  the  witnesses  ;  but  in  a 
manner  very  different  from  any  adopted 
by  the  courts  of  law — viz.  one  by  one, 
alone,  secretly,  and  in  the  most  search- 
ing and  thorough  manner  ;  and  having 
given  his  or  her  evidence,  the  witness 
would  be  formally  threatened  with  the 
terrors  of  the  ecclesiastical  court,  if  he 
or  she  should  presume  to  disclose  to 
any  person,  much  less  the  parties,  the 
evidence  that  had  been  extracted  by 
the  examiner.  When  the  whole  of 
the  evidence  had  been  in  this  mysteri- 
ous way  collected,  it  would  be  lodged 
in  the  proper  office  of  the  court ;  and 
till  the  arrival  of  the  proper  time  for 
"publication  passing,"  i.  e.  permitting 
both  parties  to  take  copies  of  the  evi- 
dence— they  would  be  in  total  ignor- 
ance as  to  the  exact  nature  of  the  evi- 
dence which  had  been  given  by  even 
their  own  witnesses.  Mr.  Quod  added, 
that  the  briefs  which  had  been  used  at 
the  trial  of  the  action  of  ejectment, 
would  of  themselves  furnish  almost 
the  entire;  "allegations,"  and  greatly 
facilitate  and  accelerate  the  proceed- 
ings. 

"  Then,  do  the  parties,  or  their 
proctors,  go  down  beforehand  to  the 
spot  where  the  commission  is  to  be 
held  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  both  parties,  of  course — 
Pounce  and  I  shall  be  both  at  work 
down  there,  rummaging  registries,  re- 
cords, churchyards — brushing  up  every 
man,  woman,  and  child,  that's  got  a 
word  to  say  on  the  subject  —  warm 
work,  warm  work,  Mr.  Gammon  !  We 
sha'n't  leave  a  stone  unturned  on  either 
side  !  Lord,  I  recollect  a  case,  for  in- 
stance, where  a  marriage  passed  muster 
in  all  your  common-law  courts,  one 
after  the  other  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  got 
into  our  hands — ah,  ha  !— we  found 
out  that  it  was  no  marriage  at  all ! 
and  some  thirty  or  forty  thousand 
a-year  changed  hands !  What  d'ye 
think  of  that  ? "  said  Mr.  Quod,  rub- 
bing his  hands,  with  a  pleased  and 
confident  air,  that  strangely  contrasted 
with  the  reserved  and  disconcerted 
manner  of  his  companion,  who,  in  fact, 
had  been  thrown  into  a  cold  perspira- 
tion by  what  he  had  heard. 


"Pounce,"  continued  Quod,  "is  a 
keen  hand,  bat  I  know  one  that's  not 
afraid  of  him  any  day  !  But  I'm  sorry 
they've  secured  Dr.  Flare,  I  own " 

"Ah,  well,  that  can't  be  helped 
now,  you  know.  Good-day,  Mr. 
Quod,"  said  Gammon  with  a  sick'y 
smile,  "  I  shall  be  with  you  about  this 
time  to-morrow,  to  make  arrange- 
ments."    And  with  this  he  withdrew. 

"Curse  Lady  Stratton — her  will — 
her  policy — everything  connected  with 
the  old  creature,"  said  Gammon  to 
himself  vehemently,  as  he  sat  that 
evening  alone,  in  his  chamber,  medi- 
tating upon  this  most  unexpected  turn 
which  the  thing  had  taken  ;  "  nothing 
but  vexation,  and  disappointment,  and 
danger,  by  Heaven! — attends  every 
move  I  make  in  her  accursed  affairs  ! 
Was  there  ever  such  a  twist,  for  in- 
stance, as  this  ?  Who  could  have 
dreamed  of  it  ?  What  may  it  not  lead 
to  ? "  Hero  he  got  up  hastily,  and 
walked  for  some  minutes  to  and  fro. 
"  By  Heavens,  it  won't  do  !  Wc  must 
give  it  up  without  a  contest.  Yet 
that's  throwing  away  a  clear  twenty 
thousand  pounds,  too  !  And  Titmouse 
will  be  kicking,  too,  at  that !  But  I'll 
quickly  silence  ltim ! "  Another  pause. 
"Stay — stay — that  won't  do  cither! 
Oh,  murder,  no  ! — not  for  a  moment! 
What  will  they  not  conclude  from  our 
sudden  striking  ?  Of  course,  that  our 
case  is  rotten — that  we  dare  not  bring 
Titmouse's  pedigree  again  into  the 
light ;  and,  besides,  by  relinquishing 
to  them  so  huge  a  sum,  shall  we  not 
be  putting  weapons  into  their  hands 
against  ourselves  ?    Ay,  to   be   sure  ! 

So,    by ,   here   we  are  in   for  it 

whether  we  will  or  not — and  no  es- 
cape !  "  The  latter  words  he  uttered 
aloud,  at  the  same  time  snapping  his 
fingers  with  a  desperate  air  ;  and  then, 
throwing  himself  down  upon  the  sofa, 
he  continued  for  a  long  time  in  a  state 
of  most  direful  perplexity  and  alarm. 
Then  another  thought  occurred  to  him. 
"Suppose  that  one  were  to  sound  Au- 
brey or  Runnington  on  the  subject, 
and  tell  them  that  I  have  prevailed  on 
Titmouse  to  withdraw  his  claim  to 
administer  —  in  consideration  of  the 
moral   certainty   there   is   that    Lady 


C30 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Stmt  ton  intended  they  should  have 
her  property — Bah!  licit  won't  do! 
Th  yd  never  believe  us!  But  who 
the  deuce  is  finding  the  funds  for  such 
a  serious  contest  as  this  ?  Bunnington 
lias  no  doubt  got  some  of  Aubrey's 
friends  to  come  forward  and  make  a 
experiment  on  his  behalf.  But 
why  t  ike  this  particular  move  ?  "  He 
drew  a  long  breath,  and  every  particle 
of  colour  lli-d  from  his  cheek.  "Alas  ! 
alas  !  I  now  sec  it  all.  Miss  Aubrey 
has  betrayed  me  !  She  has  told  to  her 
brother — to  Bunnington — what,  in  my 
madness,  1  mentioned  to  her!  That 
explains  all !  Yes,  you  beautiful  fiend, 
it  is  your  hand  that  has  commenced 
the  work  of  destruction  —  as  you 
Buppose  !  " 

N(  ither  Lord  De  la  Zouch  nor  Mr. 
Bunnington  saw  any  necessity  for  hesi- 
tating to  apprise  Mr.  Aubrey  of  the 
steps  they  meditated  taking  on  bis 
behalf,  as  soon  as  they  had  come  to 
the  determination  above  recited,  and 
which,  of  course,  it  became  necessary 
that  lie  should  distinctly  sanction. 
During  the  course,  therefore,  of  the 
day  after  that  on  which  their  deter- 
mination had  1 u  taken,  at  Lord  De 

la  Zouch's  desire,  Mr.  Bunnington 
undertook  to  make  the  important  com- 
munication to  .Mr.  Aubrey.  For  a 
while  he  seemed  to  stagger  under  the 
weight  of  intelligence  of  such  magni 

tilde'  ;  and  it  was  some   lime    before  he 

rered  calmness  of  feeling  sufficient 

to  appreciate  the  nature  and  con- 
'  meditated  step — viz. 
a  direct  and  immediate  attempt  to  re- 
■  him  in  the  pi  i  a  of  the 
■  '  from  which  ho  had  been  Bome 
two  b  fore  di  placed.  But  all 
other     .  )     were    speedily 

i!»  d  in  one  which  mosl  profoundly 
him — the  princi  ly  conduct  of 
d    Lord    De    la    Zouch.     Mr. 
Aubn  y  nything  upon  this 

topi                   :  in.- ;   but  Mr.   Bun- 
nii]                  ived  how  powerfully  his 
' I.       And    will    it 

•  prise  when  1  say,  that  this 

of  gratitude  towards  the  en  a- 
tun  .-  the  noble  in  itrument — 

if  mei  an- 

otle  r,  that  of  gratitude  towards  1 1 


whoso  mysterious  and  beneficent  pur- 
pose concerning  him  lie  contemplated 
with  a   holy  awe  ?     Mr.  Bunnington 
was   himself    greatly  moved   by    the 
spectacle  before  him  ;  but  desirous  of 
relieving    the    increasing    excitement 
under  which  he  perceived  Mr.  Aubrey 
labouring,  he  kindly  turned  the  con- 
versation towards  the  practical  details, 
and  apprised  him  of  the  consultation 
he  had  had  with  Sir  Charles  YYolsten- 
holme,  to  all   of  which   Mr.    Aubrey 
listened    with    intense    interest,    and 
thoroughly  appreciated  the  value  of  the 
admirable  suggestion  upon  which  they 
were  acting.     13ut  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
had,    with  a  most  delicate  considera- 
tion, peremptorily  enjoined  Mr.  Bun- 
nington not  to  acquaint  Mr.   Aubrey 
with  the  circumstance,  either  of  his 
lordship's     having    come    over    from 
Prance  solely  on  his  affairs,  or  of  his 
meditated    project  of   summarily   re- 
leasing Mr.  Aubrey  from  all  his  em- 
barrassments.    As  soon  as   Mr.    Bun- 
nington had  informed  Mr.  Aubrey  that 
he   would  find  his   lordship   then   at 
Dover  Street,  and  in  readiness  to  re- 
ceive him,  that  closed  their  interview  ; 
and  Mr.  Aubrey,  in  a  state  of  extraor- 
dinary exhilaration  of  spirits,  instantly 
set  oil'  to  see  his  munificent  benefactor, 
and  pour  out,  b  fore  him  the  homage 
of  along  oppressed  and  grateful  heart. 
After  a  long  interview,  the  character 
of  which  the  reader  may  easily  imagine, 
Lord  De  la  Zouch  insisted  on  setting 
out  for  Vivian  Street,  for  he  declared 
he  could  not    let  another  hour   pass 
without  seeing  those  in  whose  welfare 
he  felt  so  tender  an  interest:  so  arm 
in  arm   they   walked    towards   Vivian 
Street;    and  it  would  have  made  any 
one's  heart  thrill  with  sat:  faction  to 
Bee  i  lie  bright  ned  countenance  of  poor 
Aubrey,   as   he   walked  along,    full  of 
joyful  excitement,  which  was  visible 
even  in  the  elasticity  and  vigour  of  his 
tep,    It  seemi  d  as  though  a  millstone 


ten.    it 

tad    bee 


had  been  taken  from  his  neck  ;  for 
though  he  was,  indeed,  of  a  somewhat 
uine  temperament,  yet  had  he  not, 
in  what  had  happi  ned,  solid  ground  to 
sustain    the    strongest    and     brightest 

hopes!    Whether    he   was    right,   or 
whether  he  was  wrong,  still  he  enter- 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


631 


tained  a  confidence  that  it  was  God's 
good  providence  to  which  he  was  in- 
debted for  what  had  happened — and 
that  he  would  bring  it  to  a  successful 
issue.  They  agreed  together,  as  they 
neared  Vivian  Street,  to  be  guided  by 
circumstances,  in  communicating  or 
withholding  information  of  the  glorious 
interference  in  their  favour  which  was 
at  that  moment  in  active  operation. 
Mr.  Aubrey's  knock — so  vistly  sharper 
and  more  energetic  than  was  his  wont 
— brought  two  fair  faces  to  the  window 
in  a  trice  ;  and  faces  pale  with  appre- 
hension ;  but  who  shall  tell  the  agita- 
tion they  experienced  on  seeing  Lord 
De  la  Zouch  and  Mr.  Aubrey  ?  'Twas 
an  affecting  interview  ;  here  was  their 
princely  deliverer — the  very  soul  of 
delicacy  and  generosity — for  as  such, 
indeed,  they  regarded  him,  though  as 
yet  ignorant  of  his  last  noble  act  of 
munificence !  His  lordship's  quick 
and  affectionate  eye  detected,  with 
much  pain,  on  first  seeing  them,  the 
ravages  of  the  cankering  anxiety  which 
had  been  so  long  their  lot ;  how  much 
thinner  were  both  of  them,  and  was 
more  especially  Mr.  Aubrey,  than 
when  he  had  last  seen  them !  And 
the  mourning  which  they  wore  for 
Lady  Stratton  made  the  delicate  figures 
of  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate  appear 
slighter  than  even  they  really  were. 
Their  countenances,  also,  bore  the 
traces  of  sorrow  and  suffering — but 
the  expression  was,  if  possible,  lovelier 
than  ever.  The  fire  and  spirit  of 
Kate's  blue  eyes  was  subdued  into  an 
exquisite  expression  of  serenity  and 
pensiveness  ;  but  on  the  present  oc- 
casion her  bosom  was  agitated  by  so 
many  conflicting  feelings — she  felt 
conscious  that  her  very  sense  of  em- 
barrassment was  a  delicious  one — as 
gave  a  surprising  vivacity  of  expression 
to  her  features.  Lord  De  la  Zouch's 
heart  melted  within  him,  as  he  looked 
at  them,  and  reflected  on  the  sufferings 
through  which  they  had  passed,  and 
felt  a  delighted  consciousness  of  the 
pleasure  which  his  appearance  oc- 
casioned that  virtuous  but  long  op- 
pressed and  harassed  family  ;  and  in 
the  scene  of  their  graceful  and 
honourable  poverty  :  find  devout  and 


earnest  were  his  wish  and  his  hope, 
that  Providence  would  be  pleased  to 
crown  with  success  his  interference  in 
their  behalf.  His  lordship  would  not 
be  denied  on  one  matter,  upon  which 
he  declared  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind — that  they  should  all  of  them 
return  with  him  to  dinner  in  Dover 
Street ; — and,  to  be  sure,  the  sight  of 
his  carriage,  which  he  had  ordered  to 
follow  him  within  an  hour's  time,  gave 
them  to  understand  that  he  really  was 
in  earnest— and  they  both  hastened  up 
to  dress,  oh,  with  what  bounding 
hearts,  and  elastic  steps ! — Lord  De  la 
Zouch  felt,  as  they  all  sat  together  in 
his  carriage,  as  though  he  were  a  fond 
father  restored  to  the  presence  of  long 
afflicted  children  ;  and  his  courtesy 
was  touched  with  an  exquisite  tender- 
ness. When  they  entered  the  spacious 
and  lofty  drawing  -  rooms,  which, 
though  then  wearing  the  deserted 
appearance  incident  to  the  season, 
reminded  them  of  many  former  hours 
of  splendid  enjoyment,  they  felt  a 
flutter  of  spirits,  which  it  required  a 
little  effort  to  overcome.  The  drawing- 
room  and  the  dining-room  struck  them 
as  quite  prodigious,  from  their  contrast 
to  the  little  rooms  to  which  they  had 
been  so  long  accustomed  in  Vivian 
Street :  and  several  other  little  inci- 
dents revived  recollections  and  as- 
sociations of  a  painfully  interesting 
nature  ;  but  as  their  spirits  grew  more 
exhilarated,  they  felt  a  sense  of  real 
enjoyment  to  which  all  of  them  had 
long  been  strangers.  One  or  two  sly 
allusions  made  by  his  lordship  to  the 
probable  future  occupants  of  the  house, 
and  the  more  modern  air  they  might 
choose,  perhaps,  to  give  it,  brought  a3 
bright  a  bloom  into  Miss  Aubrey's  fair 
cheek,  as  ever  had  mantled  there ! 
When  they  had  returned  home,  it  was 
impossible  to  think  of  bed — all  of  them 
had  so  much  to  say,  and  were  in  so 
joyous  an  excitement ;  and  before  they 
had  parted  for  the  night,  Aubrey, 
unable  any  longer  to  keep  to  himself 
the  true  source  of  his  enjoyment, 
electrified  them  by  a  frank  and  full 
disclosure  of  the  great  event  of  the 
day! 

A  day  or  two  afterwards,  Lord  De  la 


C32 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Zouch,  having  accomplished  Lis  bene- 
volent purposes,  returned  to  the  Con- 
tin,  -lit,  having  pledged  Mr.  Aubrey  to 
communicate  with  him  frequently,  and 
particularly  with  reference  to  the  pro- 
9  of  the  important  proceedings 
which  lie  had  caused  to  he  set  on 
foot.  The  Bplendid  chancewhich  now 
exist,  d  of  retrieving  his  former  posi- 
tion, was  not  allowed  by  Mr.  Aubrey 
to  interfere  with  his  close  attention  to 
his  professional  studies,  to  which  he 
might  yet  have  to  look  for  the  only 
Bource  of  his  future  subsistence;  and 
he  continued  his  attendance  at  Mr. 
Mansfield's  chambers  with  exemplary 

ftunctuality  and  energy.  It  was  not 
ong  after  Lord  De  la  Zouch's  return 
to  the  Continent,  that  the  melancholy 
events  occurred  which  have  just  been 
narrated — I  mean  the  serious  illness  of 
Lord  Dreddlington,  and  the  untimely 
death  of  Lady  Cecilia.  The  Aubreys 
had  no  other  intimation  of  those  events 
but  such  as  they  derived  from  the 
public  papers  -from  which  it  appeared 
tli.it  his  Lordship's  illness  had  occa- 
sioned the  fright  which  had  ended  in 
I  he  with  Lady  Cecilia  ; 
and  that  his  lordship's  illness  had 
originated  in  agitation  and  distress, 
occasioned  by  the  failure  of  extensive 
mercantile  speculations  into  which  he 
had  I  himself  to  be  betrayed  by 

:is.      In   passing  down 
Park  Lane,  Mr.  arid  Mrs.  Aubrey,  and 
Late,    saw    a    hatchment    suspended 
i  the  house  of  Mr.  Titmouse  ;  and, 
some  short  time  afterwards,  they  saw 
that  gentleman  himself,  in  the  park, 
driving  a  beautiful  dark-blue  cab,  his 
and  he  both  in  mourning — which 
b  came  them  equally.     Black  greatly 
mosl  people  s appearance  ;  but 
it   ei|,  cted  a  peculiar  change  in  Mr. 
Titmouse;  the  (act  being,   however, 
is  of  exhibiting  even  extra 
I   for  tin;  memory  of 
the  dear  deceased  Lady  Cecilia,  he  had 
put  his  sandy  mi  and  imperial 

into  mourning,  by  carefully  dn 
m  with  Indian  ink,  v bleb  | 
Y.-ry  touching  and  pensive  chai 
.  to  Lis  features  ! 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"While  Mr.  Pounce  and  Mr.  Quod, 
after   their  own    quaint   fashion,    are 
doing  decisive  battle  with  each  other, 
as  it  were,  in  a  remote  corner  of  the 
Held  of  action  ;  while — to  change  tho 
figure  —  Mr.    Titmouse's    pedigree    is 
being  subjected  to  the  gloomy,  silent, 
and    mysterious    inquisition    of     the 
eeelesiastical  court,  let  us  turn  for  a 
moment    to    contemplate    a    pitiable 
figure,  a  victim  of  the  infernal  machin- 
ations of  Mr.   Gammon — I   mean  the 
poor  old    Earl  of   Dreddlington.     Ho 
was  yet — a  month  after  the  death  of 
his  unhappy  daughter,  Lady  Cecilia — 
staggering    under    the    awful     sho-k 
which    he   had    experienced.     Before 
lie  had  been  in  any  degree  restored  to 
consciousness,  she  had  been  buried  for 
nearly  three  weeks  ;  and  the  earliest 
notification  to  him  of  the  melancholy 
occurrence,    was   the   deep  mourning 
habiliments    of  TUiss    Macspleuohan, 
who  scarcely  ever  quitted  his  Led  -id  . 
When,    in    a     feeble    and     tremulous 
voice,  he  enquired  as  to  the  cause  of 
her  death,  he  could  get  no  other  ac- 
count of  it — either  from   Miss  Mao 
spleuchan,  his  physicians,  or  the  Duke 
of  Tantallan — than  that  it  had  1 
occasioned  by  the   shock  of  suddenly 
seeing    his    lordship    brought    home 
seriously  ill,  she  being,  moreover,  in  a 
very  critical  state  of  health.    "When,  at 
length,  he  pressed  Miss  Macspleuehan, 
upon  the   matter,  and  challenged   her 
as  to  the  real  cause  of  what  had  hap- 
pened— viz.  the  blighting  discovery  of 
Mr.  Titmouse's  illegitimacy— *she  reso- 
lutely maintained   that  he  was  labour* 
ing  altogether  under  a  delusion — in- 
deed a  double  delusion  ;   first,  as  to 
his  imaginary  conversation  with  Mr. 

•  '.amnion;  and  secondly,  as  to  his 
.  apposed  communication  of  it  to  Lady 
<  'eeilia.  Her  h.ait  was  smitten,  I 
ever,  by  the  steadfast  look  of  mournful 
incredulity  with  which  the  Earl  re- 
gird,  d  her  from  time  to  time  ;  and, 
whi  ii  alone,  she  reproached  herself  in 
h  the  t. ..ml  she  was  ]  ractising 

i   the   desolate  and    broke'idicarted 

old  mi  a.   The  !  >uk< .  howevi  r 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


C33 


ed  by  the  physician,  was  peremptory 
on  the  point,  believing  that  otherwise 
the   Earl's  recovery  was  impossible  ; 
and  as  his  grace  invariably  joined  Miss 
Maespleuchan  in   scouting   the   mere 
mention   of    the   matter   as    but   the 
figment   of    a   disordered    brain,    the 
Enrl  was  at    length   silenced  if    not 
convinced.      He     peremptorily    pro- 
hibited Mr.  Titmouse,  however,  from 
entering  his  house — much  more  from 
appearing  in  his  presence  ;  and  there 
was   little   difficulty  in  making  that 
gentleman  appear  satisfied   that   the 
sole   cause   of  his  exclusion  was   his 
cruelty  and    profligacy    towards    the 
late   Lady  Cecilia  : — whereas,  with  a 
sickening  inward  shudder,  he  was  ap- 
prised of  the  real  reason  by  Mr.  Gam- 
mon.    Very  shortly  after  the   Earl's 
illness,    the   Duke   of  Tantallan   had 
sent  for  Mr.  Titmouse  to  interrogate 
him  u;  on  the  subject  of  his  lordship's 
representations ;    but    Mr.    Gammon 
had  been  beforehand  with  the  Duke, 
and   thoroughly   tutored    Titmouse — 
dull  and  weak  though  he  was— in  the 
part  he  was  to  play,  and  which  Mr. 
Gammon  made   as    easy  to    him    as 
possible.    He  started  with  well-feigned 
astonishment,  indignation,  and  disgust, 
as  soon  as  the  Duke  had  mentioned 
the  matter,  and  said  very  little — (such 
were    Gammon's  peremptory  injunc- 
tions)—and  that  little  only  in  expres- 
sion of  amazement — that  any  one  could 
attach  the  slightest  importance  to  the 
mere  wanderings  of  a  disordered  brain. 
'Twas  certainly  a  tieklish  matter,  the 
Duke  felt,  to  press  too  far,  or  to  think 
of  entrusting  it  to  third  parties.     His 
grace  very  naturally  concludrd,    that 
what  his  own  superior  tact  and  aeute- 
ness  had  failed  in  eliciting,  could  be 
detected  by  no  one  else.    He  frequently 
pressed  Mr.  Gammon,  however,  upon 
the  subject ;  but  that  gentleman  main- 
tained   the  same  calm   front   he  had 
exhibited  when  first  challenged  upon 
the  subject ;  giving  the  same  account 
of  all  he  knew  of  Titmouse's  pedigree 
■ — and  clenching  the  matter  by  sending 
to  his  grace  a  copy  of  the  brief,  and  of 
the    shorthand  writer's  notes   of  the 
trial — challenging,  at  the  same  time, 
the  most  rigorous  investigation  into 


the  matter.     It  was  very  natural  for 
the  Duke,  under  these  circumstances, 
to  yield  at  length,  and  feel  satisfied 
that   the   whole  affair  rested   on  no 
other  basis  than  the  distempered  brain 
of  his   suffering    kinsman.     Nothing 
shook  him  more,  however,  than  the 
sight    of    Titmouse :    for   he    looked, 
verily,  one  whom  it  was  exceedingly 
difficult  to  suppose  possessed  of  one 
drop    of    aristocratic     blood  !  —  Miss 
Maespleuchan,  a  woman   of  superior 
acuteness,  was  infinitely  more  difficult 
to  satisfy  upon  the  subject  than  the 
Duke  ;  and  though  she  said  little,  her 
manner  showed  that  she  was  satisfied 
of   the    existence    of   some    dreadful 
mystery  or  other,  connected  with  Mr. 
Titmouse,  of  which  Mr.  Gammon  was 
master — and  the  premature  discovery 
of  which  had  produced  the  deplorable 
effects  upon  the  Earl  under  which  ho 
was  at  that  moment  suffering.     Tho 
Earl,  when  alone  with  her,  and  un- 
conscious of  her  presence,   talked   to 
himself  constantly  in  the  same  strain  ; 
and  when  conversing  with  her,  in  his 
intervals    of    consciousness,    repeated 
over    and    over    again,    without    the 
slightest  variation,  facts  which  seemed 
as  it  were  to  have  been  burnt  in  upon 
his  brain.     Mis3  Maespleuchan  had — ■ 
to  conceal  nothing  from  the  reader — 
begun  to  cherish  very  warm  feelings 
of  personal  attachment  to  Mr.  Gam- 
nion  ;  whose  striking  person,  fascinat- 
ing conversation,  and  flattering  atten- 
tion to  herself — a  thing  quite  unusual 
on  the  part  of  any  of  the  Earl's  visitors 
— were  well  calculated  to  conduce  to 
such  a  result.     But  from  the  moment 
of  Lord  Dreddlington's  having  made 
the  statement  which  had  been  attended 
by   such    dreadful   consequences,    her 
feelings    towards   Mr.    Gammon    had 
been  completely  chilled  and  alienated. 
Her  demeanour,  on  the  few  occasions 
of  their  meeting,  was  constrained  and 
distant ;  her  countenance  clouded  with 
suspicion,    her   manners   frozen    with 
reserve  and  hauteur. 

Mr.  Gammon's  first  interview  with 
the  Earl,  after  his  illness  and  bereave- 
ment, had  become  a  matter  of  absolute 
necessity — and  was  at  his  lordship'3 
instance  ;   his  wishes  being  conveyed 


OG-i 


'EN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


the  Dolce  of  Tantallan,  who 
h*d  intimated    to  him  that  it  was 

imleod  Lndis]  .  if  only  to  settle 

sonic  matters  of  business,  of  pressing 
exigency,  connected  with  the  failure 
of  the  Artifi  ial  Rain  Company.  The 
Duke  was  with  his  noble  kinsman  ui 

time  of  Mr.  Gammon's  calling — 
having  intended  to  he  present  at  the 

rview.  They  awaited  Lis  arrival 
in  the  Karl's  library.  It  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  describe  the  feelings  with  which 
Mr.  Gammon  anticipated  ami  prepared 
for  the  appointed  interview  with  the 
man  on  whom  he  hail  in  dieted  such 
frightful  evil,  towards  whom  he  felt 
that  he  had  acted  the  part  of  a  fiend. 
How  had  he  dealt  with  the  absolute 
and  unrestrained  confidence  which  the 
Earl  had  reposed  in  him  !  The  main 
prop  and  pillar  of  the'  Karl's  exist. 
— family  pride  —  he,  Gammon,  had 
snapped  asunder  beneath  him  ;  and 
as  for  fortune— Gammon  knew  that 
the  Karl  was  absolutely  ruined.  Not, 
however,  that  Gammon  really  felt  any 
commiseration  for  his  victim :  his 
anxiety  was  only  as  to  how  lie  should 
ex']  if    from    liability    in 

T'    pect  of  it.      And   had   he  not  cause 

for  shuddering    in    approaching    the 
Kul  on  that  occasion,  to  he  interro- 
gated concerning  Titmouse — to  look 
the  Earl  in  the  face  and  deny  what 
had  passed  between  them  ; — and  that, 
.  when  tha  rigid  investigation  was 
pending  which   might  within   a   few 
shoit  weeks  convict  and  expose  hilll 
1"    the    scorn — tin:    indignation  —  of 
bo  iety,   as    a    monster   of    fraud    and 
'1  ? 
The  Karl  sat  in  his  library,  dre  sed 
in  deep  black,  which  hung  upon  his 
Bhrunk  attenuated  i  upon  an 

•-ii.     I  [c  looked  twei 
r  than  he  had  appeared  two  short 
months   before.     His   hair,    whit 

p  dlid  emaci  ited  cheek,  his 

k  and  v.  eye,  and  a  Blight 

iuIoos  motion  about  his  head  and 

ill  Bhowed  the  mere  \i 

of  a  man   that  he   had   become,  and 

:  an. I  robdued  the 

of    any   beholder.      What    a 

he   |a    i  ui'  '1    to  the  portly 

and  commanding  figure  of  tl,,-  Duke 


of  Tantallan,  who  sat  beside  him,  with 
a  hiow  clouded  by  anxiety  and  appre- 
hension !  At  length — "  Mr.  Gammon, 
my  lord,"  said  the  servant  in  a  low 
tone,  after  gently  opening  the  door. 

"Show  him  in,"  said  the  Duke, 
rather  nervously,  adding  to  the  Earl 
in  a  hurried  whisper, — "now  he  calm 
— my  dear  Dredd  ling  ton — be  calm — 
it  will  be  over  in  a  few  minutes'  time." 
— The  Earl's  lips  quivered  a  little,  his 
thin  white  hands  trembled,  and  his 
eyes  were  directed  to  the  door  with  a 
look  of  most  mournful  apprehension, 
as  the  fiend  entered.  Mr.  Gammon 
was  pale,  and  evidently  nervous  and 
excited  ;  his  habitual  self-command, 
however,  would  have  concealed  it  from 
any  but  a  practised  observer.  "What 
a  glance  was  that  with  which  he  first 
saw  the  Karl! — "It  gives  me  deep 
concern,  my  lord,"  said  he  in  a  low 
tone,  slowly  advancing  with  an  air  of 
I  rofound  deference  and  sympathy, 
"to  si  e  that  you  have  been  so  great 
a  Bufferer!" 

"Will  you  take  a  chair,  sir?"  said 
the  Duke,  pointing  to  one  which  the 
servant  had  brought,  for  him,  and  in 
which  Gammon  sat  down,  with  a  court- 
eous inclination  towards  theDnl  e  ;  and 
observing  that  Lord  Drcddlington's 
face  had  become  suddi  nly  Hushed, 
while  his  lips  moved  as  if  lie  were 
speaking,  "  Vou  see,"  said  his  grace, 
"that  my  Lord  Dreddlington  is  but 
slow  ly  recovering  !  " — Gammon  sighed, 
and  gazed  at  the  Karl  with  an  expres- 
sion of  infinite  concern. 

"Is  it  true,  sir?"  enquired  the 
Earl,  after  a  moment's  interval  of 
a — evidently  with  a  desperate 
effort. 

1  unmon  fell  both  of  his  compan- 
ion <  eyeing  him  int.  i  tlv,  as  ho 
answered  calmly  " Alas ! — your lord- 
of  corse  allude i  to  that  unhappy 
oaiiy " 

"Is  it.  true,  sir?"  repeated  the 
Karl,  altogether  disregarding  Gam- 
mon's attempt  at  evasion. 

"You  cannot  hut  he  aware,  Mr. 
Gammon,  of  the  subject  to  which  my 
Lord  Dreddlington  is  alluding" — said 

the  1  take  in  a  low  tone. 

"  <  >h  I  "  exclaimed  Gammon  with  a 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


635 


slight  shrug  of  his  shoulders  and  a 
sigh — "I  understand  that  your  lord- 
ship is  alluding  to  some  conversation 
which  you  suppose  has  passed  between 
us  concerning  Mr.  Titmouse." 

"Sir — sir — yes  !  yes  !  " — gasped  the 
Earl,  gazing  at  him  intently. 

"  Well,  my  lord,  I  have  heard  that 
you  suppose  I  told  your  lordship  that 
he  was  illegitimate." 

"  Ay,"  said  the  Earl  with  tremulous 
eagerness. 

"  Oh,  my  lord,  you  are  really  labour- 
ing under  as  complete  a  delusion  as 
ever" — commenced  Gammon  with  a 
melancholy  smile. 

"Sir — Mr.  Gammon — do  you  be- 
lieve that  there  is  no  God  ? — that  He 
does  not  know  the — the  " — interrupted 
the  Earl,  but  ceased,  apparently  over- 
powered by  his  emotions.  Gammon 
looked  in  appealing  silence  at  the  Duke. 

"  What  makes  you  imagine,  sir,  that 
I  am  bereft  of  reason  and  memory  ? " 
presently  enquired  the  Earl,  with  a 
strength  of  voice  and  manner  which 
alarmed  Gammon. 

"I  cannot  account,  my  lord,  for 
the  extraordinary  hallucination  which 
seems " 

' '  And  I  suppose,  sir,  I  am  also  in 
a  delusion  concerning  the  rent-charge 
for  two  thousand  a-year,  which  you 
have  got  on  the  Yatton  pro " 

"  Oh,  pardon — pardon  me,  my  lord  ! 
All  pure — absolute  delusion  !  "  inter- 
rupted Gammon,  with  a  confident  smile, 
a  look,  and  a  tone  of  voice,  that  would 
have  staggered  the  most  incredulous. 

The  Earl  raised  his  thin,  white, 
trembling  hand,  and  pressed  it  against 
his  forehead  for  a  moment ;  and  then 
said,  turning  to  the  Duke — "He  would 
deny  that  he  is  now  in  our  presence  !  " 

"  My  dear  Dreddlington — don't,  for 
God's  sake,  excite  yourself,"  said  the 
Duke  anxiously  ;  adding,  after  a  pause, 
"I  am  as  persuaded,  as  I  am  of  my 
existence,  that  you're  under  a  complete 
delusion  !  Recollect  your  serious  ill- 
ness— every  one  is  subject  to  delusicfas 
of  some  sort  or  other  when  he's  been 
so  ill  as  you  have  !  " 

"  Oh,  Tantallan  1  Tantallan  !  "  — 
replied  the  Earl,  mournfully  shaking 
his  head — "I  take  God  to  witness  how 


this  man  is  lying  !  "  The  Duke  glanced 
hastily  at  Gammon  as  these  words  were 
utteml,  and  observed  that  he  had  gone 
suddenly  pale,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
rising  from  his  chair. 

"Pray,  Mr.  Gammon" — commenced 
the  Duke  imploringly. 

"I  can  make  very  great  allowance, 
I  assure  your  grace,  for  his  lordship's 
situation — but  there  are  bounds  which 
I  will  allow  no  man  living  to  overstep 
with  impunity,"  said  Gammon,  calmly 
but  resolutely — overjoyed  at  obtaining 
such  a  pretext  for  abruptly  terminating 
the  embarrassing  interview — "and  un- 
less his  lordship  chooses  instantly  to 
retract  what  he  has  said,  and  apologize 
for  it,  J  will  never  enter  his  presence 
again  ! " 

"  Oh— he  had  better  go  !  "  said  the 
Earl  feebly,  addressing  the  Duke,  evi- 
dently averting  his  face  from  Gammon 
with  disgust  and  horror. 

"Mr.  Gammon,  pray  resume  your 
seat,"  said  the  Duke  significantly — "  I 
will  undertake  to  warrant  you  in  re- 
garding the  words  as  not  having  been 
tpoken." 

"  I  thank  your  grace,"  replied  Gam- 
mon determinately — "I  require  an 
explicit  retractation.  I  entertain  a 
deep  deference  towards  your  grace, 
but  am  also  aware  of  what  is  due  to 
myself.  My  bird,"  he  added,  as  if  at 
a  sudden  impulse,  addressing  the  Earl, 
"do  permit  me  to  request  your  lord- 
ship to  withdraw  and  apologize  for " 

But  the  Eari  turned  bis  face  aside,  and 
extending  his  hand  towards  Gammon, 
feebly  motioning  him  away  ;  on  which, 
with  a  low  bow  to  the  Duke  of  Tan- 
tallan, Gammon  took  his  hat  and  moved 
towards  the  door. 

' '  Sir — Mr.  Gammon — you  must  not 
go,"  said  the  Duke  earnestly — "you 
are  here  on  business  of  pressing  im- 
portance— all  this  must  pass  away  and 
ue  forgotten." 

"  Your  grace,  I  shall  be  most  happy 
to  attend  at  any  time,  and  anywhere  ; 
but  this  room  I  quit  instantly." 

"  Then,  sir,  have  the  goodness  to 
walk  into  the  next  room,"  said  the 
Duke  somewhat  imperiously,  "and  I 
will  come  to  you  presently."  Mr. 
Gammon  bowed  and  withdrew. 


G3G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


"Oh  God  I  how  atrocious  Is  the 
conduct  of  that  man  !  "  said  the  Earl, 
when  they  were  left  aloue. 

'•  Re  dly,  Dr  Idlin  ton,  you  must 
g.-t  rid  of  these  —  these  —  absurd 
notions." 

'•  Le  me  ni  ver  Bee  hia  face  again  !  " 
replied  the  Earl  feebly.  "  I  have  but 
a  Bhort  time  to  live,  and  that  time 
Hi,'  sighl  \    1  feel,  makes  still 

shorter!"  The  Duke  looked  Loth 
vexed  and  embarrassed. 

"Come,  come — now  he's  here,  and 
on  a  very  important  errand — let  us 
have  done  with  him  —  let  us  have 
him  back,  and  I'll  tell  him  you 
withdraw " 

"Withdraw!  He  is  withdrawn," 
said  the  Karl  confusedly. 

"  What  d'ye  mean,  my  dear  Dred- 
dlington  ?  I  say — let  me  tell  him " 

'•  I  mean,  it  was  at  his  chambers, 
in  Hull  Din — I  pledge  my  honour,  1 
recollect  as  if  it  were  yester " 

"l'ho,  pho!"  cried  the  Duke, 
rather  impatiently — "it  must  be  done  ! 
He's  come  on  matters  of  the  very  La   t 

importance — the  thing's  been  put  off 

to  the   very  latest  moment   on   your 

■  Mint  —  that  cursed  Company  I" 
The  Earl  looked  up  at  his  companion, 
and  a  faiut  smile  flitted  over  his  wasted 
features. 

"  Ah — I'm  now  satisfied,"  said  he, 
ing  hi-;  head — "that  they  must 
dig  a  very  great  depth,  indeed,  before 
tiny  come  to  the  copper."  The  Duke 
looked  puzzled,  but  Baid,  hastily, 
"That's  right!— I'll  have  him  back, 
and  you'll  allow  me  to  say  it's  all  a 

"Certainly —  I  am  satisfied  of  it." 
"That  will  do,  my  dear  Dreddling- 
ton  !  -That's  vhe  way  such  nonsense 
should  be  put  an  end  to,"  said  the 
Duke,  and,  ringing  the  bell,  ordered 
the  servant  to  request  Mr.  Gammon 
i.     After  a  brief  interval,  that 

■  leman  re-ent  red  tin-  library,  bul 
villi  Borne  rternness  and  reluctance  •  i 
manner. 

"  M  ■•.  Gammon,"  replied  the  Duke,  a 
little  quit  kly,  "  my  Lord  Dreddlington 
mistaken — he,  ol 
id  raws  i  had 

1  t,,  !,•;  i:,.        " 


' '  Ay — certainly  !  certainly  1  Have 
you  tho  papers  with  you,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon ? "  enquired  the  Earl,  while  his 
trembling  fingers  held  his  gold  spec- 
tacles. Mr.  Gammon  bowed  rather 
haughtily,  and,  resuming  the  chair  he 
had  quitted,  drew  it  to  the  table,  and 
opened  a  little  packet  of  papers! 

"It  was  a  ridiculous  affair,  I  am 
afraid,  sir,"  said  the  Earl,  addressing 
Mr.  Gammon,  who  fell  a  little  sur- 
prised at  the  altered  look  and  tone  of 
the  Earl. 

' '  I  fear  it  was  extremely  u  nfuriu  nate. 
my  lord,  in  its  issue,"  he  replied 
gravely,  arranging  his  papers. 

"The  thing  did  not  look  so  absurd 
at  first,  Tantallan,  I  assure  you  !  "  said 
the  Earl,  addressing  the  Duke,  who 
was  eyeing  Mr.  Gammon's  movements 
with  much  anxiety  ;  for  he  had  come 
prepared  to  state  the  final  result,  of 
long  negotiations  between  the  creditors 
and  the  directors  and  shareholders  of 
the  Artificial  bain  Company. 

"These  things  never  do — at  first," 
his  grace  replied,  with  a  sort  of 
sigh. 

"Just  show  us,  Mr.  Gammon,  if 
you  please,  the  diagrams  and  tho 
sections  of  the  strata '' 

"The  whtxtt"  enquired  the  Duke, 
t lulling  surprisedly  to  the  Earl — so 
did  .Mr.  Gammon,  and    for  a  moment 

ceased  arranging  his  papers.  Both 
the  Duke  and  he  turned  pale,  ami 
gazed  in  silent  dismay  at  their  com- 
panion. Gammon  felt  momentarily 
sick  at  heart.  It  was  evident  that 
Lord  Dreddlington's  mind  had  gently 
given  way.  There  was  a  smile  of  in- 
ibable  weakness  flickering  about 
tin;  mouth  ;  the  eyes  were  unsteady  ; 
all  sternness  had  vanished  from  his 
brow  ;  and  his  manner  was  calm,  with 
even  an  approach  towards  cheerfulness. 
Gammon  glanced  with  honor  at  the 
Duke, who,  without  removing  his  eyes 

from  bold  l ►reddlington, unconsciously 

med,  "»ih  my  (iod  !  " 

"  Is  it  your  lordship's  pleasure  " 

faltered  Gammon,  his  hands  trembling 
visibly. 

"  Von    me    right,    Tantallan,"   sail 

bold    Dreddlington,   as    if   suddenly 

'.    by    tli'    peculiar    look    with 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


C37 


which  the  Duke  continued  to  regard 
him.  "You  shall  hear  all;  hut  we 
must  he  alone.  Sir,  you  may  retire, 
and  he  in  attendance  another  day," 
he  added,  abruptly  addressing  Gammon 
with  all  his  former  sta'eliness  of  man- 
ner, hut  with  a  feeble  voice.  Mr. 
Gammon,  very  greatly  agitated,  hastily 
put  together  the  documents  he  had 
partially  arranged  on  the  table,  and 
with  a  profound  bow  withdrew. 

"At  nine  this  evening — in  Portman 
Square,  sir,  if  you  please,"  said  the 
Duke  in  an  agitated  manner. 

"  I  will  attend  your  grace,"  said 
Gammon,  and  with  not  a  little  trepi- 
dation closed  the  door  after  him  ;  on 
which  the  Earl  proceeded,  in  a  very 
anxious  manner,  to  intimate  the  exist- 
ence of  a  conspiracy  on  the  part  of  the 
Earl  of  Fitzclaret  and  others,  to  prevent 
his— Lord  Dreddlincrton's — obtaining 
a  marquisate,  on  the  ground  that  he 
had  been  connected  with  Sir  Sharper 
Bubble  in  a  swindling  company  ;  and 
his  lordship  had  good  grounds  for  be- 
lieving that  Mr.  Gammon  was  secretly 
lending  his  assistance  to  the  under- 
taking, and  his  coming  there  that 
morning  with  the  papers  relating  to 
the  intended  purchase  of  the  Isle  of 
Dogs,  was  in  furtherance  of  his 
treacherous  objects !  The  Duke  lis- 
tened in  silent  dismay  to  this  ram- 
bling account  of  the  imaginary  con- 
spiracy, and  had  just  determined  upon 
quietly  sending  for  Miss  Macspleuchan, 
when  the  Earl  abruptly  paused,  and 
after  a  confused  stare  at  his  companion, 
pressed  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  and 
said  with  hesitation  and  embarrassment 
— "Pray,  Tantallan,  don't  think  any- 
thing more  about  what  I  have  been 
saying  !  I — I — fuel  that  I  have  been 
talking  nonsense  —  incoherently.  — 
Surely  it  must  have  struck  you  so? 
Eh,  Tantallan ! " 

There  was  something  so  imbecile 
and  miserable  in  the  look  with  which 
the  Earl  regarded  his  companion,  that 
the  Duke  for  a  moment  could  not 
reply  to  him.  At  length,  "  My  dear 
Dreddlington,"  said  he,  gently  grasp- 
ing his  hand,  "you  are,  at  present, 
only  a  little  excited — you  will  soon 
recover  yourself.      Let  us   ask   Miss 


Macspleuchan  to  join  us,  as  she  is 
sitting  all  alone  up-stairs." 

"Not  just  now,  Tantallan — I  feel 
I  have  wandered  a  little,  but  all  is 
now  right  again.  He  is  gone,  is  he  ? " 
The  Duke  nodded.  "The  sight  of 
that  man  was  at  first  too  much  for 
me ;  I  felt  oppressed  aud  confused, 
but  I  thought  it  right  to  struggle 
against  it ! — He  denied  it  all  ? — Is  not 
that  enough  to  drive  a  man  out  of  his 
senses !" 

"My  dear  Dreddlington,  we  shall 
get  wrong  again— let  us  quit  the  sub- 
ject," said  the  Duke  anxiously. 

"No,"  replied  the  Earl  languidly, 
"do  not  fear  me  ;  I  feel  quite  myself 
again  1  I  can  only  repeat  to  you,  that 
that  man's  conversation  with  me  about 
—  about "  —  he  shuddered — ' '  as  cer- 
tainly happened,  as  the  heavens  are 
above  us !  "  The  Earl  had  really,  at 
all  events  for  the  present,  recovered 
from  the  temporary  confusion  into 
which  his  thoughts  had  falls  n  ;  and 
proceeded,  with  as  much  energy  as  his 
shattered  condition  would  admit  of,  to 
give  the  Duke,  as  he  had  often  done 
before,  a  distinct  and  consistent  ac- 
count of  all  that  had  taken  place  at 
Mr.  Gammon's  chambers  : — and  as  he 
went  on,  it  all  of  a  sudden  occurred  to 
his  grace,  for  the  first  time — how  im- 
probable is  it  that  Lord  Dreddlington 
should  have  invented  a  scene,  which 
he  has  uniformly  described  in  almost 
the  same  words  ?  What  but  truth 
and  reality  could  enable  him  to  pre- 
serve such  a  consistency  in  a  scene 
described  with  such  a  minute  circum- 
stantiality ?  Having  once  looked  at 
the  matter  in  this  new  light,  every 
succeeding  moment  saw  him  more  and 
more  satisfied  that  such  was  the  true 
view  of  it ;  and  before  he  had  quitted 
his  unfortunate  kinsman,  he  had  pretty 
nearly  convinced  himself  of  three 
things  ;  first,  that  Mr.  Titmouse  was 
a  hideous,  little,  base-born  miscreant 
and  impostor ;  secondly,  that  Mr. 
Gammon  must  be  the  profoundest 
scoundrel  living  ;  and  lastly,  that  it 
was  very  singular  that  he — the  Duke 
— had  been  so  leng  in  arriving  at  such 
a  conclusion.  But  then,  it  subse- 
quently occurred  to  the  sagacious  Duke 


038 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


— how  was  lie  to  act  ?  What  position 
was  he  to  assume  with  Mr.  Gammon, 
whe  me  in  the  evening,  in  obedi- 

e  to  his  grace's  own  appointmi  m  i 
What  i'  ould  he  assign  for  his 

sadden  change  of  opinion?  Nothing 
new  had  occurred  :  and  he  frit  a  little 
embafra  ing  that  all  he  should 

y,  would  be,  that  he  had 
at  Length  fcaki  n  a  different  new  of  the 
tsl  At  all  events,  he  determined 
to  put  the  brief  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  case, 
used  at  the  trials,  and  which  Mr.  Gam- 
mon had  some  time  before  forwarded 
to  his  grace's  house,  into  the  hands  of 
some  eminent  lawyer,  for  a  candid  and 
confidential  opinion. 

Mr.  Gammon,  on  quitting  Lord 
Dreddlington's  house,  quickly  reco- 
vered fi. mi  the  momentary  shock 
which  he  had   suffered  in  the  Earl's 

nee  ;    and  —  shall    I    record    the 

I — all  other  feelings  were  merged 
in  one  of  delight  and  exultation  at  the 
awful  calamity  which  had  befallen 
Lord  Dreddlington :  no  one,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon considered,  would  thenceforth 
think  of  attaching  the  least  impi  rt- 
ance  to  anything  the  Karl  might  say, 
or  had  said,  which  would  doubtless  be 
deemed  the  mere  creation  of  a  dis- 
ordered brain.  Then  all  that  would 
be  necessary,  would  be  the  Bilencing 
Titmouse     no  difficult  matter,  since 

be  could  comprehend  that  secrecy 
was  to  him  a  matter  of  salvation  or 
Hon  I  But  then,  again,  like  a 
glance  at  the  hideous 
guillotine  or  gallows  in  the  distance — 
a  recollection  of  the  ecclesiastical  en- 
quiry at  tli  it  instant  in  vigorous 
action,  blanched  the  cheek  of  Mr. 
Gammon,  and  dashed  all  his  new  hopei 
to  the  ground.  If  those  infernal  in- 
quisitoi  discover  all,  and  there- 

by   demonstrate    Tit  mou  te's    ill 
n.aey,  ln.w  perfectly  frightful  wi 
'  ••    the    position    of   Mr.    <  rammi 
What  would  then  avail  him  the  in- 
f  LordDrei  onl    Would 

itrary,  i  e  attri- 

buted to  the  i 

tj  and  villainy  which  had  been 
practif  sd  upon  liim  .'     (low  i 
ably  ■■      <  •  tmmon  committi  d  bj 

ited  and  i  oli  mn  a  severation 


Miss  Macspleuchan  and  tho  Earl  of 
Dreddlington!  The  evidence  which 
sufficed  to  entitle  Mr.  Aubrey  to  ad- 
minister  to  Lady  Stratton,  would  also 
suffice  to  entitle  him  to  an  immediate 
restoration  to  the  Yatton  property  ! 
And  would  the  matter  rest  there  i 
Would  no  steps  he  taken,  in  such  an 
event,  to  fix  him  —  Gammon  —  as  a 
partner,  or  a  prime  mover,  in  the 
fraud  and  conspiracy  by  which  alone, 
it  would  then  he  alleged,  Titmouse 
had  been  enabled  to  recover  the  pro- 
perty i  Absorbed  by  these  pleasant 
contemplations,  he  was  so  lost  to  all 
around  him,  that  he  was  within  an 
ace  of  being  crushed  to  death  under 
the  wheels  of  an  enormous  coal-wag- 
gon, which  he  had  not  seen  approach- 
ing, as  he  crossed  the  street.  ]  t  might, 
perhaps,  have  been  well  —  it  would 
certainly  have  saved  him  from  a  "sea 
vf  iron  lbs,",  on  which  he  may  be 
tossed  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  chief  object  of  Mr.  Gammon's 
interview  with  the  Earl  of  Dreddling- 
ton, had  been  to  communicate  to  his 
lordship  information  concerning  the 
very  alarming  position  in  which  ho 
stood  with  reference  to  the  defunct 
Artificial  Rain  Company.  The  very 
prominent  and  active  part  which  hia 
lordship  had  been  seduced  into  taking, 
iii  the  patronage  and  management  of 
that  Company,  had  very  reasonably 
marked  him  out  as  the  fittest  object 
of  attack  to  the  creditors.  The  Com- 
pany had  no  Act  of  Parliament,  nor 
charter,  nor  deed  of  settlement;  it 
was  simply  a  huge  unwieldy  partner- 
ship, consisting  of  all  such  persons  as 
could  be  Bhi  v.n  to  be  interested,  or  to 
h  ive  held  themselves  out  to  the  world 
as  interested,  in  it  ;  and  consequently, 
whether  individually  known  or  not, 
Liable  to  the  public  who  had  dealt  with 
the  Company,  and  given  credit  to  it, 
on  the  very  obvious  principle  of  equity, 
; in!  ail  who  v. ould  Bei  l.  to  ah  ire 
profits  of    the    B]  on    must    bo 

ible  for  its  liabilities.     In  the 
at  instance,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  circumstance  ol  there  being  a  con- 
number  of  weak,  inexperi- 
enced,   hut    responsible   adventurers, 
.  I ....  by  entering  into  the  si  e<  ulation, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-VEAR. 


G39 


had  become  liable  to  share  Lord  Dred- 
dlington's  burden  of  liability,  his  lord- 
ship must  have  been  totally  ruined  to 
all  intents  and  purposes.     As  soon  as 
Sir  Sharper  Bubble's  absconding  had 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  public,  and  of 
the  shareholders,  it  became  necessary 
to  take  instant  measures  for  ascertain- 
ing the  exact  state  of  affairs — and  the 
liabilities  which  had  been  contracted 
on  behalf  of  the  Company.     Heavens  ! 
what  a  frightful  array  of  creditors  now 
made  their  appearance  against  the  Arti- 
ficial Rain  Company  !     It  was  incon- 
ceivable how  so  many,  and  to  so  im- 
mense an  amount,  could  have  arisen 
during  the  short  period  of  the  Com- 
pany's being  in  existence  ;  but  the  fact 
is,  that  there  are  always  thousands  of 
persons  who,  as  soon  as  they  once  see 
individuals  of  undoubted  responsibility 
fairly  committed  to  a  company  of  this 
sort,  will  give  almost  unlimited  credit, 
and  supply  anything    that    may    be 
ordered  on  behalf  or  for  the  purposes 
of  the  company.     This  Company  had 
originated  in   a  supposed  grand   dis- 
covery of  Doctor  Diabolus  Gander,  that 
there  were  certain  modes  of  operating 
upon   the  atmosphere,    by  means  of 
electrical  agency,  which  would  ensure 
an  abundant  supply  of  rain  in  seasons 
ef  the  greatest  drought.     Now,  first 
and  foremost  among  the  creditors  of 
the  Company,  w'as  that  distinguished 
philosopher  himself ;  who,  to  constitute 
himself  effectually  a  creditor,  had  de- 
clined to  take  any  shares  in  the  con- 
cern.     He  now  claimed  £1700  for  a 
series  of  "preliminary  experiments," 
independently  of  compensation  for  his 
time  and  services  in   conducting   the 
aforesaid  experiments  ; — and,  in  order 
to  put  the  question  of  liability  beyond 
all  doubt,  the  Doctor  had  taken  care, 
from    time    to    time,    to    invite    the 
more  distinguished  and  wealthy  of  the 
shareholders  to  come  and  witness  his 
experiments — always  carefully  noting 
down  their  names,  and  the  names  also 
of  those  winesses   who  could  prove 
their  attendance — the   interest   they 
took  in  the  experiments — their  observa- 
tions as  to  the  success  of  the  Company, 
&c.  &c,  and  their  repeated  acknow- 
ledgments of  the  uniform  courtesy  of 


the  worthy  Doctor,  who  thought  no 
pains  too  great  to  explain  the  nature 
of  his  surprising  operations.  Then, 
again,  he  had  entered  into  an  agreer 
ment,  signed  by  Lord  Dreddlington, 
and  one  or  two  others  on  behalf  of  the 
Company,  by  which  he  was  appointed 
"permanent  scientific  director"  for  a 
period  of  ten  years,  at  a  salary  of 
£1000  a-year,  over  and  above  the  sums 
agreed  to  be  paid  him  for  "  collateral 
and  supplementary  services."  This 
latter  claim,  however,  the  Doctor  very 
generously  offered  to  compromise,  in 
consideration  of  the  exhalation  of  the 
Company,  on  payment  of  four  thou- 
sand pounds  down.  Then  came  a 
demand  amounting  to  little  short  of 
£25,000  for  an  inconceivable  quan- 
tity of  copper  wire,  which  had  been 
purchased  for  the  purpose  of  being 
used  in  all  the  cities  and  towns 
which  chose  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
services  of  the  Company,  in  the  follow- 
ing way  —  viz.  a  complete  circle  of 
electric  communication  was  to  be 
obtained,  by  attaching  wires  to  the 
summits  of  all  the  church  steeples, 
and  it  was  necessary  that  the  wires 
should  be  of  considerable  strength  and 
thickness,  to  prevent  their  being 
broken  by  birds  flying  against,  and 
perching  upon  them:  (But,  Dr.  Gan- 
der declared  that  he  had  discovered 
a  mode  of  charging  the  wires,  which 
would  cause  any  bird  which  came  into 
contact  with  them  immediately  to  fall 
down  dead.)  Then  there  were  fearful 
charges  for  at  least  nine  miles'  length 
of  leaden  pipes  and  hose,  and  for  steam- 
engines,  and  electrical  machines,  and 
so  forth ;  particularly  an  item  of  eight 
thousand  pounds  for  the  expenses  of  try- 
ing the  experiment  in  a  village  in  the  ex- 
tremity of  Cornwall,  and  which  was  very 
nearly  completed,  when  the  unfortun- 
ate event  occurred  which  occasioned 
the  sudden  break  up  of  the  Company. 
This  will  suffice  to  give  the  uninitiated 
reader  a  glimpse  of  the  real  nature  of 
the  liabilities  incurred  by  those  who 
had  become  partners  in  this  splendid 
undertaking.  Dr.  Gander  got  two 
actions  commenced  the  very  day  after 
the  departure  of  Sir  Sharper  Bubble, 
against   six   of    the   principal    share- 


C40 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


holders,  in  respect  of  his  "preliminary 
experiments, "  and  his  agreement  for 
ten  years'  service ;  ami  writs  came 
flattering  in  almost  daily  ;  all  which 

lered  it  ai  to  1  ike  mi  asures 

for  com:-  micable  compromise. 

Afti  r  very  great  exertions,  and  attend- 
ing many  meetings,  .Mr.  Gammon 
succeeded  in  provisionally  extricating 
I  d  Dreddlington,  on  his  paying 
down,  within  twelve  months,  the  sum 
of  £18,000;  the  Duke  of  Tantallan 
me  £8000,  the  Marquis  of 
Marmalade  for  £6000  :  and  those  two 
p.  rs  made  the  most  solemn  vows 
never  to  have  anything  to  do  again  with 
joint-stock  companies  :  though  it  must 
be  owned  that  they  had  been,  as  the 
phrase  is,  "let  off  easily."  But  1 
mil:  t  not  disguise  from  the  reader  that 
the  Artificial  Rain  Company  was  not 
the  only  one  with  which  these  distin- 
individuals,  together  with 
Lord  Dreddlington,  had  become  con- 
nected—there  was  the  Gunpowder  and 
1  i  h  Water  Company,  of  which 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
were  the  solicitors—  but  sufficient  for 
is  the  evil  thereof;  and  let  it 
Suffice,  for  the  present,  to  say,  t!  it 
some  short  time  afterwards  the  Duke 
of  Tantallan,  on  the  part  of  the  Karl 
of  Dreddlington,  paid  down  the  sum 
of  £10,000  on  accounl  of  the  above- 
mentioned  sum  of  £18,000,  the  re- 
maindi  r  of  which  was  to  be  called  for 
in  six  months'  time.  Mr.  Gammon, 
how.  \  i  r,  could  not  think  of  the  p 
bility  of  the  Gunpowder  Company's 
explosion  without  a  Bhudder,  on  ac- 

<t  of  the  dreadful  extent  to  which 
Lord  Dreddlington  was  implicati  I, 
and  from  which  Gammon  feared  that 
there  really  were  no  menus  of  extricat- 
ing him.  What  would  he  have  given 
never  to  have  Beduced  the  Marl  into 
nto  any  such  speculation 

.  v. lit!  would  be  not  have  given, 
i  upon  eitlu  c  thi 
of    Dreddlington   or  the    Lady 
1  '.'      '    advantage    had    ho 

•  all,  by  bis  desper- 

ate grasp  ■  fti  i  aristocratic  connexion  ! 
If,  however,  the  Earl  should  prove 
i    lly  and  ]  ntly  insane,  what 

a  godsend  would  buck  an  event  be,  in 


every  point  of  view,  to  Gammon — 
silencing  for  ever  the  chief  sufferer — 
and  saving  Gammon  from  all  the  end- 
less vexations  and  anxieties  arising  out 
of  personal  explanations  and  collisions 
with  the  man  whom  he  had  drawn 
into  the  vortex  of  pecuniary  ruin — 
from,  in  short,  a  world  of  reproaches 
and  execrations. 

As  for  Mr.  Titmouse,  the  fortun- 
ate (!)  possessor  of  ten  thousand  r- 
year — as  thousands,  with  a  sigh  of 
envy,  regarded  him  —  those  of  the 
public  who  had  an  opportunity  of 
watching  his  public  motions,  gave  him 
credit  for  feeling  very  deeply  tho 
melancholy  bereavement  which  he  had 
sustained  in  the  loss  of  the  Lady 
Cecilia;  but  those  more  intimately 
acquainted  with  his  family  circum- 
stances, could  not  help  remarking  one 
little  ingredient  of  pleasure  in  his 
recent  cup  of  bitterness  ;  viz.  that  as 
Lady  Cecilia  had  left  no  offspring — no 
dear  pledge  of  affection — Mr.  Titmouse 
was  not  only  saved  a  vast  deal  of 
anxiety  as  to  tho  bringing  up  of  tho 
child,  but  had  become  himself  heir- 
apparent  to  the  barony  of  J  >rclincourt, 
on  the  death  of  the  Earl  of  Dreddling- 
ton ;  who,  whatever  might  he  tho 
effect  of  his  whispered  misfortunes  in 
his  pecuniary  speculations,  had  not 
the  power,  being  merely  tenant  for  life 
under  the  entail,  of  injuring  the  for- 
tune annexed  to  the  title.  Though 
Mr.  Gammon  loathed  the  very  sight, 
(lie  very  thought,  <.fTitmou.se,  he  was 
yet  the  centre  of  prodigious  anxiety  to 
Gammon,  who  felt  that  he  had,  at  all 
events  at  present,  a  deep  stake  in  the 
upholding  to  the  World  Mr.  Titmousr's 

position  and   credit.      He   had   been 
frightened   by  Gammon   into  a  stato 
of  the   most     abject    submission    to 
all  his  requirements — one  of  which 
the  preservation  of  that  external 
rum,  when  in  public,  which  had 
luced    the    very   favourable    im- 
pression already  adverted    to.      The 
other  was    a  vast  contraction  of  his 
aditure.     Mr.    Gammon    insisted 
ii]  .hi  his  disposing  of  his  house   in 
Park  Lane — which  had,  indeed,  been 
for  months  almost  destitute  of  furni- 
ture,   that  having    fallen   a  prey   to 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


641 


divers  of  his  execution-creditors — but 
engaged  for  him  a  suit  of  handsome 
furnished  apartments  in  Chapel  Street, 
May  Fair,  allowing  him  the  attendance 
of  a  valet,  as  usual ;  and  also  hiring 
for  him  a  cab,  tiger,  groom,  and  a 
couple  of  saddle-horses,  with  which 
Mr.  Titmouse  contrived  to  make  an 
appearance,  before  so  much  of  the 
world  as  was  left  in  London  during 
the  autumn,  suitable  to  his  station. 
Some  of  the  more  clamorous  of  his  cre- 
ditors, Mr.  Gammon  had  contrived  to 
pacify  by  considerable  payments  on 
account,  and  a  solemn  assurance  that 
every  one  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  debts  was 
in  train  for  rapid  liquidation.  Could 
his  creditors,  indeed — Gammon  asked 
— fail  to  see  and  judge  for  themselves, 
what  an  altered  man,  in  his  person  and 
habits,  Mr.  Titmouse  had  become, 
since  the  shock  he  had  received  on  the 
death  of  Lady  Cecilia  ?  Had,  indeed, 
Mr.  Titmouse  felt  never  so  disposed  to 
re-enter  the  scenes  of  gay  and  expensive 
profligacy— in  which  he  had  revelled 
so  madly  during  the  first  eighteen 
months  after  his  extraordinary  exalt- 
ation— there  was  a  serious  obstacle  to 
his  doing  so,  in  his  having  neglected 
to  pay  divers  heavy  "debts  of  honour," 
as  they  are  strangely  called  ;  for  which 
delinquencies  he  had  twice  had  his  nose 
pulled  in  public,  and  once  been  horse- 
whipped. The  gates  of  the  sporting 
world  were  thus  finally  closed  against 
him,  and  so  at  least  one  source  of  pro- 
fligate expenditure  shut  out.  Though, 
however,  he  was  free  to  ride  or  drive 
whithersoever  he  chose — and  that,  too, 
as  became  a  man  of  fashion,  in  respect 
of  appearance  and  equipment — he  felt 
but  a  prisoner  at  large,  and  dependent 
entirely  upon  the  will  and  pleasure  of 
Mr.  Gammon  for  his  very  means  of 
subsistence.  Most  of  his  evenings  were 
spent  in  such  of  the  theativs  as  were 
open,  while  his  nights  were  often 
passed  amidst  scenes  which  were  very 
strange  ones  indeed  for  a  young  wid- 
ower to  be  seen  in  !  Though  he  was  a 
frequent  visitor  at  Brookes',  I  must 
nevertheless  do  that  respectable  club 
the  justice  of  saying,  that  its  members 
were  not  very  anxious  for  the  presence 
or  company  of  Mr.  Titmouse.    In  fact, 


but  for  the  continued  countenance  af- 
forded to  him,  for  reasons  best  known 
to  that  gentleman,  by  Mr.  O'Gibbet,  my 
friend  would  have  been  some  time  ago 
unceremoniously  expelled  from  the  cl  ub, 
where  he  had  made,  certainly,  one  or  two 
exceedingly   disagreeable   exhibitions. 
Liquor  was  made  for  fools  to  get  drunk 
with,  and  so  shorten  their  encumbering 
existence  upon  the  earth  ;   and  as  for 
Titmouse,  I  really  do  not  think  he  ever 
went  to  bed  completely  sober  ;  and  he 
avowed,  that  "whenever  he  was  alone, 
he  felt  so  miserable  ;  "  and  there  was 
only  one  way,  he  said,  which  he  knew 
of  to  "  drive  dull  care  away."    Though 
aware  of  it  in  point  of  fact,  Titmouse 
had  neither  sense  nor  sensibility  enough 
to  appreciate  the  fearful  frailty  of  that 
tenure  by  which  he  held  his  present 
advantages  of  station — never  reflecting 
that  he  was  liable  at  any  moment  to  bo 
precipitated  down  from  his  elevation, 
far  deeper  into  obscurity  and  poverty 
than  he  had  ever  emerged  from  !     He 
had  no  power  of  enhancing  his  enjoy- 
ment of  the  present,  either  bjr  vivid 
contrast  with   the  past,  or  with  the 
possible   reverses  of  the   future.      A 
wealthy  and  profligate   fool  is  by  no 
means   the   enviable   person   he   may 
appear  to  silly  lookers-on  ;  but  what 
must  he  be  when  placed  in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Titmouse  ?     He  found 
town,  at  a  dull  season — the  fall  of  the 
j'ear — to  be  sure,  become  daily  duller, 
the  sphere  of  his  enjoyments  having 
become  so  miserably  contracted.     Mr. 
Gammon  was  becoming  more  and  more 
stern  and  gloomy ;  in  fact,  Titmouse 
always  dreaded  to  go  near  him,  for  he 
enjoined  on  Titmouse,  whenever  they 
met,  a  circumspection  which  was  new 
and  intolerable.     He  was  refused  ad- 
mission at  Lord  Dreddlington's  ;  the 
Duke  of  Tantallan's  he  dared  not  go 
near.     When,  in  the  park,  he  met  the 
Earl's  chariot— a  dismal  object  indeed 
to  him — driving  slowly  along — all  in 
deep   mourning  —  the  place  of  Lady 
Cecilia  occupied  now  by  Miss   Mac- 
spleuchan,    and     the     shattered    old 
white-haired  man  beside  her,  taking 
evidently  no  notice  of  anything  about 
him  ;  if  Titmouse  caught  Miss  Mac« 
spleuchan's  eye,  it  was  instantly  re- 

TT 


042 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAB. 


moved,  as  from  a  disgusting  object. 
He  never  met  that  carriage  without  a 
shudder,  and  a  violent  one,  at  thought 
of  the  frightful  fraud  of  which  he  had 
been  at  Brat  the  unconscious  instru- 

,:,  but  to  which  he  was  now  a 
consenting  party.  He  had  earnestly 
besought  Mr.  Gammon  to  allow  him 
to  spend  a  few  months  on  the  Con- 
tinent, and  provide  him  with  funds  to 
do  so;  but  on  due  consideration,  .Mr. 
Gammon  refused,  in  the  very  critical 
conjuncture  of  existing  circumstances 
— at  nil  events  till  he  should  have 
been  furnished  with  some  clue  to  the 
course  which  the  pending  investigation 
was  taking.  But  Mr.  Gammon  con- 
tented to  his  going  down  to  Yatton  ; 
so  down  he  went,  but  to  encounter 
only  sullen  faces ;  servants  whose 
wages  were  in  arrear ;  tenants  whom 
his  exactions  were  ruining  ;  the  friends 
of  Mudllint  and  Bloodsuek  indignant 
at  his  not  coming  forward  to  rescue 
them  from  impending  destruction ; 
and  his  constituency  furious  at  the 
number  of  bills  remaining  unpaid  ;  at 
his  total  disregard  of  their  interests 
in  Parliament ;  and  his  contemptible 
and  ridiculous  conduct  and  appearance 
there,  which  had  made  them  the 
laughing-stock  of  the  nation.  As  for 
any  of  the  nobility  or  gentry  of  the 
neighbourhood,  of  course  their  notice 
of  him  was  quite  out  of  the  question. 
From  good  little  Dr.  Tatham,  even, 
he  could  get  nothing  more  than  a  cold 
and  guarded  civility  ;  in  fact,  Mr. 
Titmouse  was  fifty  times  more  miser- 
able at  Yatton  than  he  had  been  in 
London  ;  and,  mon  over,  the  old  Hall 
had  been  completely  stripped  of  the 
handsome  furniture  that  hid  been  put 
into  it  on  his  coming  into  possession, 
by  his  voracious  execution-creditors; 
all    he    could    do    here    to    i 

ooke,  and  drink 
brandy  and  water.     II-   felt  an   im- 

•r ;    that  he  had  no  right  to  be 
rim  to  the  n   nei  t  or  at- 
tention of  anyone.    Throuj  u  the  i 
of  yatton,  amid  t  the 
melancholy  sun  bine  of  Oi  tober,   he 
wall  atoned  and  alone  ;  a  fall- 

li  af  alighting  on  him  would  i 
him    start    with  on,    and 


almost  drop  his  cigar.  "While  such 
was  the  dreary  aspect  of  things  at 
Yatton,  what  was  the  condition  of 
Mr.  Gammon  in  London  ? 

It  is  not  possible  that  any  one  who 
betakes  himself  to  tortuous  modes  of 
effi  eting  his  purposes,  and  securing  the 
objects  which  a  keen  ambition  may 
have  proposed  to  him,  can  be  happy. 
The  perpetual  dread  of  detection  and 
failure,  causes  him  to  lie,  as  it  were, 
ever  writhing  upon  a  bed  of  torture. 
To  feel  one's-self  failing,  in  spite  of 
deeply-laid,  desperate,  and  dishonour- 
able schemes  for  securing  success,  is 
sickening  and  miserable  indeed.  Such 
a  one  feels  that  the  bitterness  of  dis- 
appointment will  not  be  mitigated  or 
assuaged  by  a  consciousness  of  tho 
sympathy  and  respect  of  those  who 
have  witnessed  tho  unsuccessful  at- 
tempts— a  thought  which  is  deadening 
to  the  soul ;  and  Gammon  felt  himself 
among  the  most  miserable  of  man- 
kind. All  other  anxieties  were,  how- 
ever, at  present  absorbed  in  one — that 
concerning  the  issue  of  the  enquiry 
then  pending  ;  and  which,  as  it  were, 
darkened  his  spirit  within  him,  and 
hung  round  his  neck  like  a  millstone. 
If  the  issue  of  that  enquiry  should  bo 
adverse  —  he  had  absolutely  nothing 
for  it  but  instant  flight  from  universal 
scorn  and  execration.  Of  what  avail 
would  then  have  been  all  his  pro- 
digious anxieties,  sacrifices,  and  exer- 
tions, his  deep-laid  and  complicated 
plans  and  purposes  ?  He  would  have 
irretrievably  damned  himself,  for  what! 
To  allow  the  wretch  Titmouse  to  revel, 
for  a  season,  in  unbounded  luxury  and 
profligacy  !  What  single  p  rsonal  ad- 
vantage had  Mr.  Gammon  hitherto 
obtained  for  himself,  taxed  to  their  ut- 
most as  had  been  his  powerfuleni  i 
for  the  last  three  years  !  First  of  all, 
as  to  Miss  Aubrey,  the  lovely  object  of 
his  intense  desires — what  advance  had 
he  made  towards  the  accomplishment 
of  his  objects,  after  all  his  profound 
and  cruel  treachery  against  her 
brother  1  Not  a  hair's-breadth.  Nay, 
on  the  contrary,  1  lie  Blight  footing  of 
intimacy  which  he  had  contrived,  in 
the  first  instance,  to  secure,  he  had 
now  lost  for  ever.     Guild  they  have 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


G43 


failed  to  perceive,  in  spite  of  all  his 
devices,  his  hand  in  the  recent  perse- 
cution of  Mr.  Aubrey  ?  The  stern 
deportment  of  Mr.  Runnington,  who 
had  expressly  prohibited,  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  Aubrey,  all  communication 
with  that  gentleman  on  the  part  of 
Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap, 
except  through  himself — the  aforesaid 
Mr.  Runnington  —  spoke  volumes. 
Moreover,  Mr.  Gammon  had  chanced 
to  be  prowling  about  Vivian  Street  on 
the  very  evening  on  which  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  made  his  unexpected  appearance 
with  Mr.  Aubrey,  as  already  described  ; 
and  Gammon  had  seen  Mr.  Aubrey, 
Mrs.  Aubrey,  and  Miss  Aubrey,  fol- 
lowed by  his  lordship, ,  enter  his 
carriage,  in  dinner-costume  ;  and  he 
thought  with  a  violent  pang  of  one 
Mr.  Delamere !  He  had  also  ascer- 
tained how  suddenly  his  lordship  had 
come  over  from  Paris — just  at  that 
crisis  in  the  circumstances  of  the  Au- 
breys ;  and  how  probable  was  it,  that 
his  lordship's  potent  interference  had 
originated  the  formidable  proceedings 
of  the  Ecclesiastical  Court  ?  And  sup- 
pose the  result  of  these  proceedings 
should  be,  to  detect  the  imposition  by 
means  of  which  Titmouse  had  been 
enabled  to  oust  Mr.  Aubrey  from 
Yatton — what  must  she — what  must 
they  all — think  of  Mr.  Gammon,  after 
his  avowal  to  Miss  Aubrey?  Inevit- 
ably, that  he  had  either  originally  con- 
trived, or  was  now  conniving  at,  the 
imposture  !  And  what  if  she  really 
were  now  all  the  while  engaged  to  the 
future  Lord  De  la  Zouch  ?  And  if  the 
present  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  with  his 
immense  revenues,  were  resolved  to 
bear  Mr.  Aubrey  through  all  his  dif- 
ficulties and  troubles  with  a  high 
hand  ?  Had  not  Gammon  already  felt 
the  heavy  hand  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
in  the  late  accursed  bribery  actions  ? 
And  suppose  him  stimulated  to  set  on 
foot  the  pending  proceedings,  by  the 
communication  of  Miss  Aubrey  con- 
cerning Mr.  Gammon's  own  admissions 
to  her — was  his  lordship  likely  to  falter 
in  his  purposes  ? 

Look  again  at  the  financial  diffi- 
culties which  were  thickening  around 
lilra.      Between    sixty    and    seventy 


thousand  pounds  had  been  already 
raised  on  mortgage  of  the  Yatton 
estates ! — and  not  a  shilling  more 
could  now  be  raised  without  additional 
and  collateral  security,  which  Gam- 
mon could  not  procure.  Then  there 
was  the  interest  payable  half-yearly 
on  these  mortgages,  which  alone 
swallowed  up  some  £3500  annually. 
In  addition  to  this,  Titmouse  was 
over  head-and-ears  in  debt ;  and  he 
must  be  supported  all  the  while  in  a 
manner  suitable  to  his  station  ;  and 
an  establishment  must  be  kept  up  at 
Yatton.  How,  with  all  this,  was 
Mr.  Gammon's  own  dearly  bought 
rent-charge  to  be  realized  ?  The  al- 
ready over-burdened  property  was 
totally  unequal  to  bear  this  addi- 
tional pressure.  Again,  if  his  motion 
which  was  to  be  made  in  the  ensuing 
term  for  a  new  trial  in  the  case  of 
Wiglcy  v.  Gammon  should  fail,  there 
he  was  left  at  the  mercy  of  tho 
plaintiff  for  a  sum  very  considerably 
exceeding  £3000  (including  the  heavy 
costs,)  and  capable  of  being  imme- 
diately enforced  by  incarceration  of 
his  person,  or  seizure  of  his  goods ! 
Mr.  Gammon,  moreover,  had  been 
unfortunate  in  some  gambling  specu- 
lations in  the  funds,  by  which  means 
the  money  he  had  so  quickly  made, 
had  been  as  quickly  lost.  It  was  true, 
there  were  the  probable  proceeds  of 
the  two  promissory  notes  now  put  in 
suit  against  Mr.  Aubrey,  and  also  tho 
bond  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch  himself, 
in  all  amounting  to  twenty  thousand 
pounds,  with  interest :  but  months 
must  necessarily  elapse  before,  even 
in  the  ordinary  course,  the  actions  for 
the  recovery  of  these  sums  could  be 
brought  to  a  successful  issue — to  say 
nothing  of  any  disastrous  occurrence 
which  Gammon  could  just  conceive 
the  possibility  of,  and  which  might 
have  the  effect  of  fatally  impugning 
the  right  of  action  of  Mr.  Titmouse. 
Gammon  hnd  repeatedly  turned  in  his 
mind  the  propriety  of  raising  money 
by  assignment  of  the  bond  of  Lord  Do 
la_  Zouch,  but  for  several  reasons  had 
deemed  it  inexpedient  to  venture  upon 
such  a  step.  For  instance,  the  bond 
would  be  duo  within  a  month  or  two ; 

T  T  2 


641 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


and  who  would  advance  any  serious  sum 
on  so  lar_v  a  security,  without  rigor- 
ous enquiries  into  the  validity  of  the 
I      1  in  point  of  exaction,  and   the 
right  of  the  obligee  to  pot  it  in  suit? 
ne  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
enquiry  to  l>e  adverse,  and  Titmouse's 
the   Fatten  property  to  be 
d  ;    would   not  that   at   once 
invalidate  his  claims  upon  the  bond, 
and    also  npon    the  two  promissory 
I.  istly,  his  hopes  of  political 
advancement,  to  which  he  clung  with 
incredible     tenacity,     full    blooming 
though  they  had  been  till  the  moment 
of   his  being    surd    for    the  bribery 
penalties,  were  all  in  danger  of  being 
blighted    f<>r    ever,   unless    he   could 
:  in  defeating  the  verdict  during 
the  ensuing  term,  of  which  he  enter- 
taiiud   scarce   any  hope  at   all.      But 
even  supposing  him  sue  essful  there — 
what  was  to  become  of  him  if  the  issue 
■  f   the    ]"  oding    Ecclesiastical    pro- 
lings  should  brand  him  as  abetting 
imposture  of  the  most  gross  and  glar- 
ription — nay,  as  being  in  fact 
oaterl    Once  or  twice,  during 
frequent  agitating  reviews  of  all 
and    circumstances,   he 
caught,  as  it  were,  a  ghastly  glimpse 
of  a  sort  of  system  of  retribution  in 
progress— and  was  able  to  trace  evil 
consequences — of  defeat  and  misery — 
from  every  single  act   which  ho  had 
done  I 

or   failure   in   tho   Ecclesi- 

ca]    suit,    was    now    in    fact    the 

1  Ivot   upon  which  everything  turned 

with  Mr.  Gammon — it  would  be  either 

his  salvation,  or  his  destruction;  and 

the  thought  of  it  kept  him  in  a  state 

of  feveri  b  trepidation  and  excitement, 

from  morning  to  night — rendering  him 

n  holly  incapable  of  attending 

to  bis  profi  asional  1-  He  hid 

i  n  several  tine  s,  accompanied 

by  Mr.  Quod,  !•  tain,  as  fax  as 

the    course    which 

thin  •     ing.     Mr.  Quod  was 

■   ilel.-,  ,1  as  to  t: 
'  ■  imi i  had  not  ventured 

■  of  the  e 
■o  tha  ly  confined  hi  n- 

.     iating  of  Mr.  T  t- 

,  ai  il  had  been  pro- 


pounded, and  with  success,  at  the 
trial  of  ejectment.  Mr.  Gammon 
trembled  at  the  systematic  and  vigor- 
ous prosecution  of  the  cause  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Aubrey  ;  what  might  it 
not  elicit?  Regardless  of  the  con- 
sequences,  he  hail  several  times  tried 
to  ascertain  from  those  who  had  been 
examined,  the  course  of  enquiry  which 
had  been  pursued,  and  the  evidence 
which  had  been  obtained  from  them — 
but  in  vain :  some  of  the  witnesses 
were  in  a  station  of  society  which 
repelled  his  advances  ;  and  others  were 
effectually  deterred  from  communi- 
cativeness by  the  injunctions  of  tho 
commissioner.  Thus  Mr.  Gammon 
could  ascertain  nothing — and  was  left 
to  await,  in  fearful  suspense,  tho 
legitimate  bsue  of  this  tantalizing  and 
mysterious  process,  till  the  day  when 
"publication"  should  "pass,"  and 
both  parties  bo  put  in  possession  of 
all  the  evidence  which  had  been 
obtained. 

The  prospects  of  the  Aubreys, 
brightened  though  they  had  been  by 
uddeii  interference  of  Lord  De  la 
Zouch  at  the  very  moment  of  their 
deepest  gloom,  did  not  disturb  that 
calm  and  peaceful  course  of  life  which 
they  had  maintained  through  all  their 
troubles.  Oh,  how  animated  and 
happy,  however,  was  now  that  littlo 
family! — and  that  not  through  any 
overweening  confidence  as  to  the  result 
of  Lord  De  la  Zoueh's  operations  on 
their  behalf,  but  from  a  pious  and 
cheerful  persuasion  that  they  were  not 
forsaken  of  Heaven,  which  had  given 
this  token  of  its  remembrance.  Tho 
beautiful  bloom  began  to  reappear  on 
the  cheeks  both  of  Mrs.  Aubrey  and 
Kate,  and  the  eye  of  Mr.  Aubrey  was 
no  longer  laden  with  gloom  and 
anxiety.  He  pursued  the  study  of  too 
law  with  steadfast  energy  till  the 
period    of    Mr.    Mansfield's    quitting 

town,  and   his  chambers    being   clos'  d 

till  the  beginning  of  November.     Tho 

Aubreys,   poor  souls  I    Becrotly  pined 

fur  a  glimpse,   however  brief,   of  tho 

isures  of  the  country;  ami  about 

■    middle   of  September,   they,  suro 

h,  receivi  d  a  very  pressing  in« 

vitation  from   Lord  and  Lady  Do  la 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


C45 


Zouch,  for  all  of  them  to  join  them  in 
France,  by  way  of  a  total  and  enliven- 
ing change  of  scene.  Mrs.  Aubrey  and 
Kate  had  all  but  persuaded  Mr.  Aubrey 
into  an  acceptance  of  the  kind  invita- 
tion, when  he  suddenly  thought  of 
what  he  deemed  an  insuperable  ob- 
stacle. It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Mr.  Aubrey  had  given  bail  to  a  very 
large  amount,  nearly  sixteen  thousand 
pounds,  in  the  two  actions  at  the  suit 
of  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap,  and,  on  enquiry, 
two  of  the  friends  who  had  become 
bail  for  him  were  abroad,  and  could 
not  be  communicated  with  ;  so  Mr. 
Aubrey  peremptorily  refused,  under 
such  circumstances,  to  quit  the  country, 
though  for  ever  so  brief  an  interval. 
On  seriously  assuring  Lord  De  la  Zouch 
that  there  existed  insuperable  ob- 
jections to  his  just  then  leaving 
England,  the  ever-active  kindne-:s  of 
his  noble  friend  prompted  a  fresh  pro- 
posal,— that  they  should,  within  a 
week's  time,  all  of  them,  set  oil  for  a 
lovely  residence  of  his  lordship's  in 
Essex,  some  fifteen  miles  from  town, 
called  Tunstall  Priory  —  where  they 
would  find  everything  fully  prepared 
for  their  reception,  and  where  they 
were  earnestly  entreated  to  remain  till 
they  should  be  joined  by  their  host 
and  hostess  from  France,  about  the 
latter  end  of  October.  "lis  quite  im- 
possible for  me  to  describe  the  ex- 
hilaration of  spirits  with  which,  the 
invitation  having  been  most  gratefully 
accepted  by  Mr.  Aubrey,  they  all  ]  ire- 
pared  for  their  little  journey.  I\h'. 
Aubrey  had  made  arrangements  for 
their  going  down  by  one  of  the  coaches, 
which  went  within  a  couple  of  mile3  of 
the  Priory ;  but  here  again  the  thought- 
ful delicacy  and  kindness  of  his  lord- 
ship was  manifest ;  for  the  evening 
before  they  set  oil',  one  of  the  servants 
from  Dover  Street  came  to  ask  at  what 
hour  they  would  wish  the  carriage  to 
call  for  them,  and  the  van  for  their 
luggage — such  being  the  orders  which 
had  come  from  his  lordship ;  and 
further,  that  the  carriage  was  to  re- 
main at  their  command  during  the 
whole  of  their  stay  at  the  Priory. 
Boca  Mrs.  Aubrey  and  Kate,  in  their 


excitement,  burst  into  tears  on  hearing 
of  this  additional  trait  of  anxious  and 
considerate  kindness.  Oh  1  it  would 
have  cheered  your  heart,  good  reader, 
to  see  the  blithe  faces,  and  bounding 
spirits,  with  which  that  little  family 
set  oif  on  the  ensuing  morning  on  their 
little  expedition.  Oh  !  how  refreshing 
was  the  country  air  ! — how  enlivening 
and  beautiful  the  country  scenery  amid 
the  gentle  sunlight  of  September ! — 
'Twas  a  Paradise  of  a  place — and  as 
day  after  day  glided  away,  they  felt  a 
sense  of  the  enjoyment  of  existence, 
such  as  they  had  never  experienced 
before ! 

Though  it  is  not  a  very  pleasant 
transition,  the  order  of  events  requires 
us  to  return  to  town — and  to  no  very 
pleasant  part  of  town,  viz.  Thavies' 
Inn.  'Twas  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  towards  the  close  of  October, 
and  Mr.  Gammon  was  walking  to  and 
fro  about  his  room,  which  was  cheerful 
with  the  light  of  a  lamp  and  the  warmth 
of  a  fire.  He  himself,  however,  was 
very  far  from  cheerful — he  was  in  a 
state  of  exquisite  anxiety  and  sus- 
pense— and  well  he  might  be,  for  he 
was  in  momentary  expectation  of 
receiving  a  copy  of  the  evidence  which 
had  been  taken  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Aubrey,  in  the  ecclesiastical  suit,  pub- 
lication having  passed  the  day  before. 
He  muttered  blighting  curses  at  the 
intolerable  delay  of  old  Mr.  Quod,  who, 
Mr.  Gammon  was  assured,  might  have 
procured  a  copy  of  the  evidence  several 
hours  before,  with  only  moderate  ex- 
ertion. Twice  had  Mr.  Gammon's 
messenger  been  despatched  in  vain ; 
and  he  was  now  absent  on  the  third 
errand  to  Mr.  Quod's  chambers.  At 
length  Mr.  Gammon  heard  a  heavy 
footstep  ascending  the  stairs— he  knew 
it,  and,  darting  to  the  door,  opened  it 
just  as  his  messenger  had  reached  the 
landing  with  a  bulky  white  packet 
under  his  arm,  sealed,  and  tied  with 
red  tape. 

"Ah  !— that  will  do.  Thank  you, 
thank  you  ! — call  to-morrow  morning," 
said  Gammon  hastily,  almost  snatch- 
ing the  packet  out  of  the  man's  hand. 

"  Mrs.  Drown — don't  let  me  be  dis- 
turbed to-night  by  any  one — on  any 


C4G 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


consideration,"  said   he  to  his  laun- 

iving  ordered  her  to  i 

the  outer  door,  he  re-entered  his  -sit- 

■room,  and  with  a   beating  ln-art 

the  r  als,   tape,  and  car- 

tridge-pap  r,  and  fastened  in  an  instant 

devouring  eyes  upon  the  pregnant 

enclosure.     Over  fter  page  his 

aced  with  lightning  speed,  his 

thing    unconsciously    accelerated 

while.    When  he  had  got  to  about 

the  middle  of  it,  his  bre  .th  was  for  a 

or  so   suspended,   while    las 

affrighted  eye  travell  d  down  a  couple 

of  pages,  which  told  him  all — all  he 

had    feared   to   sec,  and   more — more 

i  lie  had  known   himself.      "Ah, 

. i tion  —  the    game    is    up!"    he 

tly  exclaimed,   and,    rising   from 

hi-;  chair,  threw  himself  down  upon 

the  sofa,  in  a  state  of  dismay  and  be- 

which  no  words  of  mine 

powerful  enough  to  d ribe. 

Quite  as  much  anxiety  had  been  felt 

on   the   same  subject   in  a    dilferent 

rter,  during  the  whole  of  the  d  ty, 

at  tlie  Priory  ;   where  were  still  the 

Aubreys,  wl,  en  joined  a  week 

v  Lord  and  Lady  De  la  Zoueh, 

and  Mr.  Delamere,  for  he  had  come 

with   them   from    the   continent. 

Mr.  Bunningtorj  had  written  to  assure 

Mr.  Aubrey,  that  the  first  moment  of 

his  beb  ,  ipy  of  the 

evidence,  he  would  come  down  po  I 

with   it.     As,    however,  nine  o'clock 

elapsed  without  bis  having  made  his 

apj  mi  re  slipp  d  out, 

without  announcing  his  attention, 

red  bi.^  groom  to  have  hia  horses 

in  readi  tantly  ;  and  within  a 

nun  I  woe  he  was  on 

way  to  town,  1.  iving  left  a  hasty 

ing  Lord  and 

h    !'  the  obje  !  of  liis 

sudden  i  V\  i .. ■•,  ],,■  ],  ached  Mr. 

be  found  no  one 

to  his  i  I  ippouitc 

II   ■■  ng    !■  pi  in  1  (over  Bl reet,  he  re- 

about 

ing,   and 

and  four  at  the  i 

Mr.   Runnington,  with  a 

i    I  I  in 

:    entering,  to   drive 

I      i  y. 


"  How  is  it— for  Cod's  sake  ? "  said 
Mr.  Delamere,  rushing  forward  to 
Mr.  Runnington,  who  was  sufficiently 
surprised  at  seeing  him. 

"Oh,  thank  God!  The  battle's 
ours  !  " — replied  Mr.  Runnington  with 
delighted  excitement.  ' '  The  murder's 
out ! — I'll  pledge  my  existence  that 
within  six  months'  time  wc  have  them 
all  back  at  Yatton  !  " 

"  You're  off,  are  not  you  ? "  enquired 
Delamere,  as  excited  as  himself — 

"  To  be  sure — won't  you  come  with 
me  ?"  replied  Mr.  Runnington. 

"  Rattle  away,  my  lads  !  "  cried  out 
Delamere  to  the  post-boys — and  the 
next  moment  they  were  on  their  way, 
and  at  indeed  a  rattling  pace.  In 
somewhere  about  an  hour  and  a  quar- 
ter'* time,  the  reeking  horses  and  dusty 
chaise  dashed  up  to  the  hall  door  of 
the  Priory ;  and,  as  Delamere  caught 
one  or  two  figures  standing  at  the  win- 
dows, he  waved  hi-i  hand  in  triumph 
through  the  chaise  window.  That 
brought  Lord  and  Lady  De  la  Zoueh, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aubrey,  breathless 
to  the  door — out  jumped  Delamere, 
without  waiting  for  the  steps  to  bo 
down,  and,  grasping  the  hands  of 
all  four,  exclaimed  with  enthusiasm — 
"  Victory  !  —  Victory  !  —  but  where  is 
she—  ? " 

"Somewhere  in  the  grounds,  sir,"  re- 
plied a  servant. 

"  Mr.  Runnington  will  tell  you  all" 
— said  Delamere  ;  and,  springing  otr 
the  step,  was  out  of  sight  in  a  twink- 
ling, in  quest  of  Miss  Aubrey— burn- 
ing to  be  the  first  with  the  joyful 
news.  He  soon  caught  sight  of  her 
graceful  figure  she  was  standing  with 
her  back  towards  him,  apparently  in 
a  musing  posture,  gazing  at  the  bub- 
bling rivulet.  Hearing  his  bounding 
.  she  turned  round,  and  Btartod 
ing  him. 

"0  Kate,  Kate  I  " 

—  he  stammered  breathlessly — "By 
Heavens,  we've  wen  I"—  -Miss  Aubrey 
turn  d  very  p 

"Oh,    Mr.    Delamere — you  cannot 

be     I  /'■■/  e  you  arc  not  mistaken " 

faintly. 

"On  no  red  word  of  honour,  I 

have  :   i  d — I  have  read  it  all  myself  I 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


(,17 


'Tis  as  sure  as  that  the  sun  is  shining 
— 'Tis  all  up  with  the  villains ! "  Miss 
Aubrey  made  him  no  answer;  her  cheek 
continued  white  as  that  of  a  statue  ; 
and  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that 
he  should  put  his  arm  round  her — if 
he  had  not,  she  would  have  fallen. 

"Come! — Come!  My  sweet,  my 
lovely  Kate.  !  house  yourself !  "  cried 
he,  with  fond  anxiety,  and  pressed  his 
lips  gently  on  her  forehead — a  liberty 
of  which  she  was  probably  not  con- 
scious, for  she  made  no  show  of  resist- 
ance. Presently  she  heaved  a  deep 
sigh,  her  eyes  opened,  and,  finding 
herself  entirely  in  his  embrace,  she 
made  a  slight  effort  to  disengage  her- 
self, but  in  vain.  He  was  supporting 
her  on  one  knee — for  there  was  no 
bench  or  seat  within  view.  She  burst 
into  tears,  and  they  soon  relieved  her 
pent-up  bosom  of  its  excitement. 

"Dearest  Kate — it's  glorious  news, 
and  I  have  been  too  hasty  with  it !  " 

"  No — no — Mr.  Delamere  !  I  am 
only  overpowered  with  joy  and  with 
gratitude  !  Oh,  Mr.  Delamere,  I  could 
sink  out  of  your  sight !  " 

"Pho!  my  own  angel!  —  Don't 
make  me  miserable  by  talking  in  that 
strain ! " 

"Well,  what  shall  I  say?"  cried 
she  passionately,  bursting  again  into 
tears,  and  turning  her  face  from  him, 
feeling  that  it  was  reddening. 

"  Say,  Kate  ?  That  you  will  let  me 
love  you,  and  will  love  me  in  return  ! 
Come,  my  own  Kate  !  Heaven  smiles 
on  you — smile  you  on  me  !  "  She  spoke 
not — but  sobbed,  her  face  still  averted 
from  him. 

"I  know  you  won't  say  me  nay, 
Kate,  if  it's  only  for  the  news  I've 
brought  you  express  " — said  Delamere 
ardently,  and  imprinted  a  passionate 
kiss  on  her  unresisting  lips. 

"My  sweet  Kate!  how  I  have 
thought  of  you  in  every  part  of  the 
world  in  which  I've  been"  —  com- 
menced Delamere,  after  having  a 
second,  and  a  third,  and  a  fourth 
time  imprinted  his  lips  upon  those  of 
his  beautiful  and  blushing  mistress — 
and  Heaven  only  knows  what  other 
absurdities  he  might  have  been  guilty 
of,  when,  to  Kate's  inconceivable  em- 


barrassment, behold  a  sudden  turn 
brought  them  full  in  view  of  Lord 
and  Lady  De  la  Zouch  and  Mi. 
Runnington. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Aubrey,"  cried  Lord 
De  la  Zouch,  "we  have  come  to  con- 
gratulate you  on  this  great  event !  " 
and  he  grasped  her  affectionately  by 
the  hands,  and  then  Lady  De  la  Zouch 
embraced  her  future  daughter-in-law, 
whose  cheeks  burned  like  fire,  wbilo 
those  of  Mr.  Delamere  tingled  a  little. 

"  Upon  my  honour,  sir,  you  seem  ti> 
have  been  making  hay  while  the  sun 
shines,"  said  his  lordship  in  a  low 
tone,  and  laughing,  having  left  Miss 
Aubrey  and  Lady  De  la  Zouch  together 
for  a  few  moments. 

"Dearest  Lady  De  la  Zouch,  how 
did  my  brother  bear  it  ? "  enquired 
Miss  Aubrey. 

"  He  bore  it  with  calmness,  though 
he  turned  very  pale  ;  but  poor  Mrs. 
Aubrey  was  very  painfully  excited- 
it  was  really  a  most  affecting  scene. 
P>ut  she  is  much  better  now — shall  we 
return  to  the  house? — By  the  way," 
added  she  slyly,  "now  you're  come 
into  your  fortune,  as  the  saying  is, 
Kate — I — I  suppose  Geoffryhas  been 
talking  nonsense  to  you  !  "  Poor  Kate 
blushed  deeply,  aud  burst  into  tears. 

That  was  a  happy  day,  and  Mr. 
Runnington,  having  been  compelled 
to  stay  to  dinner,  returned  home  at  a 
late  hour,  feeling  already  richly  repaid 
for  all  his  exertions.  Miss  Aubrey  sat 
up  till  a  late  hour  in  her  own  room 
writing,  according  to  a  promise  she 
had  given,  a  very  long  letter  to  Dr. 
Tatham,  in  which  she  gave  him  as  full 
an  account  as  she  could  of  the  sur- 
prising and  decisive  event  which  had 
happened.  Twaa  quite  the  letter  of  a 
daughter  to  a  fond  fa!  her — fall  of  ardent 
affection,  and  joyous  anticipations  cf 
seeing  him  again  ;  but  as  to  the  other 
little  incident  of  the  day,  which  con- 
cerned herself  personally,  Kate  paused 
— laid  down  her  pen — resumed  it — 
blushed  —  hesitated -*- and  at  length 
extinguished  her  taper  and  retired  to 
rest,  saying  to  herself  that  she  would 
think  of  it,  and  make  up  her  mind  by 
the  morning. 
The  letter  went  off,  however,  after 


C43 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR, 


nil,  without  the  slightest  allusion  to 

the   possibility  of  its    lovely  writer 

Future  Lady  Pe  la  Zouch. 

Bat  it  is  now  high  time  that  the 

i  Id  }*>  put  in!"  possession 

1 1  ■  tant  aisi  losun  a  produced 

tical  enquiry  ;  and  we 

I  for  a  while  lose  eight  of  the 

py    Aubreys,    and     also    of    the 

tufited  Gammon,  in  order 

to  I  ti  quainted  with  tho  exact 

Btate  of  facta  which  had  called  forth 

Bach  violent  ami  opposite  emotions. 


CIIAITER  XXXVL 

'I'm:  reader  may  possibly  hear  in 

nii'»l  that   Mr.  Titmouse  had  estab- 

1    1  lis  right  to  succeed    to  the 

;  roperty,  then  enjoyed  by  Mr. 

rey,  by  making  out  to  the  satis- 

t    tion  of  the   jury,  on   the  trial  at 

York,  thai  he,  the  aforesaid  Mr.  Tit- 

1  from  an  elder 

ich  of  the  Aubrey  family:    thai 

th  re    had    existed    an    unsuspected 

of  Stephen    Dred- 

dlington,  tlie  elder  brother  of  Geoffry 

Dreddlington,    through    whom    Mr. 

Aubrey  derived  his  claim  to  the  suc- 

ion  ;  and  that  this  obscure  female 

•  h  id  li  fl  i    ae  equally  ob- 

■  and  unsuspected- — viz.  Gabriel 

eb  tl    Til  mou  b  -—  to  whom    our 

friend  Titmouse  was  shown  to  be  heir- 

I ti   fact,  it  had  been  made 

out  in  open  court,  by  cl<  ar  and  satis- 

t      ory  evidi  ■',  that  the  afore- 

i  labi  iel   Tittlebat  'I  i  was 

ndant,    through    the 

f  f  Stephen  1  dreddlington  ; 

,  had  been   Bhov  d    the   mar- 

i  Tittlcbal  Titmoi 

.  the  birth  of  'I  Tit- 

.  and  indi  ed  the  • 

•    th  it   r  All    thi  e 

I  unquestion- 

from  them,  as  Car  as 

111    of 

Aubrey,  resulted 

fen  nee,  and    the 

!  I  . 


soon  as,  according  to  the  happy  and 
invaluable  suggestion  of  the  Attorney* 
General,  a  rigid  enquiry  had  been  in- 
stituted on  the  spot,  whence  the  oral 
and  documentary  evidence  had  been 
obtained  by  Mr.  Gammon — an  enquiry 
conducted  by  persons  infinitely  more 
familiar  with  such  matters  than 
common  lawyers,  those  acute,  ami 
indefatigable  inquisitors  succeeded  in 
making  the  following  remarkable  dis- 
covery.  It  was  found  that  the  two 
old  witnesses  who  had  been  called  to 
prove  that  part  of  the  case,  on  the 
trial,  had  since  died — one  (if  them 
very  recently.  But  in  pushing  their 
enquiries,  one  or  two  other  old 
witnesses  were  met  with  who  had 
not  been  called  by  Mr.  Gammon,  even 
if  he  had  been  aware  of  their  existence ; 
ami  one  of  these,  an  old  man,  while 
being  closely  interrogated  upon  another 
matter,  happened  to  let  fall  some  ex- 
pressions whi  h  startled  the  person 
making  minutes  of  the  evidence  ;  for 
ho  spoke  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  mother 
under  three  different  names,  Ovhbins, 
Oakley,  and  Johnson.  Now,  the  proof 
of  the  trial  had  been  simply  the  mar- 
riage of  Gabriel  Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
by  bans,  to  Janet  Johnson,  spinster. 
Either,  then,  both  the  witnesses  must 
be  mistaken  as  to  her  having  had 
other  names,  or  there  must  be  Bome 
strange  mystery  at  the  bottom  of  it — 
and  so  it  at  length  turned  out.  This 
woman's  maiden  name  had  been  dub- 
bins ;  then  she  had  married  a  rope- 
maker,  of  the  name  of  Oakley,  in 
Staffordshire,  but  had  separated  from 
him,  after  two  or  three  years'  quarrel- 
some cohabitation,  and  gone  into 
Yorkshire,  where  she  had  resided  for 
some  time  with  an  aunt  —  in  fact, 
no  other  a  person  than  old  Blind 
Bi  .  Afterwards,  Bhe  had  become 
acquainted  with  Gabriel  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse ;  and,  to  conceal  tho  fact  of  her 
previous  mania;'.—  her  hi.  band  1 
alive  at   the  tiun —  she  wa  d  to 

iel  Tittli  bat  Titn  nder  tho 

of  "  John  on."   Two  fter- 

wards,  this  exemplary  female  died, 
leaving  an  only  child,  Tittlebat  Tit- 
monse.  Shortly  afterwards,  his  father 
came   up   to    London,    bringing  with 


TEN   THOUSAND    A-YEAR. 


04.) 


hiin  his  little  son  —  and  some  five 
years  afterwards  died,  leaving  one  or 
two  hundred  pounds  behind  him  for 
the  bringing  up  of  Tittlebat  decently 
— a  duty  undertaken  by  a  distaut  rela- 
tive of  his  father,  and  who  had  been 
dead  some  years.  Of  course  Titmouse, 
at  the  time  when  he  was  first  pre- 
sented to  the  reader,  knew  no  more 
than  the  dead  of  his  being  in  any 
way  connected  with  the  distinguished 
family  of  the  Aubreys  in  Yorkshire  ; 
nor  of  the  veiy  unpleasant  circum- 
stances attending  his  mother's  mar- 
riage, with  which  the  reader  has  just 
been  made  acquainted.  Nothing  can 
be  easier  than  to  conceive  how  Mr. 
Gammon  might  have  been  able,  even 
if  acquainted  with  the  true  state  of 
the  facts,  to  produce  an  impregnable 
case  in  court  by  calling,  with  judg- 
ment, only  that  evidence  which  was 
requisite  to  show  the  marriage  of  Tit- 
mouse's father  with  Janet  Johnson — 
viz.  an  examined  copy  of  an  entry  in 
the  parish  register  of  Grilston  ;  of  the 
fact  of  the  marriage,  under  the  names 
specified  ;  and  some  other  slight  evi- 
dence of  the  identity  of  the  parties. 
How  was  the  Attorney-General,  or 
any  one  advising  him,  to  have  got 
at  the  mystery  attending  the  name  of 
"Johnson,"  in  the  absence  of  sus- 
picion pointed  precisely  at  that  circum- 
stance ?  The  defendant  in  an  action 
of  ejectment,  is  necessarily  in  a  great 
measure  in  the  dark  as  to  the  evidence 
which  will  be  adduced  against  him, 
and  must  fight  the  evidence  as  it  is 
presented  to  him  in  court ;  and  the 
plaintiif's  attorney  is  generally  better 
advised  than  to  bring  into  court  wit- 
nesses who  may  be  able,  if  pressed,  to 
disclose  more  than  is  necessary  or 
desirable. 

The  way  in  which  Mr.  Gammon 
became  acquainted  with  the  true  state 
of  the  case  was  singular.  While  en- 
gaged in  obtaining  and  arranging  the 
evidence  in  support  of  the  plaintiff's 
case,  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Lynx's 
opinion,  Mr.  Gammon  stumbled  upon 
a  witness  who  dropped  one  or  two 
expressions,  which  suddenly  reminded 
him  of  two  little  documents  which  had 
been  some  time  before  put  into  his 


possession,  without  his  having  then 
attached  the  least  importance  to  them. 
He  was  so  disturbed  at  the  coincidence, 
that  he  returned  to  town  that  very 
night  to  inspect  the  papers  in  question. 
They  had  been  obtained  by  Snap  from 
old  Blind  Bess  :  in  fact,  (inter  nos,)  he 
had  purloined  them  from  her  on  one  of 
the  occasions  of  his  being  with  her  in 
the  manner  long  ago  described,  having 
found  them  in  an  old  Bible  which  was 
in  a  still  older  canvass  bag  ;  and  they 
consisted  of,  first,  a  letter  from  one 
James  Oakley  to  his  wife,  informing 
her  that  he  was  dying,  and  that, 
having  heard  she  was  living  with 
another  man,  he  exhorted  her  to  leave 
her  wicked  courses  before  she  died  ; 
secondly,  a  letter  from  one  Gabriel 
Tittlebat  Titmouse  to  his  wife,  re- 
proaching her  with  drunkenness  and 
loose  conduct,  and  saying  that  sho 
knew  as  well  as  he  did,  that  he  could 
transport  her  any  day  he  liked  ;  there- 
fore, she  had  better  mind  what  she  was 
about.  This  letter  was  written  in  the 
county  jail,  whither  he  had  been  sent 
for  some  offence  against  the  game-laws. 
Old  Blind  Bess  had  been  very  feeble 
when  her  niece  came  to  live  with  her  ; 
and,  though  aware  of  her  profligate 
conduct,  had  never  dreamed  of  the 
connexion  between  the  great  family  at 
the  Had.  and  her  niece's  child.  These 
were  the  two  documents  which  Mr. 
Titmouse  had  destroyed,  on  Gammon's 
having  entrusted  them  for  a  moment 
into  his  hands.  Though  I  do  not 
attach  so  much  importance  to  them  as 
Mr.  Gammon  did — since  1  cannot  see 
how  they  could  have  been  made  avail- 
able evidence  for  any  purpose  contem- 
plated by  Gammon — I  am  not  surprised 
at  his  doing  so.  They  were  infinitely 
too  dangerous  documents  to  admit  of 
his  taking  the  opinion  of  counsel  upon; 
he  therefore  kept  them  entirely  t« 
himself,  as  also  the  discovery  to  which 
they  led,  not  trusting  his  secret  even 
to  either  of  his  partners.  Before  the 
case  had  come  into  court,  Mr.  Gammon 
had  been  in  possession  of  the  facts  now 
laid  for  the  first  time  before  the  reader 
— contemplating,  from  the  first,  the 
use  to  be  thereafter  made  of  the  pro« 
digious  power  he  should  have  becoma 


CoO 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


I     sessed  of,  in  aid  of  his  own  personal 

imnt.      Thus    was    Titmouse 

D    indeed  —  in    fact,    doubly 

.  Bret,  Lis  mother  had 

rilty  of  bigamy  in  marrying  his 

f.itlu  r;  i  ttdly,  even  had  thai 

not   been  so,  her  marrying  under  a 

sufficient  to  make 

marriage  utterly  void,  and  equally 

of  course  to  bastardize  1i<t  issue. 

'..  thru,  was  the  damning  dis- 
•  fleeted  by  the  ecclesia 
oonrmission,  and  which  would  by  and 
by  blazon  to  the  whole  world  the  as- 
tounding fact,  that  this  doubly  base- 
born  little  wretch  had  been  enabled, 
by  the  profound  machinations  of  .Mr. 
Gammon,  not  only  to  deprive  Mr. 
Aubrey  of  the  Yatton  estates,  but  also 
to  intermarry  with  the  Lady  Cecilia, 
the  last  of  the  direct  line  of  the  noble 
Dreddlingtons  and  Drelincourts — to 

defil  ■  the  bl 1,  and  blight  the  honour, 

of  perhaps  the  oldest  and  the  proudest 
of  the  nobility  of  England.      Upon 
31  r.  Gammon,  it  lit  like  a  thunderbolt. 
For  many  lmurs  he  Beemed  to  have 
b  en  utterly  crushed  and  blasted  by  it. 
faculties  appeared  paralyzed,     lie 
totally  incapable  of  realizing  his 
tion — of   contemplating  the  pro- 
ami    appalling    consequences 
which    must    inevitably  and    aln 
immediately  ensue.     He  lay  upon  the 

whole  night  without  clo 
bi.s  eyes,  or  having  moved  a  mi 

since    he    had    thrown    himself   down 

■  i  it.      His  laundi  e  in  with 

his  bed-candle,   trimmed    the   lamp, 

Btinr.l   the   fire,  and  withdrew,   sup- 

]      ng  him  asleep,     The  fire  went  out 

— then   the  lamp    and   when,   about 

I  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Lis 

ippean  <!,  be  still  lay  on 

the  sofa  ;  ana  a  glimp      of  his  pale 

and  1  alarmed  her  ;  real  ly, 

and  i  Itc  went  for  a  medical  man  bef  re 

he  ■  e  of  h  r  h  i\  ing  d 

<  m  '  riing  him 

,    it    rousi  '1 
liiin   from   li i -i    l<  tli  irgy,   and,   ri 

h  r  to     o 
:..  I  request   1 
i  omi  ,  as  it  r  u  onm  cess  iry. 
lb  avine  profonii  di  d 

b  his 


toilet,  and  tlien  sat  down  to  the 
breakfast  table,  and  for  the  first  time 
made  a  very  powerful  effort  to  address 
his  mind  to  the  awful  nature  of  tho 
emergency  into  which  he  was  driven. 
Mr.  Quod  soon  after  made  his  ap- 
pearance. 

"This  is  a  very — very —  ugly  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Gammon!"  quoth  he,  with 
a  gloomy  countenance,  as  he  sat  down  ; 
"  1  look  upon  it  there's  an  end  to  the 
suit— ih  ? " 

"It  is  not  likely  that  we  shall  stir 
further,  certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, with  a  desperate  effort  to  speak 
calmly  :  then  there  was  a  pause. 

"And  I  should  think  the  matter 
can't  end  lure,"  presently  added  Mr. 
Quod.  "  With  such  evidence  as  this, 
of  course  they'll  attack  Yatton  !  " 

"Then  I  am  prepared  to  resist 
them,"  said  Gammon;  convinced  in 
his  own  mind  that  the  sole  object  of 
Mr.  Quod's  visit  was  to  see  after  the 
payment  of  his  hill  —  a  reasonable 
anxiety,  .surely,  considering  the  un- 
toward issue  of  the  proceedings. 

"  llow  could  all  this  have  escaped 
mc,  in  getting  up  the  case  for  tho 
trial?"  said  Gammon  after  a  pause, 
darting  an  anxious  and  furtive  glance 
at  his  companion. 

"Ay — I  hope  this  will  teach  you 
common-law  fellows  that  there's  a 
trick  or  two  worth  knowing  at  Doctor's 
( 'ominous  !  "  replied  M  r.  Quod.  "  I  »'ye 
it  member  what  I  told  you  at  starting? 
— llow  was  it,  d'ye  say,  you  couldn't 
find  it  out  ?  No  one  could,  till  wo 
did  ! — I5ut,  by  the  way,  do  we  fight 
any  more  in  the  cause?  Because  we 
must  decide  at  once — it's  no  use,  I 
should  say,  going  to  the  expense  of  a 

hearing " 

"1  will  give  you  an  answer  in  tho 
course  of  the  day,  Mr.  Quod,"  replied 
Gammon  with  an  air  of  repn  ased  buy  ; 
ami  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of  his 
visitor  for  the  presi  ul  ;  .-.1  d  then  re- 
pel .1  •  d  the  v.  bole  of  the  evidci 

lered  within  himself,  as  wi  '1  a  1 
he  was  able,  what  course  he  ought  to 
pursue,  lie  had  need,  truly,  to  do 
BO,  for  he  very  shortly  found  that  he 

had  to  deal  with  an  enemy  in  Mr, 
Runnington — uncompromising  and  un- 


TEN   THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


051 


relenting  —  whose  movements  were 
equally  prompt,  vigorous,  and  skilful. 
That  gentleman,  following  up  his  blow, 
and  acting  under  the  advice  of  Sir 
Charles  Wolstenholme,  who  had  just 
returned  to  town  for  the  commence- 
ment of  the  legal  year — viz.  Michael- 
mas Term — first  of  all  gave  notice, 
through  Mr.  Pounce,  of  his  intention 
to  proceed  with  the  suit  for  adminis- 
tration ;  but  found  that  the  enemy  in 
that  quarter  had  struck  ;  Mr.  Quod 
formally  notified  his  abandonment  of 
opposition  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Titmouse. 
So  far  so  good.  Mr.  Ruunington's 
next  step  was  to  go  down  into  Stafford- 
shire and  Yorkshire,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Pounce,  and  by  his  own  experi- 
enced confidential  clerk,  in  order  to 
ascertain  still  more  distinctly  and  con- 
clusively the  nature  of  the  evidence 
which  was  in  existence  impeaching  the 
legitimacy  of  Mr.  Titmouse.  His  en- 
quiries were  so  satisfactory,  that,  within 
a  week  of  his  return  to  town,  he  had 
caused  an  action  of  ejectment  to  be 
brought  for  the  recovery  of  the  whole 
of  the  Yatton  property  ;  and  copies  of 
the  "Declaration"  to  be  served  on 
Mr.  Titmouse,  and  on  every  tenant  in 
possession  upon  the  estate.  Then  he 
served  notices  on  them,  calling  upon 
each  and  every  of  them  not  to  pay 
rent  in  future  to  any  one  except  Charles 
Aubrey,  Esquire,  or  his  agents  by  him 
lawfully  appointed  ;  and  caused  a 
formal  demand  of  the  title-deeds  of  the 
estate  to  be  forthwith  served  upon  Mr. 
Titmouse,  Messrs.  Bloodsuck  and  Son, 
and  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap ;  and  also  advertisements  to  be 
inserted  in  the  newspapers,  to  caption 
all  persons  against  advancing  money 
on  mortgage  or  on  other  security  of 
the  Yatton  property,  "formerly  in 
possession  of,  and  now  claimed  by, 
Charles  Aubrey,  Esq.,  but  at  present 
wrongfully  held  by  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse, Esq.,  M.P.,  and  for  the  re- 
covery of  which  an 
commenced,  and  is 
and  also  from  advancing  money 
the  faith  or  security  of  a  certain  bond 
conditioned  in  the  penalty  of  £20,000 
for  the  payment  to  Tittlebat  Titmouse 
of  £10,000,  with  interest,  en  or  before 


action  has  been 
now  pending ; " 
"on 


the  24th  day  of  January  next,  and 
dated  the  26th  July,  18 — ,  and  signed 
by  Lord  De  la  Zouch  and  Charles 
Aubrey,  Esq.,  the  same  having  been 
obtained  by  undue  means,  and  on  a 
false  and  fraudulent  pretence  of  money 
being  due  from  the  said  Charles  Aubrey, 
Esq.,  to  the  aforesaid  Tittlebat  Tit- 
mouse." These  advertisements,  and 
certain  paragraphs  relating  to  the  same 
matter,  which  found  their  way  into  the 
newspapers,  to  the  consternation  of 
Gammon,  came  under  the  eye  of  the 
Duke  of  Tantallan,and  struckhimdumb 
with  dismay  and  horror  at  so  decisive 
and  public  a  corroboration  of  his  worst 
fears.  A  similar  effect  they  produced 
upon  Miss  Macspleuchan,  who,  how- 
ever, succeeded  in  keeping  them  for 
some  time  from  the  observation  of  the 
unfortunate  Earl  of  Dreddlington. 
But  there  were  certain  other  persons 
in  whom  these  announcements  excited 
an  amazing  degree  of  excitement  and 
agitation ;  viz.  three  Jewish  gentle- 
men, Mordecai  Gripe,  Mepiiibo- 
sheth  Maharshalal-hash-baz,  and 
Israel  Fang,  who  were  at  present  the 
depositaries  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  title- 
deeds,  with  a  lien  upon  them,  as  they 
had  fondly  imagined,  to  the  extent  of 
nearly  seventy  thousand  pounds,  that 
being  the  amount  of  money  they  had 
advanced,  in  hard  cash,  to  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, upon  mortgage  of  his  Yatton 
estates.  The  last  of  these  unfortunate 
gentlemen — old  Mr.  Fang — had  ad- 
vanced no  less  a  sum  than  twenty 
thousand  pounds.  He  had  been  the 
first  applied  to,  and  had  most  fortun- 
ately taken  a  collateral  security  for 
the  whole  sum  advanced  ;  viz.  a  bond 
— the  bond  of  our  old  friend,  ' '  Thomas 
Tag-rag,  draper  and  mercer,  of  No. 
375,  Oxford  Street,  and  Satin  Lodge, 
Ciapham,  in  the  county  of  Surrey." 
As  soon  as  ever  the  dismayed  Israelite, 
by  his  attorney,  had  ascertained,  by 
enquiry  at  the  office  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap — where  all  was 
confusion  —  that  there  really  was  a 
claim  set  up  to  the  whole  of  the 
estates,  on  behalf  of  him  who  had 
been  so  recently  and  suddenly  dispos- 
sessed of  them,  he  exclaimed  in  an 
ecstasy,  "Oh,  ma  Got!  oh,  ma  dear 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


1     Shoo   Tag-tag  I     Shoo   on   the 

do  time" and  he 

1  ■!.     T  rrible  to  tell,  two  big 

the    next    day  walked 

into  the  shop  of  Mr.  Tag-rag, 

who  r  in  his  litl  t  <it 

tin-  further  end,  with  his  pen  in  his 

•  Borne  bills  just 

.  i  out,  ami  without  the  least  © 

v  or  hesitation   hauled   him  off, 

-  him  time  to  ]>ut  his  hat 

on,  but  gruffly  uttering  in  his  ear  some 

-   words    as    "Thirty 

L  pom       ' '       11 8  resisted  des- 

]    ■  itely,   shouting  out  for  help,   on 

•which  all  tli*'  young  men  jumped  over 

iiu'd  to  be  coining 

to  the  rescue  !  while  one  or  two  female 
•mere  rushed  affrighted  out  of  the 
;..     In  short,  there  was  a  perfect 
i  in  the  shop;  though  the  young 
mi  rely  crowded  round,  and  clam- 
oured loudly,  without  venturing  iqion 
B  conflict  with  the  two  burly  rayrmi- 
of  the  law,   who  clapped  their 
into  a  coach  that  was  standing 
opposite-  -Mr.  Tag-rag,  frothing  at  th 
ith,  and  with  impassioned  gesticu- 
lation, pi  :  that  he  would  have 
them  both  t;  1  to  Bol  my  Bay 
on  the  morrow.     They  laughed  at  him 
l-humouredly,   and  in   due    time 
1  him  safely  in  the  lock-up  of 
Mr.  Vice,  who,  on  seeing  that  he  was 

,  thrust  him 

■   ly  into  the  larj  ■  n 

in  which,   it  may  be  recollected,  Mr. 

Aubrey  had  been  for  a  few  minutes 

i  ted,  and  left  him,  telling  him 

!  o  irney.    Tl 

1.  :  for  a  long  while  in  a 

ig  on  frenzy.     Ind<  ed,  he 

d  that  the  devil  had 

,  his  ]  irticul  a  bu  ;- 

y  and  ruin  him  :  for  what 

think  bad  happened  to  him 

a  <  vent  which 

: «  lapham  to  re — 

.  •,  "f  ( llaph  im  as  knew 

and 

:     D        1    ili:-:,    his 

That  youn 


il 


dug  long 


of  ardent  I 
in  i  ibitha  Tag-]  tg— 


who  was  the  only  child  of  the  wealthi- 
est member  of  his  little  church — took 
upon  himself  to  lead  her,  nothing  loth, 
a  v<ry  long  and  pleasant  ramble — in 
plain  English,  Mr.  Dismal  Horror  had 
eloped  with  the  daughter  of  his  head 
deacon — to  the  infinite  Bcandal  and 

list  of  his  congregation,  who  forth- 
with met  and  deposed  him  from  hi,3 
pulpit ;  after  which  his  father-in-law 
solemnly  made  his  will,  bequeathing 
everything  he  had  to  a  newly-estab- 
lished Dissenters'  college  ;  and  the 
next  day — being  just  about  the  time 
that  the  grim  priest  of  Gretna  was 
forging  the  bonds  of  Hymen  for  the 
bappy  and  lovely  couple  before  him, 
Mr.  Tag-rag  was  hauled  off  in  the  way 
that  I  have  mentioned — which  two 
occurrences  would  have  the  effect  of 
enabling  Mr.  Dismal  Horror  to  provo 
the  disinterestedness  of  his  attachment 
— an  opportunity  for  which  he  vowed 
that  he  panted — inasmuch  as  he  and 
she  had  become,  indeed,  all  the  world 
to  each  other.  He  must  now  go  into 
some  other  line  of  business,  in  order 
to  support  his  fond  and  lovely  wife  ; 
and,  as  for  Tag-rag,  his  pious  pur- 
poses were  frustrated  altogether.  There- 
was  no  impeaching  the  validity  of 
the  bond  held  by  the  infuriate  and 
inexorable  Jew  who  had  arrested  him, 
and  who  clearly  had  been  no  party 
to  any  fraud  by  which  —  if  any  — 
the  signature  of  Mr.  Tag-rag  had 
b  en  procured  to  the  bond.  Mr.  Tag- 
rag's  attorney,  Mr.  Snout,  instantly 

d  upon  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon, 
and  Snap,  to  enquire  into  the  parti- 
culars  of  the  astounding  transaction 
by  which  his  client  had  been  drawn 
into  so  ruinous  a  liability — but  was 
vn-y  cavalierly  treated  ;  for  ho  was 
informed  that  Mr.  Tag-rag  mu  t,  in 
their  opinion,  have  lost  hi  -at 

all  events  his  memory  ;  for  that  he  ha  1 

I  il  liberately  executed  tho  bond, 
after  its  nature  bad  been  fully  ex- 
plained to  him  by  Mr.  Gammon — a  d 

hifl    signature    was    witnessed  and  at- 

d  in  the  usual  way  by  a  clerk  in 
I  he  office,  and  also  in  tho  pre:  once  of 
all  the  three  partners.     '  In  hearing  all 
■  !  examining  Mr.  Amminn  I 

v,  liO  Bl  itod,  without  any  hesitation,  as 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


G53 


the  fact  in  truth  was,  that  he  had  been 
called  in  specially  to  see  Mr.  Tag-rag 
execute  the  bond,  and  had  seen  and 
heard  him  deliberately  sign  and  say 
he  delivered  it  as  his  act  and  deed — 
Mr.  Snout  hurried  back  to  his  frenzied 
client,  and  endeavoured,  for  a  long 
while,  with  praiseworthy  patience,  to 
reason  with  him,  explaining  to  him 
the  glaring  improbability  of  his  version 
of  the  affair.  This  led  to  very  high 
words  indeed  between  them,  and  at 
length  Mr.  Tag-rag  actually  spit  in  his 
faco  :  and  Mr.  Snout,  being  a  very 
little  man,  and  unable  to  resent  the 
insult  effectually,  instantly  quitted 
the  room,  expressing  his  firm  belief 
that  Mr.  Tag-rag  was  a  swindler,  and 
he  would  no  more  be  concerned  for  a 
person  of  that  description.  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  could  not  get  bail  for  so  frightful 
an  amount ;  so  he  committed  an  act 
of  bankruptcy,  by  remaining  in  prison 
for  three  weeks.  Down,  then,  came 
all  his  creditors  upon  him  in  a  heap, 
especially  the  Jew  ;  a  rattling  bank- 
ruptcy ensued  —  the  upshot  of  the 
whole  being — to  anticipate,  however, 
a  little — that  a  first  and  final  dividend 
was  declared  of  three  farthings  in  the 
pound — for  it  turned  out  that  he  had 
been  speculating  a  great  deal  more 
than  any  one  had  had  the  least  idea 
of.  I  ought,  however,  to  have  men- 
tioned that,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Tag-rag  had 
become  bankrupt,  and  his  assignees 
had  been  appointed,  they  caused  an 
indictment  to  be  preferred  against  Mr. 
Titmouse,  and  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap,  for  fraud  and  con- 
spiracy in  obtaining  the  bond  from  Mr. 
Tag-rag ;  and,  on  the  same  grounds, 
made  an  application,  fortified  by  strong 
affidavits,  to  the  Lord  Chancellor,  to 
strike  them  all  off  the  rolls.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  the  other  two  unfor- 
tunate mortgagees,  Mordecai  Gripe, 
and  Mephibosheth  Maharshalal-hash- 
baz — who  had  no  security  at  all  for 
their  advances  except  the  title-deeds 
of  the  estate,  and  the  personal  covenant 
of  Mr.  Titmouse — beset  the  office  in 
Saffron  Hill  from  morning  to  night, 
like  a  couple  of  frantic  fiends,  and 
nearly  drove  poor  old  Mr.  Quirk  out 
of  his  senses.     Mr.  Snap  was  peremp- 


tory and  insolent ;  while  Gammon 
seldom  made  his  appearance  —  and 
would  see  no  one  at  his  private  resid- 
ence, pleading  serious  indisposition. 

After  anxious  reflection,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon did  not  absolutely  despair  of  ex- 
tricating himself  from  the  perils  with 
which  lie  was  personally  environed. 
As  for  certain  fond  hopes  of  political 
advancement,  after  which,  indeed,  his 
soul  pined,  he  did  not  despair  of  pre- 
vailing on  his  friends  at  headquarters 
— to  whom  he  had  undoubtedly  ren- 
dered considerable  political  services  at 
no  little  personal  risk  —  to  overlook 
the  accident  which  had  befallen  him, 
in  the  adverse  verdict  for  the  bribery 
penalties,  even  should  he  fail  in  his 
motion  to  defeat  that  verdict  in  the 
ensuing  term.  He  had  had  a  distinct 
intimation  that  —  that  one  obstacle 
removed — a  very  important  and  in- 
fluential situation  under  government 
was  within  his  reach.  But,  alas  !  this 
last  overwhelming  misfortune  —  how 
could  he  possibly  evade  or  surmount 
it  ?  What  human  ingenuity  or  intre- 
pidity could  avail  to  extricate  him 
from  the  consequences  of  his  avowal 
to  Miss  Aubrey  —  and  his  counter- 
statements  to  the  Duke  of  Tantallan 
and  Miss  Macspleuchan — to  say  no- 
thing of  the  Earl  of  Dreddlington  ? 
He  resolved  to  risk  it — to  rely  on  his 
own  resources,  and  the  chapter  of 
accidents.  The  mere  presence  of  diffi- 
culty strung  his  nerves  to  encounter 
it.  He  resolved  to  rely  on  the  impos- 
sibility of  fixing  him  directly  with  a, 
knowledge  of  the  rottenness  of  Tit- 
mouse's pretensions — at  all  events,  till 
a  period  considerably  subsequent  to 
the  trial,  and  Titmouse's  marriage 
with  the  Lady  Cecilia.  It  occurred  to 
him,  as  calculated,  moreover,  to  aid 
his  contemplated  movements,  if  he 
could  find  a  fair  pretext  for  throwing 
overboard  his  partners,  especially  Mr. 
Quirk — satisfied  that  his  own  uniform 
caution  had  prevented  him  from  com- 
mitting himself  to  them — or  at  least 
had  deprived  them  of  means  of  proving 
it.  He  very  soon  met  with  an  oppor- 
tunity, of  which  he  promptly  availed 
himself. 

Seme  week  or  ton  days  after  the  com- 


G01 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


mencement  of  tho  term,  Jfr.  Quirk  was 
walking  down  Parliament  Street,  on 
his  way  to  the  Court  of  King's  Bench, 
hoping,  amongst  other  tilings,  to  hear 
the  court  ray  whether  they  would 
grant  or  refuse  a  rule  nut  for  a  new 
'  d,  in  a  certain  cause  of  WlCLEY  v. 
Gammon',  which  had  been  moved  for 
on  the  first  day  of  term  by  Sir  Charles 
Wolstenholme,  and  which  Lord  Wid- 
drington  had  said  the  court  would 
take  a  day  or  two's  time  to  consider. 
Jlr.  Quirk's  eye  caught  the  figure  of  a 
person,  a  few  Q  advance  of  him, 

which  he  fancied  he  had  seen  before. 
In  a  few  minutes'  time  the  old  gentle- 
man was  covered  with  a  cold  perspir- 
ation ;  for  in  a  young  man,  about 
thirty  years  old,  decently  dressed  — 
thin,  sallow,  and  wearing  a  very  de- 
pressed air — Mr.  Quirk  recognized  Mr. 
Bteggabs — a  gentleman  whom  he  had 
•iii'd  to  be  at  that  moment  com- 
fortably settled  at  Botany  Bay  !  This 
was  the  individual,  it  may  be  recol- 
lected, whose  execrable  breach  of  trust, 
whin  a  clerk  of  Jlr.  Parkinson's  at 
Ciilsion,  had  led  to  Jlr.  Quirk's  dis- 
covery of  the  infirmity  in  Jlr. 
Aubivy's  title.  The.  fact  was,  that 
Jlr.  Steggara  had  quitted  England,  as 
tin;  reader  may  recollect,  horribly  dis- 
gusted with  Jlr.  Quirk's  conduct 
towards  him  ;  and  had  also  subse- 
quently experienced  some  little  remorse 
on  account  of  his  own  mean  and  cruel 
conduct  towards  a  gentleman  and  his 
amiable  family,  who  had  never  given 
him  the  slighti  st  pretext  for  hostility 
or  revenge.  He  had  contrived  to  make 
his  feelings  upon  the  subject  known 
to  an  offii  ial  individual  at  Botany 
Bay,  who  had  given  him  an  opportu- 
nity r.f  explaining  matters  fully  to 
the  authorities  at  home-  the  principal 
of  whom,  the  Home  Secretary,  had 
1  n,  and  indeed  continued  to  be,  a 
warm  pen  mal  friend  of  Mr.  Aubrey's. 
This  mini  I  r  i  an  d  enquiries  to  be 
ma'!  nine  Steggara1  behaviour 

while  abroad,  which  were  bo  sati 

!   as  to  procure  a  re- 

remainder    of    his 

•  i*  he  was  enfe  i  ing  upon 

his  foil:-  ■  at    Botany 

!  Ui   return — 


which  had  taken  place  only  a  few  days 
before  the  commencement  of  Michael- 
mas term — he  sought  out  J'Ir.  Aubrey's 
attorneys,  Messrs.  Runnington,  and 
put  them  fully  inposs  ssion  of  all  the 
facts  of  the  case  relating  to  Mr. 
Quirk's  grossly  dishonourable  conduct 
in  obtaining  and  acting  upon  a  know- 
ledge of  the  supposed  defect  in  Jlr. 
Aubrey's  title.  Upon  Jlr.  Quirk's 
coming  alongside  of  this  gentleman, 
and  looking  at  him  with  a  most  anxious 
inquisitiveness,  he  encountered  a  fear- 
fully significant  glance — and  then  Jlr. 
Steggara,  in  a  very  pointed  and  abrupt 
manner,  crossed  over  the  street  for  tho 
purpose  of  avoiding  him.  Jlr.  Quirk 
was  so  dreadfully  disconcerted  by  this 
occurrence,  that  instead  of  going  on  to 
court,  where  lie  would  have  heard  Mr. 
Gammon's  rule  for  a  new  trial  refused, 
he  retraced  his  steps  homeward,  and 
arrived  at  the  office  just  as  a  clerk 
was  enquiring  for  him  ;  and  who,  on 


i- as  eiKiuirn 
:eing  him, 


put  into  his  hands  tho 
following  startling  document,  being  a 
"  Jiul;"  which  had  been  granted  the 
day  before,    by  the   Court  of  King's 

Bench  : — 

"On  reading  tho  Affidavit  of  Jona- 
than Steggaes,  the  affidavits  of 
James  Parkinson  and  Charles  Run- 
nington, and  the  paper-writing  marked 
A,  all  hereunto  annexed,  Itis  oedehed 
that  Caleb  Quirk,  Gentleman,  an  at- 
torney of  this  Honourable  Court,  do, 
on  Wednesday  next,  in  this  present 
term,  show  cause  why  he  should  not 
forthwith  deliver  up  to  Charles  Au- 
brey, Esquire,  the  deeds  and  docu- 
ments specified  in  the  paper-writing 
hereto  annexed,  marked  A,  and  < 
why  ha  should  not  answer  the  matters 
contained  in  the  said  Affidavit. 
Upon  tho  motion  of  Six  Charles 
"Wolstenholme. 

"By  the  Court." 

"  Oli  Lord!  "  exclaimed  Jir.  Quirk 
faintly,  and,  sinking  into  his  chair, 
enquired  for  Jlr.  Gammon;  but,  as 
Usual,  lie  had  not  been  at  the  o1 
that  day.  (living  orders  to  Jlr. 
Amminodah  to  have  copies  til. en  im- 
mediately of  the  affidavits  mention  d 
in  l!i'  rule,  Mr.  Quirk  setoff  for  Jlr. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


G55 


Gammon's  chambers,  but  missed  that 
gentleman,  who,  he  learned,  was  down 
at  court.  The  next  day  Mr.  Gammon 
called  at  the  office,  but  Mr.  Quirk  was 
absent ;  on  going,  however,  into  the 
old  gentleman's  room,  Mr.  Gammon's 
e)'e  lit  on  the  above-mentioned 
"rule,"  and  also  on  the  affidavits 
upon  which  it  had  been  granted. 
Having  hurriedly  glanced  over  them, 
he  hastily  replaced  them  on  the  desk, 
as  he  had  found  them,  and  repaired  to 
his  own  room  greatly  flustered — re- 
solved to  wait  for  Mr.  Quirk's  arrival, 
and  appear  to  be  informed  by  him,  for 
the  first  time,  of  the  existence  of  the 
aforesaid  rule  and  affidavits.  "While 
he  was  really  buried  in  a  reverie,  with 
his  head  resting  on  one  hand  and  a 
pen  in  the  other,  his  countenance 
miserably  pale  and  harassed,  Mr. 
Quirk  burst  hastily  into  his  room  with 
the  rule  and  affidavits  in  his  hand. 

"  Oh  Lord,  Gammon !  How  are  you, 
Gammon  ? "  he  stuttered.  "  Haven't 
seen  you  this  age  ! — Where  have  you 
been?  How  are  you,  eh?"  and  he 
grasped  very  cordially  the  cold  hand 
of  Mr.  Gammon,  which  did  not  return 
the  pressure. 

"  I  am  not  very  well,  Mr.  Quirk ; 
but — you  seem  agitated  ! — Has  any- 
thing fresh  hap " 

"Fresh  ? — Fcod,  my  dear  Gammon  ! 
Fresh,  indeed  I     Here's  a  neio  enemy 

come  into   the   field  ! — D d   if    I 

don't  feel  going  mad  ! — Look,  Gam- 
mon, look!  " — and  he  placed  the  rule 
and  affidavits  in  Mr.  Gammon's  hands, 
and  sat  down  beside  him. 

"  "What ! —  Answer  Ubc  matters  of  the 
affidavit?"  quoth  Gammon  amazedly. 
— "Why,  what  have  you  been  doing, 
Mr.  Quirk  ?  And — who  upon  earth  is 
Jonatlian  Stcggars  ?  " 

"Who's  Steggars!"  echoed  Mr. 
Quirk  stupidly. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Quirk — Stcggars.  Who 
is  he  ? "  repeated  Gammon  intrepidly. 

"Steggais,  you  know — Gammon! 
You  recolk-ct  Steggars,  of  course — 
eh  ? "  enquired  Mr.  Quirk  with  an 
apprehensive  stare — "  Steggars  ;  Steg- 
gars— you  know !  eh  ?  You  don't 
recollect !  Oh,  botheration  I  Come, 
jome,  Gammon  ! " 


"Who  is  he?"  again  enquired 
Gammon,  somewhat  sternly. 

"  Oh  Lud  !  oh  Lud !  oh  Lud  !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Quirk  despairingly  — 
"  What  arc  you  after,  Gammon  ?  You 
don't  intend— it  can't  be — that  you're 
going  to — eh  ? — It's  Steggars,  you 
know — we  defended  him,  you  know — 
and  he  got  transported  for  robbing 
Parkinson.  You  recollect  how  We  got 
hold  of  Mr.  Aubrey's  story  from  him  ? " 
While  Mr.  Quirk  was  saying  all  this 
with  feverish  impetuosity,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon appeared  to  be,  for  the  first  time, 
glancing  eagerly  over  the  affidavits. 

"  Why — good  heavens,  Mr.  Quirk  !  " 
said  he,  presently,  with  a  start — "is 
it  possible  that  these  statements  can 
have  the  slightest  foundation  in  fact  ? " 

"Ay,  drat  it — that  you  know  as 
well  as  1  do,  Gammon,"  replied  Mr. 
Quirk,  with  not  a  little  eagerness  and 
trepidation — "Come,  come,  it's  rather 
late  in  the  day  to  sham  Abraham  just 
now." 

"Do  you  venture,  Mr.  Quirk,  to 
stand  there  and  deliberately  charge  mo 
with  being  a  party  to  the  grossly  dis- 
honourable conduct  of  which  you  are 
here  accused  upon  oath — which,  in- 
deed, you  admit  yourself  to  have  been 
guilty  of?" 

"  D d  if  I  don't,  Master  Gam- 
mon ! "  replied  Mr.  Quirk,  slapping 
his  hand  on  the  table  after  a  long 
pause,  in  which  he  looked  completely 
confounded.  "AVhy,  you'll  want,  by 
and  by,  to  persuade  me  that  my  name 
isn't  Caleb  Quirk — why,  zounds !  you'll 
drive  me  mad !  You're  gone  n>ad 
yourself — you  must  be  !  " 

"  How  dare  you  insult  me,  sir,  by 
charging  me  with  conniving  at  your 
infamous  and  most  unprofessional 
conduct  ? " 

"Why — come!  You  don't  know 
how  we  first  got  scent  of  the  whola 
thing  ? — Ah,  ha  !  It  dropped  down 
from  the  clouds,  I  suppose,  into  our 
office— oh  lud,  lud,  Gammon  !  it  isn't 
kind  to  leave  an  old  friend  in  the  lurch 
at  such  a  horrid  pinch  as  this  !  " 

"  I  tell  you,  Mr.  Quirk,  that  I  never 
had  the  least  idea  in  the  world  that 
this  wretch  Steggars  —  Faugh!  I 
should  have  scouted  the  whole  thing ! 


C5G 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YJ2AR. 


I  would  rather  have  retired  from  the 
Una!" 

"  That's  it,  Gammon  !  Go  on,  Gam- 
mon !  This  is  uncommonly  funny! 
It  is,  indeed,  ah,  ha  !  " 

"This  is  no  time  for  trifling,  sir, 
believe  me,  Let  me  tell  you  thus 
much,  in  all  candour — that  I  certainly 
i,  from  fcl  .  misgivings  as  to 
the  means  by  which  you  became  pos- 
ed  of  this  information;  but,  con- 
sidering our  relative  si: nations,  I  did 
not  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  press  you 
on  the  point — Oh,  Mr.  Quirk,  I  am 
really  shocked  beyond  all  bounds  ! 
What  will  the  profession  think  of " 

"]) the  profession  !    Whatd'ye 

think  I  must  b  •  just  now  thinking  of 
you?  'Why,  you'd  make  a  dog  strike 
its  father!  " 

"  1  may  have  been  unfortunate,  Mr. 
1  irk — I  may  have  been  imprudent ; 
but  I  have  never  been  dishonourable — 
nnd  I  woidd  not  for  the  whole  creation 
have  my  nemo  associated  with  this 
infernal  transac " 

"  Come,  come — who  wanted  me  to 
forge  a  tombstone,  Gammon?"  en- 
quired -Mr.  Quirk,  glancing  very  keenly 
at  his  friend. 

"  Wanted  you  to  forge  a  tombstone, 
sir  !  "  echoed  Gammon,  with  an  air  of 
astonishment; 

"Ay  I    ay  I     Forge   a    tombstone!" 
;     Mr.    Quirk,    dropping    his 
V0108,  and  .slapping  one  hand  upon  the 
other. 

"  Upon  my  word  and  honour,  Mr. 
Quirk,  I  pity  you  !     You've  lost  your 

SB." 

"  You  wanted  me  to  forge  n  tomb- 
stone!     1) d  if  you  didn't !  " 

"  You  had  bctti  r  |  o  home,  Mr. 
1  rk,  and  take  some  physic  to  clear 
your  head,  for  I  am  sun'  you're  going 
wroi  iid  Qainniou. 

"  Oh,  <  rammon,  Gammon  !     Aren't 

?rou  i   of   yourself]    Come — 

lonour  among  thieves  I  Be  honest   for 

"  Y(  or  conduct  is  so  extraordinary, 

Mr.  bat  1  must  request  you  in 

in,  Hir — 


"I     .     .  t   -  i  t".s  mint  too ' 


—a 


U0tll 


'  !    his    lingers    with    a 

air. 


"Then  I  will,  sir,"  replied  Gammon 
with  a  low  bow  ;  and,  taking  up  his 
hat,  moved  towards  the  door. 

"You      sha'n't,      Gammon  —  you 
mus'n't!"  cried  Quirk,  but  in  Vain — 
Mr.  Gammon  had  taken  his  final  de- 
parture,   leaving    Mr.    Quirk   on    the 
very  verge  of  madness.      By-and-by 
he  went  into   Snap's   room,  "who   sat 
there  the  picture  of  misery  and  terror; 
for  whereas  it  had  always  seemed  to 
him   that   he   had   never   been   fairly 
admitted    into    the    confidence  of  his 
senior  partners  in  the  very  important 
matters  which  had  been  going  on  for 
the  last   two  years — now,  that  every. 
thing  was  going  wrong,   he  was  can- 
didly given  er.dit  by  Mr.  Quirk  and 
Mr.  Gammon  for  having  lent  a  help- 
ing hand  to  everything  from  the  very 
beginning !    In  fact,  he  was  frightened 
out  of   his  wits  at  the  terrible   turn 
things  were    taking.     'Twas  he   that 
had  to  stand  the  brunt  of  the  horrid 
badgering  of  the  three  frenzied  Jews  ; 
he  was  included  in  half-a-dozen    in- 
dictments for  fraud  and  conspiracy,  at 
the   instance  of  these    three    accursed 
Jews,  and  of  the  assignees  of  Mr.  Tag- 
rag  ;  and   Heaven  only  could  form  a 
notion  of  what  other  things  were  in 
store  for  him  !      lie  wondered  vastly 
that    they  had  not  contrived  to  sti  k 
Jus  name  into  the  affidavits  which  had 
that  day  come  in,   and  which  seemed 
to  have  turned  Mr.  Qniik's  head  up- 
i  ide  down.     But  conscious  of  his  own 
innocence,  he  resolved  to  hold  on  to 
the  last,  with  a  view,  in   the  event   of 
the  partnership  blowing  up,  of  scrap- 
ing i    -•  iheranice  little  practice  out 
of  the  remnants. 

Half  recklessly,  and  half  in  further- 
ance of  some  designs  which  he  was 
forming,  Gammon  followed  up,  on  the 
ensuing  morning,  his  move  with  Mr. 
Quirk,  by  sending  to  him  and  to  .Mr. 
Snap  a  formal  written  notice  of  his 
intention  to  retire  from  the  partm 
ship,  in  couformity  with  the  provisions 
of  their  articles,  at  the  end  of  a  c 
i  ndar  month  from   th  ;  and  ho 

rod  to  take  no  part  at  all  in  the 
in  Ltter  to  whir!,  .Mr.  Quirk's  attention 
had  been  so  sternly  challenged  by  the 
Court  of  King's  Hench— leaving"  Mr. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIt. 


657 


Qairk  to  straggle  through  it  as  hest 
he  might.  But  what  was  Mr.  Gam- 
mon to  do  ?  He  could  not  stir  a  step 
in  any  direction  for  want  of  money — 
getting  every  hour  more  and  more  in- 
volved and  harassed  on  this  score. 
The  ecclesiastical  suit  he  had  given  up, 
and  Mr.  Quod  had  instantly  sent  in 
his  heavy  hill,  requiring  immediate 
payment — reminding  Mr.  Gammon 
that  he  had  pledged  himself  to  see 
him  paid,  whatever  might  be  the 
issue.  Here,  again,  was  an  action  of 
ejectment,  on  a  tremendous  scale, 
actually  commenced,  and  being  vigor- 
ously carried  on  for  the  recovery  of 
every  acre  of  the  Yatton  property. 
Was  it  to  be  resisted  ?  "Where  were 
the  funds  ?  Here  he  was,  again,  al- 
ready a  defendant  in  four  indictments, 
charging  fraud  and  conspiracy — pro- 
ceedings entailing  a  most  destructive 
expense  ;  and  his  motion  for  a  new 
trial   in   the   action   for    the   bribery 

fienalty  having  failed,  he  was  now 
iable  to  pay,  almost  instantly,  some 
£2500  to  the  plaintiff  for  debt  and 
costs.  As  for  the  balance  of  their  bill 
against  Mr.  Aubrey,  that  was  melting 
away  hourly  in  the  taxing-office  ;  and 
the  undoubted  result  would  be  an 
action  against  them,  at  the  suit  of  Mr. 
Aubrey,  for  a  malicious  arrest.  AVas 
it  possible,  thought  Gammon,  to  make 
the  two  promissory  notes  of  Mr. 
Aubrey  available,  by  discontinuing  the 
actions,  and  indorsing  over  the  notes 
at  a  heavy  discount  ?  He  took  an 
opinion  upon  the  point — which  was 
to  the  effect,  that  such  a  step  could 
not  be  taken,  so  as  to  give  any  third 
party  a  better  right  against  Mr.  Aubrey 
than  Mr.  Titmouse  had.  But  even 
had  this  been  otherwise,  an  unexpected 
obstacle  arose  in  Mr.  Spitfire,  who 
now  held  Mr.  Gammon  at  arms'  length, 
and  insisted  on  going  forward  with 
the  actions — when  he,  in  his  turn,  was, 
as  it  were,  checkmated  by  a  move  of 
Mr.  Runnington's  iu  the  Court  of 
Chancery  ;  where  he  obtained  an  in- 
junction against  proceeding  with  the 
actions,  till  the  result  of  the  pending 
action  of  ejectment  should  have  been 
ascertained  ;  and  in  the  event  of  the 
lessor  of  the  plaintiff  recovering,  an 


account  taken  of  the  mesne  profits 
which  had  been  received  by  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse. No  one,  of  course,  would  now 
advance  a  farthing  on  mortgage 
of  Mr.  Titmouse's  interest  in  the 
Yatton  property  ;  and  Mr.  Gammon's 
dearly-earned  rrnt-charge  of  £2000 
a-year  had  become  mere  waste  parch- 
ment, and  as  such  he  destroyed  it. 
The  advertisements  concerning  Lord 
De  la  Zouch's  bond,  had  effectually 
restrained  Mr.  Gammon  from  raising 
anything  upon  it ;  since  any  one 
advancing  money  upon  the  security 
of  its  assignment,  must  have  put  it 
in  suit  against  his  lordship,  when  due, 
in  the  name  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  and  any 
answer  to  an  action  by  him,  would  of 
course  operate  against  the  party  using 
his  name.  Mr.  Gammon  then  be- 
thought himself  of  felling  the  timber 
at  Yatton  ;  but,  as  if  that  step  on  his 
part  had  been  anticipate  1,  before  they 
had  got  down  move  than  a  couple  of 
trees  at  the  extremity  of  the  estate, 
down  came  an  injunction  from  the 
Lord  Chancellor,  and  so  there  was  an 
end  of  all  resources  from  that  quarter. 
Should  he  try  the  experiment  of 
offering  to  surrender  Yatton  without 
the  delay  and  expense  of  defending 
the  ejectment  ?  He  knew  he  should 
be  laughed  at ;  they  must  quickly  see 
that  he  had  no  funds  to  fight  with, 
even  had  he  the  slightest  case  to 
support.  Mr.  Gammon  saw  that  Mr. 
Aubrey's  position  was  already  impreg- 
nable, and  the  no!  ion  of  a  compromise 
utterly  ridiculous.  As  for  resources 
of  his  own,  he  had  none,  for  he  had 
been  exceedingly  unfortunate  in  his 
dealings  in  the  British  and  Foreign 
funds,  and  had  suffered  severely  and 
unexpectedly  through  his  connexion 
with  one  or  two  of  the  bubble  com- 
panies of  the  day.  In  fact  he  was 
liable  to  be  called  upon  at  any  moment 
for  no  less  a  sum  than  £3000,  and 
interest,  which  had  been  advanced  to 
him  on  security  of  a  joint  and  several 
bond  given  by  himself  and  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse ;  and  he  lived  in  daily  dread 
lest  the  increasing  frequency  of  the 
rumours  to  his  discredit,  should  get  to 
the  ears  of  this  particular  creditor,  and 
precipitate  his  demand  of  repayment. 

uu 


053 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


To  the   vexation  occasioned  by  this 
direct  p  cuniaxy  embarrassment,  and 
ibiliry   of    retrieving 
'  y  a  move  in  any  direction — 
ort,  in  :i  complete  dead- 
re  to  be  added  other  sources 
inxi.-ty  and  mortification. 
To  i  '  lie  perilon8  legal 

and  criminal  liabilities  which  he  had 
incurred,  the  consciousness  of  bis 
apj  o  ions  liar,  and  indeed 

an' :  .  in  the  eyes  of  the   Dnke 

of  Tantallan,   of  the  Karl  of  Dred- 
dlington,   of   Miss   Macspleuchan,   of 
Aubreys,  of  Miss  Aubrey — in  fact, 
of  i  who  saw  or  heard  of  what 

he   had  done — stung  him   almost  to 
madm  s ;  considerations  of  this  kind 
were  iufmitely  more  insupportable  than 
all   the  minis  by  which  he  was  op- 
put  together.      And  when  he 
thai  the  Lord  Chancellor,  to 
whose  favourable  notice  he  had  ever 
>1 — and,  to  a  considerable 
lly — had  been  put  in 
posses    "ii  of  all   tin;  heavy  charges 
made  against    him,   on   the  score   of 
fraud  and  conspiracy,  by  means  of  the 
various  motions  made  before  his  lord- 
Bhip,  and  the  a1'  davits  by  which  they 
supported,  he  felt  his  soul  with- 
i  n  ■!  within  him.     In  short,  it,  m 
surely  appear,  by  this  time,  thai  the 
Devil  had,  in  hi  i  di  mal  sport,  got  his 
friend  Mr.  Gammon  up  into  a  corner. 
In    like   manner   Mr.  Titmouse   had 
r  troubles— for  he  was  all  of  a 
sudden   reduced   very   nearly   to   the 

His  credit- 
ors of  every  kind  and  degree  seemed 
actuated  by  the  Bpiril  of  the  law  of 
the  Twelve  Tables — which,  when  a 
debtor  ■  olvent,    permitti  'I   his 

creditors  to  cul  him,  bodily,  phy  ically, 
int  in   proportion  to  the   re- 

nt' their  cl 
nst  him.    Action  i  were  commend  '1 
him  by  the  three  Jews,  on  his 
eovi  ipal   and 

int 

• 

i    pro- 
d  for 

i    of    money,     which    had 

1      i  lent  him  on  terms  of  the  i 

there 


a  singlo  tradesman  in  town  or  country 
with  whom  he  had  ever  dealt,  that  had 
not  sind  or  was  not  about  to  sue  him. 
y  article  of  furniture  both  at 
Vat  ton  and  at  his  lodgings — great  or 
-mall,  cabs,  harness,  horses — all  had 
disappeared ;  and,  hut  for  the  pro- 
tection  afforded  to  his  person  by 
privilege  of  Parliament,  he  would 
have  been  pounced  upon  by  at  least 
a  hundred  ravenous  and  infuriate 
creditors  in  an  instant,  and  never  been 
seen  or  heard  of  any  more,  except  ou 
the  occasion  of  some  feeble  and  vain 
cry  for  relief  under  the  Insolvent 
Debtors'  Act.  He  had  been  obliged, 
"ii  coming  up  from  Yatton,  to  borrow 
five  pounds  from  poor  Dr.  Tatham  ! — 
who,  though  infinitely  surprised  at 
the  application,  and  greatly  incon- 
venienced  by  compliance  with  it,  lent 
him  cheerfully  the  sum  he  asked  for; 
Titmouse,  the  little  scamp,  pledging 
himself  to  enclose  the  Doctor  a  live- 
pound  note  by  the  first  post  after  his 
reaching  town.  That,  however,  even 
had  he  ever  intended  giving  the  matter 
a  thought,  he  could  no  more  have  done 
than  he  could  have  sent  Dr.  Tatham 
the  mitre  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury ;  in  consequence  of  which  the 
worthy  little  Doctor  was  obliged  to 
postpone  his  long-meditated  purchase 
of  a  black  coat  and  breeches  inde- 
finitely. The  morning  after  Titmouse's 
return,  he  betook  himself  to  Saffron 
Hill,  which  he  reached  just  as  Mr. 
Quirk  and  Mr.  Snap,  deserted  by 
Mr.  Gammon,  were  endeavouring,  in 
tion  and  terror,  to  concoct 
affidavits  in  answer  t<>  those  on  which 
the  rule  in  the  Court  of  King's  Bench 
had  been  obtained.  Mr.  Amminadab, 
with  a  little  hesitation,  yielded  to  his 
importunities,  and  allowed  him  to  go 
into  Mr.  Quirk's  room. 

"Oh  Lud  !  Oh  hud  !— you— you 
— you— infernal  little  villain!"  cried 
oul  Mr.  Quirk,  hastily  approaching 
him,  pale  and  Btuttering  with  fury — 
and,  taking  him  by  the  collar,  turned 
him  by  main  force  out  of  the  room. 

"I  say! — I  say! — Come,  sir!  I'm 
a  member  of ' 

"I'll  member  you,  you  impostor  | 
<  lei  out  with  you  !— get  out !  " 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


C59 


"So  help  me 
other    attor- 


-  I   I'll  go  to  some 
gasped    Titmouse, 
ineffectually  struggling   against    Mr. 
Quirk. 

"  Eugh  ! — Beast!  "  exclaimed  Snap, 
who  kept  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Quirk, 
ready  to  give  any  assistance  that  might 
be  requisite. 

"  What  have  I eh?— What  have 

I  done  —  demme  !  —  Come,  come  — 
hollo  !  hands  off " 

"If  ever  —  if  ever  —  if  ever  you 
dare  show  your  cursed  little  face 
here — again"— sputtered  Mr.  Quirk, 
trembling  with  rage. 

"This  is  breach  of  privilege  ! — On 
my  life  I'll — I  really  will — I'll  com- 
plain to  the  House  to-night."  By  this 
time  he  had  been  forced  through  the 
outer  door  into  the  street,  and  the 
door  closed  furiously  behind  him.  A 
little  crowd  was  instantly  collected 
around  him,  and  he  might  possibly 
have  thought  of  addressing  them,  in 
terms  of  inJignant  eloquence,  but  he 
was  deterred  by  the  approach  of  a 
policeman  with  a  very  threatening 
countenance,  and  slunk  down  Saffron 
Hill  iu  a  shocking  state  of  mind. 
Then  he  hurried  to  Thavies'  Inn,  pale 
as  death — and  with  a  tremulous  voice 
enquired  for  Mr.  Gammon  ;  but  that 
gentleman  had  given  special  orders  to 
be  invariably  denied  to  him.  Again 
and  again  he  called — and  was  again 
and  again  repulsed  ;  and  though  he 
lingered  on  one  or  two  occasions  for 
an  hour  at  least,  in  order  to  waylay 
Mr.  Gammon,  it  was  in  vain.  Letter 
after  letter  he  sent,  but  with  no  better 
effect ;  and  at  length  the  laundress 
re  used  to  take  them  in. 

Gammon  dared  not  see  Titmouse  ; 
not  because  he  feared  Titmouse,  but 
himself. 

The  House  of  Commons  was  sitting, 
unusual  as  was  such  an  occurrence  at 
that  time  of  the  year  ;  but  Parliament 
had  been  called  together  on  a  special 
urgency,  and  a  very  fierce  and  des- 
perate contest  was  carrying  on  between 
the  Opposition  and  the  Ministers, 
whose  very  existence  was  at  stake,  and 
almost  nightly  divisions  were  melting 
down  their  majority  till  they  were 
within  an  ace  of  being  hi  a  positive 


minority.  Under  these  circumstances, 
although  Mr.  Titmouse's  position  had 
become  a  matter  of  notoriety,  and  he 
could  no  longer  exhibit  in  public  even 
the  outside  show  and  trappings  of  a 
man  of  fashion,  beyond  his  mere  per- 
sonal finery,  (which  had  become  very 
precious,  because  he  saw  no  means  of 
replacing  it,)  and  though  he  was  cut, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  by  every  one 
out  of  doors,  yet  he  found  he  had  one 
frieud,  at  least,  in  his  extremity,  who 
scorned  to  imitate  the  fiek'c  and  per- 
fidious conduct  of  all  around  him. 
That  frank  and  manly  individual  was 
no  less  a  person,  to  his  honour  be  it 
spoken,  than  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury — and  ich  ipper-in — Mr.  Flum- 
mery ;  who  always  spoke  to  him  in  the 
most  cordial  and  confiding  manner,  and 
once  or  twice  even  asked  him  to  jo'n 
his  dinner-table  at  Bellamy's.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  Mr.  Titmouse 
resolved  to  put  Mr.  Flummery's  friend- 
ship to  the  test,  and  boldly  asked  for 
"a  place."  His  distinguished  friend 
appeared  certainly  startled  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  evidently  felt  inward- 
ly tickled,  as  was  evinced  by  a  faint 
twitching  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth. 
He  proceeded,  however,  in  a  very  con- 
fidential manner,  to  ask  Mr.  Titmouse 
as  to  his  familiarity  with  financial 
matters  ;  for  (in  the  most  sacred  con- 
fidence) it  did  so  happen  that,  although 
no  one  knew  it  but  himself  and  one 
other  person,  there  was  sure  to  be  a 
vacancy  in  a  certain  office  within  a 
fortnight  at  furthest ;  and,  without 
saying  anything  further,  Mr.  Flum- 
mery laid  his  finger  on  his  lip,  and 
looked  steadfastly  at  Titmouse,  who 
did  similarly ;  and  within  half  an 
hour's  time  made  one  of  a  glorious 
majority  of  four,  obtained  by  the  tri- 
umphant Ministry.  Titmouse  was  now 
iu  excellent  spirits  concerning  his 
future  prospects,  and  felt  that,  if  he 
could  but  contrive  to  hold  on  during 
the  fortnight  intervening  between  him 
and  his  accession  to  office,  all  would  be 
well.  He  therefore  conceived  he  had 
nothing  to  do  but  apply  to  some  one 
or  two  friends,  whom  he  had  accom- 
modated with  loans,  for  repayment. 
But,    alas !    Mr.    O'Doodle    acknow- 

V  V    2 


660 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


that  his  exchequer  waa  empty 

then  ;  mid  Mr.  M*Squash  said  he 

I  he  had  repaid  Mr.  Tit- 

andred  pound-  which  he 

lent  him,  but  would  look  and 

o  Mr.  Titmouse  ventured  to  apply 

-that  gentleman  being 

Titmou  tune  of  - 

fire  hundred  pounds.     He  called  Mr. 

Titmouse  aside,  and  in  the  most  deli- 

and  reeling  manner  intimated  the 

it  would  have  afforded  him  to 

md   to   the   call  of  Mr.  Titmouse 

d    .•  r  ordinary  circumstances;  l»ut  the 

f    •  was,  he  felt  placed  in  a  most  pain- 

:  barrassing  position,  onaccounl 

of  the  grave  doubts  which  had  occurred 

a  i"  the  right  of  Mr.  Titmouse 

either  to  have  lent  the  money  at  all, 

or,  utly,  to  receive  repayment 

of  it.      J::  Bhort,  the  lawyers  would 

c :  11  this  Betting  up  the  jus  tertii;  Mr. 

(ri.iM.et  protesting    that  he   looked 

i.  in  point  of  conscience, 

as  a  trustee  of  the  money  for  the  real 

owner;  and,  till  he  should  have  b 

discovered,    hound   to  retain   it  —  so 

is  sometimes  the  performance 

of  one's   duty  !     Titmouse  could  not 

in  the  least  appreciate  these  exquisite 

scruples  ;  but  knowing  Mr.  O'Gibbet's 

influence    over    Mr.     Flummery,    he 

•  to  acquiesce  in  the  propriety 

of  what  was  advanced  by  Mr.  0* ; i ' .- 

bet,  who,  on  ben  him 

the  pounds. 

Finding  that  those  whom  he  had  till 
then  imagined  hound  to  consider  his 
interests,  had,  in  so  unprincipled  and 
ful  a  manner,  deserted  him,  In 
ired    to  be   tni     to   him:  elf,  and 
the  powers  of  hi    mind  to  the 
templation  of  his  nn  urn- 

stance*,  and  ho  iuld  act  with 

After  due  and  deep  reflec- 
tion, a  very  felicitous  Btroke  occurred 

II  ■  did  not  know  the  i 
state  of  the  i  with  n  fe  ence  to 

the  right  to  of  Yatton 

— li  ' 

'  hat  moment  vir- 
!  •  njoym<  i 

!  to 
Mr.  ibl:*,  that 

fair 
■ 


mouse — had  unquestionably  the  advan- 
tage over  him  at  present,  having  nine- 
tenths  of  the  law  on  his  side — viz. 
8*071  ;  and  if  he  were  to  propose 
plit  their  differences  by  making  au 
off  r  of  his  hand  and  heart  to  Miss 
Aubrey,  it  could  do  no  harm,  and 
might  be  attended  with  the  happiest 
results.  How  was  she  to  know  the 
desperate  shifts  to  which  he  was  driven 
at  present  ?  And  if  he  could  hut  con- 
trive, consistently  with  his  pledge  to 
Mr.  Flummery,  to  give  her  an  inkling 
of  the  brilliant  prospects  that  awaited 
him  !  In  short,  I  am  able  to  give  tho 
r<  ader  an  exact  copy  of  a  letter  which, 
after  infinite  pains,  two  days  being 
spent  over  it,  he  sent  so  Miss  Aubrey  ; 
and  which  was  duly  forwarded  to  her, 
and  deposited  in  her  hands,  as  she 
alighted  from  her  horse,  on  returning 
from  a  ride  with  Mr.  Delamcro  and 
Lord  Dc  la  Zoueh.  Here  follows  that 
skilful  and  touching  performance  : — 

"  House  of  Comons, 
"  Wednesday  Nov.  — ,  18 — . 

"  (Private.) 

"Madam,— hoping  That  this  Will 
not  Disapoint  you  Through  Strai 
ness  (which  I  own  Looks  Somewhat 
So)  at  First  sight  of  my  adrca  ing 
This  Epistle  to  You,  to  Say  Ever  Bince 
I  Have  had  The  unhapiness  to  he  a 
Widdower  Since  the  Heath  of  Lady 
Cecilia  Titm<>us-  of  which  There  Is 
Many    False    accounts    Every   Thing 

Entirely  Wrong  (For  the  pre  i 
with  me,  all  For  Want  of  a  Lady 
Which  \\'i  feel  That  Conubial  lutcrn.«'t 
in  me  That  is  So  delightful  In  The 
Married  State.  1  was  Honoured  With 
writing  To  You  Boon  After  I  was  so 
Happy  as  to  Gel  the  Property  But 
Supose  you  could  not  Have  Got  It 
Seeing  I  got  No  Ans?-  And  Nad 
Buposed  There  Was  obstacles  In  Tho 
Way  For  it  Was  Settled  Soon  as  Yen 
might  have  Heard  That  I  was  to  Mary 

■  ousin  (The  Lady  Cecilia)  whom  J 
1  Truly  till  Death  cut   Her  Short 

On  her  Way  To  an   Krly  Grave,    ' 

I    know   Jl    i ;    In    I  I   ipute   win'.   yr-   le- 

I  irother  or  I  are  Owners  of 

■  m  You  I  I.  iv.'  which   Cave 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


601 


It  me  Once  may  Give  it  Me  Again  and 
No  Mistake — who  knows  (in  this  un- 
certain Life)  whatever  Turns  Up  I  can 
(Betwixt  Ourselves)  assure  You  There 
Is  Something  In  The  Wind  For  me 
wh.  dare  not  Say  More  Of  at  this 
Present.  But  Suposing  You  &  I  shall 
Hit  it  what  Say  You  if  I  should  Pro- 
pose dividing  The  Estate  betwixt  Him 
&  Me  &  Settling  All  my  Half  on  You 
And  as  To  the  Title  (wh.  at  present  I 
Am  Next  to)  what  say  You  To  your 
Brother  and  I  Tossiig  up  for  it  When 
It  conies  for  I  am  Sorry  to  hear  His 
Lordship  is  breaking,  and  I  know  Who 
I  sM-  Like  To  see  Lady  Drclincmirt, 
oh  what  a  hapiness  Only  To  think  Of, 
As  They  are  dividing  very  soon  (And 
they  Do  Run  It  Uncommon  Fine,  But 
Ministers  Must  Be  Suported  or  The 
Country  Will  Go  to  the  -Bcrrr  Dogs) 
Must  Close  Begging  an  Answer  directed 
to  Me  Here,  and  Subscribe  Myself, 

"  Hnd.  and  dear  Madam, 
"  Yrs.  Most  Obediently, 

"T.  Titmouse. 
"Miss  Aubrey, 

"Vivian  Street." 

"  I  hope,  Kate,  you  have  not  been 
giving  this  gentleman  encourage- 
ment ! "  quoth  Delamere,  when  he 
had  read  the  above.  It  formed  a 
topic  of  pleasant  merriment  when  they 
all  met  at  dinner — a  right  cheerful 
party,  consisting  solely  of  the  Aubreys 
and  Lord  and  Lady  De  la  Zouch,  and 
Delamere.  Mr.  Aubrey  had  returned 
from  town  with  important  intelligence. 

"  Mi".  Runniugton  is  steadily  and 
patiently  unravelling,"  said  he,  as 
they  sat  in  unrestrained  converse  after 
dinner — (I  must  take  the  opportunity 
of  saying  that  Miss  Aubrey  looked  as 
beautiful  as  ever,  and  iu  brilliant 
spirits) — "one  of  the  most  monstrous 
tissues  of  fraud  that  ever  was  woven 
by  man  !  We  sometimes  imagine  that 
Mr.  Gammon  must  have  had  in  view 
the  securing  Yatton  for  himself !  The 
firm  of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 
Snap,  are  completely  overwhelmed 
with  the  consequences  of  their  abom- 
inable conduct ! — I  understand  they 
have  terribly  taken  in  the  Jews — to 
the  amount  of  at    least    seventy   or 


eighty  thousand  pounds  of  hard  cash  ; 
and  one  of  them,  it  seems,  on  dis- 
covering that  lie  has  no  security,  very 
nearly  succeeded  in  hanging  himself 
the  other  day  !  " 

"What's  this  I  see  in  the  paper 
about  a  Mr.  Tag-rag?"  enquired  Lord 
De  la  Zouch  : — and  Mr.  Aubrey  told 
him  the  miserable  condition  to  which 
Tag-rag  had  been  reduced  by  the 
alleged  chicanery  of  the  firm  of  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap. 

"Mr.  Runnington  seems  to  be 
managing  matters  with  great  vigour 
and  skill,"  said  his  lordship. 

"Admirably!  admirably!  I  never 
in  my  life  saw  or  heard  of  such  com- 
plete success  as  attends  every  step  he 
takes  against  the  enemy  ;  he  is  hourly 
pressing  them  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
verge  of  the  precipice,  and  cutting  oif 
all  retreat.  They  would  fight,  but 
they  have  no  funds !  Look  at  the 
administration  suit !  "  Mr.  Aubrey 
then  proceeded  to  mention  two  very 
important  circumstances  which  had 
transpired  since  his  former  visit  to 
town.  First,  an  offer  was  understood 
to  have  come  direct  from  Mr.  Gammon, 
to  abandon  the  defence  to  the  eject- 
ment, on  condition  of  his  receiving  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Titmouse  the  sum  of 
two  thousand  pounds  ;  but  Mr.  Run- 
nington had  peremptorily  refused  to 
listen  to  any  proposal  of  the  kind, 
and  the  actions  were,  at  that  moment, 
in  full  progress,  with  every  prospect 
of  there  being  no  real  defence  even 
attempted.  The  next  piece  of  intelli- 
gence was,  that  Messrs.  Screw  and 
Son,  the  solicitors  to  the  Vulture 
Insurance  Company,  had  called  on 
Messrs.  Runnington,  on  learning  that 
they  were  the  solicitors  of  the  party 
to  whom  letters  of  administration  had 
been  granted,  and  intimated  that  the 
directors,  "taking  all  the  circum- 
stances into  their  consideration,"  had 
determined  to  offer  no  further  opposi- 
tion to  the  payment  of  the  policy  on 
the  life  of  the  late  Lady  Stratton. 
Mr.  Screw  talked  very  finely  about 
the  high  principle  and  good  feeling 
which  ever  actuated  that  distinguished 
Company ;  but  he  did  not  tell  Mr. 
RunninEfton  what  was  the  real  cause 


Gd2 


TEN    THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


of  their  abandoning  their  opposition, 

whi  U  was  this  —  that  before   their 

i "  to  examine  their  solo 

.    Dr.    Podagra,   bad    reached 

(         .  th  y  bad  at  ■  identally  received 

authentic  Intelligence  of  his  death;  he 

having  b  I    d  for  vaccinating  the 

infant  of  one  of  the  Chinese!    Under 

,  Mr.  Runnington 

nns  proposed  on  the 

of   the  Company  ;  viz.   that  the 

acti-  continued  forthwith,  each 

party  pay  their  own   costs,   and  the 

who  int  of  the   policy,   minus 

the  £2000  which  had  been  advanced 

to   Lady  Stratton,   be    paid    to  Mr, 

rey  within  a  month  from  the  day 

of  discontinuing  the  action.     Though 

very  vehemently  protested  against 

i',  Bhe   was  at  length  persuaded  to 

w  her  brother  to  act  according  to 

the  manifest  intentions  of  the  vener- 

d;  i  nd  he,  in  hia  turn, 

ived   a   very  gratifying  assurance 

that  she  would  have  given  him,  under 

the  special  circumsl  mces  of  the  case, 

respecting   his  bond    for 

10  given  to  Lady  Stratton,  even 

hod  the  grant  of  administration  to  the 

debtor  interposed  no  technical  oljec- 

tion !     Thus    was    Kate    no    longer    a 

dowerless    maiden;    having    at    her 

absolute  disposal   a   .sum   of  thirteen 

th        '  1    pounds,    in    addition    to 

Which,   i:i   the    event    of   their    being 

to  the  p  in  of  Y  at  ton, 

bIic  would  be  in  the  receipt  of  the 

:  f|  her  as  a  charge  upon  the 

b  i  lather  ;  viz.  live  hum 

While  the  cheering  sunshine  of  re- 
turning prosperity  was  thus  beaming 
with    daily    increasing    warmth    and 
.  upon  the  Aubreys, 

"And  all  the  clouds  that  lowor'dupon  their 
hoc 

I 

"in  m  of  the  ocean  burled  " — 

the  that  proud  and  wi  al;  old 

ul  of   1  Ireddlingtou, 
indi  down  in  dai km         The 

1  which  have  1"  on  laid  at 

er,  arising 
^ordinary   termiu 
foot  by  the  1 


siastical  Court,  and  quickly  ending  in 
the  adoption  of  measures  for  the  im- 
mediate recovery  of  Yatton,  had  at- 
tracted far  too  much  of  public  attention 
to  admit  of  their  being  concealed  from 
the  Earl,  comparatively  secluded  from 
the  world  as  he  was.  But  the  fright- 
ful confirmation  of  his  assertion  con« 
ruing  what  had  occurred  between 
himself  and  Mr.  Gammon,  respecting 
Titmouse,  appeared  to  make  no  com- 
mensurate impression  upon  a  mind  no 
longer  capable  of  appreciating  it.  lie- 
had  been  seized  by  a  partial  paralysis 
shortly  after  the  last  interview  be- 
tween himself,  Mr.  Gammon,  and  the 
Duke  of  Tantallan  ;  and  it  was  evident 
that  his  reason  was  failing  rapidly. 
And  it  was  perhaps  a  merciful  dispen- 
sation, for  it  appeared  that  the  cup  of 
his  misery  and  mortification  was  not 
even  yet  full.  That  other  monstrous 
fabric  of  absurdity  and  fraud,  built 
upon  public  credulity  —  the  Gun- 
powder and  Fresh  Water  Company — 
suddenly  dropped  to  pieces,  principally 
on  account  of  its  chief  architect,  Mr. 
Gammon,  being  unable  to  continue 
that  attention  and  skill  by  which  it 
had  been  kept  so  long  in  existence. 
It  suddenly  exploded,  involving  every- 
body concerned  in  it  in  ruin.  The 
infatuated,  and  now  dismayed,  share- 
holders, and  the  numerous  and  design- 
ing creditors,  came  crowding  round  the 
more  prominent  of  the  parties  con« 
cerned,  clamorous  and  desperate.  Meet- 
ings were  called  from  time  to  time — 
producing,  however,  no  other  results 
than  extending  the  view  of  liability 
incurred.  The  shareholders  had  fondly 
i  iu  tl  that  they  could  repose  with 
ce  on  the  provision  inserted  in 
the  prospectus,  and  in  the  deed  of 
settlement — viz.  that  no  one  was  to  be 
Liable  beyond  the  amount  of  their  sharci 
tally  subscribed   for:    alas  I    how 

dreadful  the  delusion,  and  how  quickly 

it  dissipated  !  The  houses  k(  Lord 
I  Ireddlington,  the  Duke  of  Tantallan, 
and  others,  wen-  be  iegi  d  by  unportun- 

reditora  ;  and  at  length  a  g  ner  d 

ineeiing  was  i  died,  at  which  resolu- 

1  "!y  reflecting 

I  a:  1  id  I  >reddliugton  and  Mr. 

inon  ;  a    !  dirci  ling  the  solicitor 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAtt. 


663 


concerned  for  the  rest  of  the  share- 
holders to  file  a  bill  against  the  Earl 
and  Mr.  Gammon,  for  the  purpose  of 
compelling  them  to  pay  all  the  debts 
incurred  by  the  Company.  More  than 
this,  it  was  threatened  that  unless 
satisfactory  proposals  were  promptly 
received  from,  or  on  behalf  of  the  Earl 
of  Dreddlington,  he  would  be  proceeded 
against  as  a  trader  liable  to  the  bank- 
rupt-laws, and  a  docket  forthwith 
struck  against  him  !  Of  this  crowning 
indignity  impending  over  his  head,  the 
poor  old  peer  was  fortunately  not  con- 
scious, being  at  the  moment  resident 
at  Poppleton  Hall,  in  a  state  not  far 
removed  from  complete  imbecility. 
The  Duke  of  Tantallan  was  similarly 
threatened  ;  and  alarmed  and  enraged 
almost  to  a  pitch  of  madness,  resolved 
to  take  measures  for  completely  ex- 
posing and  punishing  the  individual 
to  whose  fraudulent  plausibility  and 
sophistries  he  justly  attributed  the 
calamity  which  had  befallen  him  and 
the  Earl  of  Dreddlington. 

"  Out  of  this  nettle  danger,  I'll  3-et 
pluck  the  flower  safety," — said  Mr. 
Gammon  to  himself,  as  he  sat  inside 
one  of  the  coaches  going  to  Brighton, 
towards  the  close  of  the  month  of  No- 
vember, being  on  the  morning  after  the 
explosion  of  the  Gunpowder  and  Fresh 
Water  Company.  Inextricably  involved 
as  he  appeared,  yet  he  did  not  despair 
of  retrieving  himself,  and  defeating  the 
vindictive  measures  taken  against  him. 
His  chambers  were  besieged  by  appli- 
cants for  admission — Titmouse  among 
them,  whose  senseless  pertinacity,  over- 
heard by  Gammon  as  he  sat  within, 
while  his  laundress  was  being  daily 
worried  by  Titmouse,  several  times  in- 
flamed him  almost  up  to  the  point  of 
darting  out  and  splitting  open  the 
head  of  the  intruder  ;  old  Mr.  Quirk 
also  sent  daily  letters,  in  a  piteous 
strain,  and  called  besides  daily,  beg- 
ging to  be  reconciled  to  Gammon  ;  but 
he  sternly  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  such 
applications.  In  order  to  escape  this 
intolerable  persecution,  at  all  events 
for  a  while,  and,  in  change  of  scene 
and  air,  unpropitious  as  was  the 
weather,  seek  to  recruit  his  health  and 
spirits,  he  had  determined  upon  spend- 


ing a  week  at  Brighton  ;  tolling  no 
one,  however,  except  his  old  and  faith- 
ful laundress,  his  destination ;  and 
instructing  her  to  say  that  he  was 
gone,  she  believed,  into  Suffolk,  but 
would  certainly  return  to  town  within 
a  week.  His  pale  and  harassed  features 
showed  how  much  he  required  the 
repose  and  relief  he  sought  for,  but 
which  he  sought  for  in  vain.  He  felt 
not  a  whit  the  better  after  a  two  days' 
stay,  though  the  weather  had  suddenly 
cleared  up,  and  the  air  become  brisk 
and  bracing.  "Whithersoever  lie  went, 
he  carried  about  him  a  thick  gloom 
which  no  sunshine  could  penetrate, 
no  breezes  dissipate.  He  could  find 
rest  nowhere,  neither  at  home  nor 
abroad,  neither  alone  nor  in  company, 
neither  sleeping  nor  waking.  His 
brow  was  clouded  by  a  stern  melan- 
choly, his  heart  was  bursting  with  a 
sense  of  defeat,  shame,  exposure,  mor- 
tification ;  and  with  all  his  firmness 
of  nerve,  he  could  not  contemplate  the 
future  but  with  a  shudder  of  appre- 
hension. In  fact,  he  was  in  a  state  of 
intense  nervous  irritability  and  excite- 
ment from  morning  to  night.  On  the 
evening  of  the  third  day  after  his 
arrival,  the  London  paper,  forwarded 
to  him  as  usual  from  t-'.e  neighbouring 
library,  contained  a  paragraph  which 
excited  him  not  a  little  ;  and  which 
was  to  the  effect  that  a  named  solicitor 
of  eminence  had  been  the  day  before 
appointed  by  the  Lord  Chancellor  to  a 
specified  office  ;  being  no  other,  in 
truth,  than  that  which  Gammon  knew 
his  lordship  had  all  along  destined  for 
him;  one  which  he  could  have  filled 
to  admiration,  which  would  have  given 
him  permanent  status  in  society  ;  the 
salary  attached  to  it  being,  moreover, 
£1800  a-year!  Gammon  laid  down 
the  paper,  and  a  sense  of  desolation 
came  into  his  soul.  After  a  while  his 
eye  lit  on  another  part  of  the  paper — 
gracious  Heavens! — there  were  three 
or  four  lines  which  instantly  roused 
him  almost  into  madness.  It  was  an 
advertisement  that  he  had  "ab- 
sconded," and  offering  a  reward  of 
£200  to  any  one  who  would  give  in- 
formation by  which  he  might  be 
"  discovered  and  ajmrehended  !  " 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


^claimed  aloud, 

starting  np,  and  hia  eye  flaming  with 

t  I     miscreants!      I'll 

kly  undeceive  them."    Instantly 

unlocking  las  paper-case,  he 

and  .  t  letter  to  the  editor  of 

aewspa]  ing  his  full  name 

st  indignantly  deny- 

hia  having  attempted  or  dreamed 

:  stating  that  he  should 

1  i  in  Lou. Ion  within  forty-eight  hours  ; 

and  requiring  an  ample  apology  for 

the  gross  insult  and  hbel  which  had 

a  perpetrated,  to  he  inserted  in  the 

I  number  of  his  paper.     Then  he 

wrote  nil'  to  the  solicitor,  Mr.  Win- 

nington,   who   had   conducted  all  the 

town  proceedings  in  the  cause  of  H  ig- 
ley  v.   ■  .  alluding  in  terms  of 

i  •■  ition  and  astonishment  to  the 
offensive  advertisement,  and  assuring 
him  that  he  should  wi:hin  forty-eight 
hours  be  found,  as  usual,  at  his  chuui- 
,  and  prepared  to  make  an  imme- 
diate and  satisfactory  arrangement  in 
of  the  dai  od  costs  which 

were  now  due  from  him.  In  a  similar 
strain  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Ruunington, 
(who  had  maintained  throughout,  per- 
dly,  a  cautious  courtesy  towards 
Jlr.  Gammon) — begging  him  to  post- 
r i i r i     ju  in  the  action 

of  1  qf  AvX    //  v.  Roc, 

till  the   last  day  of  term,  as  he  had 
a  new  and   final   proposal  to  ]:. 
which  might  have  the  effect  i  I 

it  delay  and  expense.     He  added, 
■  he  had  also  a  proposition  to  off  r 
upon  tb  :  of  Lord  l>e  la  /'ouch's 

1     id  and    .Mr.    Aubrey's    ]■■■ 

i  the  favour  of  a  line 

in  an  w<  r,   ad  Lre  i  led  to  him  at  his 

is  iii  Thavics'  Inn,  and  which 

1      might  find  on  his  arrival.     To  a 

to  the 

is  working  the  docket 

been  struck  against   Mr. 

• :  and  also  to  the  solicitor  who 

v  i  1  on  behalf  of  the 

.i  re- 

I    i  n  - 

libcl- 

1  name  «  hi'  h  had  been 

ne  appointments  for 

•d    to    call    at 


his   chambers   on  the   day  after    his 
arrival  in  town.      Having    thus   done 
all  in  his  power  to  counteract  the  in- 
jurious effects  which  were  calculated 
rise  from  so  very  premature  and 
cruel   a    measure    as    that  which    had 
taken,   in  offering  a  reward  for 
his    apprehension    as    an     absconded 
felon,  he  folded  up,  sealed,  and  directed 
the  letters,  and  took  them  hiir.sc'.f  to 
the  post-olfice,  in  time  for  Mia4,  night's 
post  ;  and  very  greatly  ex-  .iied  he  was, 
as  may  be  easily  believer'.    Ha  did  not 
touch  the  dinner  which  ba  found  laid 
for  him  on  his  return   Wt  sat  on  the 
sofa,  absorbed  in  tho  'fj\t,  for  nearly 
an  hour  :  wjien  he  s  /ulenly  rang  tho 
belh  ordered  his  clotl   stobe  instantly 
got  ready  for  travelling — his  bill  made 
out— and  then  he  w ent  and  secured  a 
place  in  that  night'u  mail,  which  was 
starling    for    town  at  half-past   eight 
o'clock.     At  that  hour  he  cnK  red  the 
mail,  and  as   the   only  passenger — a 
circumstance  which  gave  him  an  ample 
opportunity  for  reflection,  and  of  which 
doubtless   he   availed  himself — at  all 
events,  certain  it  is,  that  he  closed  not 
his  eyes  in  sleep  during  the  whole  of 
tho  journey.     Greatly  to  the  surprise 
of  his  laundress,  he  made  his  appear- 
ance at  Iris  chambers  between  six  and 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  rousing 
her  from  bed.     lie  had  thus,  it  will 
be  observed,  reached  town  contempo- 
raneously with  his  own   letters;    and 
as  all  the  appointments  which  he  had 
made,  were   for  the   day  after  that  of 
his  arrival,  he  had  secured  a  twenty- 
four  hours'  freedom  from   interruption 
of  any  sort,  and  resolved  to  avail  him- 
self of  it,  by  keeping  within  doors  tho 
whole  of  the  time,  Ids  laundress  deny- 
ing   him,    as    usual,    to  any   one   who 
might  call,     lie  asked  her  if  she  had 
Been  or  heard  of  the  atrocious  adher- 
ent whii  b  hi  d  appeared  in  yes.,  r- 
day's   paper  i    She   replied   that  she 
had  ;  and  added,   that  no  doubt    to 
circum! tances  were  to  be  attri- 
d  the  calls  made  yesterday  from 
to  night— an  announcement 
whii  ed  to  heighten  the  excite- 

iin  nt,  under  which  Air.  Gammon  was 
evidently  labouring.  As  soon  as  his 
lamp    had  bcui    lit,    he    opened    Lis 


TEN  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


CG5 


{mper-case,   and  wrote  the  following 
etter  : — 

"  Thnvies'  Inn,  Wednesday  Morning. 

"Dear  Hartley, — As  1  have  not 
missed  an  annual  meeting  of  our  little 
club  for  these  ten  years,  I  shall  he 
found  at  my  place  to-night  at  nine  to 
a  moment :  that  is,  by  the  way,  if  I 
shall  be  admitted,  after  the  execrable 
advertisement  concerning  me  which 
appeared  in  yesterday's  papers,  and  the 
writer  of  which  I  will  give  cause,  if  I 
can  discover  him,  to  repent  to  the 
latest  day  be  lives.  I  :ame  up  this 
morning  suddenly,  to  refute,  by  my 
presence  find  by  my  acts,  the  villain- 
ous falsehoods  about  my  absconding. 
Entrc  nous,  1  am  somewhat  puzzled, 
just  now,  certainly — but  never  fear ! 
I  shall  find  a  way  out  of  the  wood  yet. 
Expect  me  at  nine,  to  a  minute, — 
Yours  as  ever, 

"0.  Gammon. 

"Harry  Hartley, -Esq. 
"  Kensington  Square." 

This  he  sealed  and  directed ;  and 
requesting  his  laundress  to  put  it  into 
the  office  in  time  for  the  first  post, 
without  fail — he  got  into  bed,  and 
slept  for  a  couple  of  hours  :  when  he 
awoke  somewhat  refreshed,  made  his 
toilet  as  usual,  and  partook  of  a  slight 
breakfast. 

"  You  did  not  suppose  I  had  ab- 
sconded, Mrs.  Brown,  eh  ? "  he  en- 
quired, with  a  melancholy  smile,  as 
she  removed  his  breakfast  things. 

"  No,  sir  ;  indeed  I  did  not  believe 
a  word  of  it— you've  always  been  a 
kind  and  just  master  to  me,  sir — and  " 
— she  raised  her  apron  to  her  eyes, 
and  sobbed. 

"  And  I  hope  long  to  continue  so, 
Mrs.  Brown.  By  the  way,  were  not 
your  wages  due  a  day  or  two  ago  ? " 

"Oh  yes!  sir  — but  it  does  not 
signify,  sir,  the  least ;  though  on 
second  thoughts — it  does,  sir  ;  for  my 
little  niece  is  to  be  taken  into  the 
country — she's  dying,  I  fear — and  her 
mother's  been  out  of  work  for " 

"  Here's  a  ten-pound  note,  Mrs. 
Brown,"  replied  Mr.  Gammon,  taking 
one    from    his    pocket-book — "pay 


yourself  your  wages ;  write  me  a 
receipt  as  usual,  and  keep  the  rest  on 
account  of  the  next  quarter's  wages, 
if  it  will  assist  you  just  now."  She 
took  the  bank-note  with  many  expres- 
sions of  thankfulness ;  and  but  for 
her  tears,  which  flowed  plentifully, 
she  might  have  noticed  that  there  was 
something  deadly  in  the  eye  of  her 
kind  and  tranquil  master.  On  her 
retiring,  he  rose,  and  walked  to  and 
fro  for  a  long  time,  with  folded  arms, 
wrapped  in  profound  meditation  — 
from  which  he  was  occasionally  un- 
pleasantly startled  by  hearing  knocks 
at  his  door,  and  then  his  laundress 
assuring  the  visitor  that  Mr.  Gammon 
was  out  of  town,  but  would  return 
on  the  morrow.  It  was  a  cheerless 
November  day,  the  snow  fluttering 
lazily  through  the  foggy  air  ;  but  his 
room  was  made  snug  and  cheerful 
enough,  by  the  large  fire  which  he 
kept  up.  Opening  his  desk,  he  sat 
down,  about  noon,  and  wrote  a  very 
long  letter — in  the  course  of  which, 
however,  he  repeatedly  laid  down  his 
pen — got  up  and  walked  to  and  fro, 
heaving  deep  sighs,  and  being  occa- 
sionally exceedingly  agitated.  At 
length  he  concluded  it,  paused  some 
time,  and  then  folded  it  up,  and 
sealed  it.  Then  he  spent  at  least  two 
hours  in  going  over  all  the  papers  in 
his  desk  and  cabinet ;  a  considerable 
number  of  them  he  burnt,  and  re- 
placed and  arranged  the  remainder 
carefully.  Then  again  he  walked  to  and 
fro.  The  cat,  a  very  fine  and  favourite 
cat,  one  which  had  been  several  years 
an  inmate  of  the  chambers,  attracted 
his  attention,  by  rubbing  against  his 
legs.  "Poor  puss!"  he  exclaimed, 
stroking  her  fondly  on  the  back  ;  and-, 
after  awhile,  the  glossy  creature  sidled 
away,  as  it  were  reluctantly,  from 
his  caressing  hand,  and  lay  comfort- 
ably coiled  up  on  the  hearth-rug,  as 
before.  Again  he  walked  to  and  fro, 
absorbed  in  melancholy  reflection  for 
some  time  ;  from  which  he  was  roused, 
about  five,  by  Mrs.  Brown  bringing  iu 
the  spare  dinner — which,  having  barely 
tasted,  he  soon  dismissed,  telling  Mrs. 
Brown  that  he  felt  a  strange  shooting 
pain  in  his  head,  but  doubted  not  Ids 


6GG 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


bein^  W 11  enough  to  keep  his  appoint 
runt  at  the  club — as  ahe  knew  had 
been  his  habit  for  years.    He  requi 

his  dressing-room  ready 

;ht,    and  a  coach 

■  lock    precisely  ; 

aii-1  as  soon  as  she  had  withdrawn,  he 

sat   down    and   wrote    the    following 

r  to  the  oldest  and  most  devoted 

onal  friend  he  had  in  the  world  : — 

"My  Dr.Ait  — — .     I  entreat  you, 
by  <>ur  long  unbroken  friendship,  to 
the  i  nclosed  letter  by  you  for  a 
ight  ;  ami  then,  with  your  own 
hand,   and    alone,   deliver  it  to  the 
individual  to  whom  it   is   addressed. 
a  this  note  to  you  the  instant  you 
shall  have  read  it — and  take  care  that 
no  eye  sees  the  enclosed  hut  hers — or 
all  my  efforts  to  Becnre  a  little  provi- 
sion for  her  will  be  frustrated.     In  the 
corner  of  the  top  drawer  of  my  cabinel 
will  he  found,  folded  up,  a  document 
referred  to  in  the  enclosed  letter — in 
fact.  ' — and  which  1  wish  you, 

as  an  old  friend,    to  take  the  very 
earliest   opportunity    of   discovering, 
You  will  find  the  date 
all   correct,  and  safe.     Call    lure  to- 
row — at  any  hour  you  please — and 
Bay  that  yon  have  called  to  see  me, 
rdiny  to  my  it.     Bear 

this  in  mind,  by  the  value  you  eel 
upon  my  friendship.  Whatever  you 
may  tin  or  hear,  be  firm  and 

prod  G." 

"  Wednesday." 

Tn  this  letter  he  enclosed  the  long 

letter  already  spoken  of,  and  having 

t:id  directed   the  whole  with 

irate  distinctness,   he   threw  his 

k  round  him,  and  went  with  his 

office,  and  with  bis 

hand,  after  an  instant's  he 

i  the  box,  and  reti 
■ 

heet  of  paper, 
— ■ 

"  Dear  Vim:,     I  doubt  whether, 
after  nil,  th<  re  tion  ; 

i,   I  will  perform 
pron    e,  and  be  ready  with  what   you 
b  for  Sunday  week.-  Yours  ever, 
"0.  <;." 


"  P.S.  —  I  shall  call .  on  ,'  you  on 
Saturday." 

This  he  folded  up  and  directed,  and 
proceeded  to  commence-  the  follow- 
ing :— 

"  Thames'  Inn,  Wednesday. 

"Dear  Sin, — I  have  finally  deter- 
mined to  make  every  sacrifice  in  order 
to  extricate  myself,  with  honour,  from 
my  present  embarrassments.  You 
will,  therefore,  as  soon  as  you  get  this, 

please  to  sell  out  all  my "  here  he 

laid  down  his  pen  ;  and  Mrs.  Brown 
presently  announcing  that  everything 
was  ready  in  his  dressing-room,  he 
thanked  her,  and  proceeded  to  shave 
and  dress,  lie  was  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  over  his  toilet.  He 
had  put  on  his  usual  evening  dress — 
his  blue  body-coat,  black  trousers,  a 
plain  shirt  and  black  stock,  and  a 
white  waistcoat — scarcely  whiter,  how- 
ever, than  the  face  of  him  that  wore 
it. 

"I  am  going  for  the  coach  now, 
sir,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  knocking  at  the 
door. 

"  If  you  please,"  he  replied,  briskly 
and  cheerfully — and  the  instant  that 
he  had  heard  her  close  the  outer  door 
after  her,  he  opened  the  secret  spring 
drawer  in  his  desk,  and  took  out  a 
very  small  glass  phial,  with  a  glass 
stopper,  over  which  was  tied  some 
Madder,  to  preserve  its  contents  from 
the  air.  His  lace  was  ghastly  pale  ; 
his  knees  trembled  ;  his  hands  were 
cold  and  damp  as  those  of  the  dead. 
lie  took  a  strong  peppermint  loa 
from  the  mantelpiece,  and  chewed  it, 
while  he  removed  the  stopper  from 
the  bottle,  which  contained  about  half 
a  drachm  of  the  most  subtle  and  po- 
tent poison  which  has  been  discovered 
by  man-  one  extinguishing  life  almost 

instantaneously,  and    leaving  no    (race 

of  Its  pi  i  odour, 

whicl  I  taken  tl  m  of 

masking  and  overpowering  with  that 
of  the  peppermint.     1  !••  r<  turned   to 

i -  hat,  « bich  was  in  his 
loom;  he  put  it  on — and  in  glancing 
at  the  glass,  scarcely  recognised   Ihe 

I  ly  image  it  reflected.     His  object 
v.  1 1,  to  •  omplete  the  deception  he  in- 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


CG7 


tended  practising  on  the  Insurance 
Company,  with  whom  he  had  effected 
a  policy  on  his  life  for  £2000 — and 
also  to  dec!  ive  everybody  into  the 
notion  of  his  having  died  suddenly, 
hut  naturally.  Having  stirred  up  the 
large  red  lire,  and  made  a  kind  of 
hollow  in  it,  he  took  out  the  stopper, 
and  dropped  it,  with  the  bladder,  into 
the  fire  ;  took  his  pen  in  his  right 
hand,  with  a  fresh  dip  of  ink  in  it ; 
kneeled  down  on  the  fender ;  uttered 
aloud  the  word  "Emma;  "  poured  the 
whole  of  the  deadly  contents  into  his 
mouth,  and  succeeded  in  dropping  the 
phial  into  the  very  heart  of  the  fire — 
falling  down  the  next  instant  on  the 
hearth  -  rug,  oblivious,  insensible  — 
dead.  However  it  might  have  been, 
that  the  instant  after  he  had  done 
this  direful  deed,  h  •  would  have  given 
the  whole  UNIVERSE,  had  it  been 
his,  to  have  undone  what  he  had  done 
—he  had  succeeded,  for  the  present,  in 
effecting  his  object. 

Poor  Mrs.  Brown's  terror,  on  dis- 
covering her  master  stretched  senseless 
on  the  floor — his  hat  pushed  partly 
down  over  his  eyes  iu  the  act  of  falling 
— may  he  imagined.  Medical  assist- 
ance was  called  in,  but  oidy  to 
announce  that  "the  vital  spark  had 
fled."  It  was  clearly  either  apoplexy, 
said  the  intelligent  medical  man,  or 
an  organic  disease  of  the  heart.  Of 
this  opinion  were  the  coroner  and  his 
jury,  without  hesitation.  The  de- 
ceased had  evidently  been  seized  while 
iu  the  very  act  of  writing  to  some 
broker.  [Gammon  had  no  more 
"stock"  of  any  sort,  for  all  he  had 
written  that  letter,  than  the  cat  which 
had  witnessed,  and  been  for  a  moment 
disturbed  by,  his  death.]  Mr.  Hartley 
came,  and  produced  the  letter  he  had 
received,  and  spoke  of  the  disappoint- 
ment they  had  all  felt  on  account  of 
Mr.  Gammon's  non-anival :  the  other 
letters — the  appointments  which  he 
had  made  for  the  morrow — the  evi- 
dence which  he  had  taken  care  to 
enable  his  laundress  to  give — all  these 
tilings  were  decisive — it  was  really 
"scarcely  a  case  requiring  an  in- 
quest ; "  but  as  they  had  been  called, 
they  returned  a  verdict  of  "  Died  by 


the    Visitation    of    God."      He   was 

buried  a  few  days  afterwards  in  the 
adjoining  churchyard,  (St.  Andrew's,) 
where  he  lies  mouldering  away  quietly 
enough,  certainly  ;  but  whether  (in  the 
language  of  the  solemn  and  sublime 
burial-service  which  his  sorrowful 
friend  had  procured  to  be  read  over 
his  remains)  "  insure  and  certain  hope 
of  the  resurrection  to  eternal  life, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  is 
another,  and  a  fearful  question. 

His  "friend"  was  faithful  and 
discreet,  obeying  his  injunctions  to  the 
letter.  The  "  individual "  alluded  to 
in  Mr.  Gammon's  note  to  him,  was  a 
beautiful  girl  whom  Mr.  Gammon  had 
seduced  under  a  solemn  promise  of 
marriage  ;  who  was  passionately  at- 
tached to  him ;  whose  name  lie  had 
uttered  when  on  the  eve  of  death  ; 
and  to  whom  he  had,  some  six  months 
before,  bequeathed  the  amount  of  his 
policy — his  will  being  witnessed  by 
Alary  Drown,  his  housekeeper.  Though 
his  creditors  were,  of  course,  entitled 
to  every  farthing  of  the  £2000,  out  of 
which  he  had  so  artfully  swindled  the 
Insurance  Company,  they  generously 
allowed  her,  in  consideration  of  her 
peculiar  and  melancholy  situation,  to 
receive  the  sum  of  £1000  I 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

With  its  architect,  fell  that  sur- 
prising fabric  of  fraud  and  wrong,  the 
rise  and  fall  of  which  are  commemor- 
ated in  this  history — a  fabric  which,  if 
it  "rose  like  an  exhalation,"  so  like 
an  exhalation  disappeared,  and  with  it 
all  the  creatures  which  had  peopled  it. 
Though  Mr.  Runnington's  vigilance 
and  ability  had  set  matters  into  such 
a  train,  that,  had  Mr.  Gammon  lived 
to  continue  his  most  skilful  opposition, 
he  could  not  have  delayed  for  any  con- 
siderable length  of  time  Mr.  Aubrey's 
restoration  to  Yatton,  yet  the  sudden 
and  most  unexpected  death  of  Mr. 
Gammon  greatly  accelerated  that  event. 
Notwithstanding  the   verdict  of  the 


GGS 


TEN   THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


coroner's  inquest,  both  Mr.    Aubrey 

and  Mr.  Runnington — and  in  fact  very 

many  others — strongly  suspected  the 

true  state  of  t!  .    viz.   thai  in 

ion  of  defeat  and  dre 

li  nl  destroyed  himself. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  Term,  Mr. 

Runnington  went  to  the  proper  o 

oft  nch,  in  order 

to  whether  Mr.  'ritinon.se  had 

taken    the    requisite    steps    towards 

ng    the    actions  of   ejectment 

menced  by  Mr.  Aubrey,  and  found 

though  the  proscribed  period  had 

elapsed,  he  had  not  ;  in  other  words, 

that  he  had  "suffered  judgment  by 

lUIiT."     Delighted,   though    not 

much  surprised  by  this  discovery,  Mr. 

Runnington  resolved  at  once  to  follow 

up  ory.     'Twas  only  a  short 

and  simple  process  thai  was  requisite 

Sect  such  great  results.     He  took 

draft  paper,  <>n  whii  h 

ho  wrote  some  1  d  lines  called 

an  "  .  .'   as  if  be  v  og  to 

copy  out  the  "  declaration  "  in  ej  ict- 

ment,  1  i  i  short  about  the  fifth 

line.     This  sheet  of  paper,  together 

with  anothi  r  containing  his  "  Role  for 

Judgment,"  lie  t<    1.   to  the  .Master's 

office,  in  order  thai  that  functionary 

might  "sign  judgment  " — which  he 

did,  by  simply  writing  in  the  margin 

■  f  what  Mr.  Runnington  had  written, 

words   "Jit  signed,    2Zrd 

ivon     '■    .is — ,"  and  impressing  above 

ii  the  Beal  of  the  courl  ;  ami  behold, 

'lia'    in  taut,    the   propt  rly   in   the 

whole  of  the  Yatton  estal  -.had  become 

•  '1  in  .Mr.  Aubrey  again  ! 

Th  •  prequi  ite  wasto  secure 

of  the    pro]  ei  ty  ;    for 

h  purpose  Mr.  Runnington  imme- 

ired  a  \vi:i  l  ur  POSSESSION, 

Mr.    Aubrey    into 
'I  on 
irchment. 
■I  ;  and  then  obtained  awARR 

Now  the  Bheriffmi 

and  to  do  so— the  whole 
.    in  ordi  :■  to  comp  1 
-.  to  !  ;  authoi  ty  ; 

■  •  .•■  whole  i 


comitalus  would  have  answered  his 
summons  on  that  occasion  very  eagerly 
— hut  it  was  needless.  Who  was  there 
to  resist  him  at  Yaltoni  The  trans- 
ference of  the  po  •  s ion  became  under 
these  circumstances  a  very  slight 
matter-of-fact  affair.  Theunder  sheriff 
of  Yorkshire  drove  up  in  his  gig  to  the 
Hall,  where  he  found  Mr.  i'arkinson 
waiting  his  arrival — (no  breaking  open 
of  doors  was  necessary!) — and  in  a 
hurried  word  or  two  informed  Mr. 
Parkinson  that  he  then  delivered  the 
possession  to  him  for  and  on  account 
of  Charles  Aubrey,  esquire,  his  heirs, 
and  assigns,  for  ever — and  after  re- 
marking, "what  a  fine  estate  it  was, 
and   in  very  good   order,  a  /</," 

he  drove  oil'.  1  may  add,  that,  to  save 
i  he  useless  expense  of  some  hundred 
writs  of  possession,  " attornments " 
were  taken  from  all  the  tenants — i.  r. 
written  acknowledgments  that  they 
held  under  Charles  Aubrey,  esquire, 
as  their  sole,  true,  and  proper  landlord. 
This  done,  that  gentleman  was  rein- 
stated in  all  that  lie  had  been  dis- 
essed  of,  as  absolutely,  and  (o  all 
intents  and  purposes,  as  if  the  events 
of  the  last  three  years  had   been  hut  a 

dream — as  if  such  persons  as  Tittlebat 
Titmouse,  ami  Quirk,  Gammon,  and 

Snap,    had    never    existed  ;     and    Mr. 

Griffiths  the  .steward,  and  Mr.  Parkin- 
son, by  way  of  commemorating  tho 
event,  opened  a  couple  of  hot  ties  of  port 
wine,  which,  witli  tint  efficient  assist- 

of  Mr.  Waters  ami  Mr.  Dickons, 
the  upper  and  under  bailiffs,  Tonson 
the  gamekeeper,  and  Pumpkin  the 
gardener,  were  very  quickly  emptied 
amidst    shouts— in    Which    'tis    hoped 

good-natured  reader  will  join — of 
"  Hip,  hip,  hip,  hurrah  !  ll'ip,  hip, 
hip,  hurrah  .'—Hip,  hip,  hip,  hurrah  .' 

ah  !  in  1:1;  \n  !  "  Then  phlegm- 
atic Mr.  Dickons  stepped  out  into  the 
court-yard,  and,  by  way  of  further 
re  ieving  his  excited  fi  -lung  his 

y  a  hen  walking-sticK  up  a  sur- 
prising hci  hi  into  ii,,.  air  ;  and  when 

lie  had    .  ,,ii  its  de  ••.lit ,  as  h  • 

ped  it  in  his  huge  horn]  hand  in 

' k   it  above  hi;  head 

with  the  ]',  eling  that  ho  could  have 
hod  a   million   of  Titmice   in  a 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


GG9 


minute,  if  he  could  have  got  among 
them.  Then  he  thought  of  Mrs. 
Aubrey  and  Kate,  and  up  went  the 
stick  again,  higher  even  than  before — 
by  which  time  they  had  all  come  out 
into  the  }rard,  and  shouted  again,  and 
again,  and  again,  till  their  voices  rung, 
and  echoed  in  the  air,  and  excited  an 
uproar  in  the  rookery  behind  them. 

"While  this  reult  of  his  triumphant 
exertions  was  being  thus  celebrated  at 
Yatton,  Mr.  Runnington  was  exerting 
himself  to  the  utmost  in  London,  in 
the  extrication  of  Mr.  Aubrey  from  all 
his  pecuniary  embarrassments  —  the 
chief  of  which  were,  his  two  promissory 
notes  for  £5000  each,  with  interest, 
and  the  actions  depending  upon  them 
— the  joint  bond  of  himself  and  Lord 
DelaZouch  for  £10, 000  and  interest- 
find  the  action  pending  for  the  balance 
of  Messrs.  Quirk,  Gammon,  and  Snap's 
lid— viz.  £1446',  14s.  6d.  Undoubt- 
edly, these  matters  occasioned  him  a 
vast  deal  of  trouble  and  anxiety  ;  but 
his  experienced  tact,  and  vigilance, 
and  determination,  overcame  all  ob- 
stacles. The  balance  of  Messrs.  Quirk, 
Gammon,  and  Snap's  abominable  bill 
of  costs,  melted  away  and  totally  dis- 
appeared in  the  heat  of  the  taxing 
office  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  certain 
summary  applications,  both  to  the 
Lord  Chancellor  and  to  the  common 
law  judges,  and  after  a  good  deal  of 
diplomacy,  Mr.  Runnington  succeeded 
in  getting  into  his  hands,  cancelled, 
the  above-mentioned  two  notes,  on 
payment  to  Mr.  Spitfire,  for  and  on 
account  of  Mr.  Titmouse,  of  £250,  (of 
which  Mr.  Titmouse  by  the  way  got 
£15,  the  remainder  being  claimed  by 
Spitfire  in  respect  of  costs,)  and  the 
bond  for  ten  thousand  pounds,  which 
was  found  in  the  strong  box  of  the 
late  Mr.  Gammon,  was  delivered  up 
by  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Snap,  on  certain 
hints  being  given  them  by  Mr.  Run- 
nington of  the  serious  eonsecpiences  of 
refusal.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  Mr. 
Runnington  obtained  from  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse a  formal  and  solemn  release  to 
Mr.  Aubrey  of  all  claims,  debts,  dam- 
ages, and  demands  whatsoever,  both 
at  law  and  in  equity.  But  how  stood 
the  matter  of  Mr.  Titmouse's  liabilities 


to  Mr.  Aubrey,  in  respect  of  the  mesne 
profits  during  the  last  two  years  and 
more  ?  Why,  he  owed  Mr.  Aubrey  a 
sum  of  some  twenty-five  thousand 
pounds — not  one  farthing  of  which 
would  ever  see  its  way  into  the  pockets 
of  him  who  had  been  so  cruelly  de- 
frauded of  it !  The  greatest  trouble 
of  Mr.  Runnington,  however,  was  the 
extorting  the  title-deeds  from  the  three 
Jews,  Mordecai  Gripe,  Israel  Fang,  and 
Mephibosheth  Maharshalal-hash-baz. 
Unhappy  wretches  !  they  writhed  and 
gasped  as  though  their  very  hearts 
were  being  torn  out ;  but  they  had  no 
help  for  it,  as  their  own  attorneys  and 
solicitors  told  them  ;  since  the  right 
of  Mr.  Aubrey  to  his  title-deeds  was 
as  clear  and  indisputable  as  his  right 
to  the  estates,  and  their  resistance  of 
his  claim  would  only  entail  on  them 
additional,  very  serious,  and  fruitless 
expense.  They  grinned,  chattered, 
stuttered,  and  stamped  about  in  im- 
potent but  horrible  fury  ;  and,  if  they 
could,  would  have  torn  Mr.  Gammon 
out  of  his  grave,  and  placed  his  body, 
and  those  of  Messrs.  Quirk  and  Snap, 
over  a  slow  fire  !  These  gentlemen 
were  not,  however,  the  only  persons 
who  had  been  astounded,  dismayed, 
and  defeated,  by  Mr.  Gammon's  leap 
into  the  dark.  To  say  nothing  of  Mr. 
Wigley,  who  might  now  whistle  for 
his  debt  and  costs,  and  many  other 
persons  who  had  rested  all  their  hopes 
upon  Mr.  Gammon's  powers,  and  his 
responsibility,  his  sudden  death  pre- 
cipitated  total  ruin  upon  his  weak 
aristocratical  dupe  and  victim,  the 
poor  old  Earl  of  Dreddlington.  In 
addition  to  the  formidable  movement 
against  his  lordship  and  Mr.  Gammon 
in  the  Court  of  Chancery,  on  the  part 
of  their  co-shareholders  and  adven- 
turers, for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
them  to  be  declared  alone  liable  for 
all  the  debts  contracted  by  the  Gun- 
powder and  Fresh  Water  Company, 
the  creditors,  rendered  impatient  and 
desperate  by  the  sudden  death  of  Mr. 
Gammon,  began  to  attempt  daily  to 
harass  the  unfortunate  Earl  with  their 
personal  importunity  for  payment  of 
their  demands,  and  that  at  his  residence 
in  Grosvenor  Square  and  at  I'oppleton 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


1 1  ill.      At  the   former  they  were,  of 
c  tune,  uniformly  encountered  by  the 
wer  that  his  lord  both  ill 

and  out  of  town.     Upon  that,  down 
:  country  resid- 
— went  the  chief 
of  his  infuriate  creditors,  not  believ- 
the  answer  they  had  received  at 
his    lordship's    town-house ;    but    at 
Poppleton,    the    Earl    was    of   course 
denied  to  them,  ami  with  aperemptori- 
of  manner,  which,  excited  as  they 
were,    they  converted   into   i 
and  defiance,  and  a  determined  denial 
to  his  lordship's  creditors.     Upon  this, 
they  took  the  opinion  of  counsel  upon 
three  points.     First,  whether  a  peer 
ol   the  realm  could  be  made  a  bank- 
rupt if  he  became  a  trader;  Seem 
whether  the    Earl   of    I  >reddlington's 
active  connexion  with  the  Gunpowder 

and  Fresh  Wato pany  constituted 

him  a  trader  within  the  meaning  of 

the     bankrupt     laws  ;     and     Lastly, 

whether  the  facts  stated  amounted  to 

an  act  of  bankruptcy.     To  this  it  was 

answered — First,   that  a    peer   could 

rly  be  made    a   bankrupt    if   he 

traded,  as  an  Karl  of  Suffolk  had  bei  □ 

do  1  ired  a  bankrupt  by  reason  of  an 

of  bankruptcy  committed  by  him 

in  buying  and  Belling  of  wines,  (per 

Lord    Chancellor    Hardwicke,   in    ex 

Meymot,  1  Atkyn's  Reports,  p. 

201.)    St  .  that  the  Gunpowder 

and  Fresh  Water  Company  was  one  of 

constitut  d  its  mem- 

v.  [thin  the  meaning  of 

the  bankrupt  laws.     Thirdly,  that  the 

bowed  the  committing  of 

i  bankruptcy,  on  the  pari  of 

the  Y.  u!  of  1  freddlington,  by  "  6 

hit  hou    ."     I  ipon  this, 
and    reckless  of  bJ 
lordship'  tant  ly  struck  a 

docki  t  og lin-t   him  ;  and  i hereupon, 

down  came  the  a  i  of  tl 

to   tak(  ii   ol    his  lordship1 

hon  :  -,  both  at  Grosvi  nor 

Bqu  i:    ,   Pop]  !■  ton  Hall,  and   in  (  < 
'land,    and    Ireland 

thai  to  the  last   four,  if  he    ■ 

them.     At  Poppli  ton  he  was 
■  ■ii  which 
he   ;  thority,  and  pro 

l  turtle  I 

imrn  an  •  n 

I 


might,  and  those  within  must  tako  the 
consequences.  After  a  brief  affrighted 
pause,  he  was  admitted — and  imme- 
diately de<  hired  himself  to  be  in  pos- 
si  ssion,  under  the  bankruptcy,  and 
by  the  authority  of  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor, of  the  premises,  and  everything 
upon  them  ;  at  the  same  time  announc- 
ing to  the  dismayed  inmates,  that  he 
would  do  nothing  to  give  the  slightest 
annoyance,  or  occasion  apprehensions 
to  the  noble  bankrupt.  This  very 
unusual  occurrence  found  its  way  into 
the  newspapers  of  the  next  day,  which 
brought,  accidentally,  under  the  notico 
of  Mr.  Aubrey  the  lamentable  con- 
dition of  his  haughty  yet  fallen  kins- 
man. He  hurried  off  in  alarm  and 
agitation  to  Mr.  Runnington,  and  re- 
quested him  immediately  to  put  him- 
self into  communication  with  the  Earl's 
solicitor,  whoever  he  might  be,  with  a 
new  to  saving  him,  if  possible,  from 
the  indignity  and  ruin  with  which  he 
was  threatened  ;  and  then  drove  down 
himself  to  Poppleton,  to  tender  his 
personal  services  in  any  way  that 
might  appear  most  desirable.  He  was 
shocked  indeed  at  finding  the  house, 
and  everything  in  it,  in  formal  posses- 
sion of  the  bankruptcy  messenger; 
but  much  more  so,  on  learning  the 
deplorable  condition  of  the  Earl  per- 
sonally. It  appeared  that  he  had  most 
unforl  unately  witnessed,  during  a  brief 
Lucid  interval,  and  while  ho  was  being 

ted  out  of  his  carriage  on  his 
return  from  an  airing,  the  arrival  of 
the  messenger,  and  his  altercation 
with  the  servants  at  the.  door:  and 
that,  on  being  made  acquainted  with 
the  true  nature  of  the  proceeding,  ho 
staggered  back  into  the  arms  of  Miss 
Macspleuchan,  and  was  soon  after- 
wards    seized     with     another    fit     of 

lysis.     All  this  Mr.   Aubrey,  on 

his   arrival,    learned    from    Mis  I     U 

i  h  in  whom  he  knew  only  by 
i.  mie  and  who  commnnciated  tho 
dismal  tidings  in  an  agony  of  grief  and 

ition.    The  ]  :  and  apo 

cary  were  with  the  Earl  when  Mr. 
Aubrey  arrived  ;  and,  finding  thai  he 
could  render  no  personal  service'  to 
offering  ki:  man,  he  returned  to 
town,  assuring  '1  Max  spleuchan  that 
the  would  sec  biro  :1,  'i;i  on  the  mor> 
I  tl  tl  he  would,  in  the  mean 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


C71 


while,   do  everything  in  his    power, 
in    town,    to    avert  from    the    Earl 
the   immediate  effects   of  his   fearful 
imprudence.      Faithful    to    his    pro- 
mise, he   instructed  Mr.  Runnington 
to  do  everyth  ng  in  reason  to  rescue 
the    Earl,    and,    in    his    person,    the 
honour  of  the  family,  from  the  impend- 
ing misfortune.     'Twas,  however,  all 
in  vain.     Two   days  afterwards,  and 
before  Mr.  Runnington  had  acted  upon 
the  instructions  given  to  him  by  Mr. 
Aubrey,  the  latter  received  intelligence 
by  express  from  Poppleton,  that  the 
Earl  was  in  dying  circumstances  ;  that 
he  was   conscious   of  his  X'apidly  ap- 
proaching end  ;    and  was  understood 
to  have  expressed  a  wish  to  see  Mr. 
Aubrey  before    he   died.      When  he 
arrived,  he  was  at  once  ushered  into 
the  Earl's  bedchamber,  and  found  the 
Duke  of  Tantallan  sitting  on  one  side 
of  the  bed,  and  Miss  Macspleuchan  on 
the  other  ;  she  was  weeping  in  silence, 
and  her  left  hand  was  grasped  between 
the  thin  white  hands  of  the  Earl,  whose 
face   was    turned    towards   her.       His 
snow-white  hair  and  wasted  features, 
and  the  expression  of  mingled  misery, 
feebleness,  and  affection  that  were  in 
his  eyes,  fixed  heavily  upon  Miss  Mac- 
spleuchan,    filled    Mr.    Aubrey    with 
deep   emotion.      The   Earl  seemed   a 
mere    skeleton !      Shortly    after    Mr. 
Aubrey  had  entered  the  room,   Miss 
Macspleuchan  leaned  down  to  the  Earl's 
car,  and,  in  a  whisper,  informed  him 
of  Mr.  Aubrey's  arrival.     He  did  not 
seem  at  first  to  have  heard,  or  at  least 
comprehended,    what   she   had    said ; 
but,  a  few  moments  afterwards,  opened 
his  eyes  a  little  wider  than  they  had 
been  before,  and  his  lips  quivered  as  if 
with  an  effort  at  speaking.     Then  he 
very   feebly   extended   both   his   thin 
arms  towards  Miss  Macspleuchan,  who 
was  still  leaning  over  him,  and  placed 
them  tremblingly  round  her  neck,  from 
which,  however,  in  a  moment  or  two, 
they  suddenly  fell ;  the  lower  jaw  also 
fell ;  the  poor  Earl  was  dead — and  Miss 
Macspleuchan,  with  a  faint  sigh,  sunk 
back  in  a  swoon  into  the  arms  of  the 
nurse  who  stood  beside  her,  and  who, 
assisted  by  a  female  attendant,  imme- 
diately removed  her  from  the  room. 
The  Duke  of  Tantallan  remained  sit- 
ting where  he  was,  but  with  his  face 


averted,  and  his  right  hand  clasping 
one  of  the  hands  of  his  deceased  kins- 
man :  and  Mr.  Aubrey  continued 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  his 
eyes  covered  by  his  hand.  Neither  of 
them  spoke  for  some  time.  At  length 
the  Duke,  very  deeply  affected,  slowly 
rose,  and  quitted  the  chamber  in  silence, 
followed  by  Mr.  Aubrey,  as  those 
entered  who  were  to  commence  the 
last  sad  offices  for  the  dead. 

The  Duke  undertook  all  the  arrange- 
ments for  the  funeral ;  and  after  much 
melancholy  conversation  with  his  grace 
concerning  the  shocking  state  in  which 
the  Earl  had  left  his  affairs,  and  hav- 
ing offered  to  provide,  should  it  be 
necessary,  for  Miss  Macspleuchan,  Mr. 
Aubrey  took  his  departure. 

"Is  the  carriage  at  the  door?"  ho 
enquired  of  the  servant  who  stood  in 
the  hall  expecting  his  approach. 

"Yes,  my  lord,"  he  replied;  and 
his  words  caused  Lord  Drelincourt 
almost  to  start  back  a  step  or  two  ; 
and  he  changed  colour.  Then  ho 
entered  his  carriage,  and  continued  in 
a  very  melancholy  and  subdued  mood 
during  the  whole  of  the  drive  up  to 
town.  He  had,  indeed,  now  become 
Lord  Drelincourt— an  event  thus  an- 
nounced the  next  morning  to  the  great 
world,  in  the  columns  of  the  obsequious 
Aurora. 

' '  Yesterday,  at  his  residence,  Popple- 
ton Hall,  Hertfordshire,  in  his  seven- 
tieth year,  died  the  Right  Hon.  tho 
Earl  of  Dreddlington,  G.C.B.,  &c.  &c. 
His  lordship  was  Fifth  Earl  of  Dred- 
dlington, and  Twentieth  Baron  Drel- 
incourt. The  Earldom  (created  in 
1667)  is  now  extinct ;  but  his  lordship 
is  succeeded  in  the  ancient  barony  of 
Drelincourt  (created  by  writ,  12th 
Henry  II.)  by  Charles  Aubrey,  Esq. 
of  Yatton,  in  Yorkshire,  the  represent- 
ative of  the  younger  branch  of  the 
family,  who  is  now  21st  Lord  Drelin- 
court, and  has  just  succeeded  in  re- 
covering back  the  whole  of  the  Yatton 
property,  which  about  two  years  ago, 
it  may  be  remembered,  was  recovered 
in  a  very  extraordinary  manner  (which 
is  now,  we  believe,  the  subject  of  judi- 
cial inquiry)  by  Tittlebat  Titmouse, 
Esq.,  at  present  M.P.  for  Yatton. 
His  lordship  (who  is  now  in  his  thirty- 
sixth  year)  took  a  double  first-class  at 


878 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Oxford,  ami   cat  for  several  years  as 

iber  for  Yatton.     He  married,  in 

]  - — .  A  aes,  sole  daughter  and  heiress 

■.  I  lair,  who  fell 

its  the  Peninsular  war,  and  has  i 

by  her  ladyship  two  children,  Charles, 

aes,  born  in  18 — . 

Lordship  lias  no  brothers,  and  only 

Miss    Catharine    Aubrey, 

1    to  he  affianced  to 

the  Hon.  .Mr.  Delamere,  the  only  son 

and  heir  of  the  Right    Hon.  Lord  De 

la  Zouch.    The  late  hail  was  a  decided 

Whig;  hut  the  present  Lord  Drelin- 

court  is  as  stanch  a  Tory." 

Till  Yatton  could  he  got  ready  for 
thi  ir  reception,  tiny  had  taken,  as  a 
temporary  residence,  a  furnished  house 
in  Dover  Street,  only  a  few  doors' 
distance  from  that  of  Lord  De  la  Zouch  ; 
and  on  his  arrival  from  Poppl 
Hall,  Lord  Drelincourt  found  Lady 
Drelincourt  and  his  sister  had  no!  ye1 
I  from  their  afternoon's  drive. 
When  Ihey  drew  up  to  the  door,  how- 
ever, the  closed  shutters  and  drawn 
blinds  ;i]  prised  them  of  the  melancholy 
al  which  had  taken  place.  On 
hearing  that  Lord  Drelincourt  was 
alone  in   the  drawing-room,  where  he 

had  1 n  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  they 

rushed  hastily  up-stairs,  and  in  a  few 

ru  and   Lady  Drelincourt 

had   !  braced  each  other,  and 

i  Aubrey,    full  of  eager  affection, 

had  'h  of  them  ;  ami  then, 

quitting   the   i i,  quickly  returned 

with   Charles  and  Agnes,  now     little 
unconscious  i  !-    the   Honour- 

able Charles  and  mrable  Agnes 

Aubrey.     Surely  it  was  uoi    to  b 
]     ted  1     '  f  them  i  hould  enter- 

■  E    orrow 
a  ol  an  individual  who 

■  d  himself  from 
n,  and  treated  •  tnber  ol 
r  family  with  the  mos<   often 

and  the  bit- 

■  I  en  lie  | 

I    but 

of  as 

•  towards 
i  a  hel]                      Still,  they  had 

i  tances 

which  attended,  and  hastened,  their 

■  b,   v  ith    sincere 

•  ■  ■  vk    and 

d,  and  who  has  had, 


indeed,  so  signal  and  fearful  a  fall. 
These  were  topics  which  afforded  scope 
for  sad  hut  instructive  conversation 
and  reflection  ;  and  before  Lord  and 
Lady  Drelincourt  hud  their  heads  on 
their  pillows  that  night,  they  again 
devoutly  returned  thanks  to  heaven 
for  the  happy  restoration  which  had 
been  vouchsafed  to  tlum,  and  offered 
sincere  and  fervent  prayers  for  its  guid- 
ance in  every  stage  of  their  future 
career. 

This  event,  of  course,  threw  them 
again,  for  a  time,  into  mourning.  Lord 
I  drelincourt  attended  the  funeral  of 
the  late  Earl,  which  took  place  at 
Poppleton,  and  was  plain  and  private  ; 
and  a  few  days  afterwards,  yearning  to 
see  Yatton  once  again,  and  anxious 
also  to  give  his  personal  directions 
concerning  very  many  matters  which 
required  them,  he  accepted  an  offer  of 
a  seat  in  the  carriage  of  Lord  De  la 
Zouch,  who  was  going  down  for  a  few 
days  to  Fotheringham  on  business  of 
importance.  Lord  Drelincourt  agreed 
to  take  up  his  abode  at  Fotheringham 
during  his  brief  stay  in  Yorkshire,  and 
to  give  no  one  at  Yatton  a  previous 
intimation  of  his  intention  to  pay  a 
visit  to  them — purposing,  the  morning 
after  his  arrival  at  Fotheringham,  to 
ride  over  quietly,  alone  and  uncx- 
p  ctedly,  to  the  dear  place  of  his 
birth,  and  scene  of  such  signal  trials 
ami  expected  joys  of  restoration  and 
reunion. 

'Twas  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  a  frosty  day  in  the  early  part 
of  December;  and  Dr.  Tatham  was 
sitting  alone  in  his  plainly-furnished 
and  old-fashioned  little  study,  b< ■• 
the  table  on  which  Betty,  his  old 
housekeeper,  had  jus!  laid  his  Bcantv 
show  01  tea-things  — ■  the  small, 
quaintly-figured  round  silver  tea 

ag  been   the  precious  gift,   ra 
than    twi  nty    years    before,    of    old 
Madam   Aubrey.      On   his    knee   lay 

:  a  well-worn   parchmenl  coven  d 

\  ir  copy  of  Thomas  <i  Kemp 

of  the  Doctor's, 
whii  h  he  had  laid  dov  u  a  few  momenta 
before,  in  a  lit  of  musing — and  lie  was 

ag  in  the  direction  of  the  old  yew- 
tie-,  a  portion  of  which,  with  a  grey 
crumbling  com<  r  of  his  church,  at 
only  tome  two  dozen  yards'  distance, 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


C73 


was  visible  through  the  window.  On 
one  side  of  his  book-shelves  hung  his 
surplice  on  one  peg,  and  on  another 
his  gown  ;  and  on  the  other  his  rusty 
shovel-hat  and  walking-stick.  Over 
the  mantelpiece  were  suspended  two 
small  black  profile  likenesses  of  old 
Squire  Aubrey,  and  Madam  Aubrey, 
which  they  had  themselves  presented 
to  the  Doctor  nearly  thirty  years  be- 
fore. Though  it  was  very  cold,  there 
was  but  a  handful  of  fire  in  the  little 
grate  ;  and  this,  together  with  the 
modicum  of  coarse  brown  sugar  in  the 
sugar-basin,  and  about  two  tea-spoon- 
fuls of  tea,  which  he  had  just  before 
measured  out  of  his  little  tea-caddy, 
into  his  tea-cup,  in  order  to  be  ready 
to  put  it  into  his  tea-pot,  when  Betty 
should  have  brought  in  the  kettle — 
and  four  thin  slices  of  scantily  buttered 
brown  bread — all  this,  I  say,  seemed 
touching  evidence  of  the  straitened 
circumstances  in  which  the  poor  Doc- 
tor was  placed.  His  clothes,  too,  very 
clean,  very  threadbare,  and  of  a  very 
rusty  hue — down  even  to  his  gaiters — 
suggested  the  same  reflection  to  the 
beholder.  The  five  pounds  which  he 
had  scraped  together  for  purchasing  a 
new  suit,  Mr.  Titmouse,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, had  succeeded  in  cheating 
him  out  of.  His  hair  was  of  a  silvery 
white  ;  and  though  he  was  evidently 
a  little  cast  down  in  spirits,  the  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  was  as  full 
of  benevolence  and  piety  as  ever.  He 
was,  moreover,  considerably  thinner 
than  when  he  was  last  presented  to 
the  reader  ;  and  well  he  might  be,  for 
he  had  since  undergone  great  privation 
and  anxiety.  He — he,  peaceful  un- 
offending old  soul ! — had  long  been 
followed  with  pertinacious  bitterness 
and  persecution  by  two  new  inhabit- 
ants of  the  village  ;  viz.  the  Rev. 
Smirk  Mudflint  and  Mr.  Bloodsuck, 
junior.  The  former  had  obtained  a 
lease  from  Mr.  Titmouse  of  the  little 
building  which  had  formerly  been 
Miss  Aubrey's  school,  and  had  turned 
it  into  a  Unitarian  chapel  —  him- 
self and  family  residing  in  part  of 
the  building.  He  preached  every  Sun- 
day at  Dr.  Tatham,  turning  his  person, 
his  habits,  his  office,  and  his  creed 
into  bitter  ridicule  ;  and  repeatedly 
challenging  him,  from  his  pulpit,  to 


an  open  discussion  of  the  points  in 
difference  between  them  !  By  means 
of  his  "moral"  discourses  every  Sun- 
day morning,  and  his  "political"  dis- 
courses every  Sunday  evening  —  and 
which  he  used  all  his  powers  to  render 
palatable  to  those  who  heard  him — ho 
was  undoubtedly  seducing  away  many 
of  the  parishioners  from  the  parish 
church  ;  a  matter  which  began  visibly 
to  prey  upon  the  Doctor's  spirits.  Then 
Mr.  Bloodsuck,  too,  was  carrying  on 
the  campaign  briskly  against  the  parson 
— against  whom  he  had  got  a  couplo 
of  actions  pending  at  the  suit  of  parish- 
ioners in  respect  of  his  right  to  certain 
tithes  which  had  never  before  been 
questioned  by  any  one.  Only  that 
very  day  the  impudent  jackanapes — 
for  that,  I  am  sure,  you  would  have 
pronounced  Mr.  Barnabas  Bloodsuck 
at  first  sight — had  sent  a  very  per- 
emptory and  offensive  letter  to  the 
Doctor,  which  had  been  designed  by 
its  writer  to  have  the  effect  of  drawing 
the  Doctor  into  a  sudden  compromise  ; 
whereas  the  Doctor,  with  a  just  sense 
and  spirit,  had  resolved  never  in  any 
way  to  suffer  his  rights,  and  those  of 
his  successors,  to  be  infringed.  Many 
and  many  a  weary  walk  to  Mr.  Park- 
inson's office  at  Grilston  had  these 
persecuting  proceedings  of  Bloodsuck' s 
cost  the  Doctor,  and  also  considerable 
and  unavoidable  expense,  which,  had 
he  been  in  any  other  hands  than  those 
of  good  Mr.  Parkinson,  must  by  this 
time  have  involved  the  Doctor  in  utter 
ruin,  and  broken  his  heart.  Still 
generous  according  to  his  means,  the 
good  soul  had,  on  his  last  visit  to 
Grilston,  purchased  and  brought  home 
with  him  a  couple  of  bottles  of  port 
wine,  which  he  intended  to  take  on 
Christmas  day  to  a  poor  brother  parson 
in  an  adjoining  parish,  whose  wife  had 
been  bedridden  for  ten  years.  All  these 
matters  might  well  occasion  Dr.  Tatham 
anxiety,  and  frequent  fits  of  despond- 
ency, such  as  that  under  which  he  was 
suffering,  when  he  heard  a  gentle  tap- 
ping at  his  door,  while  sitting  in  his 
study  as  I  have  described  him.  "  Come 
in,  Betty,"  quoth  the  Doctor,  in  his 
usual  kind  and  quiet  way,  supposing 
it  to  be  his  old  housekeeper  with  his 
tea-kettle  ;  for  she  had  gone  with  it  a 
few  minutes  before  across  the  yard  to 

X  X 


674 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


tho  well,  leaving  the  front  door  ajar 
till  her  return.  As  ho  uttered  the 
Is  above  mentioned,  the  door 
ed.  He  sat  with  his  back  to- 
la it;  and  finding,  after  a  pause, 
that  no  oil"  entered  it  spoke,  lie  turned 
round  in  his  chair  to  see  the  reason 
why,  and  beheld  a  gentleman  standing 
there,  dressed  in  deep  mourning,  and 
gazing  at  him  with  an  expression  of 
infinite  tenderness  and  benignity.  The 
Doctor  was  a  little  of  a  believer  in  the 
reality  of  spiritual  appearances  ;  and, 
taken  quite  oil*  his  guard,  jumped  out 
of  liia  chair,  and  stand  for  a  second  or 
two  in  mute  amazement,  if  not  even 
apprehension,  at  the  figure  standing 
silently  in  the  doorway. 

"Why!  Bless— bless  my  soul — 
ean  it  be  " — he  stammered,  and  the 
next  instant  perceived  that  it  was 
indeed,  as  I  may  say,  the  desire  of  his 
ryes  —  Mr.  Aubrey,  now  become,  as 
the  Doctor  had  a  few  days  before  heard 
from  Mr.  Parkinson,  Lord  Drelincourt. 

"Oh  my  dear,  old,  revered  friend! 
Do  I  see  you  once  again  ? "  he  ex- 
claimed in  a  tremulous  voice,  as  he 
stepped  hastily  up  to  the  Doctor,  with 
his  arms  extended,  and,  grasping  the 
hand  of  the  Doctor  with  vehement 
.  they  both  gazed  at  each 
other  for  some  moments  in  silence, 
and  with  the  tears  in  their  eyes  ;  Lord 
iincourt's  soul  touched  within  him 
by  tho  evident  alteration  which  had 
taken  place  in  Dr.  Tatham's  appear- 
ance. 

"And   is  it   indeed    true,    my  dear 
friend!"  at  length  faltered  the  Doc- 
still     gazing     fondly    at     Lord 
Drelincourt. 

"It  it  your  old  friend,  Charles 
Aubrey!  dearesi  Hoctorl  God  bless 
you,  my  revered  friend  and  instructor 
of  my  youth  1"  said  Lord  Drelincourt, 
with  a  lull  hearl  and  a  quivering  lip; 
••  I  ani  i  see,  once  more  to 

Yatton,  and  first  of  all  to  you  ;  and  in 
your  pi'  cknowledge  the  g 

1  fed,  for  he  has  been  very  good 

"The    boid    Cod    of    thy    fathers 

fXclained    Dr.    Tatham 

Solemnly  ;      and      Lord      Drelincourt 

rcntly  received   tier  benison.     A 

lew  moments  afterwards  I  [own, 

opiosite  the  Doctor,  in  the  only  spare 


chair  there  was  in  the  room,  and  they 
were  instantly  engaged  in  eager  and 
affectionate  converse. 

"Why,  Mr.  Aubrey,"  quoth  the 
Doctor  with  a  smile,  but  also  a  slight 
embarrassment,  "I  had  forgotten — 
Lord  Drelincourt,  how  strangely  it 
sounds !  " 

"Yes,  it  is  true,  such  is  now  my 
name  ;  but,  believe  me,  I  am  not  yet 
reconciled  to  it,  especially,  dearest 
Doctor,  in  your  presence !  Shall  I 
ever  be  as  happy  as  Lord  Drelincourt 
as  I  have  been  as  Charles  Aubrey  I " 

"Ay,  ay,  dear  friend,  to  be  sure 
you  will !  'Tis  in  the  course  of  God's 
providence  that  you  are  raised  to  dis- 
tinction, as  well  as  restored  to  your 
own  !  Long  may  you  live  to  enjoy 
both  1  and  I  hope  at  Yatton,"  he 
added  earnestly. 

"Oh,  can  you  doubt  it,  dearest 
Doctor  ?  My  heart  is  only  now  re- 
covering the  wounds  it  received  in 
being  torn  from  this  dear  spot." 

"  And  Mrs.  Au — I  mean  Lady  Drel- 
incourt. God  Almighty  bless  her  I 
and  Kate — sweet,  dear  Kate  !  "Well  ! 
tike  lias  not  changed  her  name  yet, 
I  suppose  ? " 

"Not  yet,"  replied  Lord  Drelin- 
court with  a  cheerful  smile. 

"And  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you 
are  all  coming  to  old  Yatton  again  I " 

"Coming  to  Yatton  again?  'Tis  a 
little  paradise  to  all  of  us !  Here  wo 
wish  to  live ;  and  when  we  follow 
thpse  who  have  gone  before  us,  there- 
we  wish  to  rest!"  said  Lord  Drelin- 
court solemnly,  and  he  pointed  towards 
the  churchyard,  with  a  look  that  sud- 
denly filled  the  Doctor's  eyes  with 
tears,  for  it  brought  full  before  them 
the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Aubrey. 

"  I  have  two  letters  for  you,"  said 
Lord  Drelincourt  after  a  pause,  taking 
out  his  pocket-book,  "from  my  wife 
and  sister,  who  charged  me  to 
them  into  your  own  bauds  with  their 
fervent  love;"  and  lie  gave  two  let- 
ters into  tho  Doctor's  hands,  which 
trembled  with  emotion  as  he  received 
them. 

"  I  shall  read  them  by-and-by,  when 
I  am  alone,"  said  he,  as,  gazing  fondly 
at  the  superscriptions,  he  placed  tho 

two  letters  on  the  mantelpiece. 

"Come  inl    cotuo  in  1  '   quoth  tho 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAIi. 


C75 


Doctor  quickly,  hearing  a  knocking  at 
the  door — "that's  Betty.  You  have 
not  forgotten  old  Betty,  have  you?" 
said  he  to  Lord  Drelincourt,  as  the 
gpod  old  woman  opened  the  door  in 
a  flustered  manner,  with  the  kettle 
in  her  hands,  and  dropped  an  awful 
curtsey  on  seeing  Lord  Drelincourt, 
whom  she  instantly  recognized. 

'/Well,  Betty,"  said  he  with  in- 
finite cordiality,  "I  am  glad  to  see 
you  again,  and  to  hear  that  you  are 
weU ! " 

"Yes,  sir! — if  you  please,  sir! — 
thank  you,  sir  ! " — stammered  Betty, 
curtseying  repeatedly,  and  standing, 
with  the  kettle  in  her  hand,  as  if  she 
did  not  intend  to  come  in- with  it. 

"That  will  do,  Betty,"  quoth  the 
Doctor,  and  looked  so  delighted  at 
Lord  Drelincourt's  good-natured  greet- 
ing of  his  faithful  old  servant ;  "  bring 
it  in !  And  Thomas  is  quite  well,  too, " 
lie  added,  turning  to  Lord  Drelincourt 
— Thomas  being  Betty's  husband — 
and  Loth  of  whom  had  lived  with  the 
Doctor  for  some  eighteen  or  twenty 
years  —  Thomas's  business  being  to 
look  after  the  Doctor's  nag  while  he 
kept  one,  and  now  to  do  odd  jobs 
about  the  little  garden  and  paddock. 
After  one  or  two  kind  enquiries  about 
him,  "  I  must  join  you,  Doctor — if 
you  please,"  said  Lord  Drelincourt, 
as  Betty  put  the  kettle  on  the  fire  ; 
"you'll  give  me  a  cup  of  tea " 

"A  cup  of  tea?  Ay,  to  be  sure! 
Betty!  here,"  said  he,  beckoning  her 
to  him,  and  whispering  to  her  to  bring 
out  the  best  tea-things,  and  to  run  out 
into  the  village  for  a  couple  of  tea- 
cakes,  and  a  little  more  tea,  and  some 
eggs  and  butter,  and  half  a  pound  of 
lump  sugar — for  the  Doctor  was  bent 
upon  doing  the  thing  splendidly  on  so 
great  an  occasion  ;  but  Lord  Drelin- 
court, who  overheard  him,  and  who 
had  asked  to  take  tea  with  him  only 
that  he  might  not  delay  the  Doctor's 
doing  so — (for  Lord  Drelincourt  had 
not  yet  dined) — interposed,  declaring 
that  if  anything  of  the  sort  were  done 
he  would  leave  immediately  ;  adding, 
that  he  expected  his  horses  at  the  door 
every  moment,  and  also  that  Lord 
De  la  Zouch  (who  had  come  over  with 
him  from  Fotheringham,  and  was  at 
that  moment  at  the  Hall)  would  pre- 


sently call  to  join  him  on  his  way 
home.  This  secured  Lord  Drelincourt's 
wishes — and  you  might,  within  a  few 
minutes'  time,  have  seen  him  partak- 
ing of  the  Lector's  humble  beverage, 
while  they  continued  in  eager  and 
earnest  conversation.  Lord  Drelin- 
court had  that  morning  had  a  very 
long  conversation  with  Mr.  Parkinson, 
from  whom  he  had  learned  the  life  of 
persecution  which  the  poor  Doctor 
had  led  for  the  last  two  j^ears  —  and 
learned  it,  too,  with  the  keenest 
indignation.  The  Doctor  himself 
softened  down  matters  a  good  deal 
in  the  account  which  he  gave  Lord 
Drelincourt — but  his  lordship  saw  at 
once  that  the  case  had  not  been  in  the 
least  overstated  by  Mr.  Parkinson ; 
and,  without  intimating  anything  of 
his  intentions  to  the  Doctor,  resolved 
upon  forthwith  taking  certain  steps 
which,  had  they  known  them,  would 
have  made  two  persons  in  the  village 
shake  in  their  shoes. 

"What's  that,  Doctor?"  suddenly 
enquired  Lord  Drelincourt,  hearing  a 
noise  as  of  shouting  outside.  Now  the 
fact  was,  that  the  appearance  of  Lord 
Drelincourt  and  Lord  De  la  Zouch,  and 
their  two  grooms,  as  they  galloped 
down  the  village  on  their  way  to  the 
Hall,  (from  which  Lord  Drelincourt, 
as  I  have  stated,  had  walked  to  tho 
vicarage,  whither  he  was  to  be  followed 
by  Lord  De  la  Zouch,)  had  created  a 
pretty  sensation  in  the  village  ;  for  Lord 
Drelincourt,  rapidly  as  he  rode  in,  was 
soon  recognised  by  those  who  were 
about,  and  the  news  spread  like  wildfire 
that  the  lord  "  Squire  "  had  come  back, 
and  was  then  at  Yatton— a  fact  which 
seemed  to  be  anything  but  gratifying 
to  Messrs.  Bloodsuck  and  Mudflint, 
who  were  talking  together,  at  the  mo- 
ment when  Lord  Drelincourt  asked 
the  question  of  Dr.  Tatham,  at  the 
door  of  Mr.  Mudflint,  whose  face 
seemed  to  have  got  several  degrees 
sallower  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
while  Mr.  Bloodsuck  looked  quite 
white.  There  was  a  continually  in- 
creasing crowd  about  tha  front  of  the 
vicarage  ;  and  as  they  got  more  and 
more  assured  of  the  fact  that  Lord 
Drelincourt  was  at  that  moment  in  the 
vicarage,  they  began  to  shout  " hur- 
rah!"    So - 

X  X  2 


670 


TEN   THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


""What's    that?"    enquired    Lord 
Drelineourt. 

"  Ah  ! — I  know !  "  cried  the.  Doctor, 
with  not  a  little  excitement ;  "  they've 
found  you  oat,  bless  them! — hark! — 
I  have  not  heard  Buch  a  thing  I  don't 
know  how  long — I  wonder  they  don't 
set  the  bells  a-ringing  I — Why,  bless 
me  !  there's  a  couple  of  hundred  people 
the  door!"  exclaimed  he,  after 
having  stepped  into  the  front  room, 
I  reconnoitred  through  the  window. 
Though    the   gloom   of  evening  was 
rapidly  deepening,   Lord  Drelineourt 
also   perceived   the   great  number  of 
people  that  had  collected  together,  and 
his  eye  having  caught  the  approaching 
figure  of  Lord  I  >>•  la  Zouch,  for  whom, 
and  the  grooms,  the  crowd  made  way, 
he   prepan  I  to   have.      Lord  De   la 
Zouch  dismounted,  and,  entiling  the 
vicarage,  shook  nands  with  the  utmost 
cordiality  with  the  little  Doctor,  whom 
lie  invited  to  dine  and  sleep  at  Fother- 
ingham  on  the  morrow,  promising  to 
1  the  carriage  for  him.     The  little 
Doctor  scarce  knew  whether  he  stood 
on  his  heal  or  his  heels,  in  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment  ;   and  when 
he  and  Lord  Drelineourt  appeared  at 
the    dour,    and   a    gr>at    shout    burst 
from  those  present,  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  he  could  resist  his  in- 
clination to  join  in  it.    It  was  growing 
,  however,  and  they  had  a  long 
ride  before  them:  so  Lord  Drelineourt, 
having  stood  for  some  moments  bare- 
headed and  bowing  to  all  around,  and 
shaking  hands  with  those  who  pressed 
following  the  example  of  Lord 
I1    It  Zouch,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
waving  his  hand  affectionately  to  Dr. 
Tatham,  rode  off  amidst  the  renewed 
i  beers  <>f  the  crowd.     From  that  mo- 
:  Dr.  Tatham  had  regained  all  his 
form<  dency  at  Yatton  ! 

the  two  peers  sat  together  over 
th<  ir  wine   thai  .   the   fito  of 

the  Rev.  Mr.  Mudflint,  and  Barnabas 
Bloodsnck,  junior,  "gentleman,  &c." 
li  d.    The  more  that  they  talked 
r  about  the  wanton  and  bitter 
■  ons  which  I 
worthies  had  bo  oflicted  upon 

of   the  most   inoffei 
ad  benevolent  beings  upon 
'.i.  I  >r.  Tatham,  the  hi 

m,  the  sterner  their 


determination  to  punish  and  remove 
his  enemies.  The  next  morning  Lord 
1  >e  la  Zouch  wrote  up  to  town,  direct- 
ing instructions  to  be  given  to  Mr. 
Winnington,  who  had  conducted  the  . 
proceedings  in  the  actions  of  Wigley  o. 
Mudflint,  and  "Wigley  v.  Bloodsuek, 
to  issue  execution  forthwith.  Lord 
Drelineourt  also  did  his  part.  Almost 
every  house  in  the  village  was  his  pro- 
perty, and  he  instructed  Mr.  Parkinson 
immediately  to  take  steps  towards 
summarily  ejecting  the  two  aforesaid 
worthies  from  the  premises  they  were 
respectively  occupying  —  convinced 
that  by  so  doing  he  was  removing  two 
principal  sources  of  filth  and  mischief 
from  the  village  and  neighbourhood  ; 
for  they  were  the  founders  and  most 
activo  members  of  a  sort  of  spouting- 
club  for  radical  and  infidel  speechify- 
ing, and  promoting  the  interests  of  t  ho 
Lioeral  cause  at  Yatton,  and  which 
club  their  presence  and  influence  alone 
kept  together. 

Early  the  next  morning  Lord  Drelin- 
eourt returned   to   the    Hall,    having 
appointed  several  persons  to  meet  him 
there,  on  business  principally  relating 
to  the  restoration  of  the  Hall  to  its 
former  state,  as  far  as  practicable  ;   at 
all  events,  to  render  it  fit  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  family  within  as  short  a 
period  as  possible.      According  to  an 
arrangement  ho  had  made  before  quit- 
ting town,  he  found,  on  reaching  tho 
Hall,   a   gentleman  from   London,  of 
great  taste  and  experience,  to  whoso 
hands  was  to  be  entrusted  tho  entire 
superintendence  of  the  contemplated 
reparations  and  restorations,  both  in- 
ternal and  external,  regard  being  had 
to  the  autiquo  and  peculiar  character 
of  the  mansion — it  being  his  lordship's 
anxious  wish   that   Lady    Drelineourt 
and    Miss   Aubrey,    on    their    return, 
should     see     it,     as    nearly     as    was 
practicable,     in       the     condition     in 
which  they  had  left  it.     Fortunately 
the  little  vandal  who  had  just  1 
expelled  from  it,  had  done  little    or 
no  permanent  or  substantial  injury. 
There   was   the   same  great  irregular 
mass  of  old  brickwork,  with  its  bugs 
if  chimneys,  just  as  they  had 
over  known  it,  only  requiring  a  little 
pointing.      That  fine    old   relic,   the 
Hated  gateway,  clad  in  ivy,  with 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


677 


Its  grey,  crumbling,  stone-capped 
battlements,  and  escutcheon  over  the 
point  of  the  arch,  had  suffered  no 
change  ;  even  the  quaint,  weather- 
beaten  sundial  stood  in  the  centre  of 
the  grass-plot,  within  the  court-yard, 
as  they  had  left  it.  The  yew-trees 
still  lined  the  high  walls  which  sur- 
rounded the  court-yard  ;  and  the  fine 
old  clumps  of  cedars  of  Lebanon  was 
there — green,  stat'ely,  and  solemn,  as 
in  days  of  yore.  The  moment,  how- 
ever, that  you  passed  the  threshold  of 
the  Hall,  you  sighed  at  the  change 
that  had  taken  place.  Where  were 
now  the  armed  figures,  the  pikes,  bows, 
guns,  spears,  swords,  and  battle-axes, 
and  the  quaint  old  pictures  of  the 
early  ancestors  of  the  family  of  the 
Aubreys  ?  Not  a  trace  now  to  be  seen 
of  them,  and  it  gave  Lord  Drelincourt 
a  pang  as  his  eye  travelled  round  the 
bare  walls.  But  the  case  was  not  des- 
perate. All  the  aforesaid  pictures 
still  lay  rolled  up  in  the  lumber-room, 
where  they  had  continued  as  articles  ut- 
terly valueless  ever  shice  Mr.  Titmouse 
had  ordered  them  to  be  taken  down. 
They  had  been  brought  down,  and 
•low  lay  on  the  floor,  having  been  care- 
fully unrolled  and  examined  by  the 
man  of  taste,  who  undertook  quickly 
to  remove  the  incipient  ravage  of- 
mould  and  dirt  at  present  visible,  and 
to  have  them  suspended  in  their 
former  position,  in  such  a  state  as  that 
only  the  closest  scrutiny  could  detect 
any  difference  between  their  present 
and  former  condition.  The  other  relics 
of  antiquity — viz.  the  armour — had 
been  purchased  by  the  late  Lady 
Stratton  at  one  of  the  sales  of  Tit- 
mouse's effects,  occasioned  by  an  exe- 
cution against  him,  and  they  still 
were  at  her  late  residence,  and  of 
course  at  Lord  Drelincourt's  disposal, 
as  her  ladyship's  administrator.  These, 
on  his  seeing  them,  the  man  of  taste 
pronounced  to  be  very  fine  and  valuable 
specimens  of  old  English  armour,  and 
undertook  to  have  them  also  in  their 
old  places,  and  in  a  far  better  condition 
even  than  before.  Lord  Drelincourt 
sighed  repeatedly  as  he  went  over  every 
one  of  the  bare  and  deserted  rooms  in 
the  mansion — nothing  being  left  except 
the  beautiful  antique  mantelpieces  of 
inlaid  oak,  and  the  oak-panelling  of 


the  different  rooms,  which,  as  a  part 
of  the  freehold,  could  not  be  seized  as 
the  personal  property  of  Mr.  Titmouse. 
His  creditors  had  swept  off,  from  time 
to  time,  anything  that  had  belonged  to 
him  —  the  hall,  the  dining-room, 
breakfast- room,  drawing-rooms,  the 
library,  the  bed-rooms,  dressing- 
rooms,  boudoirs  of  Mrs.  Aubrey 
and  his  sister,  the  long  galleries, 
the  rooms  in  which  Charles  and 
Agnes  used  to  romp  and  play  about — ■ 
all  was  now  bare  and  desolate,  and  the 
echoes  of  their  footfalls  and  voices,  in 
passing  through  them,  struck  Lord 
Drelincourt's  heart  with  sadness.  But 
all  this  was  to  be  easily  and  quickly 
remedied  ;  for  a  carte  blanche  was 
given  to  tbe  man  of  taste  at  his  elbow, 
who  undertook  within  two,  or  at  most 
three  months'  time,  to  leave  nothing 
for  the  eye  or  the  heart  to  sigh  for — 
guided,  moreover,  as  all  his  move- 
ments would  be,  by  those  who  were  so 
deeply  interested  in  their  success.  On 
reaching  the  two  rooms  in  the  north- 
eastern extremities  of  the  building, 
the  windows  of  which  commanded  a 
view  of  nearly  three-fourths  of  the 
estate,  he  gazed  around  him  in  silence 
which  those  beside  him  thoroughly  ap- 
preciated. There  was  nothing  to  shock 
the  eye  or  pain  the  heart ;  for  as  Mr. 
Titmouse  had  been  restrained  from 
cutting  timber,  behold  !  what  a  sight 
would  De  seen  when,  in  the  approach- 
ing spring,  the  groves  and  forests, 
stretching  far  and  wide  before  him, 
should  have  put  on  all  their  bravery  ! 
— And  he  found  on  enquiry,  and  going 
over  a  portion  of  the  grounds,  that  Mr. 
Waters  and  Dickons  had  kept  pretty 
sharp  eyes  about  them,  and  maintained 
everything  in  infinitely  better  con- 
dition than  could  have  been  expected. 
Mr.  Tonson  had,  moreover,  looked 
very  keenly  after  the  game ;  and 
Pumpkin  undertook,  by  spring-time, 
to  make  his  gardens  and  greenhouses 
a  sight  delightful  to  behold.  In  a 
word,  Lord  Drelincourt  left  everything 
under  the  management  of  the  London 
man  of  taste  and  of  Mr.  Griffiths,  the 
former  being  guided,  of  course,  in  the 
purchase  of  the  leading  articles  of  furni- 
ture in  town,  from  time  to  time,  by  the 
tastes  of  Lord  and  Lady  Drelincourt,  and 
Miss  Aubrey.     The  latter  was  desired 


TEX   THOUSAND  A-YEAB. 


to  r  -  Bfl  many  of  the  former 

g^.i^  Mr.  Aubrey  as  he  could, 

and  inform..!  Lord  Divlineourt  of  two, 
in  particular,  who  had  signified  their 
anxious  wish  to  him  on  the  subject; 
viz.  Mrs.  Jackson,  the  housekeeper, 
who  had  liv.d  in  that  capacity  with 
a  brother  of  hers  at  York,  on  quitting 
ice  of  Mrs.  Aubrey.  She  was, 
Liately  reinstated 
in  her  old  place.  The  other  Mas 
Harriet,  Miss  Aubrey's  maid,  who,  it 
mav  be  recollected,  was  so  disconsolate 
at  being  left  behind  by  Miss  Aubrey, 
who  had  secured  her  a  place  at  the 
Lady  Strut  urn's,  at  whose  house 
she  still  lived,  with  several  of  the 
other  servants,  the  establishment  not 
having  been  yet  finally  broken  up. 
The  poor  girl  very  nearly  went  dis- 
ted  with  joy  on  receiving,  a  short 
time  lTds,  an  intimation,  that 

as  Boon  as  she  had  got  her  clothes  in 
■  might  set  off  for  town, 
and  enter  at  once  upon  her  old  duties 
as  lady's  maid  to  Miss  Aubrey.     Find- 
on  enquiry,  that  there  was  not 
ut    upon    the   estate, 
whose  rent  had  not  been  raised  above 
that    which    had  been  paid    in   Mr. 
Aubrey's  time,  he  ordered  the  rent  of 
all  to  be  reduced  to  that  amount,  and 
inquiries    to   be   made    alter    several 
respectable  tenants,  whom  the  extor- 
tion  of  Mr.  Titmouse  and  his  agents 
had  driven  from  their  farms,  witli   a 
view  of  restoring  them  in  lieu  of  their 
very  questionable  successors.     Having 
thus   set    everything    in    train    for    a 
■  .ration   to   tin-   former   happy   and 

;  ite  of  tilings  which  pre- 
vailed at  Yatton  before  toe  usurpation 
<l'    Mr.   Titmouse,    Lord  Drelincourt 

]. -tin in. 1     to    town,    but    hist    left    a 
bundled      pounds     in     Dr.    Tatham's 

hai  distributed  as  he  thouj  hi 

proper  amongst    the  ]  oorer  vill 
and    neighbours   on  Christmas   eve ; 

nie I  ed     on     the     Doi 

aco  plan.-.-,  himself,  of  fifty  pounds  in 

advai ,  on  account  of  hi;  salary,  a 

hundred  a-year,  as  chaplain  t..   Lord 

I  >     line. ant,    v  hi.  h    ap]  i  the 

Do  tor  1    from   his   lordship's 

own  hand-,,  and  with  not  a  little  de- 
light and  piidc.      His  lordship,  i 

I  Mr.  J'  i..   hold 

hi-  for  any  little  del; 


which  might  be  due  from  the  poor 
Doctor,  in  respect  of  the  litigation  in 
which  he  had  been  involved ;  and 
thus  Dr.  Tatham  was  made  a  free  man 
of  again,  with  no  further  question 
about  his  right  to  tithes,  or  any  more 
of  the  interruption  of  any  of  the 
sources  of  his  little  income,  to  which 
he  had  lately  been  su^'ected ;  and 
with  fifty  pounds,  moreover,  at  his 
absolute  'disposal.  The  Doctor  made 
his  appearance  on  Christmas-day  in  a 
very  fine  suit  of  black,  new  hat  and 
all,  and  had  a  very  full  attendance  at 
church,  and,  moreover,  a  very  cheerful 
and  attentive  one. 

A  day  or  two  after  Lord  Drelin- 
court's  return  to  town,  Messrs.  Mud- 
flint  and  l'doodsuck  received  a  very 
pressing  invitation  to  York  Castle, 
whose  hospitable  owners  would  receive 
no  refusal.  In  plain  English,  they 
were  both  taken  in  execution  on  the 
same  day,  by  virtue  of  two  writs  « .f 
capias  ad  satisfaciendum,  for  the 
damages  and  costs  due  to  Mr.  YVigley  ; 
viz.  £-2960,  lGs.  4d.  from  Smirk  Mud- 
flint,  and  £27C0,  19s.  from  Barnabas 
Bloodsuck,  junior.  Poor  Mr.  Mud- 
dint  !  In  vain — in  vain  had  been 
his  Sunday  evening's  lectures  for  the 
last  three  months,  on  the  errors  which 
pervaded  all  systems  of  jurisprudence 
which  annexed  any  pecuniary  liabili- 
ties to  political  offences,  instead  of 
leaving  the  evil  to  be  redressed  by  the 
spontaneous  good  sense  of  society. 
A  single  tap  of  the  sheriff-officer  on  the 
eloquent  lecturer's  shoulder,  upset  all 
his  tine  speculations,  just  as  Corporal 

Trim  said,  that  onesh.iveof  the  bayonet 
was  worth  all  Dr.  Slop's  fine  metaphy- 
sical discourses  upon  1  he  art  of  war  ! 

In  thenext  York  h  ire  Stingo,  (which, 
alas!  between  ourselves,  was  very 
n.  arly  on  its  last  legs,)  there  appeared 

one,    I    inn  t    own,   nf  the   most   Bi 

ut  articles  of  the  kind,  which  I 
everread,  upon  the  subject  of  the  atro- 
d  unparalleled  outraj  e  on  the 
liberties  of  the  Bubject,,  which  had 
been  committed  in  the  incarceration 
of  the  two  patriots  —  the  martyr* 
patriots  —  Mudflint  and  Bloodsuck. 
i  in  that  day,  it  said,  tho  sun  of 
lib  rty  had  s.-t  on  England  forever — 
in  fact,  for  it  was  a  time  for  speaking 
out— it  had  gona  down  in  bloou.    Tho 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


C79 


enlightened  patriot,  Mudflint,  had  at 
length  fallen  before  the  combined 
forces  of  bigotry  and  tyranny,  -which 
were  now,  in  the  shape  of  the  Church 
of  England  and  the  aristocracy,  riding 
rough-shod  over  the  necks  of  English- 
men. In  his  person  lay  prostrate  the 
sacred  rights  of  conscience,  and  the 
inalienable  liberty  of  Englishmen.  He 
had  stood  forth,  nobly  foremost,  in 
the  fray  between  the  people  and 
their  oppressors  ;  and  he  had  fallen ! 
— but  he  felt  how  dulce  ct  decorum  it 
was,  pro  patrid  mori !  He  felt  prouder 
and  happier  in  his  bonds  than  could 

ever  feel  the  splendid  fiend  at  F m, 

in  all  his  blood-stained  magnificence  ! 
It  then  called  upon  the  people,  in 
vivid  and  spirit-stirring  language,  to 
rise  against  their  tyrants  like  one 
man,  and  the  days  of  tyranny  were 
numbered  ;  and  stated  that  the  first 
blow  was  already  struck  against  the 
black  and  monstrous  fabric  of  priest- 
craft and  tyranny ;  for  that  a  sub- 
scription had  been  already  opened  on 


behalf  of  Mr.  Mud-flint  and  Mr. 
Bloodsuck,  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
charging the  amount  of  debt  and 
costs  for  which  they  had  been  so 
infamously  deprived  of  their  liberty. 
An  unprecedented  sensation  had  been 
already  excited ;  and  a  reference  to 
the  advertising  columns  of  their  paper 
would  show  that  the  work  went 
bravely  on.  The  friends  of  religious 
and  civil  liberty  all  over  the  country 
were  roused  ;  they  had  but  to  continue 
their  exertions,  and  the  majesty  of 
the  people  would  be  heard  in  a  voice 
of  thunder.  This  article  produced  an 
immense  sensation  in  that  part  of 
York  Castle  where  the  patriots  were 
confined,  and  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood of  the.  office  of  the  York- 
shire Stingo,  (in  fact,  it  was  the 
production  of  the  masterly  pen  of 
Mudflint  himself.)  Sure  enough,  on 
referring  to  the  advertising  columns  of 
the  Stingo,  the  following  did  appear 
fully  to  warrant  the  tone  of  indignant 
exultation  indulged  in  by  the  editor  : — 


"  Subscriptions  already  received  (through  C.  Woodlouse)  towards  raising  a 
fund  for  the  liberation  of  the  Reverend  Smirk  Mudflint  and  Barnabas 
Bloodsuck,  junior,  Esq.,  at  present  confined  in  York  Castle. 

An  ardent  admirer  of  the  talents  and  character  of  the 
Reverend  Smirk  Mudflint        .... 

Several  friends  of  the  Rev.  S.  M.        . 
Anonymous        ....... 

John  Brown,  Esq.  ..... 

James  Smith,  Esq.  .         .         .         . 

John  Jones,  Esq.         ...... 

Sir  Harkaway  Rotgut  Wildfire,  Bart. 


200 

0 

0 

150 

0 

0 

100 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

50 

0 

0 

Now,  to  conceal  nothing  from  the 
reader,  whose  confidence  my  candour 
has,  I  feel  sure,  gained  me  long  ago,  I 
regret  to  inform  him  that,  with  the 
exception  of  Sir  H.  R.  AVildfire,  Bart., 
the  above  noble-spirited  individuals, 
whom  no  one  had  ever  heard  of  in  or 
near  to  Grilston,  or,  in  fact,  anywhere 
else,  had  their  local  habitation  and 
their  name  only  in  the  fertile  brain  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Mudflint ;  who  had  hit 
upon  this  device  as  an  effectual  one  for 
getting  up  the  steam,  (to  use  a  modern 
and  significant  expression,)  and  giving 
the  mighty  impulse  which  was  re- 
quisite to  burst  the  bonds  of  the  two 
imprisoned  patriots. 


Sir  Harkaway's  name  was  in  the 
list,  to  be  sure,  but  that  was  on  the 
distinct  understanding  that  he  was  not 
to  be  called  on  to  pay  one  farthing ; 
the  bargain  being,  that  if  he  would  give 
the  sanction  of  his  name  to  Messrs.  Mud- 
flint and  Bloodsuck,  they  would  allow 
him  to  have  the  credit,  gratis,  of  so 
liberally  supporting  the  liberal  cause. 

The  following,  however,  were  real 
and  bond  fide  names  and  subscriptions 
collected  during  the  ensuing  three 
weeks  ;  and  though,  when  annexed  to 
the  foregoing  flourishing  commence- 
ment of  the  list,  they  give  it,  I  must 
own,  a  somewhat  tadpole  appearance, 
yet  here  they  follow  : — 


CbO 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAU. 


M  Subscriptions  already  received  £6 

Wbodlouse,  Esq.  ..... 

.    ii  k,  Esq.,  senior       .... 

1 .  Ii-ti-r,  1  ...... 

me,  Esq.       ....... 

■  ii  Snooks,  Esq.  ...... 

4  Tyrants,  beware  I ! ' 

'  i  lue  who  is  ready  to  ascend  the  scaffold,  if  required  ' 

'  Hehemoth  '........ 

'A  foe  to  priestcraft  '  ...... 

•  Britons  never  shall  be  slaves  ! '       .... 

'  Down  with  the  aristocracy  ! '  .... 

'  Free  enquiry  '  ....... 

'  H  rut  us  and  <  lassius'         ...... 

1  Virtue  in  prison,  Idler  than  vice  in  a  castle  '     . 

'  1  tefiance  ! ' 

Small  sums 


Making  a  grand  total  of  sums  actually  received  by  the 
editor  of  the  Yorkshire  Stingo,  of  .         .         .  £3  13     5.J 


50 

0 

0 

1 

1 

0 

1 

1 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

7 

0 

0 

5 

0 

0 

2 

6 

0 

2 

0 

0 

1 

6 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

9 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

4 

0 

0 

4 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

If" 

Certainly  this  was  "not  as  good  as 
could  have  been  expected" — as  the 
editor  subsequently  owned  in  his  lead- 
ing article— and  asked,  with  sorrowful 
indignation,  how  the  people  could  ex- 
pect any  one  to  be  true  to  them  if  they 
were  not  true  to  themselves  !  He  said, 
"Our  cheeks  tingle  with  shame  on 
looking  at  the  paltry  list  of  additional 
contributions — 'Oh,  lame  and  impo- 
tent conclusion1  to  so  auspicious  a 
commencement !  " — This  was  very  fine 
indeed.  It  came  very  well  from  Mr. 
Wbodlouse  in  his  editorial  capacity  ; 
Mr.  Woodlonse,  in  his  capacity  as 
a  man  of  business,  was  a  very  differehi 
I       on.     Alas!  that  it  should  fall  to 


sorrowful  indignation — was  there  NO 
honour  among  thieves  ?  But,  to  come 
to  the  point,  it  fell  out  in  this  wise. 
Patriots  must  live,  even  in  prison ; 
and  Mr.  Mudflint,  being  sorely  pressed, 
wrote  a  letter  to  his  "Dear  "Wbodlouse," 
asking  for  the  amount  of  subscriptions 
received  up  to  that  date.  Ho  received, 
in  return,  a  most  friendly  note,  ad- 
dressed "My  dear  Mudflint,"  full  of 
civilities  and  friendly  anxieties  — 
hoping  the  air  of  the  castle  agreed 
with  him — assuring  him  how  he  was 
missed  from  the  Liberal  circle,  and 
that  he  would  be  received  with  open 
arms  if  ever  he  gotout — and — enclosing 
a  nicely-drawn  out  debtor  and  creditor 
account ! !  beaded — 


my  lot  to  enquire,  in  my  turn,  with 

"The  Rev.  Smirk  Mudflint  and   Barnabas  Bloodsuck,  Esq.,  in  account 
with  Cephas  Wbodlouse,"  in  which  every  farthing  of  the  above  sum  of 
IS  .  :"  i  !.  was  faithfully  set  down  to  the  credit  side,  to  bo  sure  ;  but, 
alas!— on  the  debit  side  stood  the  following! — ■ 
"To  Advertising  lists  of  Subscriptions  in  Y.  S.  (three 

lis,) £3     15     6 

To  Cu    dare,  Hand-bills,  &c,  (as  per  order,)    .        .  2    13    9 

1  •'  and  Sundries 0       4     3 


.  amount,  of  Bub  criptions  received 


due  t.i  c.  \\\ 

Log  the  above  do  mment,  so 

ii  mi  with  perfidy  and  extortion, 

Iflinl  pnl  it  into  his  pocket, 

and,  slipping  off  to  his  sleeping-room, 

c        I  the  door,  took  off  hi 


£G     13     6 
3     13 

£3       0     OJ 


and,  with  very  deadly  intentions  to- 
wards himself,  was  tying  them  to- 
gether  —  casting    a    ghastly    glance, 

illy,  at  a  great  hook  in  the 

wall,  which  he  could  just  reach  Vy 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


681 


standing  on  a  stool  —  when  he  was 
discovered,  and  removed,  with  his 
hands  tied  behind  him,  "to  the 
strong  room,"  where  he  was  fastened 
to  a  heavy  wooden  bench,  and  left  to 
his  meditations.  Solitude  and  reflec- 
tion restored  the  afflicted  captive  to 
something  like  composure  and  resigna- 
tion ;  and  after  reflecting  long  and 
deeply  on  the  selfishness  and  worth- 
lessne"ss  of  worldly  friendship,  his 
thoughts  gradually  turned  towards  a 
better  place — a  haven  of  rest — viz.  the 
Insolvent  Debtors'  Court. 

The  effect  of  this  infamous  treatment 
upon  his  fellow-captive,  Bloodsuck, 
was  quite  different.  Having  sworn 
one  single  prodigious  oath,  he  enclosed 
the  above  account,  and  sent  it  off  to 
his  father,  in  the  following  pithy 
letter : — 

"  York  Castle,  2M7i  Dec.  18—. 
"Dear  Father, — Read   the  en- 
closed !  and  then  sell  up  IVoocllousc. — 
Your  affectionate  Son, 

"  B.  Bloodsuck,  Jun." 

The  old  gentleman,  on  reading  the 
above  and  its  enclosure,  immediately 
issued  execution  against  "Woodlouse, 
on  a  cognovit  of  his  for  £150,  which 
he  had  given  to  the  firm  of  Bloodsuck 
and  Son  for  the  balance  of  a  bill  of 
theirs  for  defending  him  unsuccessfully 
against  an  action  for  an  infamous  libel. 
Nobody  would  bid  anything  for  his 
moribund  "Stingo ;"  he  had  no  other 
effects ;  and  was  immediately  taken 
in  execution,  and  sent  to  York  Castle, 
where  he,  Bloodsuck,  and  Mudflint, 
whenever  they  met,  could  hardly  be 
restrained  from  tearing  one  another's 
eyes  out. 

'Tis  thus  that  reptiles  of  this  sort 
prey  upon  each  other! — To  "begin 
nothing  of  which  you  have  not  well 
considered  the  end,"  is  a  saying,  the 
propriety  of  which  every  one  recognizes 
when  he  hears  it  enunciated,  but  no 
one  thinks  of  in  the  conduct  of  actual 
life  ;  and  what  follows  will  illustrate 
the  truth  of  my  reflection.  It  seemed 
a  capital  notion  of  Mudflint's  to  send 
forth  such  a  splendid  list  of  sham  sub- 
scribers, and  it  was  natural  enough 
for  Mr.  Bloodsuck  to  assent  to  it,  and 
Mr.  "Woodlouse  to  become  the  party 
.to  it  which  he.  did— but  who  could 


have  foreseen  the  consequences  ?  A 
quarrel  among  rogues  is  almost  always 
attended  with  ugly  and  unexpected 
consequences  to  themselves.  Now, 
here  was  a  mortal  feud  between  Mr. 
"Woodlouse  on  the  one  side,  and 
Messrs.  Mudflint  and  Bloodsuck  on 
the  other ;  and  in  due  course  of 
time  they  all  applied,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  for  relief  under  the  Insolvent 
Debtors'  Act.  Before  they  got  to  the 
question  concerning  the  nature  of  tho 
debt — viz.  the  penalties  in  an  action 
for  the  odious  offence  of  bribery — in 
the  case  of  Mr.  Mudflint,  he  had  to 
encounter  a  very  serious  and  truly 
unexpected  obstacle — viz.  he  had  given 
in,  with  the  minutest  accuracy,  the 
items  of  the  subscription,  amounting 
to  £3, 13s.  5fd.,  but  had  observed  the 
most  mysterious  and  (as  he  might 
suppose)  politic  silence  concerning  tlic 
greater  sum  of  £650,  and  which  had. 
been  brought  under  the  notice  of  tho 
creditors  of  Messrs.  Mudflint  and 
Bloodsuck  by  Mr.  Woodlouse.  On 
the  newspaper  acknowledging  the 
receipt  of  that  large  sum  being  pro- 
duced in  court,  Mr.  Mudflint  made 
very  light  of  the  matter,  simply  smiling 
and  shrugging  his  shoulders  ;  but 
when  Mr.  Woodlouse  was  called  as  a 
witness,  you  may  guess  the  conster- 
nation of  Mr.  Mudflint,  on  hearing  him 
swear  that  he  had  certainly  never 
himself  received  the  money,  but  had 
no  doubt  of  Mr.  Mudflint  having  done 
so — which,  in  fact,  had  always  been 
his  impression  ;  for  when  Mr.  Mudflint 
had  furnished  him  with  the  list,  which 
he  produced  in  court,  in  Mudflint's 
handwriting,  he  inserted  it  in  his 
paper  as  a  matter  of  course — taking  it 
to  be  a  bona,  fide  and  matter-of-fact 
transaction.  The  evident  consterna- 
tion of  Mudflint  satisfied  all  who 
heard  him  of  his  villainy,  and  the 
truth  and  honesty  of  AVoodlouse,  who 
stuck  to  this  new  version  of  the  affair 
manfully.  But  this  opened  quite  a 
new  view  of  his  position  to  Mr.  Blood- 
suck ;  who,  on  finding  that  he  must 
needs  adopt  either  Mudflint's  or 
"Woodlouse's  version  of  the  affair,  be- 
gan to  reflect  upon  the  disagreeable 
effect  it  would  have  thereafter  upon, 
the  connexion  and  character,  of  the 
respectable    firm    of   Bloodsuck   and 


682 


TEN"  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


Bon,  for  him  to  appear  to  have  been 
a  party  to  such  a  Blocking  fraud  upon 
tin'  public,  as  a  sham  list  of  subscribers, 
and  toso  large  an  amount.  He  there- 
swore  stoutly  that  ho,  too,  had 
always  been  under  the  impression  that 
Mr.  Mudflint  had  received  the  £650, 
and  very  much  regretted  to  find  that 
that  gentleman  must  have  been  appro- 
priating so  large  a  sum  to  himself, 
instead  of  being  now  ready  to  divide 
it  between  thru-  respective  creditors. 
This  tallied  with  AVoodlouse's  account 
..i  the  matter ;  and  infinitely  dis- 
gusted was  that  gentleman  at  finding 
himself  so  cleverly  outwitted  by  Blood- 
suck.  <'n  this  Mudflint  turned  with 
fury  upon  Bloodsuck,  and  he  upon 
Mudflint,  who  abused  "VY'oodlouse  ;  and 
eventually  the  court,  unable  t.>  believe 
any  of  them,  remanded  them  ail,  as  a 
pack  of  rogues,  till  the  next  court  day  ; 
addressing  a  very  Btern warning  to  Mr. 
Mudllint,  concerning  the  serious  con- 
sequences of  his  persisting  in  fraudu- 
lently concealing  bis  property  from 
bis  creditors.  l>y  the  time  of  his  being 
next  brought  up,  the  persecut  d  ^\1  u<l- 
flint  bad  bethought  himself  of  a  bold 
mode  of  collaterally  corroborating  the 
truth  of  his  version  i  f  the  affair  of  that 
accursed  first  list  of  subscribers-  viz. 
summoning  Sir  Harkaway  Rotgut 
Wildfire  as  a  witness  in  his  behalf; 
whom  be  confidently  asked  whether, 

for  all  his  name  appeared   in   the  sub- 
iptiofl.  list,  he  bad  really  ever  given 
farthing  of  the   £50  there  men- 
tioned I     Now,  had  Mr.  Mudflint  be»  a 
a  long-headed  man,  he  would   never 
have  taken   that   Btep  ;  for  Sir  Hark- 
away  could  never  have  been  supposed 
ble  of  bi  inging  himself  to  admit 

that    he   had   all. .wed   himself  to  be   a 

pari  ;;  a  dirty  deceit  upon  the 

public.  <  Mi  a  careful  consideration  of 
circumstances,  therefore,  Sir  Hark- 
away,  having  an  eye  solely  to  his  own 
en. lit,  first  said  with  a  somewhat 
haughty,  but  at  the  same  time  em- 
barrassed air,  that  he  was  not  in  the 
lial.it  of  allowing  his  name  to  appear 
in  such  lit,  v.  itfiout  his  h  a .  ing  actu- 
ally paid  the  stun  named;  th.n,  on 
.'•■  that  lie  the 

I  '  have  paid  it  ;  th.n,  that  he 

veiy  littii   doubt  "ii  the  Bubjecl  ; 

then,    uat   ho   had  no   doubt    OS   the 


matter  at  all ;  then,  that  he  knew  that 
in  point  of  fact  he  had  advanced  the 
money  ;  and  finally,  that  he  then 
recollected  all  the  circumstances  dis- 
tinctly ! — On  this  complete  confirma- 
tion of  the  roguery  of  Mudflint,  he 
was  instantly  reprimanded  severely, 
ami  remanded  indefinitely  ;  the  whole 
court  believing  that  lie  had  appropri- 
ated to  his  own  use  every  farthing  of 
the  £650,  defrauding  even  his  fellow- 
prisoner,  Mr.  IHoodsuck.  It  was  a 
good  while  before  Mr.  Mudflint  re- 
covered from  the  effects  of  this 
aslounding  conduct  of  Sir  Harkaway. 
When  his  wits  had  returned  to  him, 
he  felt  certain  that,  somewhere  or 
other,  he  had  a  letter  from  Sir  Hark- 
away, which  would  satisfy  everybody 
of  the  peculiarly  unpleasant  position 
in  which  the  worthy  baronet  had 
placed  himself.  And  sure  enough,  on 
desiring  his  wife  to  institute  a  rigorous 
search  over  his  papers,  she  succeeded 
in  discovering  the  following  remark- 
able document,  which  she  at  once  for- 
warded to  her  disconsolate  husband  : — 

"  VieU'Hallo  Hall,  27t*  Dec.  IS—. 
"Sir, 

"  1  have  a  considerable  regard  for 
your  services  to  liberty,  (civil  and 
religious,)  and  am  willing  to  serve 
you  in  the  way  you  wish.  You  may 
put  vie  down,  therefore,  in  the  list  for 
anything  you  please,  as  my  name 
carries  weight  in  the  county — but,  of 
course,  you  know  better  than  to  kill 
your  droy-duck. 

"  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"II.  R.  WlLDFIKB. 

"The  Iicv.  S.  MuDFLINT,  &c.  &c." 

This  unfortunate  letter,  in  the  first 
frenzy  of  his  rage  and  exultation, 
Mudflint  instantly  forwarded,  with  a 
statement  of  facts,  to  the  editor  of  the 
'/'/•/'.'  /.'/(/.•  newspaper,  which  carried 
it  into  every  corner  of  the  county  on 
the  Yury  next  morning  ;  and  undoubt- 
ed^ gave  thereby  a  heavy  Mow  and  a 
great  discouragement  to  the  Liberal 
cause  all  ov.r  Yorkshire,  for  Sir  Hark- 
away had  always  been  Looked  upon  as 
a  very  stanch  and  powerful  supporter 
of  it. 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


G83 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Very  shortly  after  Messrs.  Mudflint 
and  Bloodsuck  had  gone  to  pay  this, 
their  long-expected  visit,  to  the  govern- 
or of  York  Castle,  Mr.  Parkinson  re- 
quired possession  of  the  residence  of 
each  of  them,  in  Yatton,  to  be  deli- 
vered up  to  him  on  behalf  of  Lord 
Drelincourt,  allowing  a  week's  time  for 
the  removal  of  the  few  effects  of  each  ; 
after  which  period  had  elapsed,  the 
premises  in  question  were  completely 
cleared  of  everything  belonging  to 
their  late  odious  occupants — who,  in  all 
human  probability,  would  never  again 
have  an  opportunity  of  settling  them- 
selves in  Yatton  —  infinitely  to  the 
iclight  of  Dr.  Tatham  and  all  the 
better  sort  of  the  inhabitants.  In  a 
similar  manner  another  crying  nuisance 
— viz.  the  public-house  known  by  the 
name  of  The  Toper's  Arms — was  got 
lid  of ;  it  having  been  resolved  upon 
by  Lord  Drelincourt,  that  there  should 
be  thenceforth  but  one  public-house  in 
Yatton,  viz. — the  quiet,  old,  original 
Aubrey  Arms,  and  which  was  quite 
sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  village.  Two  or 
three  other  persons  who  had  crept 
into  the  village  during  the  Titmouse 
dynasty  were  similarly  dealt  with, 
infinitely  to  the  satisfaction  of  those 
left  behind ;  and  by  Christmas  day 
the  village  was  beginning  to  show- 
signs  of  a  return  to  its  former  condi- 
tion. The  works  going  on  at  the  Hall 
gave  an  air  of  cheerful  bustle  and 
animation  to  the  whole  neighbour- 
hood, and  afforded  extensive  employ- 
ment at  a  season  of  the  year  when 
employment  was  most  wanted.  The 
chapel  and  residence  of  the  Piev.  Mr. 
Mudllint  underwent  a  rapid  and  re- 
markable alteration.  The  fact  was, 
that  Mr.  Delamcre  had  conceived  the 
idea,  which,  with  Lord  Drelincourt's 
consent,  he  proceeded  to  carry  imme- 
diately into  execution,  of  pulling  down 
the  existing  structure,  and  raising  in 
its  stead  a  very  beautiful  school,  and 
filling  it  with  scholars,  and  providing 
a  matron  for  it,  by-way  of  giving  a 
pleasant  surprise  to  Kate  on  her  return 
t«  Yatton.  He  engaged  a  well-known 
architect,  whosubmittedtohimaplan  of 


a  very  beautiful  little  Gothic  structure, 
adapted  for  receiving  some  eighteen 
or  twenty  scholars,  and  also  affording 
a  permanent  residence  for  the  mistress  ; 
and  whose  plan  being  heartily  approved 
of  by  Mr.  Delamere  and  Dr.  Tatham, 
whom  he  had  taken  into  his  counsels 
in  the  affair,  they  received  a  pledge 
that  the  school  should  be  complete 
and  fit  for  occupation  within  three 
months'  time.  There  was  to  be  in  the 
front  a  small  and  tasteful  tablet,  bear- 
ing the  inscription — 

®.  a. 

JFunrjatrix. 

18—. 

The  mistress  of  Kate's  former  school 
gladly  relinquished  a  similar  situation 
which  she  had  held  in  another  part  of 
the  country,  in  order  to  return  to  her 
old  one  at  Yatton,  and  Dr.  Tatham 
was,  in  the  first  instance,  to  select  the 
scholars,  who  were  to  be  clothed,  at 
Delamere's  expense,  in  the  former 
neat  and  simple  attire  which  had  been 
adopted  by  Miss  Aubrey.  How  ho 
delighted  to  think  of  the  charming 
surprise  he  was  thus  preparing  for  his 
lovely  mistress,  and  by  which,  at  the 
same  time,  he  was  securing  for  her  a 
permanent  and  interesting  memento 
in  the  neighbourhood  ! 

About  this  time  there  came  a  general 
election,  the  nation  being  throughly 
disgusted  with  the  character  and  con- 
duct of  a  great  number  of  those  who 
had,  in  the  direful  hubbub  of  the  last 
election,  contrived  to  creep  into  the 
House  of  Commons.  Besides,  public 
affairs  were  getting  daily  into  a  more 
deranged  and  dangerous  condition : 
in  fact,  the  Ministers  might  have  been 
compared  to  a  parcel  of  little  mischiev- 
ous and  venturesome  boys,  who  had 
found  their  way  into  the  vast  and 
complicated  machinery  of  some  steam- 
engine,  and  set  it  into  a  fearful  motion, 
which  they  can  neither  Understand 
nor  govern  ;  and  from  which  they  are 
only  too  glad  to  escape — if  possible — 
and  make  way  for  those  whose  proper 
business  it  is  to  attend  to  it.  All  I 
have  to  do,  however,  at  present,  with 
that  most  important  election,  is  to 
state,  its  effect  upon  the  representation 
of  the  borough  of  Yatton.  Its  late 
member,   Mx.   Tittlebat  Titmouse,    it 


684 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


completely  annihilated.  Of  course,  lie 
m  I'le  no  attempt  to  Btand  again  ;  nor, 
in  fact,  <li<l  any  one  in  tlu  same  in- 
t       •      The  re  Stingo,  in  its 

t  number,  (of  which  tv. 
were  sohl,)  tried  <1  ly  to 

up  a  contest,  but  in  vain.     Mr. 
ig  Gone — and  even  Mr.  Glister— 
quite  willing  to  have  stood — but, 
\  neither  of  them  could  afford  to 
bis  ahare  of  the  expenses  of  the 
hustings;  and,  secondly,  there  were 
difficulties  in  the  way 
of  either  of  them  procuring  a  qualifi- 
ii.      Besides,    the   nioro   sensible 
even  of  the  strong  Liberal  electors  had 
1     omealive  to  the  exquisite  absurdity 
of  returning  such  persons  as  Titmouse, 
or  any  one    of  his  class.     Then   the 
lit  Club  had  ceased  to  exist,  partly 
through  the  change  of  political  feeling 
which  w.is  rapidly  gaining  ground  in 
the  borough,  and  partly  through  terror 
of   the  consequences    of   bribery,   of 
which  the  miserable  fate  of  Mudflint 
and  Bloodsuck  was  a  fearful  instance. 
In  fact,  the  disasters  which  had  be- 
fallen those  gentlemen,  and  Mr.  Tit- 
mouse, had  completely  paralyzed  and 
bed  the  Liberal  party  at  Yatton, 
and  disabled  it  from  ever  attempting 
to  contend  against  the  paramount  and 
imate  influence  of  Lord  Drelin- 
t.     The  result  of  all  this  was,  the 
return,  without  a  contest,  of  the  Hon- 
ourable Geoffry  Lovel  1)<  lamere  as  the 
tatire  of  the  borough  of  Yat- 
t'>u  in  the  new  Parliament ;  an  event, 
which   he  penned  his  first  frank  in 
communicating  to  a  certain  young  lady 
then  in  London.     Nothii  Less, 

1  be  more  delightful  for  Mr.  Dela- 
mere  ;  bat  in  what  a  direful  predica- 
.:  did  the  lo'-s  of  his  seat  place  the 
r,    Mr.   Titmouse  ?     Just 
^  for  a  moment.     .Mr.   Flum- 
to  him  of  a  "  place  " 
had  vanished,  of  com  6,  into  thin  air 
—  bavii  pui  pose    of 

iring   Mr.   Titmc  te  up  to 

:  of  the  dissolution  ; 
an  event  which  Mr.  Flummery  feared 
.  to  deprive  himself  of  the 
nntry  in  any 
twenty  3 
aould  so  long  live,  and 
ui  rive  his  exclu- 
Foiled  thus  miserably 


in  this  quarter,  Mr.  Titmouse  applied 
himself  with  redoubled  energy  to  render 
available  his  other  resources,  and  made 
repeated  and  most  impassioned  appli- 
cations to  Mr.  O'Gibbet — who  never 
took,  however,  the  slightest  notice  of 
any  of  them  :  considering  very  justly 
that  Mr.  Titmouse  was  no  more  en- 
titled to  receive  back,  than  he  had 
originally  been  to  lend,  the  £500  in 
question.  As  for  Mr.  O'Doodle  and 
Mr.  M 'Squash —  they,  like  himself, 
were  thrown  out  of  Parliament ;  and 
no  one  upon  earth  seemed  able  to  tell 
whither  they  had  gone,  or  what  had 
become  of  them,  though  there  were 
a  good  many  people  who  made  it  their 
business  to  enquire  into  the  matter 
very  anxiously.  That  quarter,  there* 
fore,  seemed  at  present  quite  hopeless. 
Then  there  was  an  honourable  young- 
ster, who  owed  him  a  hundred  pounds ; 
— but  he,  tho  moment  that  he  had 
lost  his  election,  caused  it  to  be  given 
out  to  anyone  interested  in  his  welfare 
— and  there  suddenly  appeared  to  be  t> 
great  many  such — that  he  was  gone 
on  a  scientific  expedition  to  the  South 
Pole,  from  which  he  trusted,  though 
he  was  not  very  sanguine,  that  ho 
should,  one  day,  come  back.  —  All 
the  e  things  drove  Mr.  Titmouso 
very  nearly  beside  himself — and  cer- 
tainly his  position  was  a  little  pre- 
carious. When  Parliament  was  dis- 
solved he  had  in  his  pocket  a  couple 
of  sovereigns,  the  residue  of  a  five- 
pound  note,  out  of  which,  mira 
dictu,  he  had  actually  succeeded  in 
teasing  Mr.  Flummery  on  the  evening 
of  the  last  division  ;  and  these  two 
sovereigns,  and  a  shirt  or  two,  and  the 
articles  actually  on  his  person,  and  a 
copy  0IB01  ian  1,  were  all  his  assets  to 
meet  liabilities  of  about  a  hundred 
thousand  pounds  ;  and  the  panoply  of 
Parliamentary  "privilege"  was  drop- 
ping off,  as  it  were,  daily,  hi  a  very 
lew  days'  time,  in  fact,  he  would  bo 
at  the  mercy  of  a  terrific  host  of 
creditors,  who  were  waiting  to  spring 
Upon  him  like  so  many  famished 
wolves.  Every  one  of  them  had  gone 
on  with  his  action  up  to  judgment  for 

both  debt  ami  costs — and  had  bis  Ca. 
Ca.  and  /•'/.  Fa.  ready  for  ase  at  an 
instant's  notice.  There  were  three  of 
his  creditors—  the   three  Jews,  Israel 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAE. 


685 


Fang,  Mordecai  Gripe,  and  Mephibo- 
sheth  Mahar-shalal-hash-baz — who  had 
entered  into  a  solemn  vow  with  one 
another  that  they  would  never  lose 
sight  of  Titmouse  for  one  moment,  by 
day  or  by  night,  whatever  pains  or 
expense  it  might  cost  them — until, 
the  period  of  privilege  having  expired, 
they  should  be  at  liberty  to  plunge 
their  talons  into  the  carcass  of  their 
lit  do  debtor.  There  were,  in  fact,  at 
least  a  hundred  of  his  creditors  ready 
to  pounce  upon  him  the  instant  that 
he  should  make  the  slightest  attempt 
to  quit  the  country.  His  lodgings 
consisted,  at  this  time,  of  a  miserable 
little  room  in  a  garret  at  the  back  of  a 
small  house  in  Westminster,  not  far 
from  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  and 
of  the  two,  inferior  to  the  room  in 
Closet  Court,  Oxford  Street,  in  which 
he  was  first  presented  to  the  reader. 
Here  he  would  often  lie  in  bed  half 
the  day,  drinking  weak — because  he 
could  not  afford  strong — brandy  and 
water,  and  endeavouring  to  consider 
"what  the  devil"  he  had  done  with 
the  immense  sums  of  money  which  he 
had  had  at  his  disposal — how  he  would 
act  if  by  some  lucky  chance  he  should 
again  become  wealthy — and,  in  short, 
"what  the  plague  was  now  to  become 
of  him.  "What  was  he  to  do  ?  Whither 
should  he  go  ? — To  sea  ? — Then  it  must 
be  as  a  common  sailor — if  any  one 
would  now  take  him  !  Or  suppose  he 
were  to  enlist  1  Glorious  war,  and  all 
that ;  but  both  these  schemes  pre- 
supposed his  being  able  to  escape  from 
his  creditors,  who,  he  had  a  vehement 
suspicion,  were  on  the  look-out  for 
him  in  all  directions.  Every  review 
that  he  thus  took  of  his  hopeless  posi- 
tion and  prospects,  ended  in  a  fiendish 
degree  of  abhorrence  of  his  parents, 
whose  fault  alone  it  was  that  he  was 
thus  turned  out  of  a  splendid  estate 
of  ten  thousand  a -year,  and  made 
Worse  than  a  beggar  of.  He  would 
sometimes  spring  out  of  bed,  con- 
vulsively clutching  his  hands  together, 
and  wishing  himself  beside  their  grave, 
to  tear  them  out  of  it.  He  thought 
of  Mr.  Quirk,  Mr.  Snap,  Mr.  Tag-rag, 
with  fury  ;  but  whenever  he  thought 
of  Mr.  Gammon,  he.  shuddered  all 
over,  as  if  in  the  presence  of  a  baleful 
spectre.     For  all   this,    he   preserved 


the  same  impudent  strut  and  swagger 
in  the  street  which  had  ever  distin- 
guished him.  Every  day  of  his  life  he 
walked  towards  the  scenes  of  his  recent 
splendour,  which  seemed  to  attract 
him  irresistibly.  He  would  pass  the 
late  Earl  of  Dreddlington's  house,  in 
Grosvenor  Square,  gazing  at  it,  and  at 
the  hatchment  suspended  in  front  of 
it.  Then  he  would  wander  on  to  Park 
Lane,  and  gaze  with  unutterable  feel- 
ings —  poor  little  wretch  !  —  at  the 
house  which  once  had  been  his  and 
Lady  Cecilia's,  but  was  then  occupied 
by  a  nobleman,  whose  tasteful  equi- 
page and  servants  were  often  s'.anding 
at  and  before  the  door.  He  would,  on 
some  of  those  occasions,  feel  as  though 
he  should  like  to  drop  down  dead, 
and  be  out  of  all  his  misery.  If  ever 
he  met  and  nodded,  or  spoke  to 
those  with  whom  he  had  till  recently 
been  on  the  most  familiar  terms,  ho 
was  encountered  by  a  steady  stare, 
and  sometimes  a  smile,  that  with- 
ered his  very  heart  within  him,  and 
made  the  last  three  years  of  his  life 
appear  to  have  been  but  a  dream.  The 
little  dinner  that  he  ate — for  he  had 
almost  entirely  lost  hisappetite  through 
long  addiction  to  drinking — was  at  a 
small  tavern,  at  only  a  few  doors'  dis- 
tance from  his  lodgings,  and  where  he 
generally  spent  his  evenings,  for  want 
of  any  other  place  to  go  to  ;  and  he 
formed  at  length  a  sort  of  intimacy 
with  a  good-natured  and  very  respect- 
able gentleman,  who  came  nearly  as 
often  thither  as  Titmouse  himself,  and 
would  sit  conversing  with  him  very 
pleasantly  over  his  cigar  and  a  glass 
of  spirits  and  water.  The  of  tener  Tit- 
mouse saw  him,  the  more  ho  liked 
him  ;  and  at  length,  taking  him  en- 
tirely into  his  confidence,  unbosomed 
himself  concerning  his  unhappy  pre- 
sent circumstances,  and  still  more 
unhappy  prospects.  This  man  was  a 
brother  of  Mahar-shalal-hash-baz  tha 
Jew,  and  a  sheriffs  officer,  keeping 
watch  upon  his  movements,  night  and 
day,  alternately  with  another  who  did 
not  attract  Titmouse's  notice.  After 
having  canvassed  several  modes  of  dis- 
posing of  himself,  none  of  which  were 
satisfactory  to  either  Titmouse  or  his 
friend,  he  hinted  that  he  was  aware 
that  there  were  lots  of  the  enemy  on 


686 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


the  loolc-ont  for  him,  and  who  would 
1  g  glad  to  get  at  him  ;  1  ut  he  knew, 
he  said,  that  he  was  as  safe  as  in  a 
castle  fir  some  time  yet  to  come  ;  and 
he  also  mentioned  a  scheme  which  had 
irred  to  him — but  this  was  all  in 
the  strictest  confidence — viz.  to  write 
to  Lord  I>relincourt,  (who  was,  after 
all,  his  relation  of  some  sort  or  other, 
and  ought  to  be  devilish  glad  to  get 
into  all  hi.-;,  Titmouse's,  property  so 
easily,)  and  ask  him  for  some  situation 
under  government,  either  in  France, 
India,  or  America,  and  give  him  a 
trifle  to  set  him  up  at  starting,  and 
help  him  to  "nick  the  bums!"  His 
friend  listened  attentively,   and  then 

Iirotested  that  he  thought  it  an  exoel- 
ent  idea,  and  Mr.  Titmouse  had  better 
write  the  letter  and  take  it  at  once. 
Upon  this  Titmouse  sent  for  pen,  ink, 
and  paper  ;  and  while  his  friend  leaned 
back  calmly  smoking  his  cigar,  and 
sipping  his  gin  and  water,  poor  Tit- 
mouse  wrote  the  following  letter  to 
I  Drelincourt,  which  is  the  last 
letter  of  his  in  my  possession  : — 

the  Right  lion.  Lord  Drkuncotot 
My  Lord — 

"Xatrally  situated  In  The  Way 
which  I  Am  "With  J*  lordship  Most 
Unpleasantly  Addresirg  you  On  A 
Matter  of  that  Nature  most  Painful 
To  My  felings  Considering  My  sur- 
prising Forlorn  Condition,  And  So 
Budden  Which  Who  c'l  Have  A  Little 
While  Ago  suppos'd.  Yr  Lordship 
(of  Course)  Is  Aware  That  There  Is 
No  fault  of  Mine,  But  rather  My 
Cursed  Parents  wh  Ought  To  be 
Ashamed  of  Themselves  For  Their 
Improper  Conduct  w*»  Was  never  made 
Acquainted  with  till  Lately  with  Great 

!'.      Alas.      I     Only    Wish    I    Had 

r   Been   Born,  or  Was  Dead  and 

Comfortable   in   An    I'.rly    Grave.     I 

Humbly,    My    Lord,    Bndevoured  To 

Do  My  Duty  when  In  the  Upper  Cir- 

pecially   to    the    People, 

U  I  Always  voted  for,  Steady,  in 

The  Hi  i  e,  And  Never  Injured  Any 

Mu  h  less  vou,  My  Lord,  if  You 

Will   B<  lieve  Me,    For   1  surely  wd. 

Hs       I  onie   Upon    You    In  the 

I  did  My  Lord  Bui  Was  oblij 

And  I   Am  Mosl  Truly 

.    )'••  ing    (Betwixt    You    and 

He,   my  Lord)  over  Head  and   Y 


in  debt,  And  Have  Nothing  To  pay 
With  and  out  of  The  House  So  Have 
No  Protection  and  Fear  am  Going 
Very  Fast  To  ye.  Dogs,  my  Lord, 
Swindle  O'Gibbet,  Esq.  M.P.  Owes  me 
£500  (borrowed  Money)  and  Will  not 
Pay  and  is  a  Shocking  Scamp,  but 
(depend  upon  it)  I  will  stick  To  Him 
Like  a  Leach.  Of  Course  Now  your 
Lordship  Is  Got  into  ye  Estate  &c.  you 
Will  Have  y«  Rents,  &c,  but  Is  Not 
Half  The  Last  Quarter  Mine  Seeing 
I  Was  in  possession  wh  is  9-10ths  of 
ye  law.  But  give  it  All  up  To  you 
willingly  Now  For  what  can't  Be 
cur'd,  Must  Be  Indur'd  can  yr  lord- 
ship Get  me  Some  Foreign  Appoint- 
ment Abroad  wh  shd  be  much  obliged 
for  and  Would  Get  Me  out  of  the  Way 
of  Troubling  yr  lordship  about  the 
Rents  wh  freely  give  Up.  You  Being 
Got  To  that  High  Hank  wl»  was  te 
Have  Been  mine  can  do  What  You 
please  doubtless.  Am  Sorry  To  Say 
I  am  Most  Uncommon  Hard  Up  Since 
I  Have  Broke  up.  And  am  nearly 
Pun  Out.  Consider  my  Lord  How 
Easy  I  Let  You  Win  yo  Property. 
When  might  Have  Given  Your  Lord- 
ship Trouble.  If  you  will  Remember 
this  And  Be  So  obliging  to  Lend  me  a 
£10  Note  (For  y°  Present)  Will  much 
oblige 

"  Your  Lordship's  to  Command, 
"Mostobed* 
"  Tittlebat  Titmouse. 

"  P.S.     I  Leave  This  with  my  Own 

Ha  ml  That  you  May  be  Sure  and  get 
it.  Remember  mo  to  Miss  A.  and 
Lady  D." 

Mr.  Titmouse  contented  himself 
with  telling  his  new  friend  merely  the 
substance  of  the  above  epistle,  and 
having  sealed  it  up,  he  asked  his 
friend  if  he  wen-  disposed  for  a  walk 
to  the  West  End  ;  and  on  being  an- 
Bwered  in  the  affirmative,  they  both 
Bet  oil' for  Lord  Drelincourt's  house  in 
1  lover  Street.  When  they  had  reached 
it,  his  friend  stepped  to  a  little  dis- 
tance; while  Titmouse,  endeavouring 
to  assume  a  confident  air,  hemmed, 
twitched  up  his  shirt-collar,  and 
'  hoc)  ed  and  rung  with  all  the  bold- 
of  a  gentleman  coming  to  dinner. 
•  •pen  flew  the  door  in  a  moment; 
and — 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


687 


MMy  Lord  Drelincourt's— isn't  it  ? " 
enquired  Titmouse,  holding  his  letter 
in  nis  hand,  and  tapping  his  ebony 
cane  pretty  loudly  against  his  legs. 

' '  Of  course  it  is !  What  d'ye  want  ? " 
quoth  the  porter  sternly,  euraged  at 
being  disturbed  at  such  an  hour  by 
such  a  puppy  of  a  fellow  as  then  stood 
before  him — for  the  bloom  was  off  the 
finery  of  Titmouse ;  and  who  that 
knew  the  world  would  call  at  seven 
o'clock  with  a  letter  ?  Titmouse  would 
have  answered  the  fellow  pretty 
sharply,  but  was  afraid  of  endanger- 
ing the  success  of  his  application : 
so,  with  considerable  calmness,  he 
replied — 

"  Oh— it  is  ?  Then  have  the  good- 
ness to  deliver  this  into  his  lordship's 
own  hand — it's  of  great  importance." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  porter  stiffly, 
not  dreaming  what  a  remarkable  per- 
sonage was  the  individual  whom  he 
was  addressing,  and  the  next  instant 
shut  the  door  in  his  face. 

"Dem  impudent  blackguard!"  said 
he,  as  he  n  joined  his  friend — his  heart 
almost  bursting  with  mortification  and 
fury  ;  "I've  a  great  mind  to  call  to- 
morrow, 'pon  my  soul — and  get  him 
discharged !  " 

He  had  dated  his  letter  from  his 
lodgings,  where,  about  ten  o'clock  on 
the  ensuing  morning,  a  gentleman — in 
fact,  Lord  Drelincourt's  man  of  busi- 
ness— called,  and  asking  to  see  Mr. 
Titmouse,  gave  into  his  hands  a  letter, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  : — 
"  Dover  Street, 

"  Wednesday  Morning. 

"Lord  Drelincourt,  in  answer  to 
Mr.  Titmouse's  letter,  requests  his  ac- 
ceptance of  the  enclosed  Bank  of  Eng- 
land Note  for  Ten  Pounds. 

"Lord  D.  wishes  Mr.  Titmouse  to 
furnish  him  with  an  address,  to  which 
any  further  communications  on  the 
part  of  Lord  D.  may  be  addressed." 

On  repairing  to  the  adjoining  tavern, 
soon  after  receiving  the  above  most 
welcome  note,  Mr.  Titmouse  fortun- 
ately (!)  fell  in  with  his  friend,  and, 
with  somewhat  of  an  air  of  easy  tri- 
umph, showed  him  Lord  Drelincourt's 
note,  and  its  enclosure.  Some  time 
afterwards,  having  smoked  each  a 
couple  of  cigars  and  drank  a  couple ) 


of  tumblers  of  brandy  and  water,  Mr. 
Titmouse's  friend  got  very  confidential, 
and  in  a  low  whisper  said,  that  he  had 
been  thinking  over  Mr.  Titmouse's  case 
ever  since  they  were  talking  together 
the  night  before  ;  and  for  five  pounds 
would  put  him  in  the  way  of  escaping 
all  danger  immediately,  provided  no 
questions  were  asked  by  Mr.  Titmouse  ; 
for  he,   the   speaker,   was   running  a 
great   risk    in   what    he   was    doing. 
Titmouse   placed   his  hand    over  his 
heart,  exclaiming,  "Honour — honour!" 
and  having  called  for  change  from  tho 
landlord,  gave  a  five-pound  note  into 
the  hand  of  his  companion,  who  there- 
upon, in  a  mysterious  undertone,  told 
him  that  by  ten  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing he  would  have  a  hackney  coach  at 
the  door  of  his  lodgings,  and  would  at 
once  convey  him  safely  to  a  vessel  then 
in  the  river,  and  bound  for  the  south 
of  France  ;  where  Mr.  Titmouse  might 
remain  till  ho  had  in  some  measuro 
settled  his  affairs  with  his  creditors. 
Sure  enough,  at  the  appointed  time, 
the  coach  drew  up  at  the  door  of  the 
house  where  Titmouse  lodged ;   and 
within  a  few  moments'  time  he  camo 
down-stairs  with  a  small  portmanteau, 
and  entered  the  coach,  where  sat  his 
friend,  evidently  not  wishing   to  be 
recognised  or  seen  by  anybody  passing. 
They  talked  together  earnestly  and 
eagerly  as  they  journeyed  eastward  ; 
and  just  as  they  arrived  opposite   a 
Luge  dismal-looking  building,  with  a 
large  door,  and  immensely  high  walls, 
the  coach  stopped.    Three  or  four  per- 
sons were  standing,  as  if  they  had  been 
in  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  tho 
coach  ;  and,  requesting  Mr.  Titmouse 
to  alight  for  a   moment,  his  friend 
opened  the  coach  door  from  within, 
and  let  down  the  steps.     The  moment 
that  poor  Titmouse  had  got  out,  ho 
was  instantly  surrounded,  and  seized 
by  the  collar  by  those  who  were  stand- 
ing by ;  his  "friend  "  had  disappeared, 
and,  almost  petrified  with  amazement 
and  fright,  and  taken   quite   off  his 
guard  by  the  suddenness  of  the  move- 
ment, he  was  hurried  through  the  door- 
way of  the  King's  Bench  Prison,  the 
three  Jews  following  close  at  his  heels, 
and  conducted  into  a  verygloomyroom. 
There  he  seemed  first  to  awake  to  the 
horrors  of    his   situation,   and  went 


888 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


into  a  paroxysm  of  despair  and  fury. 
He  8]irang  madly  towards  tho  door, 
and  on  1m  ingrepulsed  by  those  standing 

le  him,  stamped  violently  about 
the  room,  shouting,  "Murder,  murder  ! 
thii  Then  he  pulled  his  hair, 

shook  his  head  with  frantic  vehemence, 
and  presently  sank  into  a  seat,  from 
which,  after  a  few  moments,  he  sprang 
wildly,  and  broke  his  cane  into  a 
number  of  pieces,  scattering  them 
about  the  room  like  a  madman.  Then 
he  cried  passionately  ;  more,  in  fact, 
like  a  frantic  school-girl  than  a  man  ; 
and  struck  his  head  violently  with  his 
All  this  while  the  three   Jews 

•  looking  on  with  a  grin  of  devilish 
gratification    at     the    little    wretch's 

:}■.  His  frenzy  lasted  so  long  that 
he  was  removed  to  a  strong  room,  and 
threatened  with  being  put  into  a 
strait-waistcoat  if  lie  continued  to 
Conduct  himself  so  outrageously.  The 
fact  of  his  being  thus  safely  housed, 
soon  became  known,  and  within  a  day 
im-  two's  time,  the  miserable  little 
fellow  was  completely  overwhelmed  by 
his  creditors  ;  who,  absurd  and  un- 
availing as  were  their  proceedings, 
came  rushing  down  upon  him,  one 
after  another,  with  as  breathless  an 
impetuosity  as  if  they  thought  he  had 
been  a  mass  of  solid  gold,  which  was 
to  become  the  spoil  of  him  that  could 
first  seize  it.  The  n.xt  day  his  fate 
was  announced  to  the  world  by  para- 
graphs in  nil  the  morning  newspapers, 
which  informed  their  readers  that 
"yeaterday  Mr.  Titmouse,  late  M.P. 
for  Yatton,  was  secured  by  a  skilful 
stratagem,  just  as  he  was  on  the  point 
of  quitting  this  country  for  America, 

lodged  in  the  King's  Bench  Prison, 
at  the  suit  of  three  creditors,  to  the 

nt  of  uj. wards  of  sixty  thousand 
pounds.     It  is  understa  <1   that 
debts    considerably  i  xceed    the   sum 
of  one   hundred   and    fifty   thousand 

.ds."    As  soon  as  he  had 
Cain  to  do  so — viz.   three   or 

titer  his    incarceration  — 
■    dismal  epistle  to 
and   also  on 
■ 

all,  of 

for  them 
him,    and    therefore    he    hoped    : 


would  "remember  him,  and  do  some- 
thing to  get  him  out  of  his  trouble." 
He  seemed  to  cling  to  them  as  though 
lie  had  a  claim  upon   them — instead 
of    being  himself    Lord  Drelincourt's 
debtor   to   the    amount   of,    at   least, 
twenty    thousand    pounds,    had    his 
lordship,  instead  of  inclining  a  com- 
passionate ear  to  his  entreaties,  chosen 
to  fling  his  heavy  claim  into  the  BCale 
against   him.     This,  however,  was   a 
view  of  the  case  which  never  occurred 
to  poor  Titmouse.     Partly  of  their  own 
accord,   and  partly  at  Miss  Aubrey's 
earnest  entreaty,  Lord  Drelincourt  and 
Mr.    Delamere    went   to    the    King's 
Bench  prison,  and  had  a  long  inter- 
view with  him — his  lordship  being 
specially  anxious  to  ascertain,  if  pos- 
sible,   whether    Titmouse    had    been 
originally  privy  to  the  monstrous  fraud, 
by  means  of  which  he  had  succeeded 
in  possessing  himself  of  Yatton,  at  so 
fearful   a  cost  of   suffering  to  those 
whom  he  had  deprived  of  it.     "While 
he  was  chattering  away,   more  after 
the  fashion  of  a  newly-caged  ape  than 
a  max,   with  eager  and  impassioned 
tone  and  gesticulation— with  a  profuse 
Osage  of  his  favourite  phraseology — 
"  Ton  my  soul !  "  "  Ton  my  life  !  " 
"  By  Jove  !  "  and  of  several  shocking 
oaths,  for  which  he  was  repeatedly  and 
sternly  rebuked  by  Lord  Drelincourt, 
with  what  profound  and  melancholy 
interest    did    the    latter    regard    the 
strange  being  before  him,  and  think  of 
the  innumerable  extraordinary  things 
which  he  had  heard  concerning  him  I 
Here  was  the  widowed  husband  of  the 
Lady  Cecilia,  and  son-in-law  of  the 
Earl  of    Dreddlington  —  that  broken 
pillar  of  pride  1— broken,  alxs  !  in  the 
very  moment  of  his  imaginary  magni- 
ficence !     Here  was  the  late  member 
of   parliament    for    the    borough    of 
Yatton,  whose  constituency  had  delib- 
erately declared  him  possessed  of  their 
complete  confidence  ! — on  whose  indi- 
vidual vote   in  parliament  had  sever  d 
times  depended  the  existence  of  tho 
king's  ministry,   and   the    passing   of 
ares    of    the    greatest   possible 
I    tude  !     This  was  he  whom    all 
".—even  the  most  brilliant—] 
•d   as    a  great    lion— This   was 
the  some  time  owner  of  Yatton  !  who 
had    aspired    to    the    hand    of    Mis« 


1  itmouse  was  hurried  through  the  doorway  of  the  Kings   Bench  Prison,  the 
three  Jews  following  close  at  his  heels. 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


C89 


Aubrey!  who  had  for  two  years 
revelled  iu  every  conceivable  species 
of  luxury,  splendour,  and  profligacy  ! 
Here  was  the  individual  at  whose 
instance — at  whose  nod — Lord  Drelin- 
court  had  been  deprived  of  his  liberty, 
ruthlessly  torn  from  the  bleeding 
bosom  of  his  family,  and  he  and  they 
for  many  many  weary  months  subjected 
to  the  most  harassing  and  heart-break- 
ing privations  and  distresses  !  On  quit- 
ting him,  Lord  Drelincourt  put  into 
his  hand  a  ten-pound  note,  with  which 
Titmouse  seemed — though  he  dared 
not  say  so — not  a  little  disappointed. 
His  lordship  and  Mr.  Delamere  were 
inclined,  upon  the  whole,  to  believe 
that  Titmouse  had  not  been  aware  of 
his  illegitimacy  till  the  issue  of  the 
ecclesiastical  proceedings  was  known  ; 
but  from  many  remarks  he  let  fall, 
they  were  satisfied  that  Mr.  Gammon 
must  have  been  aware  of  the  fact 
from  a  very  early  period — for  Titmouse 
spoke  freely  of  the  constant  mysterious 
threats  he  was  in  the  habit  of  receiv- 
ing from  Mr.  Gammon.  Lord  Drelin- 
court had  promised  Titmouse  to  con- 
sider in  what  way  he  could  serve  him  ; 
and  during  the  course  of  the  day  in- 
structed Mr.  hunnington  to  put  the 
case  into  the  hands  of  some  attorney 
of  the  Insolvent  Debtors'  Court,  with 
a  view  of  endeavouring  to  obtain  for 
the  unfortunate  little  wretch  the 
"  benefit  of  the  Act."  As  soon  as  the 
course  of  practice  would  admit  of  it, 
Mr.  Titmouse  was  brought  up  in  the 
ordinary  way  before  the  court,  which 
was  quite  crowded  by  persons  either 
interested  as  creditors,  or  curious  to 
see  so  celebrated  a  person  as  Tittle- 
bat Titmouse.  The  court  was 
astounded  at  the  sight  of  the  number 
and  magnitude  of  his  liabilities — a 
hundred  thousand  pounds  at  least ! — 
against  which  he  had  nothing  to  set 
except  the  following  items : — 

"Cash  lent  Swindle  O'Gibbet, 


Esq.  M.P. 


£500 


Do.  do.  Phelim  O'Doodle      .      200 
Do.  do.  Micah  M'Squash      .      100" 

■ — together  with  some  other  similar  but 
lesser  sums  ;  but  for  none  of  them 
could  he  produce  any  vouchers,  except 
for  the  sum  lent  to  the  Hon.  Empty 
Belly,  who  had  been  ass  enough  to 


give  him  his  I  O  U.  Poor  Titmouse's 
discharge  was  most  vehemently  op- 
posed on  the  part  of  his  creditors — par- 
ticularly the  three  Jews — whose  frantic 
and  indecorous  conduct  in  open  court 
occasioned  the  chief  commissioner  to 
order  them  to  be  twice  removed.  They 
would  have  had  Titmouse  remande'd 
to  the  day  of  his  death  !  After  several 
adjourned  and  lengthened  hearings, 
the  court  pronounced  him  not  to  bo 
entitled  to  his  discharge  till  he  Should 
have  remained  in  prison  for  the  space 
of  eighteen  calendar  months  ;  on  hear- 
ing which  he  burst  into  a  fit  of  loud 
and  bitter  weeping,  and  was  removed 
from  court,  wringing  his  hands  and 
shaking  his  head  in  perfect  despair. 
As  soon  as  this  result  had  been  com- 
municated to  Lord  Drelincourt,  (who 
had  taken  special  care  that  his  name 
should  not  be  among  those  of  Mr. 
Titmouse's  creditors,)  he  came  to  the 
humane  determination  of  allowing  him 
a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  a-year  for 
his  life,  payable  weekly,  to  commence 
from  the  date  of  his  being  remanded  to 
prison.  For  the  fi;st  month  or  so  he 
spent  all  his  weekly  allowance  in  brandy 
and  water  and  cigars,  within  three  days 
after  receiving  it.  Then  he  took  to 
gambling  with  his  fellow  prisoners ; 
but,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  turned  over 
quite  a  new  leaf.  The  fact  was,  that 
he  had  become  intimate  with  an  un- 
fortunate literary  hack,  who  used  to 
procure  small  sums  by  writing  articles 
for  newspapers  and  magazines  ;  and  at 
his  suggestion,  Titmouse  fell  to  work 
upon  several  quires  of  foolscap  :  tha 
following  being  the  title  given  to  his 
projected  work  by  his  new  friend — 

"Ups  and  Downs: 

Being 

Memoirs  of  My  Life, 

by 

Tittlebat  Titmouse,  Esq., 
Late  M.P.  for  Yatton." 

He  got  so  far  on  with  his  task  as  to 
fill  three  quires  of  paper  ;  and  it  is  a 
fact  that  a  fashionable  publisher  got 
scent  of  the  undertaking,  came  to  the 
prison,  and  offered  him  five  hundred 
pounds  for  his  manuscript,  provided 
only  that  he  would  undertake  that  it 
should  fill  three  volumes.  This  greatly 
stimulated  Titmouse ;   but  unfortun- 

Y  V 


690 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR 


atolv  he  fell  ill  before  he  had  completed 
the  first  volume,  and  never,  during  the 
under  ofhis  confinement,  recovered 
himself  sufficiently  to  proceed  further 
With  his  labours.     I  once  had  an  op- 
onity  of  glancing   over  what  he 
had  written,  which  was  really  very 
curious.      1    do   not   know   what  has 
since    become    of     the    manuscript. 
During   the   last  month    of    Ins   im- 
minent he  became  intimate  with  a 
villainous    young  Jew  attorney,   who, 
nnder   the   pretence  of   commencing 
proceedings  in  the  House  of  Lords  (!) 
for  the  recovering  of  the  Yatton  pro- 
perty  once   more  from   Lord   Drelin- 
court,  contrived  to  get  into  his  own 
pocket    more    than    one -half   ot    the 
weekly  sum  allowed  by  that  nobleman 
to   his  grateful   pensioner!      On   the 
very  day  of  his  discharge,  Titmouse 
went   off  Btraight  to  the  lodgings  of 
Air  Swindle O^Gibhet  todemand pay- 
ment of  the  five  hundred  pounds  due 
to  him  from  that  gentleman,  to  whom 
he    became  a  source  of  inconceivable 
vexation  and  torment.    Following  him 
Qt  with  a  sort  of  insane  and  miser- 
able  pertinacity,  Titmouse  lay  in  wait 
for  him  now  at  his  lodgings— then  at 
the  door  of  the  House  of  Commons  ; 
ged    him    from    one  point    to    the 
other  ;   assailed  him  with   passionate 
entreaties  and  reproaches  in  the  open 
Btreot  •    went  to  the  public  meetings 
c  which  Mr.  O'Gibbet  presided,  or 
where  he  spoke,  (always  on  behalf  ot 
ti„.  righl  science  and  the  liberty 

of  the  subject,)  and  would  call  out— 
"Pay    nje    my   five  hundred  pounds! 
1  want  my  money  I     Where's  my  five 
hundred    pounds  <"    on    which    Mr. 
i ,  Gil  i,.  t  would  point  to  him,  call  mm 
an  "  impostor!  a  liar  I"  furiously  add- 
in-    that    he  was    only    hired    by  the 
enemies  of  the   people   to   come  and 
tuib  their  proceedings:  whereupon 
(which  was  Burelya  newway  of  paying 
old  debts)  Titmouse  was  always  shuffled 
nbout     his  hat  knocked  over  hU  eyes 
ad  he  was  finally  kicked  out,  and 
,.  ,,,•  twice  |  >>  bed  down  bom  the 
top  to  the  bottom  of  the  stairs.     '1  he 
,.   that    this   happened, 

|  ead  stin. 1.  with  dreadful 
,    the   1  and  he 

.   time  stunned  and  bleed- 
On  beinj 


shop,  he  was  shortly  afterwards  seized 
with  a  fit  of  epilepsy.     This  seemed  to 
have  given  the  finishing  stroke  to  his 
shattered  intellects;  for  he  sank  soon 
afterwards    into    a    state    of    idiocy. 
Through  the  kindness  and  at  the  ex- 
pense °of    Lord    Drelincourt,   he   was 
admitted  an  inmate  of  a  private  lunatic 
asylum,   in    the   Curtain   Koad,    near 
Hoxton,  where  he  still  continues.     He 
is  very  harmless  ;  and  after  dressing 
himself  in   the  morning  with   extra- 
ordinary pains— never  failing  to  have 
a  glimpse  visible  of  his  white  pocket- 
handkerchief  out  of  the  pocket  in  the 
1  avast  of  his  surtout— nor  to  have  his 
boots  very  brightly  polished— he  gener- 
ally sits  down  with  a  glass  of  strong 
and    warm    toast    and   water,    and    a 
coloured  straw,  which  he  imagines  to 
be   brandy  and   water,    and   a   cigar. 
He    complained,    at    first,    that    the 
brandy  and  water  was  very  weak  ;  but 
he  is  now  reconciled  to  it,  and  Bins  his 
two  tumblers  daily  with  an  air  of  tran- 
quil  enjoyment.      When   I    last   saw 
him  he  was  thus   occupied.     On  my 
approaching  him,  he  hastily  stink  his 
quizzing-glass  iuto  his  eye,  where  it 
was  retained  by  the  force  of  muscular 
contraction,  while  he  stared  at  me  with 
all  his  former  expression  of  rudeness 
and  presumption.      'Twas  at  once  a 
ridiculous  and  a  mournful  sight. 

1    should  have  been  very  glad,   if, 
consistently  with  my  duty  as  an  im- 
partial  historian,   I   could  have   con- 
ed some  discreditable   features 


the  conduct  of  Mr.  Tag-rag,  subse- 
quently to  his  unfortunate  bankruptcy. 
1  shall  not,  however,  dwell  upon  them 
at  greater  length  than  is  necessary. 
His  creditors  were  so  much  dissatisfied 
with  his  conduct,  that  not  one  of  them 
could  be  prevailed  upon  to  sign  hi3 
certificate,  bv  which  means  he  was 
prevented  from  re-establishing  himself 

in  business,  even   had    he  been  able  to 

find  the  means  of  so  doing;  since,  in 

the  eye  of  our  law,  any  business  earned 

,,n   by  an  uncertificated   bankrupt,  ia 

.  ,1  on  by  him  only  as  a  trustee  for 

reditors.    His  temper  getting  more 

and  more  Boured,  he  became  an  length 

,leto  his  wife,  whom  he 

married    only    for    her    fortune, 

ad  the   good-will  of  her  late 

land's  busim  ss,  as  a  retail  draper 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


691 


and  hosier,  in  Little  Turn-stile,  Hol- 
born.)  When  he  found  that  Mrs. 
Tag-rag  would  not  forsake  her  unhappy 
daughter,  he  snapped  his  fingers  at  her, 
and,  I  regret  to  say,  told  her  that  she 
and  her  daughter,  and  her  respectable 
husband,  might  all  go  to  the  devil 
together  — he  must  shift  for  himself; 
and,  in  fact,  he  took  himself  off.  Mr. 
Dismal  Horror  found  that  he  had  made 
a  sad  business  of  it,  in  marrying  Miss 
Tag-rag,  who  brought  him  two  children 
in  the  first  nineteen  months,  and  seemed 
likely  to  go  on  at  that  rate  for  a  long 
time  to  come,  which  made  Mr.  Horror 
think  very  seriously  of  following  the 
example  of  his  excellent  father-in-law 
— viz.  deserting  his  wife.  They  had 
contrived  to  scrape  together  a  bit  of  a 
day-school  for  young  children,  in  Gos- 
well  Street ;  but  which  was  inadequate 
to  the  support  of  themselves,  and  also 
of  Mrs.  Tag-rag,  who  had  failed  in 
obtaining  the  situation  of  pew-opener 
to  a  neighbouring  dissenting  chapel. 
The  scheme  he  had  conceived,  he  soon 
afterwards  carried  into  effect ;  for, 
whereas  he  went  out  one  day  saying 
he  should  return  in  an  hour's  time,  he 
nevertheless  did  not  return  at  all. 
Burning  with  zeal  to  display  his  pulpit 
talents,  he  took  to  street-preaching, 
and  at  length  succeeded  in  getting 
around  him  a  crowd  of  hearers,  many 
of  them  most   serious  and  attentive 

Sickpockets,  with  dexterous  fingers  and 
evout  faces,  wherever  he  held  forth, 
which  was  principally  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Tower  and  Smithfield — till 
he  was  driven  away  by  the  police,  who 
never  interfered  with  his  little  farce 
till  he  sent  his  hat  round,  when,  to 
preserve  the  peace,  they  would  rush  in, 
disperse  the  crowd,  and  take  him  into 
custody  to  the  police-offices,  where, 
in  spite  of  his  eloquent  defences,  he 
several  times  got  sentenced  to  three 
months'  imprisonment,  as  an  incor- 
rigible disturber  of  the  peace,  and  in 
league  with  the  questionable  characters, 
who  —  the  police  declared — were  in- 
variably members  of  every  congregation 
he  addressed.  One  occasion  of  his 
being  taken  into  custody  was  rather  a 
singular  one :— Mr.  Tag-rag  happened 
to  be  passing  while  he  was  holding 
forth,  and,  unable  to  control  his  fury, 
made  his  way  immediately  in  front 


of   the    impassioned    preacher;    ana, 
sticking  his  fists  in  his  side  a-kimbo, 
exclaimed,  "Aren't  yon  a  nice  young 
man  now  ?" — which  quite  disconcerted 
his   pious  son-in-law,  who  threw  his 
hymn-book  in  his  father-in-law's  face, 
which  bred  such  a  disturbance  that  the 
police  rushed  in,  and  took  them  both 
off   in    custody  to    the    police-office, 
where  such  a  scene  ensued  as  beggars 
all  description.     What  has  since  be- 
come of  Mr.  Horror,  I  do  not  know ; 
but   the   next   thing  I   heard  of  Mr. 
Tag-rag   was    his    entering    into    the 
employ  of   no  other  a    person  than 
Mr.    Huckaback,    who   had   been  for 
some  time  settled  in  a  little  shop  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Leicester  Square. 
Having,  however,  inadvertently  shown 
in    to    Mr.    Huckaback    one    of    the 
creditors  to  whom  he  had  given  special 
orders   to  be  denied,  that  gentleman 
instantly  turned  him  out  of  the  shop, 
in  a  fury,  without  character  or  wages  ; 
which   latter,    however,  Tag-rag  soon 
compelled  him,  by  the  process  of  the 
Court  of  Bequests,  to  pay  him,  being 
one  week's  entire  salary.     In  passing 
one  day  a  mock  auction,  on  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  Boultrv,  I  could  not 
help  pausing  to  admire  the  cool  effron- 
tery with  which  the  Jew  in  the  box  was 
putting    up  articles   to  sale   to    four 
patient  puffers — his  entire  audience — 
and  who  bid  against  one  another  in  a 
very  business-like  way  for  everything 
that  was  proposed  for  their  consider- 
ation.     What  was  my  astonishment 
and  concern,  when  one  of  the  puffers, 
who  stood  with  his  back  towards  me, 
happened  to  look  round  for  a  moment, 
to  discover  in  him  my  friend  Mr.  Tag- 
rag!  !     His  hat  was  nicely  brushed, 
but  all  the  "nap"  was  off;  his  coat 
was  clean,   threadbare,  and  evidently 
had  been  made  for  some  other  person  ; 
under    his    arm   was    an    old    cotton 
umbrella ;  and  in  his  hands,    which 
were  clasped  behind  him,  were  a  pair 
of  antiquated  black  gloves,    doubled 
up,  only  for  show,  evidently  not  for 
use.     Notwithstanding,    however,    he 
had  sunk  thus  low,  there  happened  to 
him,  some  time  afterwards,  one  or  two 
surprising    strokes    of  good    fortune. 
First  of  all,  he  contrived  to  get  a  sum 
of  three  hundred  pounds  from  one  of 
his  former  debtors,  who  imagined  that 

Y  Y  2 


C92 


TEN   THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


Ta^-  rag  was  authorized  by  his  assignees 

to  rei  i  i\u  it.     Nothing,   however,  of 

tli.-  kind  ;  and  Tag-rag  quietly  opened 

ill  siioj.  in  the,  neighbourhood  of 

i  ast,  and  began  to 

ther  a  tolerable  business. 

B   iding  one  day  a  flourishing  Bpeech 

in  parliament,    which  had    been  de- 

livered  by  a  distinguished  dissenter, 

on  the  atrocious  enormity  of  calling 

upon  Dissenters  to  pay  Church-rates — 

it  occurred  to  Mr.  Tag-rag  as   likely 

to  turn  out  a  j,r 1    8] illation,  and 

greatly  increase  his  business,  if  he 
were  to  become  a  martyr  for  conscience1 
sake ;  and  after  turning  the  thing 
bbout  a  good  deal  in  his  mind,  he 
determined  on  refusing  to  pay  the 
earn  of  eightpence-halfpcnny,  due  in 
i.  pe  -t  of  a  rate  recently  made  for  the 
r  of  the  church  Bteeple,  which 
very  nearly  falling  down.  In  a 
very  civil  and  unctuous  manner,  he 
announced  to  the  collector  his  deter- 
mination to  refuse  the  payment  on 
strictly  conscientious  grounds.  The 
c  postulated — hut  in  vain. 

Then  came  the  amazed  churchwardens 
— Tag-rag,  however,  was  inflexible. 
The  thing  began  to  get  wind,  and  the 
R  tor,  an  amiable  and  learned  man — 
nnd  an  earnest  lover  of  peace  in  his 
parish  —  came  to  try  his  powers  of 
]  ■  ion — but  in  vain  ;  'twas  im- 
;■  jible  to  divert  Mr.  Tag-rag's  eye 
from  the  glorious  crown  of  martyrdom 
he  had  resolvi  d  upon  earning.  Then 
he  called  on  the  minister  of  the 
congregation  where  he  "worshipped," 
and  with  tears  and  agitation  unbosomed 
himself  upon  the  Bubject,  and  be- 
Ill  his  counsel.  The  intelligenl 
and  pious  minister  got  excited  ;  so 
did  his  leading  pi  o]  le.  A  meeting 
was  called  at  his  chapel,  the  result 
ff  which  was,  a  declaration  that 
Mr.     Tag  i  onduct     was    most 

praiseworthy  and  noble,  and  that  he 
rved    to   be   supported.      Several 
ling  member  i  o(  I  regation, 

who  had  never  dealt  with  him  before, 
suddenly   became    cb  of    hi  . 

The    upshot    of  the    matter    Was,    that 

after  a  prodigious  stir,  .Mr.  Taj 
ii  tirn    in   right    •     - 
i\nd  n  into  custody  by  %  irtue 

of   a  writ  C       ndo, 

inpathy    und 


admiration  of  all  those  enlightened 
persons  who  shared  his  opinion.  In  a 
twinkling  he  shot  up,  as  it  were,  into 
the  air  like  a  rocket,  and  becamo 
popular,  beyond  his  most  sanguine 
expectations.  The  name  of  the  first 
Church-rate  martyr  weut  the  round  of 
every  paper  in  the  United  Kingdom  ; 
and  at  length  came  out  a  lithographed 
likeness  or  his  odious  face,  with  his 
precious  autograph  appended,  so — 

"Thomas  Tag-hag,  Cjiurch- 

PiATK   MARTYR." 

Subscriptions  were  entered  into  on  his 
behalf  ;  and  as  they  were  paid  into  his 
hands  from  time  to  time,  he  kept 
quietly  increasing  his  purchases  of 
Linen  drapery  and  enlarging  his  busi- 
ness, in  a  most  decisive  and  satis- 
factory manner.  Nothing  could  ex- 
ceed  the  accounts  brought  in  to  the 
poor  martyr  of  the  extent  to  which 
his  custom  was  increasing;  for  in 
each  window  of  his  shop  hung  a  copy 
of  his  portrait,  attracting  the  eye  of 
every  passenger.  But  he  was  not  tho 
only  person  who  rejoiced  in  this  state 
of  things  ;  there  being  others  who  had 
a  deep  stake  in  his  success,  and  whom 
he  had  not  at  first  adverted  to,  viz. 
HIS  Assignees  —  to  whom  belonged, 
in  point  of  law,  the  rattling  business 
he  was  carrying  on,  and  who  were 
watching  Ins  movements  with  lively 
interest.  He  was  suddenly  struck 
dumb  with  dismay  and  astonishment 
when  he  heard  of  this  unexpected 
issue  of  the  affair;  and  began  to  fear 
that  lie  had  missed  his  providential 
way.  His  assignees,  however,  seemed 
to  think  that  they  had  got  into  theirs — 
and  enlarged  the  premises,  and  greatly 
increased  the  stock,  profiting  by  tho 
continually  augmenting  popularity  of 
Tag-rag.  From  the  moment  of  his 
making  this  dismal  discovery,  his  ar- 
dour in  the  Great  Cause  wonderfully 
declined;  and  he  would  have  jumped 
at  any  decent  excuse  for  getting  out  of 
the  thing  altogether.  And,  indeed, 
when  he  came  to  think  of  it — where 
was  the  difficulty!  He  had  fought  a 
good  ii  ht  ho  had  maintained  a  great 
principle  he  had  borne  the  heat  and 
len  of  the  day.  But  while  the 
martyr  was  thus  musing  within  him- 
■  If,  powerful  forces  were  coming  into 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


G93 


the  field  to  his  succour  —  viz.  the 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Civil  and 
Religious  Discord ;  who  having  caused 
all  the  proceedings  against  Tag-rag  to 
he  laid  before  an  ambitious  little  Rad- 
ical barrister,  he  discovered  a  fatal 
flaw  in  them — viz.  that  in  the  Signi- 
ficavit,  the  word  "  Bishop  "  was  spelled 
"Bisoii,"  [i.e.  without  the  "h.")  The 
point  was  argued  with  prodigious  per- 
tinacity, and  incredible  ingenuity,  by 
four  counsel  on  each  side  ;  each  parly 
vehemently  declaring  that  if  he  failed, 
the  laws  of  England  would  be  shaken 
to  their  veiy  foundation,  which  of 
course  not  a  little  agitated  the  court. 
After  great  deliberation,  the  objection, 
"  being  in  favour  of  liberty,"  was  held 
to  prevail ;  all  the  proceedings  were 
quashed  ;  and  Mr.  Tag-rag  conse- 
quently declared  entitled  to  his  dis- 
eharge.  On  this  he  Mas  invited  to  a 
grand  tea-party  by  the  leading  friends 
of  the  voluntary  principle,  given  in 
Hackney  Fields,  where  amidst  a  con- 
course of  at  least  a  hundred  souls, 
(including  women  and  children,)  Tag- 
rag  (inwardly  shuddering,  however,  at 
the  thought)  avowed  himself  ready 
to  go  again  to  the  stake,  "if  Provi- 
dence should  require  it."  That  seemed 
not,  howeArer,  likely  to  be  the  case  ; 
for  the  churchwardens,  having  already 
had  to  pay  some  £730  odd  in  the 
shape  of  costs,  resolved  never  to  med- 
dle with  him  any  more.  He  succeeded 
in  prevailing  on  his  assignees  to  take 
him  into  the  shop,  in  order  to  carry  on 
the  business  upon  their  account,  and 
as  their  servant — for  which  they  al- 
lowed him  two  pounds  a-week.  Out 
of  this,  however,  he  was  soon  after 
compelled  by  the  parish  authorities 
to  allow  twelve  shillings  a-week  to 
Mrs.  Tag-rag  ;  and  on  making  her 
the  first  payment,  he  spit  in  the  poor 
woman's  face  !  Doctor  Johnson  used 
to  say  that  patriotism  was  the  last 
refuge  of  a  scoundrel.  Now-a-days, 
however,  it  is  Church-rate  Martyrdom; 
and  Tag-rag  has  had  many  imitators. 

I  must  not,  however,  conclude  this 
part  of  my  long  history,  without 
adv erting  to  what  befell  the  surviving 
partners  of  Mr.  Gammon,  namely, 
Messrs.  Quirk  and  Snap.  The  former 
had  horrible  misgivings  as  to  the  true 
cause  of  Mr.  Gammon's  death — having 


a  strange  inward  persuasion  that  ho 
had  destroyed  himself.  When  he 
heard,  very  suddenly,  from  the  laun- 
dress of  Mr.  Gammon's  death  he  was 
seized  with  a  fit  of  trembling  that 
lasted  for  several  days.  He  dared  not 
attend  the  funeral — or  go  to  Mr. 
Gammon's  chambers  while  his  corpse 
lay  there.  Mr.  Snap,  however,  had 
younger  and  firmer  nerves ;  and  re- 
solved to  gratify  his  natural  and  very 
delicate  curiosity,  by  seeing  how  Mr. 
Gammon  looked  in  his  coffin.  The 
day  after  the  enlightened  coroner's  in- 
quest had  been  held,  therefore,  he  went 
to  the  chambers  for  that  purpose,  and 
was  shown  by  the  sobbing  laundress 
into  the  silent  and  gloomy  bed-room 
where  the  remains  of  Mr.  Gammon  lay 
awaiting  burial.  The  coffin  lay  on 
tressels  near  the  window,  which  of 
course  was  darkened ;  and  Mr.  Snap, 
having  taken  off  his  hat,  removed  the 
coffin-lid  and  the  face-cloth,  and  there 
was  the  cold  stern  countenance  of  Mr. 
Gammon,  before  him !  In  spite  of 
himself,  Mr.  Snap  trembled  as  he 
looked,  and  for  a  moment  doubted 
whether,  in  gazing  at  the  yellow  effigy 
of  him  that  was,  he  was  really  looking 
at  the  late  Mr.  Gammon ;  so  fixed,  so 
rigid,  were  the  features — so  contracted 
of  their  proportions,  and  disfigured  by 
the  close-fitting  frilled  cap.  What 
determination  was  yet  visible  in  the 
compressed  lips  !  The  once  keen  and 
flashing  eyes  of  Mr.  Gammon,  were 
now  hid  for  ever  beneath  the  heavy 
and  clammy  eyelids ;  and  the  ample 
brow  was  no  longer  furrowed  by  the 
workings  of  the  active  and  powerful 
spirit  which  had  "jumped  the  world 
to  jome  !  "  Mr.  Snap  gazed  for  several 
minutes  in  silence,  and  his  heart  beat 
a  little  quicker  than  usual. 

"Oh,  sir  !  "sobbed  the  laundress  at 
length,  as  she  too  advanced  to  look 
again  at  the  countenance  of  her  de- 
ceased master,  and  from  which  she 
seldom  took  her  eyes  long  together 
when  alone--"  he  was  the  kindest  and 
best  of  men  1  He  was  indeed  1 "  Mr. 
Snap  said  nothing,  but  presently  took 
hold  of  the  cold,  thin,  stiff  fingers  of 
Mr.  Gammon's  right  hand,  squeezed 
them  gently,  and  replaced  the  hand  in 
its  former  position. 

"I  hope  he's  happy,  dear  soul  J" 


694 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


cried   the   laundress,    gazing    at   him 
through  hex  team. 

"Yes,  of  course  he  is — no  doubt," 
ied  -Mr.  Snap  in  a  somewhat 
lower  tone  of  voice  than  he  had  spoken 
in  before,  and  slowly  returned  to  the 
sitting-room,  whither  the  laundress 
followed  him  as  soon  as  she  had  re- 
B-cloth  and  coffin-lid. 

"  Got  a  drop  of  brandy  in  the  room, 
Mrs.  Brown  I  he  enquired,  and  passed 
his  hand  across  his  face,  which  had 
gr  iwn  very  pale. 

She  gave  him  what  he  asked  for  ;  he 
drank  it,  and  sighed. 

"Devilish  ugly  look  that  cap  gives 
him — eh,  Mrs.  Brown  ?  Hardly  knew 
him." 

"  Ay,  poor  soul ;  hut  it  don't  much 
signify  how  the/aee  looks  if  the  heart's 
all  vi0'ht.  He  was  always  so  kind  to 
me  ;  1  shall  never  get  another  master 
like  him!" 

"  Died  very  suddenly,  Mrs.  Brown  ; 
didn't  he?" 

"Ay,  he  did,  sir!  His  troubles 
broke  his  heart  !  " 

"He'd  quite  enough  of  them  to  do 
so !  "  replied  Snap  significantly,  and 
he  took  his  departure.  He  was  one  of 
the  few  who  attended  the  funeral,  and 
the  day  on  which  it  took  place  was  the 
mi<  nt  he  had  ever  known. 

Mr.  Gammon  being  gone,  old  Mr. 

Quirk  seemed  to   have  quite  lost  the 

of  his  head,  and  could  attend  to 

nothing.     As  for  "  the  matters  in  the 

affidavits,"  which  he  had  been  ordered 

by    tho    Court    of    King's    Bench    to 

answer,   it  was  impossible  to  do  so 

j't  by  acknowledging  the  facts  they 

stated  to  be  true  ;  and  he  was,  in  the 

term,    Btruck  olf  the  roll  of 

attorneys,  and  ceased  to  bo  any  longer 

a  "gentleman,  one  of  tin-  attorneys  of 

our  lord   the   kim,',  before   the   king 

himself."     In  short,  he  was  compleb  1\ 

broken  up.    He  was  quickly  compelled 

to    par!    with    Alibi    House — in    fact, 

with  all  his  property  ;  ami  very  nearly 

ped    being  thrown    into  u  prison, 

there   to  end  bi  1  >  u  i  i  1 1  .lc  the 

1  k  of  bis  stay  at  Alibi  Hou  e, 

while  all  his  effei  ts  were  being  sold,  he 

i   to  sit  do.,  n  for  hours 

t  before    a    o  rtain     |  icture 

with  blai  k  i  rape  ;   and  i 
or  twice  ho  lifted  up  the  crape,  and 


gazed  with  a  horrid  look  at  the  object 
before  him,  as  if  he  was  meditating 
something  very  mysterious  and  dismal. 
Nothing,  however,  happened.  If  ho 
had  ever  wished  to  hang  himself,  he 
never  could  succeed  in  screwing  his 
courage  up  to  the  sticking-place.  Ho 
prevailed  on  a  friend  to  buy  in  for  him 
that  particular  picture ;  and  it  was 
almost  the  only  article  that  he  took 
with  him  to  the  small  lodgings  to 
which  he  removed  with  his  daughter, 
on  the  sale  of  Alibi  House.  As  for 
poor  Miss  Quirk,  I  pity  her  from  my 
soul ;  for,  though  rather  a  weak  girl, 
she  was  perfectly  good-natured  ;  and 
the  reader  will  probably  join  in  my 
indignation  against  Mr.  Toady  Hug, 
when  he  hears  that  that  gentleman,  on 
seeing  the  unfortunate  turn  which 
a  Hairs  took  with  Miss  Quirk,  owing 
to  no  fault  of  hers,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  he  ought  to  have  clung 
closest  to  the  poor  girl,  deserted  her, 
after  having  been  engagi  d  to  be  married 
to  her  ever  since  the  period  of  her  hav- 
ing been  disappointed  of  the  affections 
of  Mr.  Titmouse.  It  was,  however, 
the  business  of  the  firm  of  Quirk,  Gam- 
mon, and  Snap,  that  he  had  desired 
to  marry  ;  and  finding  that  it  no  longer 
existed,  he  considered  himself  justi- 
fied in  rescinding  the  contract,  on  the 
ground  of  a  failure  of  consideration. 
Snap,  hearing  of  this,  instantly  tendered 
his  own  "heart "  in  lieu  of  that  of  Mr. 
Hug  —  and  was  accepted.  He  kept 
this  very  quiet,  however,  till  the  fate 
of  the  action  for  a  breach  of  promise 
of  marriage,  which  he  persuaded  Miss 
Quirk  to  allow  him  to  bring  in  her 
name  against  Mr.  Hug,  should  have 
been  decided — as  it  soon  was  ;  for  I 
should  have  mentioned  that  no  at- 
tempt had  been  made  by  any  one  to 
strike  Snap  oft  the  rolls.  He  retained 
a  Mr.  Heartbreak,  a  most  eloquent 
counsel  in  such  cases:  and  as  J\lr. 
Toady  Hug  defended  himself  in  what 
he  imagined  to  be  a  very  splendid 
speech,  the  jury  immediately  found  a 
verdict  against  him  of  five  hundred 

I nds  —  a    little    fortune    for   Miss 

Quirk,  if  Hug  could  have  paid  It. 
But  the  fact  was,  that  he  could  noij 
and  after  a  long  negotiation  between 
Suap  and  hiin,  it  was  Bottled  that 
there  should  be  a  sort  of  secret  part* 


TEN  THOUSAND   A- YEAR. 


693 


nersbip  between  them  ;  and  that  Hug 
should  work  out  the  damages,  by 
doing  Mr.  Snap's  business  for  a  quar- 
ter only  of  the  proper  fees — the  full 
fee,  however,  for  appearance's  sake 
among  his  brethren,  was  to  be  marked 
on  his  brief.  Shortly  after  this  Snap 
got  married,  and  took  a  little  house  in 
Saffron  Hill,  only  two  doors  from  the 
old  office ;  and,  as  he  had  always 
anxiously  cultivated  the  acquaintance 
of  the  leading  thieves,  he  soon  got 
into  a  very  respectable  connexion.  A 
year  afterwards,  Mrs.  Snap  made  him 
the  happy  father  of  a  quaintdooking 
little  child  ;  which,  being  a  boy,  his 
father,  out  of  reverence  for  his  de- 
ceased friend  and  partner,  Mr.  Gam- 
mon, caused  to  be  christened  by  the 
name  of  "  Oily  Snap."  Old  Mr.  Quirk 
lingered  on  for  about  a  couple  of  years 
longer,  most  inconveniently  to  Snap, 
when  he  died  of  a  broken  heart ;  and 
as  Snap  assisted  in  depositing  the 
reverend  remains  of  his  father-in-law 
in  St.  Andrew's  churchyard,  he  could 
not  help  thinking  within  himself  what 
a  horrid  bore  it  would  be  were  the  old 
gentleman  to  get  up  again,  and  come 
back  and  establish  himself  for  another 
couple  of  years  in  their  little  back 
parlour ! 

Let  us  now,  however,  turn  to  cha- 
racters worthier  of  our  notice,  of  our 
sympathy,  and  our  congratulation. 

Two  or  three  days  after  the  assem- 
bling of  the  new  parliament,  Lord 
Drelincourt  was  introduced  by  two  of 
his  brother  barons,  (one  of  whom  was 
Lord  De  la  Zouch,)  with  the  usual 
formalities,  into  the  House  of  Lords. 
As  he  stood  at  the  table  while  being 
sworn  in,  tranquil  and  dignified,  there 
was  such  an  expression  of  noble  sim- 
plicity and  goodness  in  his  features — 
which  had  not  even  then,  however, 
entirely  lost  the  traces  of  the  anxiety 
and  suffering  through  which  he  had 
passed  during  the  last  three  years — as 
touched  me  to  the  very  soul,  and  I 
fervently  wished  him  health  and  long 
life  to  enjoy  his  new  honours.  He 
looked  quite  commanding  in  his  ample 
ermine  and  scarlet  robes  ;  and  having 
taken  the  pen  which  was  tendered 
him,  and  inscribed  on  the  roll  the 
name  "  Drelincouet  " — (that  of  very 
nearly  the  most  ancient  barony  in  Eng- 


land)— and  formally  taken  his  seat  on 
the  barons'  bench,  and  received  the 
congratulations  of  his  brother  peers 
who  came  crowding  around  him  — 
he  stepped  up  to  the  woolsack,  and 
grasped  with  silent  energy  the  hand 
of  the  new  Lord  Chancellor,  Loid 
Wolstenholme,  who,  dignified  and 
commanding  in  his  appearance  and 
bearing,  and  familiar  with  his  position 
as  if  he  had  occupied  it  for  more  years 
than  he  had  days,  welcomed  the  newly- 
introduced  peer  with  infinite  warmth 
and  cordiality.  This  was  Sir  Charles 
Wolstenholme,  the  Attorney-General 
of  a  few  short  months  before,  and  he 
to  whose  masterly  ability  and  unwaver- 
ing friendship  Lord  Drelincourt  was 
mainly,  if  not  indeed  altogether,  in- 
debted for  the  position  which  he  then 
occupied.  They  sat  talking  together 
for  some  time ;  and  the  Chancellor 
happening  to  mention  the  ludicrous 
and  yet  intolerable  pressure  to  which 
he  was  subject  for  everything  he  had 
to  give  away  - —  particularly  in  the 
livings  which  fell  to  his  disposal — he 
instanced  a  small  one  in  Devonshire 
of  four  hundred  a-year,  of  which  he 
had  had  notice  only  two  hours  before 
coming  to  the  House,  since  which 
time  he  had  had  a  dozen  applications 
for  it  from  peers  present.  "  Now,  as 
a  small  memento  of  to-day,  Drelin- 
court," said  he,  with  a  smile,  "can 
you  give  me  the  name  of  any  man 
that  in  your  judgment  wants,  and 
would  suit,  such  a  living  ?  " 

"Oh,  my  dear  Lord  Chancellor!" 
replied  Lord  Drelincourt,  with  eager 
delight,  "  I  know  a  man — a  very  able, 
exemplary,  starving  friend  of  mine, 
Mr.  Neville — the  Rev.  Ralph  Neville. 
He  will  do  honour  to  your  choice  !  " 

"  'Tis  his  !  "  replied  the  Chancellor; 
"give  me  his  name  and  address — he 
shall  have  it  offered  him  this  very 
evening,  if  he  lives  in  town." 

Lord  Drelincourt,  overjoyed,  wrote 
down  Mr.  Neville's  name  and  address, 
and  gave  it  to  the  Chancellor ;  and 
having  reminded  him  that  their  dinner 
hour  was  seven  precisely  that  day, 
(the  Chancellor  had  been  for  some  days 
engaged  to  dinner  with  him,)  Lord 
Drelincourt  somewhat  hastily  quitted 
the  House,  resolved  to  be  himself  the 
first  bearer  to  poor  Mr.  Neville  of  the 


I  96 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


delightful  intelligence  of  his  promo- 
tion.   His  carriage,  with  LadyDrelin- 

court  and  Miss  Aubrey  in  it,  had  been 

standing  for  some  time  near  t  he  House, 

awaiting  his  return,  in  order  to  drive 

•  or  twice  round  the  Park  before 

dinner;  but  you  may  guess  the  kind 
of  transport  with  which  they  heard 
him  give  directions  for  their  being 
driven  to  St.  Geo  ge'a  in  the  East,  and 
the  object  of  his  errand.  When  Lord 
Drelincourt'a  equipage  —  simple  ami 
elegant,  and  with  the  coronet  painted 
on  the  panels  BO  .small  as  not  to  chal- 
the  observation  of  every  passenger 
—  drew  up  opposite  the  humble  lodg- 
ings of  Mr.  Neville,  he  and  his  little 
siek  wife  were  Bitting  at  tea,  for  which 
purpose  he  had  a  few  minutes  before 
propped  her  up  upon  the  sofa,  on 
which  she  was  obliged  to  recline  dur- 
ing c  part  of  each  day. 
Prettily  flustered  "ere  both  of  them 
on  seeing  the  carriage  roll  up,  the 
Btej  s  let  down,  and  hearing  Lord 
Drelincourt,  followed  quickly  by  Lady 
Drelineourt  and  Miss  Aubrey,  (it,  was 
the  first  time  that  they  had  Been  the 
former  two  except  as  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Aubrey,) knock  at  the  door.  Oh,  how 
sweet  was  the  office  of  communicating 
such  intelligence  us  that  which  they 
brought  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neville! 
He,  on  hearing  it,  turned  immedi- 
ately, and  as  it  were  instinctively,  to 
pale  Buffering  wife,  with  full  eye 
and  quivering  lip—  and  she  returned 
the  look  he  gave  her.  Well  he  knew 
that  the  true  source  of  her  frail  health 

their   privation    ami    miserably 

straitened  circumstances,  ami  that  the 

intelligence  which   they  had  just  re- 

i,  as   it  wire,   pour  into 

the  broken  heart  the  oil  of  gladness 

and  of  health.     There  was  not  the 

alightesl  change  in  the  deportment  of 

his  distinguished  visitors  ;  but  his  own 

of  all  he  could  do  to  the 

contrary,  consciously  Bubdued,  and  a 

little  embarrassed.     What   thankful- 

was  in  his  heart  I      I  low  was  the 

it,  barren,  frowning  world  around 

.    tin  n<  d   into  a  smiling    pau 

I  •  I-  unable  to 
supply  their  few  ami  modest  wants! 
No  long  r  deny  then  |  he  inno- 

of   life,   and    i  in  .  ii:;l 
•v  |      BOOS  Would 


ho  be  in  tho  independent  exercise  of 
the  delightful  duties  of  the  pastoral 
oflice  !  And  what  a  thoughtfulness  of 
their  humble  interests  had  been  evinced 
by  I. <!id  Drelincourt  in  the  first  mo- 
ments of  his  own  excitement  and 
triumphs  !  To  all  parties,  that  was, 
indeed,  an  occasion  of  the  outgoing  of 
hearts  towards  each  other  ;  and  Lord 
and  Lady  Drelincourt,  before  leaving, 
had  insisted  on  seeing  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Neville  at  dinner  in  Dover  Street, 
Inf.  He  they  left  town,  as  they  expected 
would  shortly  be  the  case. 

As  I  have  already  intimated,  Lord 
Drelincourt  had  that  evening  a  select 
dinner  party;  and  there  was  a  little 
incident  connected  with  it,  which  will 
also,  I  think,  serve  to  set  forth  tho 
considerate  good-nature  of  Lord  Drel- 
incourt. His  guests  consisted  of  tho 
Lord  Chancellor  and  Lady  "Wolsten- 
holme,  Lord  and  Lady  De  la  Zouch, 
Mr.  Delamere,  three  or  four  other 
friends,  Mr.  Kunningfon,  and  a  Mr. 
Btaveley,  a  former  fellow  pupil  of  Lord 
Drelincourt's,  and  whom  he  had  left 
still  studying  closely  in  the  chambers 
of  Mr.  Mansfield.  Lord  Drelineourt 
had  always  entertained  a  very  friendly 
feeling  towards  Mr.  Staveley,  who  was 
a  young  man  of  very  strong  under- 
standing, great  industry,  sound  prin- 
ciple, and  perfect  frankness  and 
simplicity  of  character.  Mr.  Aubrey 
had  from  tin;  first  observed  the  de- 
pression of  spirits  to  which  his  com- 
panion was  subject,  and  which,  in  thti 
course  of  their  subsequent  unreserved 
communications  with  each  other,  ho 
had  discovered  to  be  occasioned  by  the 
sad  precariousness  of  his  pecuniary 
circumstances,  and  the  absence  of  all 
prospect  or  apparent  chance  of  pro- 
fessional connexion.  It  seemed  that 
the  relative  by  whose  liberality  he  had 
been  enabled  to  enter  himself  a  student 
at  Lincoln's  Inn,  and  become  a  pupil 
of  Mr.  Mansfield's,  had  died  suddenly, 
lea\  ing  his  nephew  almost  totally  des- 
titute.     Was  it  not  likely  that  he  was 

just  Buch  a  person  as  would  excite  the 
ing  sympathies  of  his  now  enno- 
bled fellow-student  '<   Indeed  it  was  so  ; 
and  the  reason  of  laud  Drelincourt's 
ng  him  to  dinner  on  the  present 
■  Hi  was,  to  give  him  a  personal  in- 
troduction to  two  i ii' I ividuuls  capable 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


697 


of  being  hereafter  of  vast  service  to 
any  candidate  (possessed  of  industry, 
energy,    and  talent)   for   professional 
business  and  distinction  ;  namely,  Mr. 
Runnington,  as  a  solicitor  of  first-rate 
professional  eminence,  great  personal 
respectability,  and  amiability  of  cha- 
racter— and  the  Lord  Chancellor;  with 
both  of  whom,  as  may  easily  be  believed, 
Lord  Drelincourt  had  great  personal 
influence.     Mr.  Staveley  was  the  first 
guest  that  arrived,  and  he  found  Lord 
Drelincourt  alone  in  the  drawing-room. 
His  lordship  seized  the  opportunity  of 
conversing  with  his  friend  unrestrain- 
edly upon  the  topics  above  alluded  to, 
and  of  assuring  him  that  he   might 
always  rely  on  any  good  offices  which 
it  might  be  in  his  lordship's  power  to 
perform  for  him.     He  spoke  to  his 
desponding  companion  in  a  tone  of 
earnest  and  inspiriting  encouragement. 
"Come,  come,  my  dear  Staveley,  "said 
he,    "  exporrige  fronton  !     It  would 
seem  to  be  the  tendency  of  close  and 
solitary  legal  study  to  make  a  man 
despond,  and  distrust  its  utility  !    But 
—go  straight  on.    Constancy,  honour, 
industry,  and  talent,  will  inevitably 
clear  the  way  for  their  possessor,  and 
also  in  due  time  force  him  forward. 
Ah !    believe  me,  I  know  what  your 
feelings  are  ;  for  very  recently  I  shared 
them,    but    always    endeavoured     to 
master  them.     As  for  the  want  of  a 
connexion,  I  can  only  say  that  I  knew 
but  one  attorney  and  solicitor  in  all 
London — my  own — a  Mr.  Runnington, 
(who  dines  with  me  to-day  ;)  but  had 
I  known  none,  I  should  not  have  been 
disheartened,  so  long  as  I  had  health 
of  body  and  mind,  and  the  means  of 

pursuing  my  studies  " Here  Lord 

Drelincourt's  quick  ear  caught  a  faint 
and  half-suppressed  sigh,  uttered  by 
his  companion. — "  I  did  my  best  while 
engaged  in  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
am  sure  that  I  shall  never  have  occa- 
sion to  regret  it ;  and  1  frankly  tell 
you,  Staveley,  I  was  as  poor  as  a 
church  mouse  the  whole  time — over 
head  and  ears  in  debt ;  and,  but  for 
the  kindness  of  this  very  Mr.  Running- 
ton,  who  lent  me  three  hundred  pounds, 
I  never  could  have  entered  Mr.  Mans- 
field's chambers,  or  formed  your  ac- 
quaintance."— While  saying  this,  Lord 
Drelincourt  was  looking  very  keenly 


indeed  at  his  companion. — ' '  The  law, " 
continued  his  lordship,  "is  a  noble 
profession  1  I  should  have  become  an 
enthusiast  in  it  had  I  continued  to 
devote  myself  to  its  study  and  practice  ; 
— by  the  way,  will  you  accept,  as  a 
little  memento  of  our  friendship — which 
I  trust  you  will  not  permit  to  be  broken 
off,  Staveley — my  few  law-books  ?  Of 
course,  I  have  no  further  occasion  for 
those  which  relate  to  the  more  practical 

"     Here  one  of  the  doors  opened, 

and  Lady  Drelincourt  and  Miss  Aubrey 
entered,  looking  each  of  them  exceed- 
ingly lovely,  and  receiving  Mr.  Stave- 
ley with  a  charming  cordiality  and 
courtesy,   for  they  had  often    heard 
Lord  Drelincourt  mention  his  name. 
The   other    guests    then  made    their 
appearance  in  quick  succession ;  and 
Lord  Drelincourt  made  a  point  of  in- 
troducing Mr.  Staveley,  in  very  flat- 
tering terms,  to  the  Chancellor,  who 
received  him  with  great  urbanity,  as 
indeed  did   Mr.   Runnington.     'Twas 
truly  a  delightful  dinner  party — all 
were  in  high  spirits.     As  for  the  Lord 
Chancellor,   he   took  an   opportunity 
during    the   evening    of   pressing  ou 
Lord  Drelincourt  the  acceptance  of  au 
important  office  under  the  new  govern- 
ment— one  which  they  were  exceed- 
ingly anxious  to    have   satisfactorily 
filled,  and  to  which  would  be  annexed 
a  seat  in  the  cabinet.     Lord  Drelin- 
court,  however,    firmly  declined   the 
brilliant  offer,    on    the    plea  of    the 
repose  which  he  felt  to  be  requisite, 
both  for  his  family  and  himself,  and 
also  the  attention  due  to  his  private 
affairs,  to  which  it  would  be  necessary 
to  devote  his  personal  superintendence 
for  some  time  to  come.    But  to  return 
for  a  moment  to  Mr.  Staveley.     Soon 
after  he  had  sat  down   to   breakfast 
the  next  morning,  a  servant  of  Lord 
Drelincourt's  brought  to  his  chambers 
a  small  parcel,  which,  in  fact,  consisted 
of  the  books  of  which  his  lordship  had 
begged  his  acceptance  overnight.  With 
what  peculiar  interest  did  Mr.  Staveley 
glance  over  them,   finding  in  every 
page  the  slight  pencil  marks,  evidenc- 
ing the  careful  reading  of  Lord  Drelin- 
court !     In  laying  down  the  first  book 
which  he  had  opened,  something  fell 
from  it  upon  the  floor,  which,  on  his 
picking  it  up,  proved  to  be  a  letter 


698 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


addressed  to    himself,    in   the   hand- 
writing   of    Lord    Drelincourt.       On 
opening  it,  what  were  his  feelings  on 
ne   it   contain    an    enclosure   ol   a 
ft  on  his  lordship's  banker  for  the 
sum  of  £300,  which  he   begged  Mr. 
ireley  to  accept  as   a   loan,  to   be 
ddwheneverand  however  he  might 
think  tit  ;  and   in  terms  of  the  most 
earnest   delicacy,    reminding    him   ot 
the  circumstance  which  his  lordship 
;    named    overnight  — namely,    his 
eptance  of  a  similar  sum  from 
Mr.  Ennnington.     Mr.  Stavelcy  col- 
ed   under   a  conflict  of  emotions, 
which  subsided  quickly  into  one  Btrong 
and  deep  feeling  of  gratitude  towards 
his  truly  noble  and  generous  friend  ; 
!   that  morning  he  wroto  a  letter, 
acknowledging    in    fitting  terms  the 
munificenl  act  of  Lord  Drelincourt, 
and  enclosing  his  noto  of  hand  for  the 
amount ;  both  of  which,  however,  on 
his  receiving  them,  Lord  Drelincourt, 
With  a  good-natured  smile,   put  into 
fire,   that  there  might  exist  no 
evidence  whatever  of  the  transaction 
reen  himself   and  Mr.    Staveley. 
His  lordship  did  not  even  take  Lady 
Drelincourt  in  this  matter  into   his 

confides 

At  length  every  arrangement  had 
been  made  in  London  for  their  quitting 
it.  and  at  Yatton   for  their  arrival. 
The-  last  article  of  furniture,  a  magnifi- 
cent piano  for  Lady  Drelincourt,  had 
gone  down  a  fortnight  before.     Lord 
and  Lady  Do  la  Zouch,  together  with 
Delamere,  had  been  at  Fothering- 
li  mi  for  some  time  ;  and  the  accounts 
they  gave  in  their  letters  of  the  scene 
which  might  be  expected  on  the  mem- 
oral  .  ;,,,,  of  Lord  Drelincourt's 
.  ,-i.m   of    Yatton,    threw 
m  all  into  a  flutter  of  excitement. 
From    Mr.    Delamere's    accounto,    it 
ild  seem  as  if  the  day  of  their  ar- 
B    ..it  of  jubilee.     He 
i  fro  twenty 
,  tween  Yatton  and  Fothering- 

I  ;  an  entire  unanimity  of  feeling 
existed,  •  mod,  with  refereu 
nil  the  Leading  arrangements,  between 
himself,  Mr.  Griffiths,  Dr.  Tatham, 
Lord  and  Ladj  De  la  Zouch,  and  the 
;  and  <  lounti  i  >of  Oldacre,  whom  it 

i  been  dee 1  e  ]••  di  al  to  take  into 

I      .   oonfidence  upon   the  occai  Lou  ; 


and  a  difficult  negotiation  concerning 
a  certain  fine  military  band,  belonging 
to  a  regiment  stationed  only  eleven 
miles  off,  had  been  brought  to  a  most 
satisfactory  termination!  Dr.  Tatham 
wroto  letters  to  them,  especially  to 
Miss  Aubrey,  almost  every  day,  and, 
in  fact,  thev'all  began  to  imagine  them- 
selves already  at  Yatton,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  delicious  bustle  that  was 
going  on  there. 

At  length,  the  long-expected  day  for 
their  setting  off  arrived— the  5th  day 
of  May  18 — .      About  ten  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon  might  have   been   seen 
standing,  opposite  Lord  Drelincourt's 
door  iu  Dover  Street,  two  roomy  travel- 
ling carriages  and  four.     Several  newly- 
engaged  servants  had  gone  down  two 
or  three  davs  before,  in  charge  of  a 
large  van  full  of  luggage  ;  and  in  the 
first  carriage  ware  going  only  Lord  and 
Lady  Drelhicourt  and    Miss  Aubrey, 
his  lordship's  valet  and  Lady  Drelin- 
court's  maid  sitting   in    the  rumble 
behind  ;  while  the  second  carriage  was 
occupied  by  little  Charles  and  Agnes, 
and   their  attendants,    together   with 
Harriet,    Miss   Aubrey's   faithful  and 
pretty  little  maid.     Everything  being 
at  length  ready,  the  word  was  given, 
crack  went  the  whips,  and  away  they 
rolled  on  their  memorable  and  exciting 
journey.     There  was  an  evident  air  01 
expectation  and  interest  along  the  road, 
for  a  long  while  before  they  approach  d 
Yatton  ;  for  in  fact  it  was  generally 
known  that  Lord  Drelincourt,  who,  it 
Was    believed,    had   passed    through  a 
s.vics    of   romantic    adventures,    was 
going  down  to  take  possession  of  the 
ancient    family    estate    in  Yorkshire. 
How    the    hearts    of    the     travellers 
yearned  towards  the  dear  old  familiar 
Objects  "ii  each  side  of  the  load, which, 
as' the v  advanced  at  a  rapid  pace,  they 
passed  with  increasing  frequency  !    At 
length  they  reached  the  last  posting- 
house,  which  was  within  twelve  miles  of 
Yatton,  and  where  there  were  manifest 
symptoms  of  preparation  and  exi 
t.      Eight   very   line  horses  v 
brought  out  in  a  (winkling,  and  the 
harness  appeared   both  new  and  | 
Mrs.   Spruce,    the  landlady,   together 
with  h.r  two  .laughters,  all  of  them 
dressed  with  unusual  smartness,  stood 
ut  the  inn  door,  curl  leying  repeatedly! 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAK. 


C99 


and  on  Lady  Drelincourt  and  Kate 
se.ing  them,  they  beckoned  them  to 
the  carriage  door,  and  enquired  after 
their  health,  with  such  a  kindness  and 
interest  in  their  manner  as  almost 
brought  tears  into  their  eyes. 

"  So  you  have  not  forgotten  us,  Mrs. 
Spruce  ?  "  asked  Lord  Drelincourt  with 
a  gay  smile,  as  they  handed  a  couple 
of  glasses  of  water  into  the  carriage,  at 
the  request  of  Lady  Drelincourt  and 
Kate,  who  were  evidently  getting  very 
nervous  with  their  proximity  to  Yat- 
ton,  and  the  exciting  scenes  which 
there  awaited  them. 

"Oh,  my  lord,  forgotten  your  lord- 
ship !  No,  my  ladies,  not  for  one 
minute  since  the  dismal  day  you  all 
went — my  lord  !  There's  such  a  stir, 
my  ladies,  along  the  road — you'll  see 
it  all  when  you  get  a  mile  further  on  ! 
— Of  course,  your  lordship  and  your 
ladyships  know  what's  going  to  be 
done  at  the  Hall " 

"  Ah,  ah  !  so  I  hear  !  Well— good- 
day,  Mrs.  Spruce  !  "  cried  Lord  Drelin- 
court, and  the  next  moment  they  had 
dashed  off  in  their  last  stage,  and  at  a 
thundering  pace  to  be  sure.  It  was 
nearly  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  and  the 
day  was  bright  and  beautiful — and 
there  was  a  fresh  and  exhilarating 
breeze  stirring,  that  oft  came  laden 
with  the  rich  scents  of  summer  fields. 

"Oh  Agnes!  oh  Kate!  what  a 
contrast  is  this  to  the  day  on  which 
our  horses'  heads,  two  years  ago,  were 
turned  the  other  way!"  exclaimed 
Lord  Drelincourt ;  but  received  only 
a  faint  reply,  for  his  companions  were 
getting  excited  and  restless  with  the 
rapidly  increasing  evidences  of  excite- 
ment on  the  road.  As  they  advanced 
they  overtook  vehicles  of  every  de- 
scription, all  containing  people  in  gay 
holiday  trim,  and  all  with  their 
horses'  heads  turned  one  way  ;  viz. 
towards  the  great  centre  of  attraction, 
Yatton.  At  length  the  increasing 
number  of  carriages,  chaises,  cars,  gigs, 
Vans,  carts,  waggons — many  of  them 
decked  with  ribands,  flowers,  and 
laurel  boughs  —  compelled  them  to 
slacken  their  speed,  and  gave  them 
fuller  opportunities  of  witnessing  the 
joyful  enthusiasm  with  which  their 
approach  was  greeted.  Already  they 
heard,  or  imagined  they  heard',  from 


the  direction  of  Yatton,   the   sounds 
of  voices  and  music. 

"  I'm  sure,  Charles,  I  shall  cry  like 
a  child  " — quoth  Kate,  her  eyes  sud- 
denly filling  with  tears  ;  and  such  was 
the  ease  also  with  Lady  Drelincourt. 

' '  And  what,  Kate,  if  you  do  ? " 
cried  her  brother  joyfully,  kissing  and 
embracing  them  affectionately. 

"Charles!  Charles! — 1  declare 
there's  old  Granny  Grimston — it  is 
indeed  ! "  cried  Kate  eagerly,  as  they 
passed  an  old-fashioned  market-cart, 
in  which  sat,  sure  enough,  the  good 
creature  Miss  Aubrey  had  mentioned, 
beside  her  daughter,  to  whom  Kato 
waved  her  hand  repeatedly — for  the 
former  had  been  an  old  pensioner  of 
the  late  Mrs.  Aubrey's. 

Oh,  what  a  sight  burst  upon  them 
when  they  came  to  the  turning  of  the 
road  which  brought  them  full  in  view 
of  Yatton — the  village  and  the  Hall ! 
They  came,  too,  to  a  dead  stand-still — 
'twas  impossible  to  get  on  for  some 
time,  for  they  seemed  to  have  got 
suddenly  into  the  middle  of  some 
great  fair!  What  a  shout  rent  the 
air !  Boughs  of  laurel  were  waving 
in  all  directions,  with  wreathe  and. 
ribands  !  Beautiful  nosegays  were 
flung  in  through  the  carriage  windows 
by  men,  women,  and  even  children,  all 
dressed  in  their  best  and  gayest  attire  ! 
Here  was  formed  an  equestrian  pro- 
cession that  was  to  precede  them  into 
Yatton,  consisting  of  some  hundred 
stout  Yorkshire  yeomen,  chiefly  tenants 
of  Lord  Drelincourt  and  his  neigh- 
bours. Louder  and  louder  came  the 
shouts  of  welcome  from  all  quarters, 
before  and  behind,  intermingled  at 
length,  as  they  entered  the  village, 
with  the  clash  and  clangour  of  cym- 
bals, the  thundering  of  drums,  the 
sounds  of  trumpets,  trombones,  clario- 
nets, and  shrill  inspiriting  fifes. 
'Twas  really  most  exciting,  and  Lady 
Drelincourt  and  Kate  were  already 
amply  fulfilling  their  own  predictions. 
Their  carriage  suddenly  stopped  for 
some  moments ;  and  a  louder  shout 
than  had  yet  been  heard  burst  around 
them,  while  the  fine  military  band 
approached  playing  "  Rule  Britannia ! " 
followed  by  a  procession  of  at  least  two 
hundred  horsemen,  headed  by  Dela- 
mere,  and  all  wearing  his  bright  blue 


700 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


•.ion  colours  I     lie  thrust  his  hand 

i  the  carriage,  and  grasping  those 

of  each  of  them,  again  rode  off.     Here 

an    attempt    wnt  to    take    the 

.:  of  Lord  Drelincourt's  car- 
be  peremptorily  forbade, 
aowledging,    however,    the    affec- 
tion Lusiasm  which  prompted 

lly  bowing  in 
all  directions  as  they  passed  down  the 
village.  Flags  and  branches  of  laurel 
hui  itmost  every  window,  and 

the  crowd  had  become  so  great  as  to 
prevent  them  frequently  from  moving 
on  for    more    than   a    minute  or   two 
At    length    they    saw    the 
dear  old  church,  with  its  long,  thin. 
•  spire  -no  doubt   its   little   bells 
;  as  loudly  as  they  could 
l.e  rung,  hut  they  could  not  be  heard  ; 
;  h  •  baud  at  tliat  moment,  w  hen 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  park  gales, 
struck  up  in  line  style,  the  inspiriting 
air  of  "The  King  shall  hae  his  ain 
again  !  "     A  great  number  of  carriages 
drawn   up  on  each   side  of  the 
entrance  to  the  park,  and  the  high 
antique  iron  gab  -and  stone  pillars  were 
covered  with    wreaths  of   flowers  and 
laurel.    Immediately  with- 
in t  on  each  side,  upon  forms 
and            ,  sat  about  a  doz.  n  of  the 
oldest  tenants  on  the  estate,  male  and 
female,  who,  on  the  approach  of  Lord 
Dn  lincourt,    lift,  d    up    their    hands 
Is  heaven,  while  tears  ran 
down   ill'  ir   i  yes,  and  they  implored 
a  blessing  on  those  who  were  re-enter- 
ing tie  ir  own,  after  so  long  and  cruel 
paration  from  it.     But   here  the 
r  and  affectionate  ej i  j  of  the  tra- 
Iit  upon  an  object  infinitely 
more  interesting    and  affecting  than 
any  they  had  yet  seen — 'twas  lie-  vener- 
able figure  of  in-.   Tatham,  who,  with 
1    with   his  hand  and 
■  levated  momentarily  towards 
imploring    a    blessing    upon 
■  wiio  v.  ing.     Lord  Drel- 
incourt   inst  mtly  called  for    I  he 

I  he  opened,  and,  within  a 
'  wo's  time,  he  had  gra 
the   little   Doi  tor's  hands   in  his  own  ; 
and  Lad  ourl  .md  Kate,  ha 

hted,  bad  thrown  I 
arms  around  him,  and  kissed  him  with 

tile    ),.,    LJQgJ    0f     tW{)     ,| 

a  fond  and    venerated    lather.     '|  he 


little  Doctor  was  quite  overcome,  and 
could  scarcely  say  a  word  —  indeed, 
they  were  all  much  excited.  At  this 
point  came  up  Mr.  Delamere,  who  had 
ii  mounted  at  the  gate,  and  placing 
Kate's  arm  hastily,  and  with  a  proud 
and  triumphant  air,  within  his  own, 
while  Lady  Drelincourt  was  supported 
between  her  husband  and  Dr.  Tatham, 
the  two  children  following,  with  their 
attendants,  immediately  behind — in 
this  manner  they  approached  the  Hall, 
each  side  of  ihe  avenue  being  lined 
with  the  gaily-dressed  gentry  of  the 
neighbourhood,  collected  from  far  and 
wide.  When  they  reached  the  tine  old 
gateway,  there  shot  up  suddenly  into  the 
air,  upon  a  flag-staff  planted  upon  the 
centre  of  the  turret,  a  splendid  crim- 
son banner,  while  the  hand  within  the 
court-yard  struck  up  the  spirit-stirring 
air,  une  which  no  Englishman  can  listen 
to  without  excitement — "  See  the  Con- 
quering  Hero  comes!  "  The  moment 
that  they  had  passed  under  the  old 
gateway,  what  a  gay  and  brilliant 
scene  presented  itself!  Upon  the  steps 
fronting  the  door,  and  indeed  all 
around,  stood  the.  most  distinguished 
persons  in  the  county,  ready  to  l  reet 
the  new-comers.  There  was  the  Lord- 
Lieutenant  of  the  county,  tin'  High 
Sheriff,  two  of  the  county  Members — 
Catholics  and  Protestant — high  Tories 
and  high  Whigs — there  tluy  wen — 
the  high-born,  the  beautiful — tin-  gift- 
ed, the  good — all  crowding  with  i 
and  enthusiastic  welcome  around  those 
who  were  thus  returning  to  their  own, 
after  so  extraordinaty  and  infamous  an 
exclusion  and  banishment.  To  Lady 
Drelincourt,  to  Miss  Aubrey,  to  Lord 
I'relii art  himself,  amidst  the  over- 
powering excitement  of  the  moment, 
it  appeared  as  though  they  were  in  a 
rivid  and  dazzling  dream,  and  they 
felt  completely  confused  and  bewil- 
dered, l.i  lv  I  >e  la  Zouch,  and  oik-  or 
two  others  of  their  considerate  friei 
observing  the  painful  exi  itemenl  under 
which  Lady  Drelincourt  and  Miss 
Aubrey  were  labouring,  buccci  ded  in 
Iraw  ing  them  for  a  while  from  the 
tumultuous   and    splendid    scene    into 

their  chambers. 

A  splendid  eld  collation  was  spread 
in    the   hill   fot   (he   ini! liute   friends 

and  gm       of  Lord  ]  >relincourt,  while 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


7C1 


an  immense  entertainment,  of  a  more 
substantial  description,  was  prepared 
under  an  awning,  upon  the  beautiful 
terrace  at  the  back  of  the  Hall,  for 
about  three  hundred .  people,  consist- 
ing principally  of  the  tenantry,  their 
families  and  friends.  (Half-a-dozen 
feasts  were  going  on  in  the  village,  for 
thoso  who  were  necessarily  excluded 
from  the  terrace  tables.)  The  substan- 
tial business  of  the  day — viz.  feasting 
— was  to  commence,  both  for  gentle 
and  simple,  at  three  o'clock,  shortly 
before  which  period  Lady  Drelincourt 
and  Miss  Aubrey  appeared  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, and  then  in  the  hall,  in- 
finitely the  better  for  their  refreshing 
toilets,  Tis  true  that  their  eyes  looked 
somewhat  impaired  by  the  excessive 
emotions  occasioned  by  the  events  of 
the  day  —  for  they  had  both  been 
several  times,  during  their  brief  ab- 
sence, on  the  verge  of  hysterics  ;  yet 
for  all  that  they  looked  a  pair  of  as 
lovely  women  as  dear  Old  England, 
rich  in  delicate  beauty  as  it  is,  could 
produce.  They  both  wore  plain  white 
muslin  dresses,  with  small  blue  rosettes, 
which  Lady  De  la  Zouch  had  inti- 
mated would  give  a  certain  person  in- 
finite gratification — meaning  the  new 
member  for  the  borough  ;  for  his  colouis 
were  blue' — whereof  there  was  a  modest 
glimpse  in  his  own  surtout.  Lord 
Drelincourt  also  appeared  greatly  the 
better  for  his  visit  to  his  dressing- 
room,  and  was  in  the  highest  possible 
spirits — as  well  he  might  be,  amidst  a 
scene  so  glorious  and  triumphant  as 
that  around  him  ;  all  people,  high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor,  without  distinction 
cf  party,  vying  with  one  another  in 
doing  him  honour,  and  welcoming  him 
back  to  the  halls  of  his  ancestors.  At 
length,  it  being  announced  that  all 
was  in  readiness,  before  sitting  down 
to  their  own  banquet,  Lord  Drelin- 
court, with  Lady  Drelincourt  on  one 
arm  and  his  sister  on  the  other, 
and  followed  by  Dr.  Tatham,  Mr. 
liunnington,  and  almost  all  his  guests, 
passed  along  under  the  old  archway 
that  led  over  the  bridge  to  the  terrace, 
in  order  that  the  Doctor  might  say 
grace  before  the  feast  began  :  and  the 
instant  that  Lord  and  Lady  Drelin- 
vourt  and  Miss  Aubrey  made  their 
appearance,  the  shouting  and  clapping 


of  hands,  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs, 
that  ensued,  defies  description,  com- 
pletely overpowered  Lady  Drelincourt 
and  Kate,  and  somewhat  disturbed  the 
equanimity  of  Lord  Drelincourt  him- 
self. 'Twas  several  minutes  before  the 
least  cessation  occurred.  At  length, 
however,  Mr.  Griffiths,  the  steward, 
who  was  to  preside  on  the  occasion, 
succeeded  in  directing  attention  to 
Dr.  Tatham,  who  stood  uncovered 
ready  to  say  grace,  which  he  did  as 
soon  as  there  was  a  decent  approach  to 
silence  ;  he,  and  those  who  had  accom- 
panied him,  then  returning  to  the 
Hall.  What  a  prodigious  onslaught 
was  instantly  made  on  the  enormous 
masses  of  beef,  boiled  and  roast — the 
hams,  the  tongues,  the  fowls — and  all 
the  innumerable  other  good  things 
which  were  heaped  upon  those  hos- 
pitable tables.  There  was  ale  ad 
libitum;  and,  in  addition  to  that,  a 
bottle  of  port  and  of  sherry  to  each 
mess  of  four,  which  latter  viands, 
however,  were  generally  reserved  for 
the  business  that  was  to  take  place 
after  the  substantial  part  of  the  feast 
had  been  discussed. 

According  to  a  previous  arrangement, 
about  four  o'clock  intimation  was  given 
to  the  vast  party  upon  the  terrace,  that 
Lord  Drelincourt,  accompanied  by  his 
guests,  would  come  and  take  their 
seats  for  a  short  time  at  the  head  of 
the  tables — his  lordship  occupying  the 
place  of  Mr.  Griffiths.  After  a  great 
bustle,  the  requisite  space  was  obtained 
at  the  head  of  the  nearest  table  ;  and 
presently  Dr.  Tatham  led  in  Lady 
Drelincourt,  and  Mr.  Delamere,  Kate  ; 
followed  by  Lord  Drelincourt  and  all 
his  guests— their  arrival  being  greeted 
in  the  same  enthusiastic  manner  as 
before.  After  they  had  selected  their 
places,  but  before  they  had  sat  down, 
Dr.  Tatham  returned  thanks  amidst  a 
sudden  and  decorous  silence  ;  and  then, 
all  having  taken  their  places,  had  an 
opportunity  of  feasting  their  eager  and 
fond  eyes  with  the  sight  of  those  who 
had  been  so  cruelly  torn  from  them, 
and  so  long  estranged.  Lord  Drelin- 
court sat  at  the  head  of  the  table,  with 
Lady  Drelincourt  on  one  side  and  his 
sister  upon  the  other,  both  lookiug 
exceedingly  animated  and  beautiful. 
Beside   Kate   sat    Mr.  Delamere,  his 


ro2 


TEN  THOUSAND  A-YEAR. 


lily  watching  her  every  look 
a 1 1 •  1  million  ;  and  beside  Lady  Drelin- 
ctnirt  sat  the  venerable  Dr.  Tatham, 
looking  ;n  happy  and  as  proud  as  it 
ible  for  him  to  look.  After 
sitting  f  r  Bome  minutes  conversing 
villi  those  immediately  around  him, 
during  which  time  expectation  had 
gradually  bushed  down  the  noise  which 
had  prevailed  on  their  entering,  Lord 
1'    lincourt  slowly  pound  out  a  glass 

.  iii*-.  his  hand  slightly  trembling  ; 
uinl  while  Lady  Drelincourt  and  Kate 
leaned  down  their  heads,  and  hid  their 
wly  m.se  amidst  respectful 
and  anxious  silence.  His  voice  was 
at  all  limes  clear  and  melodious,  his 
enunciation  distinct  and  deliberate;  so 
that  every  word  he  uttered  could  be 
hi  ird    by  all    present.     There   were 

••  and  dignity  in  his  countenance 
and  gestures  ;  and  you  felt,  as  you 
looked  and  listened  to  him,  that  he 
was  speaking  from  his  heart.  Thus 
he  began  : — 

,  my  friends!  what  a  happy 
moment  is  this  to  me  and  mine ! 
What  thanks  do  I  not  owe  to  God  for 
his  great  goodness,  in  bringing  us 
again  together  in  our  former  relations 
ot  mutual  and  uninterrupted  respect 
and  affection  !  You  must  not,  how- 
ever, expect  me  to  say  much  now,  for 
1  cannot,  because  my  heart  is  so  full 
of  love  and  respect  to  those  whom  1 

around  me,  and  of  gratitude  to 
'■oil.  May  II',  my  dear  friends,  who 
is  now  beholding  us,  and  marking  the 
thoughts  of  our  Inputs,  Mess  and  pre- 

•    you  all,  and  enable  me  never  to 
give  you  cause  to  regret  having  thu 
affectionately  welcomed  me  hack  again 
to  my  home  I     It  pleased  Him,  my 
friends,  that  I,  and  those  whom  you 

near  me,  and  whom  I  so  tenderly 
love,  should  l"-  torn  away  suddenly, 

ami  fur  a  long  time,  from  all    that  our 

i ..'  : 
r    with    me,    m\  the 

hi  !■■     1.., nl      1  llelill- 

on  fur  Bome  mo- 
ments. "  We  I.  a  w  1  it  yo  i 
all,  gone  through  much  affliction  ;  a 
little  privation  ;  ami  nn:e  p.  i 
It  was  all,  however,  God's  ordering,  anil 
ought  him  that  we  might 
ad  know  it  to  be  ",  in 
ardei  that  we  might  never  be  impatient 


or  rebellious.  Ah,  my  friends !  He 
is  wiser  and  kinder  in  his  dealings 
with  us,  than  we  are  often  able  to  see  ; 
and  as  for  myself,  I  think  1  can  say 
that  1  would  not  have  lost  the  lessons 
which  my  recent  sufferings  have  taught 
me,  for  a  thousand  times. my  present 
advantages. 

"  What  has  befallen  me  lias  satisfied 
me,  and  1  hope  you  too,  of  the  slight 
hold  we  have  of  those  advantages 
which  we  consider  ourselves  surest  of. 
Who  can  tell,  dear  friends,  what  a  day 
or  an  hour  may  bring  forth  ?  And  I 
hope  1  have  also  learned  one  of  the 
great  lessons  of  life,  better  than  I 
knew  it  before — that  cheerful  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  God  is  the  only 
source  of  fortitude  !  God  loves  the 
voice  of  praise  that  he  hears  from  the 
desert  !  Never,  dear  friends,  when 
we  are  in  our  deepest  difficulties  and 
troubles — never,  NEVER  let  us  despair ! 
Thank  God,  I  never  did,  or  you  would 
not  perhaps  have  seen  me  here  to-day. 
God  overrules  everything  for  the  real 
good  of  those  who  faithfully  obey  him: 
and  in  our  own  case,  1  can  assure  you, 
that  the  very  things  which  we  looked 
upon  as  the  cruellest  and  hardest  to 
bear  of  all  that  had  happened  to  us, 
turned  out  to  be  the  very  means  by 
which  we  have  been  restored  to  the 
happiness  which  we  are  now  met  to  cele- 
brate !  See  how  good  God  has  been  to 
us  !  "When  1  look  around  me,  and  see 
what  I  am  permitted  to  enjoy,  and 
know  what  1  deserve,  I  tremble. 

"  You  all  know,  of  course,  that  it 
has  pleased  God  to  place  us  a  little 
higher  in  point  of  mere  worldly  station 
than  we  were  before  ;  hut  1  think  you 
will  find  that  it  has  made  only  this 
difference  in  us  :  namely,  we  are  more 
Bensible  of  the  importance  of  the 
duties  which  we  have  to  perform. 
"I'is  not,  dear  friends— 1  deeply  feel — 
the  mere  coronet  which  confers  true 
distinction,  bul  how  it  is  worn,  1.  i  t 
course,  have  onlj  succeeded  by  birth, 
and,  in  a  manner,  by  accident,  to  that 
n  aik  of  distinction  which  the  merit 
of  some  other  person  had  won  for  him 
long  ago.  1  trust  I  Bhall  wear  it  with 
honour  and  humility,  and  that  so  will 
my  son  after  me. 

"  \nd  now,  my  dear  friends,  I  must 
conclude.     You  see  how  much  thoso 


TEN  THOUSAND  A- YEAR. 


703 


who  are  sitting  near  me  are  affected." 
Lord  Drelincourt  glanced  fondly  but 
hastily  at  Lady  Drelincourt  and  his 
sister,  paused  for  some  time,  and  then 
in  a  lower  tone  resumed,  ' '  You  may 
remember,  some  of  you  at  least,  the 
evening  before  we  left  Yatton  ;  what 
you  then  said  to  me  " — here  again  he 
paused,  and  for  some  time.  "  I  have 
never  forgotten  that  evening ;  the 
thought  of  it  has  often  been  like  balm 
poured  into  a  broken  heart. 

"  I  have  heard  that  since  I  left  you 
all,  things  have  gone  very  differently 
from  the  way  they  went  in  my  time. 
Oh,  dear  friends,  there  shall  be  no 
more  extortion — there  shall  be  no  more 
oppression,  at  Yatton  !  I  can,  I  think, 
answer  for  myself ;  and  I  think  my 
little  son  will  not  take  after  his  father 
if — you  shall  see  my  children  presently 
■ — God  bless  you,  dear  friends  !  You 
see  that  I  have  now  and  then  been 
overcome  while  speaking  ;  I  know  you 
will  bear  with  me.  Were  you  in  my 
place,  and  to  look  upon  those  whom  I 
now  look  upon,  you  also  would  be 
overcome.  But  let  our  tears  now  pass 
away  !  Rejoice,  dear  friends,  for  it  is  a 
day  of  rejoicing!  Be  merry!  be  happy! 
I  now  from  my  heart  drink — we  all 
drink,  all  your  healths !  Here  are 
health,  and  peace,  and  prosperity  to 
you  all !     God  bless  you  all !  " 

Lord  Drelincourt  raised  his  glass  to 
his  lips,  and  drank  off  the  wine  it 
contained,  his  hand  visibly  trembling 
the  while.  He  then  sat  down,  evi- 
dently much  subdued  ;  and  as  for 
Lady  Drelincourt,  Miss  Aubrey,  and 
Lady  De  la  Zouch — nay,  everybody 
present — they  were  deeply  affected  by 
the  simple  and  affectionate  address 
that  had  fallen  from  Lord  Drelincourt, 
which  was  followed  by  a  long  silence, 
that  was  infinitely  more  expressive 
than  the  most  vociferous  responses. 
After  a  while,  the  band  commenced 
playing,  in  a  very  beautiful  manner, 

"  Should  auld  acquaintance  be  forgot." 

There  were  heard  several  attempts, 
from  time  to  time,  from  different 
quarters,  to  join  in  the  chorus,  but 
they  were  very  faint  and  subdued  ; 
and  Lord  Drelincourt,  perceiving  the 
true  state  of  the  case,  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands.     Then,  affectionately 


taking  the  hands  of  Kate  and  Lady 
Drelincourt,  he  whispered  that  all 
their  past  sufferings  were  surely  that 
day  richly  recompensed  ;  and  fearing 
lest  his  presence  and  that  of  his  dis- 
tinguished guests  might  be  a  check 
upon  the  freedom  and  hilarity  of  the 
great  company  before  him,  he  rose, 
and  bowing  courteously  to  all  around, 
and  followed  by  those  who  had  accom- 
panied him,  withdrew  amidst  most 
vehement  and  prodigious  cheering.  A 
few  minutes  afterwards,  according  to 
Lord  Drelincourt's  promise,  littlo 
Charles  and  Agnes  were  led  in  amidst 
a  thousand  exclamations  of  fondness 
and  admiration,  (they  were  really  very 
beautiful  children  ;)  and  having  had  a 
little  drop  of  wine  poured  into  each  of 
their  cups,  they  drank  timidly,  as  they 
were  told,  to  the  health  of  all  present, 
and  then  skipped  hastily  back  whence 
they  had  come. 

I  shall  not  detain  the  reader  with 
the  description  which  I  had  prepared 
of  the  opening  of  Kate's  school  on  the 
morrow  ;  though  I  think  he  would 
like  to  have  been  present.  A  prettier 
school  there  is  not  in  England  ;  and  if 
anything  could  have  increased  Kate's 
love  for  him  who  had  taken  such  pains 
to  please  her  in  the  matter,  it  was 
Dr.  Tatham's  informing  her,  a  morn- 
ing or  two  afterwards,  that  Mr.  Dela- 
mere  had  endowed  her  school  with 
thirty  pounds  a-year  for  ever.  In 
proportion  to  Kate's  sorrow  on  leav- 
ing her  school  upon  the  occasion 
of  their  all  being  driven  from  Yat- 
ton, it  may  easily  be  believed  were 
her  delight  and  gratitude  for  this  its 
complete  and  more  efficient  restoration. 
The  opening  of  that  school  by  Dr. 
Tatham,  in  her  presence,  and  also  in 
that  of  Mr.  Delamere,  was  doubtless 
an  interesting  ceremony,  yet  not  to  be 
compared,  perhaps,  with  one  that 
occurred  a  short  month  afterwards  at 
Yatton,  and  in  which  the  same  three 
persons  were  principally  concerned ! 

-Here  is  a  heavenly  morning  in 


June  !  and  Kate  lying  trembling  and 
with  beating  heart,  alone,  in  that  old- 
fashioned  chamber  of  hers,  in  which 
she  was  first  seen  by  the  reader — or  at 
least,  where  he  obtained  a  faint  and 
dim   vision  of  her.— 'Tis  very  early, 


7>1 


TEX  THOUSAND   A-YEAR. 


certainly  ;  ami  a.s  Kato  hath  passed  a 

night,  she  is  at  length 

her  eyes    i         te  ro  ;    and    as 

bing  is  to  be  heard  stirring,  save 

lark  that  is  carrying  Ilia  song 

higher  and  higher  out  of  hearing  every 

moment,   she   will  sleep  for  a  while 

ondistorl 

•  •  •  «  • 

— But   voir,  rise,  Kate  !   rise  !     It  is 

r  wedding  morning  !  Early  though 
it  be,  here  an  your  fair  bridesmaids 
seeking  admittance,  to  deck  you  in 
your  bridal  robes!  Sweet  Kate,  why 
turn  so  pale,  ami  tremble  so  violently  ? 
It  is  truly  a  memorable  day,  one  long 
looked  forward  to  with  a  fluttering 

t  —a  day  of  delicious  agitation  and 
embarrassment ;  but  courage,  Kate  ! 
courage  !  ( 'annot  these  three  beautiful 
girls  who,  like  the  Graces,  are  array  - 

you,  as  becomes  your  loveliness, 
with  all  their  innocent  arts  and  arch- 

,  provoke  one  smile  on  your  pale 
cheek  I  Weep,  then,  if  such  be  your 
humour ;  for  it  is  the  overflowing  of 

i'oy,  and  will  relieve  your  heart !  —  lint 
tasten  !  hasten  !  your  lover  is  below, 
impatient  to  clasp  you  in  his  arms! 
The  maids  of  the  village  have  been  up 
with  the  sun  gathering  sweet  flowers 
catter  on  your  way  to  the  altar! 
Hark   how  merrily,    merrily  ring  the 
bells  of  Yatton  church  ! — Nearer  and 
nearer  comes  the  hour  which  cannot 
delayed  ;  and  why,  blushing  and 
trembling  maiden,  should  you  dread 
its    approach  ?     Hark — carriage   after 
carriage  is  coming  crashing  up  to  the 
Hall ! — Now  your  maidens  are  pis 
on  your  beautiful   brow  the    orange 
oms— mysterious  emblems! — 

"The  fniits  of  autumn  and  tho  flowers  of 
spring :—" 

and  a  long  (lowing  graceful  veil  shall 
our  blushes!     Now,  at  length, 

.vh>-  and  sinks  into  the  anus 

.   fond  and  noble   brother,   w  I 
too  full  for  Bpeei  thai 

of  i.  Shrink  not,  my  beaute- 


ous Kate,  from  your  lover,  who  ap- 
proaches you,  see  how  tenderly  and 
delicately!  Is  he  not  one  whom  a 
maiden  may  be  proud  of?  See  the 
troops  of  friemls  that  are  waiting  to 
attend  you,  and  do  you  honour ! 
Everywhere  that  the  eye  looks,  arc 
glistening  gay  wedding-favours,  em- 
blems of  innocence  and  joy.  Come, 
Kate — your  brother  waits ;  you  go 
with  him  to  church,  but  you  will  come 
back  with  another  !  He  that  loves 
you  as  a  father,  the  venerable  minister 
of  God,  is  awaiting  your  arrival ! 
What  a  brilliant  throng  is  iu  that 
little  church  1 

Now  her  beautiful  form  is  standing 
at  the  altar,  beside  her  manly  lover, 
and  the  solemn  ceremony  has  com- 
menced, which  is  to  unite,  with 
Heaven's  awful  sanction,  these  two 
young  and  happy  and  virtuous  hearts  ! 

"fis  done  !  Kate  Aubrey  !  Kate  Au- 
brey !  where  are  you!  She  is  no  more 
— but,  as  Mrs.  Dclamere,  is  sitting 
blushing  and  sobbing  beside  her  hus- 
band, he  elate  with  pride  and  fond- 
ness, as  they  drive  rapidly  back  to  tho 
Hall.  In  vain  glanc«s  her  eye  at  that 
splendid  banquet,  as  it  shrinks  also 
timidly  from  the  glittering  array  of 
guests  seated  around  it — and  she  soon 
Ml  ires  with  her  maidens  to  prepare 
for  her  agitating  journey  !  Well — 
they  are  gone  1  My  pure  and  lovely 
Kate,  is  gone  !  'Tis  hard  to  part  with 
her !  I5ut  blessings  attend  her ! 
Blessings  attend  you  both  !  You  can- 
not forget  dear  Yatton,  where  all 
that  is  virtuous  and  noble  will  ever 
with  open  arms  receive  you  ! 

And  now,  dear  friends  !  farewell  for  many  a 

day  1 
If  e'er  we  meet  again,  1  cannot  say. 

her  have  we  travoll'd  two  l<'i>k'  years, 
And  mingled  sometimes  smiles,  and  some* 

times  tears ! 
Now  droops  my  weary  hand,  and  swells  my 

heart, — 

1  friends  !  we  must  for  ever  pari . 
Forgive  my  many  faults  !  ami  say  of  me, 

Ho  hath  meant  well,  who  writ  this  history. 


THB    END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE   UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


^K  2  4  1S4& 
MA1?  3 

AUG  171950 


Lu- 


*4k 


AUG 5    go. 


NGELES 
LIBRARY 


PR 
5732 
T25 
1885 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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